Dodgers Make Two More Moves

Hoping to diversify and strengthen their bench, while avoiding arbitration with a current pitcher, the Dodgers signed two players Friday.

F.P. Santangelo, a free-agent utility player, and starting pitcher Darren Dreifort signed two-year and one-year deals, respectively. Santangelo will earn a guaranteed $1.6 million, with a possibility to get as much as an additional $900,000 in incentives, and Dreifort will make $3.7 million.

The switch-hitting Santangelo, 32, hit .260 with three home runs, 26 runs batted in and 17 doubles in 113 games with the San Francisco Giants last season.

“He’s not an everyday starter, but he can play every day,” General Manager Kevin Malone said. “It’s almost like having two players since he can play all the positions. He’s a winner and he’ll be a real fan favorite.”

Dreifort went 13-13 for the Dodgers with 140 strikeouts and a 4.79 earned-run average in 30 games in 1999, his second full season starting in the majors.