It's the Meet Part of Lineup

By Steve Henson

Feb. 18, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla. —

Remember when spring training was about longtime teammates loosening arms, tightening abs and strengthening bonds? Now everybody arrives in top shape, but nobody knows anybody else.

Certainly for the Dodgers, the six weeks preceding opening day will be an extended get-acquainted session. Only 14 players remain from the 40-man roster of a year ago, including only two position players expected to make the team -- shortstop Cesar Izturis and catcher David Ross.

General Manager Paul DePodesta began the transformation slowly last spring, then, undeterred by a National League West title and strong team chemistry, accelerated it this off-season.

The result isn’t precisely the team he envisioned -- that would have included Nomar Garciaparra and Brad Radke, both of whom the Dodgers failed to sign, despite hot pursuit -- but it will do for now. Another blockbuster deal is only a DePodesta reverie away.

“I don’t think there is any team that ever gets their Plan A going into the winter,” he said. “You end up having to go to various options. I like the team in general. It has come together largely as expected. There are always players you’d love to have that you didn’t get. We certainly fall in that category.”

The players he did get will spend the spring trying to recapture that elusive chemistry so enjoyed by dearly departed Dodgers Jose Lima, Adrian Beltre, Shawn Green, Steve Finley and Alex Cora.

Jeff Kent must mesh with Milton Bradley. Jeff Weaver must bond with J.D. Drew. Derek Lowe and Ricky Ledee must find common ground.

Not that these are insurmountable tasks. Most players are used to it by now because nearly every team retools, regardless of where it finished the year before. Look at all the changes the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals made shortly after the confetti landed.

“It’s exciting, putting together a new team, everybody coming together for a common purpose,” Drew said. “It seems like every team has a lot of turnover every year. The spring is when you start getting on the same page.”

The value of a positive clubhouse atmosphere, while hard to quantify, is undeniable. Lowe says so, and he should know, coming as he has from the champion Red Sox.

“If you learn anything from last year’s Red Sox team, it is that team chemistry is absolutely for real,” he said. “We had the most unbelievable group of 25 guys and coaching staff, we all got along so well. No one rooted against anyone.

“So that is something you can bring to the next organization. I saw firsthand how it works. There are people who say chemistry is overrated, but I’ll be the first to say it’s important.”

Lowe knows not a soul on the Dodger roster. Never played with any of them. Never had extended chats with those he faced. But that will soon change.

“In six weeks we’ll become a team,” he said. “New guys are excited to be here and guys who have been here are excited about showing us the way.”

Pitchers and catchers report today and hold their first workout Saturday. The first full-squad practice is Thursday and Grapefruit League games begin March 2.

Most players in the first wave are familiar with one another. The only major change on the Dodger pitching staff is that Lowe -- signed for four years at $36 million -- has replaced Lima.

Lowe joins Weaver, Odalis Perez, Brad Penny and either Kazuhisa Ishii or Edwin Jackson in a rotation that lacks a clear No. 1 starter but has the potential to get the Dodgers to the seventh inning in reasonable shape more often than not.

Especially if Penny is sound. The Dodgers say the right-hander obtained from the Florida Marlins at the trading deadline last summer has had no setbacks in his recovery from a nerve injury to his right arm that kept him from contributing down the stretch.

Penny will be brought along slowly, and left-hander Wilson Alvarez and right-hander Elmer Dessens are prepared to step into the rotation if necessary.

The back of the bullpen is set with closer Eric Gagne and right-handed setup reliever Yhency Brazoban. Duaner Sanchez and Giovanni Carrara also return.

The fight for the last spot on the staff could be spirited because the Dodgers invited to camp several pitchers with major league experience. Look for a situational left-hander to make the team from a group of candidates headed by Frank Brooks and Kelly Wunsch.

Another newcomer who will be watched closely is catcher Dioner Navarro, obtained from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the trade that sent Green to Arizona. The Dodgers publicly say Navarro, who turned 21 on Feb. 9, will start the season in triple-A, but privately they would love to see him step up and win the job.

Otherwise, a platoon of right-handed hitting David Ross and left-handed hitting Paul Bako will mind the shop until Navarro is ready.

The major flurry of how-do-you-dos will take place when the position players report. Big-ticket free-agent acquisitions Drew and Kent, and lesser additions such as Ledee and Jose Valentin, will work alongside Izturis, Bradley, Jayson Werth and other holdovers.

Whether the offensive production of a year ago can be equaled is questionable. The fragile Drew must stay free of injury. The aging Kent, 36, and Valentin, 35, must display enough bat speed to hit 25-30 home runs. Unproven first baseman Hee-Seop Choi must fulfill the promise DePodesta sees in him. Izturis, Werth and Bradley must build on their productive 2004 seasons.

“I really like the pitching, and I like our position-player club,” DePodesta said. “I like our balance in the lineup and our balance in the rotation. I think we definitely have a chance to compete.”

Should events suggest otherwise, he’ll simply start wheeling and dealing. The payroll, currently about $88 million, could grow before opening day.

“We’ve tried to leave some dry powder, not just going into spring training but also for the beginning of the season,” he said.

At which point another round of introductions could be necessary.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Dodgers at a Glance

WHO’S NEW

* C Paul Bako, P Frank Brooks, OF J.D. Drew, 2B Jeff Kent, OF Ricky Ledee, P Derek Lowe, 3B Jose Valentin.

WHO’S GONE

* 3B Adrian Beltre, 2B Alex Cora, OF Steve Finley, 1B-OF Shawn Green, INF Jose Hernandez, C Todd Hundley, P Jose Lima, C Brent Mayne, P Hideo Nomo, P Scott Stewart, 1B Robin Ventura.

BIGGEST QUESTION OF SPRING

* Will Brad Penny be a healthy, dependable starter? If Penny’s arm is sound -- a nerve problem in his shoulder sidelined him shortly after he was acquired from the Florida Marlins last July -- the rotation should be one of the best in the National League. If not, the back end of the rotation could be questionable and pressure would increase on starters Jeff Weaver, Derek Lowe and Odalis Perez.

JOB SEEKERS

* P Edwin Jackson, C Dioner Navarro, 3B Norihiro Nakamura, 3B Antonio Perez, P Kelly Wunsch, P Scott Erickson, P D.J. Houlton. Jackson, 21, will try to bounce back from an arm injury to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Navarro, acquired in the trade that sent Green to the Arizona Diamondbacks, is considered the catcher of the future. Nakamura, a perennial All-Star in Japan, will compete with Perez to platoon with Valentin at third. Wunsch and Erickson are among a handful of veteran pitchers the Dodgers have invited to camp. Houlton was taken in the rule 5 draft from the Houston Astros and must stay on the Dodger roster the entire season or the Astros can reclaim him.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

* Hee-Seop Choi. The first baseman brought in along with Penny at the All-Star break was a flop in a limited role. General Manager Paul DePodesta is determined to give Choi an opportunity to play every day, believing his power and ability to get on base make him a bargain. Should Choi fail to deliver, Kent probably would move to first base, opening second for Perez.

REASONS TO BE EXCITED

* Eric Gagne. The rock of stability amid all the changes is the closer whose last three seasons have set the standard for preserving late-inning leads. Gagne has signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year.

Drew and Kent. The big-bat additions must make up for the loss of Beltre and Green. Drew, 28, is a five-tool player in his prime. Kent is the all-time home run leader among second basemen.

REASONS TO BE WORRIED

* The offense. Replacing the near-MVP numbers of Beltre and the significant production of Green and Finley won’t be easy. The bottom third of the lineup is highly questionable. Valentin’s batting average has dropped four years in a row to a low of .216 last season and neither Choi nor David Ross hit .200 with the Dodgers. Questions linger even with the proven hitters. Can Cesar Izturis and Jayson Werth build on solid 2004 seasons? Can Drew stay healthy? Can Milton Bradley overcome his anger problems? The only sure thing based on career production is that Kent will hit 25 to 30 home runs and drive in close to 100 runs.

PROJECTED LINEUP

SS...Cesar Izturis

LF...Jayson Werth

RF...J.D. Drew

2B...Jeff Kent

CF...Milton Bradley

3B...Jose Valentin

1B...Hee-Seop Choi

C...David Ross

PROJECTED ROTATION

RH...Jeff Weaver

LH...Odalis Perez