Cost Is Low; Will It Be Effective?

And on the eighth day, he rested.

After a seven-day span in which he made six trades with six teams involving 13 players, Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta left the headlines to the guys in uniform. He made no trades Monday, as the Dodgers lost their season opener, 8-2, to the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers opened with a bench mixed with veterans (Robin Ventura, Jose Hernandez, Olmedo Saenz) and youngsters (Jason Grabowski, David Ross, Jayson Werth).

Grabowski and Werth arrived in the trading flurry, with DePodesta spurning conventional wisdom that suggests inexperienced players struggle in reserve roles. And, in baseball’s new economic order, veteran role players can be had for $500,000, just $200,000 above minimum wage.

“There are bench guys out there that are still making between $1 million and $2 million,” DePodesta said. “If you have a bench of five guys and you can spend a total of $2 million on your bench, as opposed to $5 million, that could mean two veteran guys in your bullpen. It really does make a difference.”

The six-man Dodger bench will make $3.5 million, including veteran salaries of $1.2 million to Ventura, $875,000 to Hernandez and $500,000 to Saenz. They also retained veterans Wilson Alvarez ($1.5 million) and Jose Lima ($900,000) as long relievers.

In addition to center fielder Milton Bradley, acquired Sunday from the Cleveland Indians, DePodesta acquired unproven outfielders in Grabowski, Werth and Cody Ross, who will start the season at triple-A Las Vegas. DePodesta said he would be pleased if one of those three ever joins Bradley as a starting outfielder.

“I know I’m not going to be right all the time,” DePodesta said. “... If any of those guys ends up being an everyday player for us, I think it would be a huge success.”

DePodesta said he had called the Indians about Bradley since joining the Dodgers as general manager seven weeks ago. At one point, DePodesta said, he asked Cleveland General Manager Mark Shapiro to identify players of interest on other teams so he could try to acquire them and then forward them to the Indians in a Bradley trade.

However, after Bradley clashed with Manager Eric Wedge last week, Shapiro announced he would trade him. DePodesta said Shapiro lowered his asking price, prompting Oakland General Manager Billy Beane to try to get Bradley for his team or get additional players for the A’s by brokering a three-way deal for Bradley.

“Billy was in the middle of it,” DePodesta said. “Then I just wanted to preempt the process and make sure he ended up here.”

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In the top of the fifth inning, the Padres removed left fielder Ryan Klesko for Kerry Robinson, a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. The Padres led, 5-0, at the time, but they insisted the move did not reflect a belief that the offensively challenged Dodgers could not score five runs in their final five at-bats.

Klesko is more experienced at first base than in the outfield, and the Padres wanted their best outfield with the lead in a pitcher’s park.