Bradley Agrees to Yield Center Stage to Finley

Milton Bradley made things easy for the Dodgers, agreeing Saturday to move from center field to accommodate Steve Finley.

Finley, acquired from Arizona in a five-player deal, expressed his desire to remain in center if traded. The four-time Gold Glove Award winner could have exercised his right to block trades, and the Dodgers were eager to keep Finley from San Diego, the only other team he would have joined.

General Manager Paul DePodesta instructed Manager Jim Tracy to discuss the situation with Bradley, who said he would do what was best for the team.

“I heard some rumblings about it a few days ago, so I was prepared,” Bradley said. “Initially, my alter ago wanted to say, ‘I’m a pretty damn good center fielder, I don’t want to move.’ But the real me, the more mature me, says it’s best for the team.”

Tracy, who spoke with Bradley on Saturday morning, said Bradley would play in center, right and left. Bradley, considered among the major leagues’ best young center fielders, took fly balls in right field during batting practice before the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to the Padres.

He made a dazzling catch to rob Phil Nevin of a two-run home run in Friday’s 12-3 blowout of San Diego.

But are the Dodgers better with Finley, 39, in center instead of Bradley, 26?

“What we have are two Gold Glove outfielders out there. Period,” Tracy said. “I’m not going to compare and contrast them. I don’t think that’s fair to either one.”

The Dodgers, Bradley especially, want Finley to be comfortable.

“Dave Roberts moved aside [from center] when I came over here. Even Adrian Beltre moved in the lineup, initially, to accommodate me,” Bradley said. “So if I’ve got to make somebody else feel welcomed, make them feel like part of the family, then I’m happy to do that because it’s about October.

“I can jump over the wall in right field now and make a catch. It’s the same game, just a different spot. With the great chemistry and togetherness we have as a ballclub, who am I to mess that up?”

And what would have occurred had Bradley held firm on center? “I don’t know, but I probably owe Milton something for that,” DePodesta said. “I think this whole team does.”

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With the roster having undergone a major makeover, Tracy said he did not foresee having a set everyday lineup.

Hee Seop Choi, acquired with pitcher Brad Penny from Florida on Friday, will play first base, as will Shawn Green, whose time in right will increase. Brent Mayne, who came with Finley from the Diamondbacks, will share catching duties with David Ross, and the role of emerging outfielder Jayson Werth will increase with Roberts having been traded to Boston.

Penny moves to the front of the rotation and Darren Dreifort becomes the primary setup man for closer Eric Gagne.

“What I’m going to do,” Tracy said, “is the same thing that I’ve been doing up to this point ... construct a lineup that makes the most sense for that given night against that club and that club’s specific pitcher.”

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Penny said he’s unfazed by his status as the Dodgers’ new No. 1 starter.

“To me, it’s not about being the No. 1 guy,” Penny said. “Every time you go out there, you’re facing another guy who’s capable of throwing a shutout. Hopefully, I can go out there and get it done.”

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One guy the Dodgers probably will be facing down the stretch is Randy Johnson, still with the Arizona Diamondbacks after they failed to trade him before Saturday’s deadline.

The Dodgers were among the teams who wanted him, and Johnson told reporters Saturday in Denver, “I’m in a boat with no oars, and a perfect storm is about to hit. I didn’t demand a trade. I didn’t ask for a trade. I would have considered the Dodgers, and I never vetoed the Dodgers.”

Times staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.