Ned Colletti: Dodgers open to signing major free agent

General Manager Ned Colletti intimated Tuesday that the Dodgers could pursue a high-end free agent such as Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols this winter, saying he understands the value of adding a star attraction to appease an increasingly disgruntled fan base.

Colletti said he is more open to offering a long-term contract than he has been in the past. In his time with the Dodgers, he has signed only one player to a contract longer than three years: Juan Pierre.

Citing baseball’s tampering rules, Colletti wouldn’t talk about any specific potential free agents, but said the Dodgers would be open to signing the right player to a nine-figure deal.

“I think if there’s a player like that out there, we’ll inquire on it,” Colletti said.

Colletti reiterated what he told Times columnist T.J. Simers,  that he has a general idea of what he can spend this winter and could sign Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to long-term extensions.

Colletti also said he expected the Dodgers’ entire coaching staff to return next season.

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-- Dylan Hernandez in Phoenix

Photo: Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti speaks on the phone at spring training in March. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

The gloom only grows for Dodgers, as Ethier and Barajas hurt in 8-3 loss to White Sox

A tornado approaching, bodies falling, losses mounting, the gloom had to feel tangible to the Dodgers on Sunday.

On the day they got shortstop Rafael Furcal off the disabled list, they put infielder Juan Uribe on it with a hip flexor muscle strain.

Then they started the game, fell behind for what them is an insurmountable four runs after two innings, and -- incredibly -- started losing more bodies during their 8-3 loss to the White Sox.

Andre Ethier came out of the game with back, elbow and toe injuries after missing a Juan Pierre drive and crashing into the right-field fence in the fourth inning.

The Revenge of Juan Pierre was hardly done, however. Tagging from third on a Paul Konerko fly to center, the former Dodger slid in just ahead of Matt Kemp’s throw from center.

But catcher Rod Barajas, who was set up on the first base side of the plate, had his right wrist jammed on the tag and he had to leave the game.

Which left the Dodgers with exactly one healthy bench player, Juan Castro.

Daily Dodger in review: The great highs and lows of John Ely's rookie season

JOHN ELY, 24, starting pitcher

Final 2010 stats: 4-10, 5.49 ERA, 76 strikeouts, 40 walks, a 1.45 WHIP in 100 innings.

Contract status: Under team control.

The good: Made six consecutive quality starts May 6-June 1, going 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA. From out of nowhere, it was Elymania. A brief gift from the baseball heavens.

During that stretch, he faced 89 consecutive batters without allowing a walk. He did not allow a home run over his first 50 1/3 innings, the longest such streak for a Dodgers rookie since Fernando Valenzuela went 82 2/3 innings in 1980. He's a dead ringer for Mathew McConaughey.

The bad: After his initial great run, it was all downhill, like a rock off Half Dome. In his last 11 starts, he went 1-8 with an 8.00 ERA. He was finally sent back to triple-A, but did not fare much in Albuquerque (5-4, 6.22).

He was called back up in September, but it was only more of the same struggle. In his last six starts overall he went 0-5 with an 11.01 ERA. It was almost hard to remember that once there was Elymania.

What’s next: A ticket back to the minors. He’s back to where he started, as something of an emergency starter. He was never expected to be part of the Dodgers’ plans last season. He came over from the White Sox in the offseason trade for Juan Pierre, having never thrown above Class AA. Injuries and the team’s failure to identify an effective fifth starter out of training camp were the reasons he was rushed up on April 28.

The take: If the Dodgers even entertain the idea of starting the season with Ely in the rotation, they are in real trouble. Right now, you want him maybe as No.7, at best, in the pitching food chain.

He clearly needs additional time in the minors to become more consistent. He’s a control pitcher who, when he’s on, can be very effective. But his room for error is very narrow, and if his confidence is shaken like it was by midseason, it can get ugly. And his last 11 starts were Charlie Haeger-ugly.

Ely will turn 25 in May, so it’s not like he just picked up a baseball. He needs to take a next logical step in his evolution, sharpening his delivery and revitalizing his confidence in the minors. He’s never going to overpower anyone, so his control has to be spot-on.

Of course, at this moment, the Dodgers only have three starting pitchers, so all things are possible.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Imagining the Manny Ramirez scenarios

The Manny Ramirez Option.

Kinda sounds like some great ’70s spy film, maybe starring Robert Redford or Jon Voight.

Options are what this is about for the Dodgers, who really have nothing to lose by putting Manny on the waiver wire.

If he goes through unclaimed, then they can listen to any trade offer they want. If he gets claimed, they can pull him back and work out a deal with the club that claimed him; or just let him go to that club, saving the rest of the around $4 million he’s owed.

Let’s imagine,  one way or another, he’s outta here. First the National League teams get a shot at him.

-- What if he ends up with the … Giants? Look, they’re collecting outfielders. Manny wouldn’t be an upgrade for that offensively challenged collection? Best of all, guess which team the Dodgers play the weekend after the Sept. 1 deadline to be playoff eligible? And at home.

Say the Dodgers rally, but the Giants edge them out for the wild card with Manny leading the way. How’s that for a twisted nightmare?

-- Imagine if the Padres claimed him. They couldn’t use him? They’re thinking of signing ex-Rockie Brad Hawpe. How juicy would that be, Mr. Dreads playing for the Padres?

-- The Phillies. OK, maybe not the most likely, but that Shane Victorino-Jayson Werth-Raul Ibanez outfield has had trouble staying healthy all season. Like Manny wouldn’t fit in there.

Plus, the Phillies have shown a willingness to do the one thing the Dodgers have not the past three years -- drop some serious cash on a player.

-- If he gets through the NL, the first American League team in playoff contention to get a shot at him are the White Sox. Like the Manny and Ozzie Show wouldn’t be worth the price of admission.

Plus, this would be great because it would finally be the realization of Ned Colletti’s $125 million vision -- an outfield of Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones and Manny.

-- Next up would be the Red Sox, and how much fun is that? Would the Red Sox actually claim their wayward slugger just to keep him away from rivals Texas, Tampa Bay and New York? Lord, I hope so.

Then would Manny approve the deal? Come on, this isn’t great?

-- Texas and Tampa Bay aren’t nearly as much fun to imagine, but both had scouts watching him during his rehab in San Bernardino, his return to Dodger Stadium and now in Milwaukee.

If the Rangers nabbed him, he probably has to remain an outfielder, what with Vladimir Guerrero already the DH.

-- The Yankees. You’re thinking probably not, but it’s not like their outfielders are the strength of the team. Plus, rumor is, they’re not afraid to spend some coin.

Maybe none of it happens. Actually, I’m starting to think none of it does. SportsIllustrated.com’s Jon Heyman wrote most executives now believe Manny will slide through unclaimed.

The Dodgers could then deal him, but it would have to be before Sept. 1, and that’s not much time. And difficult to explain to fans unless they get something unexpected back, with the team still hovering within wild-card contention.

Right now it’s about options. Some more intriguing than others.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers finally face the facts: Charlie Haeger designated for assignment, Jon Link called up

The Charlie Haeger  experiment came to a belated end Friday when the Dodgers designated the right-hander for assignment prior to their game with the Yankees.

The Dodgers filled his spot by calling up right-hander Jon Link from triple-A Albuquerque.

Haeger had a disappointing run with the Dodgers and exits with an 0-4 record and 8.40 earned-run average  in nine appearances, six of them starts. The Dodgers kept returning to the knuckleballer as a fifth starter largely because their rotation has been so depleted.

But with Chad Billingsley due off the disabled list Monday and John Ely having secured one spot in the rotation, the need for Haeger has passed.

He pitched 4 2/3 innings Wednesday against the Angels in Anaheim, and left with a 6-4 lead. Ironically, it was his best start since his first one on April 11.

Haeger is out of options and can become a free agent. The Dodgers offered to sign him to an Albuquerque contract, but Haeger said he was uncertain what he would do.

Link was 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA and four saves at Albuquerque.

This will be his third stint with the Dodgers this season. He has a 4.15 ERA in four appearances, but is without a decision.

Link came to the Dodgers with Ely in the offseason trade of Juan Pierre to the White Sox.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Missteps aside, credit for Dodgers' turnaround goes in part to Ned Colletti

Give it up, give it up, give it up now … for Ned Colletti.

Ah, you can do this. It can’t be that hard. Come on, give the man his due.

When the Dodgers got off to their miserable 8-14 start, coming off an unimpressive postseason during which they failed to add a front-line starting pitcher and their only additions were role players, Colletti received plenty of heat across the blogosphere.

Yet it’s impossible to know for certain how much of his inability to land someone approximating an ace was his fault, and how much was simply Frank McCourt’s unwillingness to drop some serious moolah.

Since Colletti’s main responsibility is to please McCourt, he’s not going to mention financial restraints he’s under. Until McCourt proves otherwise, best to assume they’re there.

But for now, Colletti deserves credit for what he did do this off-season.

Jamey Carroll and Reed Johnson weren’t the sexiest signings, but 44 games into the season, they have proven valuable assets.

Carroll filled in at shortstop for injured Rafael Furcal better than anyone had right to expect. He’s started 26 games, batting .300 and playing a solid shortstop.

Furcal is (again) expected back Tuesday, but when the Dodgers were winning 12 of 13 games to get back in the National League West race, it was Carroll starting at shortstop.

Johnson has started 15 games, played in 38 overall and consistently been a positive factor. He’s batting .300.

Colletti’s other position addition was the late-signing of Garret Anderson. Right now that’s a seeming bust, but Anderson (.159) got a pair of hits Sunday and last year was off to a slow start before going on a four-month tear. And this is the first time his primary responsibility is as a pinch-hitter. This one will require a little more time before final judgment.

And then there’s the pitching. Colletti brought John Ely over in the off-season in the trade for Juan Pierre.

No one -- including Colletti -- could have imagined he’d be up with the team this soon, let alone performing so well (3-1, 3.41 ERA).

But he is.

Colletti also gambled on bringing in rookie Carlos Monasterios, a Rule 5 draftee who essentially had never pitched above Single-A.

Monasterios is being handled carefully by Joe Torre and has thrown in few true pressure situations. But when he has pitched, he’s been very respectable (1-0, 1.90) and his now likely to get another start.

There are, of course, the Ortiz signings. Russ is already out of here, and Ramon could be soon, letting Randy Wolf leave, and dumping Eric Stults.

Still, on the whole, considering the lack of major off-season movement, what Colletti was able do is proving deft.

And deserving of recognition.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Ned Colletti in 2009. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

The kid is all right: John Ely makes his bid to stay in Dodgers' rotation in 7-3 win over Brewers

Really, how are you going to send John Ely down now?

After he just gave the Dodgers their best start of the season? After he just handcuffed a Brewers offense that had marched all over Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley the previous two nights?

Ely was a gift from the baseball heavens Thursday, and the Dodgers are in no position to be turning down gifts.

The 23-year-old who has pitched only three games above double-A was a much-needed breath of fresh air for a rotation desperately in need of a lift.

Ely and reliever Jon Link were the two players the Dodgers acquired during the off-season from the White Sox in the trade for Juan Pierre. Safe to say, he didn’t figure into this season’s plans.

But through attrition and disappointing performances, opportunity presented itself and Ely made the absolute most of it.

His first start came last week in New York against the Mets, and the nervous right-hander went six innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks.

Still, it was enough for Joe Torre to give him another shot, though it’s not like expectations were high, just that options were low.

"We’re sending John Ely out there and we hope it’s good," Torre said before the game. "We haven’t seen enough of him to say we expect him to pitch a good game. That’s unfair to him. We’ll see what we see."

What they saw was a unique performance. Ely barely breaks 90 mph with his fastball. He comes back with a curve around 70 mph.

But he had that one thing every Dodgers starter not named Hiroki Kuroda has struggled with all season: He had command.

Ely did not walk a batter in his 6 2/3 innings. He struck out seven. During one stretch from the second into the seventh, he retired 16 consecutive Brewers. Of his 108 pitches, 72 were strikes.

He took a two-hitter into the seventh when Prince Fielder somehow squeezed a grounder between diving James Loney at first and Blake DeWitt at second. Fielder advanced on a groundout and scored on a single by Gregg Zaun.

With that, Torre went out and got Ely, assured he could come away only with a victory. He left to a nice standing ovation. His first major league victory escaped when Jonathan Broxton gave up two runs in the ninth, the Dodgers coming back to win, 7-3, in the bottom half on Andre Ethier's grand slam.

Still, it was a completely impressive performance by Ely. Yet because he has options left, it was almost understood that Ely would be sent down Friday when reliever Jeff Weaver is activated from the disabled list.

The Dodgers, though, will need another starter in five days. And Ely earned another start.

-- Steve Dilbeck

The Dodgers' off off-season

Now, hasn't this just been the most exciting Dodgers off-season? Just get chills thinking about it.

They added Jamey Carroll and Reed Johnson and somebody named Justin Miller.

Be still, my beating heart.

It has been one of the most passive Dodgers off-seasons in history, made only mildly acceptable by the fact that baseball-wide, off-season movement fluctuated between slight and nonexistent.

On the bright side, the Dodgers didn't drop $47 million on a broken-down Jason Schmidt or $44 million on singles-hitting Juan Pierre.

But as an off-season to juice up the fans and build excitement for the coming season, it was a letdown of "Land of the Lost'' proportions.

The Dodgers used to love to sign or trade for a big name in the off-season -- Kirk Gibson, Darryl Strawberry, Eddie Murray, Kevin Brown, Shawn Green, Joe Torre -- to create a buzz, to help generate interest in the coming season.

Last year their off-season was filled with news as they re-signed Manny Ramirez. This off-season, the team's biggest news was the divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt. Thinking that won't sell a lot of tickets.

The Dodgers are poised to tell their fans: If you liked last season, come back for more of the same.

They're counting on continuing improvement from their no-longer-quite-so-young core and a full season out of Ramirez to improve. Could happen, particularly with no other team in the National League West exactly tearing up the off-season either.

Their rotation, though, is filled with question marks: Chad Billingsley faded in the second half (3-7, 5.20 earned-run average), Hiroki Kuroda turns 36 on Wednesday and battled injuries last year, Vicente Padilla still has to prove he can find peace and harmony in the Dodgers clubhouse a full season, Clayton Kershaw is a potential ace but only 21, and there is no fifth starter.

Kinda fragile for a team that, for the first time, will be trying to reach the postseason for a third consecutive year.

And the team that beat them in the National League Championship Series  the last two years, the Phillies, did add Roy Halladay. That should get the hearts going in Philly.

In L.A., the Dodgers are hoping last year still gets you going.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Kirk Gibson. Credit: AP.

Dodgers in talks with Garret Anderson

Garret Anderson could be on his way back to Southern California.

The Dodgers are exploring the idea of signing Anderson to be their fourth outfielder and have been in contact with his agent, Scott Boras, according to multiple sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing.

Anderson, who played 15 years of his 16-year career with the Angels, hit .268 with 13 home runs and 61 runs batted in over 135 games for the Atlanta Braves last season. He started 124 games in left field and earned $2.5 million.

Anderson turns 38 in June.

Anderson is among the handful of veteran free agents the Dodgers are looking at to replace Juan Pierre, who was traded to the Chicago White Sox this off-season. Jason Repko and Xavier Paul are the leading in-house candidates for the job.

-- Dylan Hernandez

Photo: Braves outfielder Garret Anderson connects for a two-run single last season against the Marlins. Credit: Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press