Green Meeting Sought by GM

New General Manager Paul DePodesta said Sunday he plans to speak with Shawn Green regarding the All-Star right fielder’s recent comments about the woeful offense.

“He is a cornerstone of this club, and I’m sure the comments were said out of frustration,” DePodesta said.

“I welcome the opportunity to sit down and talk with him about it.”

Green in January expressed his frustration about the club’s failure to address the major leagues’ least-productive offense, telling The Times’ T.J. Simers he was going to be very upset “if opening day comes around and we haven’t improved from where we are now.” The reserved Green called out the front office in saying the Dodgers need a “legit middle-of-the-lineup great hitter ... and we have to get that done.”

DePodesta was not the general manager at the time, officially taking over for the fired Dan Evans last Monday.

But DePodesta believes it is important to discuss the situation with Green, scheduled to report to Dodgertown today.

“Like I’ve said in some of these other situations, these changes with the franchise, whether it be with [new team owners Frank and Jamie McCourt] or with me, actually give us an opportunity to just start with a clean slate and move forward, and I’d like to be proactive about some of these things,” DePodesta said. “Ultimately, this is one big team. You don’t want any of that stuff brewing, and you really don’t want it brewing in spring training.”

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Tim Wallach is pleased to have one of the hardest jobs in baseball: Dodger batting instructor.

The position hasn’t offered much security lately, as Wallach is the third person to fill it since last August. Wallach follows Jack Clark and George Hendrick in trying to help hitters who produced the fewest runs in the major leagues last season.

“The most important thing is to forget about last year and start anew,” said the former All-Star third baseman, who spent 15-plus seasons in the majors leagues and played for the Dodgers from 1993-96.

“I’ve had the job for a week, and pretty much all I’ve read and heard about is the problems from last year. It was a tough year, so move on and come back ready.

“I was a big-league hitter and I did all I could do to come back and be as good as I could be if I had a bad year. I’m sure these guys are the same way. I know a lot of them and I know they are.”

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All-Star closer Eric Gagne made a brief appearance at Dodgertown and is expected to participate in workouts today.

Gagne, upset about losing his arbitration hearing, did not speak with reporters before leaving the spring-training complex. He will be paid $5 million this season rather than the $8 million he had sought.

Agent Scott Boras plans to travel to Dodgertown next week to meet with DePodesta.

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Injury-plagued right-hander Darren Dreifort responded well after throwing off a mound for the first time since last May and will increase his workout activities, Tracy said.

Dreifort, who had knee and hip surgery last season, has been cleared to participate in bunting drills after throwing 30 pitches Saturday. Because of concerns about his knee, Dreifort is still being held out of fielding drills, Tracy said.

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The McCourts are expected to arrive today and address the team before the first full-squad workout Tuesday.