Dodgers could be close to signing Casey Blake

Now it all makes sense! DeWitt is obviously being moved to SS...right? That's why we cooled on Furcal...no wait, Blake will man left field; where does Manny play then? Ok start over. Andrew Jones in center, Matt Kemp is the 4th OF, JP must get traded ( ..man this gets complicated), Manny plays left, Ethier in right. That works. Loney at 1B, Martin at C, ,, , ,...????, , ...hmmmm . Colletti's got his work cut out.

joshburk2 - nice comments, muy funny

GREAT! I think we still need Casey Blake. Great fielder w/ some decent power. Now lets follow that w/ an ace signing, then Manny pretty please.

Bringing back Blake would be a huge mistake. He's at best an average defensive third baseman (certainly not "great", and a .260-.270 hitter, with OK power, but nothing to get excited about (by the way, he only hit .251 as a Dodger). If anything, the 35 year old Blake (36 in August) is on the downside of his career. Without considering other options at 3B (trades, etc.) I believe that the other Blake (namely, DeWitt) is the better choice at third. He's far superior defensively (I read the other day that he led NL third basemen in range factor in 2008), and given that he's on the upside of his career, he might well match, if not exceed, Blake's power. Also, if Blake is at third, then DeWitt likely moves to 2B, or the bench, if the Dodgers acquire a second basemen. Although he did commendable work at 2B at the end of the season, DeWitt is probably not fully suited to play that position.

Dodger resources can be better used in other areas, and for better players. If as suggested the deal is for 3 years, all the worse. I'd rather save the money, look in another direction, and take the supplemental draft pick that Blake would yield if signed by another team. And by the way, that's how the Dodgers obtained DeWitt, as a supplemental pick acquired when the Yankees signed Paul Quantrill away from the Dodgers.

If it's a 2 year deal, fine. Blake is solid, and he gives the Dodgers flexibility at first or outfield positions. But I agree with an earlier post that DeWitt can provide the same power.

The thing is that Blake is solid, but not a game changer, like Furcal and Manny. If you're going to give him a 3 year deal, then why not give Furcal a 4 year deal instead? It's higher dollars, sure, but if we lose Furcal, we not only lose a shortstop but our leadoff man as well. Martin and Kemp are not legit leadoff guys, and I haven't heard any names linked to the Dodgers that would be solid leadoff guys.

Just as long as the Dodgers move the journey 'e' ethier on to another team, will be happy to wait for the better player that comes to replace him.

Casey in, ethier out...good air in, bad air out. Bend & stretch, reach for the sky, stand on tippy-toes ever so high!

:-)

If Blake signs with L.A., does that mean that Tony Abreu's career is over? Since DeWitt would most likely be the starting 2B and Chin Lung Hu the SS, it wouldn't leave room for Abreu since it looks like Juan Castro will be re-acquired to come off the bench...

Mario,

I wouldn't go so far as to say that "Tony Abreu's career is over" if Blake signs. It certainly would point to a move of DeWitt to 2B, but nothing is really written in stone. As someone who likes Abreu, I still understand the need for him to provide evidence that he's fully recovered. If Blake was re-signed (not a good idea in my opinion, as noted above in my previous post), Abreu could seemingly open the season on the bench or perhaps in AAA (he probably still has options), with the idea that he could step into the breach if needed. As we've seen in the past, the best laid plans often go awry, and opportunities do present themselves). He could also be used in a trade to acquire another needed piece, giving him the opportunity to continue his career elsewhere.

Also, keep in mind that Torre has never really had the opportunity to see a healthy Abreu. If he's still with the Dodgers this spring, Abreu will likely be given the chance to impress. Who knows, maybe he will surprise and come out of spring training with a job, much like DeWitt last year.