Sheehan becomes GM ... for a day

I really think Tony Abreu can fill our 2B hole. We need a SS, though; I don't think rushing DeJesus' development like we did with Hu's is a good idea. We need a high level starter, and ideally an OF bat (in my opinion the arm comes first which is why I've been saying CC all along).

I like his Jones idea, and bringing Saito back for a year or two definitely wouldn't hurt. Valentin is also a good idea that had not crossed my mind.

Sign Furcal and sign Manny anyway you can. The rest will fall into place. Without a true lead-off hitter or a big bat, the Dodgers will never win another playoff game. 2-1 losses? More like 2-0. You might even convince Lowe to stay. Who can blame him for leaving after the run support he has seen over the past couple years.

I don't have Sheehan's article in front of me, so I will probably forget some of his points. But from those I remember, I am simply not impressed.

1. Rickie Weeks in center field doesn't fulfill the need for a bat. His is weak, and his defense at both second and the outfield is questionable. Bad idea.

2. Saito is highly questionable, and I wouldn't count on him for very much. Maybe he could surprise, but I doubt it. And even if he came back strong early in the year, I seriously doubt if he would have the durability to last the entire season.

3. Putting Kuo in the rotation and McDonald in the bullpen is backwards. Kuo is much more effective in short stints where he can overpower hitters. Besides, he's much too fragile to be able to withstand the workload of a starter. McDonald is probably best suited to be in the rotation, although I believe he could be effective out of the pen if the Dodgers acquired two other proven veteran starters.

4. Acquiring the 37 year old Ray Durham would be insane, and even worse if for two years. And the last thing we need is the Dodgers throwing away $8 million over two years. They already gave up a premium catching prospect in Carlos Santana to avoid paying Casey Blake $2 million. If Durham turned out to be a dud (very likely), there's no telling what the Dodgers might do to avoid eating any part of his contract (like including a top prospect in a deal that moved his contract elsewhere). I'm afraid that Durham would be Jeff Kent, just without the attitude.

5. Acquiring Valentin as a backup catcher is probably a bad idea. The moderate power he showed in Cincinnati was probably the result of playing in a bandbox. Also, A.J. Ellis had a nice year in 2008 at LV, hitting over .300 with an OBP over .400. I also believe he threw out about 43% of baserunners. Instead of bringing in another questionable veteran backup catcher, why not give the job to Ellis, who at the very least can probably handle the job defensively, and shows some promise with the bat. No more risk, I think, than signing another mediocre veteran backup.

6. Assuming that they do not acquire a power bat for the outfield via free agency, then gambling that Jones will bounce back might well be worth the risk. Reports are that Jones is working hard, and perhaps will report to camp in the best shape of this life. Certainly he should have the motivation, since this is his walk year. And just maybe, the knee that caused him so much trouble last year, may well be the root cause of his subpar performances in each of the past two years.

7. Absent the acquisition of a second baseman via free agency (Orlando Hudson) or a trade, I have no problem with giving Tony Abreu a shot to re-establish himself. Reports indicate that he is healthy again, and is scheduled to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. Prior to his getting hurt with the Dodgers, Abreu did not have an injury history. I remember Abreu coming off an injury in 2007, and making a great off balance, twisting play on a ball hit up the middle, and finding himself out again. He probably wasn't fully recovered from his first injury, and that play more than likely aggravated it. Furthermore, if anything, I think Abreu is Jayson Werth all over again; another example of a mis-diagnosis by the Dodgers medical staff. For those who remember, Werth finally took it upon himself to go to the Mayo Clinic, where his wrist injury was finally correctly diagnosed, and properly treated. And we've seen the results. Abreu had surgery following 2007, and a tear was discovered and repaired in his abdomen. When he continued to have groin pain, he was re-examined, and it was determined that he had a hip labrum tear. I'm guessing that the re-occurrence of the groin pain was directly related to the labrum tear, which he probably had from the very beginning. So I don't believe that Abreu's problems were the result of separate injuries, but were, in fact, the result of a single injury that was not initially treated properly.

When he played, Abreu looked solid defensively at both second and third, showing good range and a very strong arm. He also hit well. There are questions that remain, but he could actually turn out to be the best choice at 2B. If the Dodgers aren't going to spend money, then they might as well play him instead of any number of questionable veterans. Although there are risks either way, at least in the case of Abreu there is real potential upside.

8. If the Dodgers choose to obtain a veteran such a Renteria or Cabrera to play shortstop for next couple of years, I'm all for it. Signing Furcal to a long term deal, I believe, would be a mistake. Furcal has been a good player for a long time, but has never been the player we saw early last year. He's a .286 lifetime hitter, OK defensively, but prone to too many throwing errors. Besides, he hasn't been healthy in either of the last two years, and although not old, he is moving up in age. I saw a little of De Jesus in spring training a couple of years ago, and liked what I saw. Although he might be able to make the transition from AA to the big leagues, he more than likely would benefit from a full year at AAA. Hu definitely has the glove, and from what I've seen, I believe his bat is a lot better than what we saw last year. And looking a little further into the future, the Dodgers have another good prospect, Devaris Gordon (Tom Gordon's son), who is probably 2-3 years away.

I'm a big fan of BP, and Sheehan. But I can not fathom the bulk of what he suggested. To think this team can compete, especially offensively, at the same level it did the last two months plus of 2008, next season, without a big bopper like Manny in the middle of the lineup, is absolutely asinine. There are three of his suggestions that have some merit that I like. One, I agree re-signing Derek Lowe is imperative, but keep in mind, he insinuated prior to 2008 that he felt he wasn't wanted in L.A. during his first three years of the four of his just expire contract. Two, release Andruw Jones. I, too, was ecstatic when the Dodgers signed him last winter, especially considering it was a very short-term deal, but admit now, in hindsight, it was the worst move imaginable. Andruw has NO business being on this team, what-so-ever! Three, I like the idea of Ray Durham, if nothing else, although I would prefer Orlando Hudson because of his age. But everything else suggested by Sheehan just doesn't make any sense. Hu starting at short in his lineup? I don't buy it. I, too, am also not sold on Ivan DeJesus's ability to hit with power and play shortstop effectively. Rickie Weeks in CF? As BK said, his VORP was LOWER than Jeff Kent's last season. No Manny? Good riddance. Sheehan of all people should know Manny is a rarity offensively, even at his age, and he should know that his offense should more than make up for any defensive deficiencies he may have.

I think the Dodgers have already decided to pass on Manny. If they did sign him, between him, AJ and Pierre, they will have committed almost $60 Million just to left field.

Forget Lowe, he's gone. He wants out and he'll get the money somewhere else.

Take a serious run at CC. Six years for $125M might get it done.

Randy Johnson.

Orlando Hudson at 2B. Has some power that would make up a little for Dewitt at 3B who doesn't have corner infield power. If Colletti can't get him, maybe trade McDonald and Hu to Texas for Hank Blalock at 3B and keep Dewitt at 2B.

Try to get a 1 year deal from Pettitte/Smoltz/Wolf.

Give Furcal his 4 year deal. If DeJesus comes along quicker Furcal can always be unloaded. SS with OBP are always in demand. Renteria and Cabrera are basically the same age and you'd have to sign them to the same length of deal as Furcal, only both of them are already seriously in decline.

Resign Saito 1 year $750,000 with incentives. No brainer. Maybe not a closer but a lot of teams are going to be signing players with less ability for more money for longer terms. And everybody likes him.

Gregg Zaun 1 year deal.

Maybe you get something out of Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, and Jason Schmidt, maybe you don't. But the Dodgers are paying for them whether they keep them on the roster, trade them, or release them. Give them a chance to earn.

The Kate Chopin reference complete with sparknotes link made my night. Bravo.

If you like decent fielding/no hit SS, why not Alex Cintron for 1/10 the money. He can hit in the 8 hole as well as those other guys.