Colletti Has Some Holes to Fill

General Manager Ned Colletti left here Thursday afternoon with a manager and a leadoff hitter, but still in pursuit of critical upgrades in several areas of the Dodgers, including at third base, outfield and starting pitching.

After four days at the winter meetings, Colletti said he believed he could add a starting pitcher through free agency, acquire the position players through trades and hold most or all of the prospects nearing major-league readiness.

He met Thursday morning with Scott Boras, the agent for Jeff Weaver, Kevin Millwood and Jarrod Washburn, and had “two or three teams” with whom he believed a trade was possible. He also said he was close to obtaining a veteran catcher to back up Dioner Navarro, which won’t be Jason Phillips.

“I really needed these meetings to go on a couple more days,” Colletti said.

He spent some time with the Toronto Blue Jays, who with the acquisition of Lyle Overbay are overloaded at the infield corners, but one Blue Jay official said, “They weren’t interested.”

There is some discussion within the organization about starting the season with 21-year-old right-hander Chad Billingsley in the rotation, which would lessen the urgency to add another starter. Billingsley, the organization’s pitcher of the year two years running, has not pitched above double A. But he and third baseman Andy LaRoche are the players about whom most teams inquire in trade discussions.

“It’s delicate,” Colletti said. “It’s really delicate.”

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Before he was contacted by the Dodgers and after determining Jim Fregosi could be their next manager, Grady Little sent word to Fregosi he would be interested in joining Fregosi’s coaching staff.

Thursday morning, Little was having coffee with Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox in the hotel lobby when Fregosi approached and stuck out his hand. As Little reached for the hand, Fregosi smiled and said, “Guess you don’t need that bench coach job.”

“No,” Little said.

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Left-handers Luis Gonzalez and Mike Megrew were chosen from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 major league draft, and right-hander Brandon Weeden was selected in the triple-A draft. Gonzalez was taken by Colorado, Megrew by Florida and Weeden, who came to the Dodgers with Jeff Weaver and Yhency Brazoban in the Kevin Brown trade, by Kansas City. In the triple-A phase, the Dodgers drafted left-hander Alberto Bastardo from Baltimore. Megrew made only five starts, near the end of the season, after recovering from major elbow surgery. ... Antonio Perez, who suffered a small fracture in his cheekbone when he was hit by a pitch in a Dominican League game last month, apparently will not require surgery. The Dodgers have yet to speak to Perez or have him examined by one of their doctors.