Sweeney Could Be the Perfect Solution

Although center fielder Carlos Beltran is the marquee name as the Kansas City Royals put their veterans up for auction, first baseman Mike Sweeney is the player who might fit the Dodgers best.

By acquiring Sweeney, 29, an All-Star in each of the last four seasons, the Dodgers could move Shawn Green back to right field and move him out of the cleanup spot.

Green is batting .238 with men in scoring position, the lowest average among Dodger regulars, and he has grounded into 11 double plays, one shy of the major league lead.

Manager Jim Tracy said he considered Green the best option on his roster for a cleanup hitter.

“That’s where he’s supposed to hit,” Tracy said.

Could he leave Green there indefinitely, even if he struggles to produce?

“Over a long period of time, no, you can’t,” Tracy said. He refused to define “long period.”

Sweeney, a right-handed slugger, was born in Orange County, grew up in the Inland Empire and has long expressed interest in playing in Southern California. He is signed through 2007 at $11 million annually, a figure that rises to $12.5 million if traded.

Beltran plans to file for free agency this fall and could seek an annual salary of as much as $15 million.

Dodger owner Frank McCourt and General Manager Paul DePodesta have said the team can add salary this season. DePodesta did not return a call Saturday, but Kansas City General Manager Allard Baird said Friday he had called every other team to alert them of the availability of the Royals’ veterans.

Green said he believed the Dodgers could win without a trade -- “Hopefully, a couple of us, including myself, get hot,” he said -- but noted the team is jousting with the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants in the National League West. The Padres are believed to be pursuing Beltran, and San Francisco General Manager Brian Sabean is renowned for his moves at the trading deadline.

“Whether it’s another arm or another bat, either would help any team in the running,” Green said. “As a player, you always hope that, among teams in your division, your team doesn’t get left behind at the trade deadline. If it’s neck-and-neck in your division and if the other team makes a move, it could have a huge impact.”

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The Dodgers never had played in Fenway Park before this weekend, but Vin Scully had called a game here -- his first network broadcast, for CBS, a 1949 football game between Boston University and Maryland.

“I broadcast the game from the roof,” Scully said. “I didn’t have a booth. The engineer had a card table and I had 50 yards of cable. When the team moved, I moved.”