Gagne Has Lots of New Friends

It’s a sign of the times and a statement about the way the Dodgers have retooled their roster.

Eric Gagne, who was in triple A as recently as 2001, will be the senior Dodger on opening day. Service time of four years-and-change with the same club makes a guy a rock of stability these days, especially when the team engages in a wholesale reshuffling.

“That’s weird,” he said.

Gagne, 29, passed a physical and has signed a two-year $19-million deal with an option for a third year that enables him to avoid arbitration altogether. Dodger executives used the occasion to invite the media to Dodger Stadium on Thursday and express how delighted they were with the team assembled over the winter.

Gagne said he was satisfied with the changes, although he admitted the upheaval is a bit disorienting. Gone are three teammates with longer uninterrupted Dodger tenure -- second baseman Alex Cora and third baseman Adrian Beltre had been with the team for seven seasons, right fielder Shawn Green for five.

Pitcher Darren Dreifort is the only Dodger left who has been with the team longer than Gagne, but he will spend at least the first several months of the season on the disabled list.

What it all means besides underscoring the extent of the Dodger makeover was unclear to Gagne, who made his debut in 1999 but did not stick with the Dodgers until 2001. He does know he will miss his former teammates and will welcome his new ones.

And he made a promise.

“We are going to make the playoffs,” he said. “That’s a guarantee.

“I wanted to see all my friends come back. But I’m going to make new friends. It’s a job out there. All the guys they brought in are really quality people.”

He said he understands fans are uneasy about the changes.

“I’m so happy the fans were scared about the moves,” he said. “I was scared too. If you are not, you don’t care about the team.”

The person behind the retooling, General Manager Paul DePodesta, forged a bond with Gagne last season when they watched the early innings of games together in the clubhouse.

“He’s probably the player I got to know best on our entire club,” DePodesta said. “I remember after the first long conversation I had with him, I called [Oakland General Manager] Billy Beane the next day and said, ‘If you had a chance to sit down with this guy, you would not be at all surprised at what he has accomplished.

“He has that special makeup in addition to special ability.”

Gagne has 152 saves in the last three seasons, which included a record 84 saves in a row. He is the first player in major league history to pitch the same number of innings -- 82 1/3 -- three years in a row, a statistical oddity that illustrates the consistent manner he has been utilized by Manager Jim Tracy.

Although he appeared to tire near the end of last season, no red flags came up during his physical. Gagne had elbow surgery before the 1997 season as a minor leaguer.

“He does a great job of doing his exercises and keeping his arm strong,” DePodesta said. “We just can’t abuse him.”

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An agreement between the Dodgers and starter Brad Penny, the only player who doesn’t have a 2005 contract, is getting closer, DePodesta said. Penny asked for $5.7 million and the Dodgers offered $4.7 million in arbitration, which would take place in February if an accord cannot be reached.

An incentive clause based on innings pitched has been discussed “to bridge the gap between where we are and they are,” DePodesta said. Penny has been working out at Dodger Stadium, adhering to a program formulated by trainer Stan Johnston.

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The Dodgers have invited five non-roster pitchers with major league experience to spring training.

Left-hander Kelly Wunsch made more than 200 appearances with the Chicago White Sox from 2000 to 2003 but sat out most of last season because of a shoulder injury. Another leftie, six-year veteran Mike Venafro, made 17 appearances for the Dodgers last season. Right-hander Aquilino Lopez had 14 saves with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003 but spent much of last season at triple A. Right-hander Ryan Rupe made 83 starts from 1999 to 2002 with the Tampa Devil Rays and spent most of last season in Japan.

Another right-hander with limited major league experience, Buddy Carlyle, also has pitched in Japan.

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Eric, the Bread

Eric Gagne’s year-by-year salary. In 2004, Gagne sought $8 million but lost his arbitration case:

* 2001...$220,000

* 2002...$300,000

* 2003...$550,000

* 2004...$5 million

* 2005...$8 million

* 2006...$10 million

* Note: The contract has a mutual option for the 2007 season in which Gagne would receive a $12-million salary or a buyout of $1 million. He also has the ability to reject the option year and still receive a buyout of at least $250,000 up to $1 million depending on games finished.