Torre would mean instant credibility

Bring on Joe Torre.

Today. Tomorrow. As soon as possible.

Let him start asserting his calming presence and authoritative manner on a Dodgers team that, by the end of last season, had little direction and little respect for manager Grady Little.

Let him infuse the Dodgers with the credibility that comes with winning four World Series championships and guiding the New York Yankees to the playoffs 12 seasons in a row.

Let him begin to mend the jagged rifts that developed between the kids and the veterans and tell players that the first person who pops off publicly next season will be the last.

Let him bring some of his coaches -- specifically Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa -- so that there will be a spark and some personality on the coaching staff and in the clubhouse, valuable traits the Dodgers lacked last season.

And let him bring his best arguments for signing Alex Rodriguez, too, if Torre’s reported desire for input in personnel decisions includes a recommendation that the Dodgers pursue the best free agent of a weak market.

Yes, Rodriguez will be expensive and will give owner Frank McCourt a ready excuse to impose yet another price hike. Not that McCourt has ever needed justification before. It already costs too much to park -- unfortunately, there are convenient alternatives -- to get into the place and to eat or drink.

Dodgers fans continue to show up in record numbers despite baffling front-office decisions and an inconsistency in approach. Those fans should be rewarded by getting the chance to watch the best player in the game, a compelling personality who will bring the power and production the Dodgers urgently need.

General Manager Ned Colletti, perhaps embarrassed by the chaotically comical conference call Tuesday that announced Little’s resignation, on Wednesday had the decency to acknowledge that he has talked to Torre about the managerial job.

Colletti denied reports that a deal is in place, and it may very well not have been completed to the last detail. The main points that were unresolved reportedly focused on which coaches Torre would bring with him and how well they’d be paid.

Torre will take a pay cut, and he said at a news conference in New York on Oct. 19 he expected that to be the case.

The New York Post reported that the Dodgers will pay him $14.5 million over three years, an average below $5 million a year; he turned down the Yankees’ offer of one year at $5 million, plus $1 million for each playoff round he won. He couldn’t accept the incentive clause, seeing it as an insult

“I’ve been here 12 years and I didn’t think motivation was needed,” he said.

Having just finished a three-year, $19.2-million contract, he also read the Yankees’ offer as a vote of little confidence, one that would have put him and his players in an awkward position.

“Any pressure that was caused by thinking the manager’s going to lose his job, I didn’t think we needed,” he said.

Torre left the Yankees with his dignity intact. Now, let’s see if the Dodgers can take that dignity and make it their own, as it once used to be.

Colletti was so focused on Torre, he requested and received an exemption from Major League Baseball’s mandate that at least one minority candidate must be interviewed for a managerial job. However, he said he was compiling a list of alternatives in case he can’t persuade Torre to change coasts. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

If Torre wants to manage the Dodgers, let him get started right away so he can assess what he has and what he needs and assure fans that they can expect an honest effort every day from every player.

Colletti didn’t give Little much to work with last season and that’s exactly what Little got out of his team -- not much. But Little was, in many ways, responsible for the implosion.

He let the sniping in the clubhouse go on too long and was powerless to stop it when he finally realized how damaging it was. He and Colletti also allowed veterans to underperform for too long without facing consequences. In addition, Little and Colletti were too quick to bounce some of the kids to the minors or the bench if they didn’t produce right away.

Torre’s Yankees teams were veteran-heavy but the last few seasons he has adeptly worked kids into key positions, most recently second baseman Robinson Cano, center fielder Melky Cabrera, setup man Joba Chamberlain and first baseman Shelley Duncan.

He gave them a chance and they gained confidence. He can do that here with Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney.

Torre has the leverage now. The Dodgers need to make a significant upgrade. He has said that he still wants to manage, and he has to welcome the chance to prove that his contribution to the Yankees’ success involved more than baby-sitting superstars and signing the lineup card every night.

Bring him on. Do it soon.

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Helene Elliott can be reached at helene.elliott@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Elliott, go to latimes.com/elliott.