Dodgers Notes: Infielder Signing Soon, Rusney Castillo And Arroyo
The free agent market was supposed to pick up the pace after Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka made his decision, but not much has happened in the past few weeks. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chone Figgins was signed to a minor league contract while questions continue about what will happen at second base to start the season.
With that being said, GM Ned Colletti said on Saturday at Fan Fest that he hoped to sign an infielder in the next five days. ESPN and Sirius XM analyst Jim Bowden wrote something similar this morning:
According to league sources, the Los Angeles Dodgers are working to add an infielder (rather than a starting pitcher) as their top priority and hope to get something done in the next 48 hours.
The Dodgers hoped to convince Michael Young to come back for one more season, but the veteran opted for retirement rather than return for his 15th season. While the Dodgers haven’t been linked to any remaining free agent infielders, possible targets include Justin Turner, Jeff Baker or the newly available Emilio Bonifacio.
Within the same report on Saturday, the Dodgers also want to add an international free agent to the infield mix. Possible options include Cuban infielder Aldemys Diaz or utility player Rusney Castillo. The 26-year-old Castillo seems like the odds-on choice since the Dodgers attended a workout of his in the Dominican Republic, but Ben Badler of Baseball America said Colletti actually wasn’t in attendance:
Correction: Based on information from two sources, a previous version of this story reported that Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti had attended Castillo’s workout. While Colletti was in the Dominican Republic at the time, a Dodgers official said he was not present at the workout.
Along with playing the outfield, Castillo has experience playing on the infield, but hasn’t been cleared by the OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) to become a free agent. While the Dodgers look to add another infielder or two, they’re also rumored to have some interest in adding another arm to the rotation.
Free agent Bronson Arroyo has been the name mostly linked to the team in recent days, but his insistence on a three-year deal is slowing down his market. Here’s what Bowden had to say about where things stand this afternoon:
.@JimBowdenESPNxm: Arroyo wants 3 years, I don’t think he’s going to get it, my prediction is 2 with an option #Reds #InsidePitch
— MLB Network Radio (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 3, 2014
It’ll be interesting to see if anything else progresses with Arroyo in the coming days since pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in just five days.
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ICYMI: Here’s our Dodgers Nation Week in Review Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHryItIv08Y
