Dodgers Are Focusing on Floyd and McGriff

The Angels and Dodgers accomplished their goals before leaving the winter meetings Monday, laying groundwork for trades and free-agent signings that could be completed this week.

The Angels have a short to-do list after winning the World Series, but General Manager Bill Stoneman, who is considering moves to acquire outfield depth, identified “some possibilities out there” during four days of talks.

“You never know where the next deal will come from,” Stoneman said. “It could only be a phone call away.”

The Dodgers were busier because of their run-production problems, focusing on trades for a consistent hitter and narrowing the pool of free agents they plan to pursue. Outfielder Cliff Floyd and first baseman Fred McGriff are high on the Dodgers’ free-agent list, baseball officials said, but General Manager Dan Evans said he “won’t make any decisions until we identify the right guy, and we’re not there yet.”

Free agents who have been offered arbitration, such as Floyd, have until Thursday to accept. Teams have until Friday to offer players contracts or they become free agents, so the Dodgers could soon have additional intriguing possibilities.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do. We found out from a majority of the teams exactly where they stand,” Evans said. “We said all along we weren’t coming here to make a trade. We were coming here to get answers.

“There are still a few teams we need to get a little better feel for where things are, there are a few [trade] possibilities I want to [flesh] out, but what we’ve done here in four days is achieve what we wanted to achieve.”

The next phase of the plan figures to be more difficult.

The Dodgers have about $4.5 million to spend on a hitter and left-handed reliever, and Evans is attempting to clear more payroll space by trading starter Andy Ashby, officials said. The right-hander has been mentioned in several proposals, including a deal for Texas Ranger outfielder Juan Gonzalez that failed to materialize because Gonzalez wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause.

McGriff, among the major leagues’ top run producers the last 15 seasons, has expressed interest in the Dodgers, and the club would not lose draft picks as compensation for signing him. Moreover, he would fit easily into the Dodgers’ salary structure on a one-year deal, allaying their luxury-tax concerns if they can’t find a taker for Ashby in a budget-conscious market and allowing franchise player Shawn Green to stay in right field instead of moving to first base.

Floyd, 30, has also shown plenty of interest in the Dodgers and he has even more upside than the 39-year-old McGriff. Floyd played for Manager Jim Tracy in the Montreal Expos’ farm system and officials believe he would sign with the club for less than the three-year, $24-million contract he rejected from Boston because of their handling of his situation.

The Red Sox hope Floyd, who had a salary of $6.5 million in 2002, does not accept arbitration because he could receive more than $10 million, a hit on their payroll that might stop them from making additional moves. The Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and New York Mets are believed to have some interest in Floyd, but not to the level of the Dodgers.

Evans and Kim Ng, the Dodgers’ assistant general manager, met with Floyd’s agent, Seth Levinson, for almost three hours early Monday morning, though Evans said financial parameters of a contract were not discussed. There are hurdles to completing a deal, but Levinson believes they can be cleared and Evans hasn’t ruled out anything.

General managers who had trade discussions with the Dodgers said most of the club’s roster is available, but the asking price for third baseman Adrian Beltre is too high. The Chicago Cubs have pursued a deal for the arbitration-eligible Beltre, but the Dodgers have told clubs they plan to retain him for at least another season unless they are overwhelmed by an offer.

Evans plans to have lunch today in Chicago with catcher Todd Hundley, reacquired Dec. 3 from the Cubs for first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek.

“The great thing is, Todd and I talked and we just thought it was a real good situation where we could get together and spend some quality time,” said Evans, who is attending to personal matters in Chicago. “We’re reaching out to him because we want him to know we’re really happy to have him and he’s a good fit for us.

“I just want to catch up a little bit. I’ve heard some good things about him and his teammates have expressed some real positive things.

“It’s important for he and I to get to know each other a little bit before the first day of spring training.”

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Commissioner Bud Selig will issue an edict next month requiring batboys to be at least 14 years old. That comes in response to the near-accident at home plate in the World Series involving Darren Baker, 3-year-old son of former San Francisco Giant manager Dusty Baker.

“The minimum age for bat boys will be either 14 or 16 years old,” Sandy Alderson, the executive vice president for baseball operations in the commissioner’s office, said. “The commissioner will make that ruling.”

Selig will announce his decision at the owners meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan 15-16.

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The Dodgers acquired left-hander Derek Thompson, a Rule 5 draft selection, from the Cubs for $50,000 in addition to the $50,000 fee to draft him. The Dodgers lost right-hander Luke Prokopec and outfielder Shane Victorino. The Cubs selected Thompson, 21, from the Cleveland Indians with the fifth pick of the major league phase of the draft. He went 5-7 with a 3.65 earned-run average for the Indians’ Class-A affiliates last season. The Dodgers must keep Thompson on the active roster for 90 days or offer him back to the Indians for $25,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.