Dunn and Abreu are now targeted

With Manny Ramirez in some sort of a deep hibernation, the Dodgers are going forward and making overtures to other free agents. The 2 big names being floated around today are Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu.

First, let's look at both players. Dunn does 1 of 3 things each at bat: strike out, walk, or hit a home run. There's really not a whole lot else going on with him. He was 7th in all of baseball with 164 K's (Matt Kemp was right behind him with 153), 1st in walks with 122, and 2nd in homers with 40. I'm not sure there's any player in baseball with numbers as weird as those. If you can live with his K's and .236 AVG, then his OBP of .386 and power numbers are great.

Abreu is not the power hitter he once was, hence will not be someone to replace Ramirez. But, he still can drive in runs. For 6 straight seasons, he's been at nearly exactly the 100 mark. He did hit 20 homers last year after not getting to that mark for 2 straight seasons, so maybe he can get to that again. His walks used to top 100, but haven't in both seasons with the Yankees. Perhaps in the NL, he can be more patient again.

From the report I read on ESPN.com, it seems as if the Dodgers are more interested in Dunn, and less so in Abreu. Still, I can't blame them and certainly do commend them for reaching out and trying to make things happen while Manny takes his sweet time. And that's the right thing for the Dodgers to do. They can't just assume Manny will be back. What if he gets another offer and bolts to them? The Dodgers have every right and are only smart to be aggressive.

So what happens from here? If Manny is smart, he'll come to his senses and realize that the Dodgers are the only team that truly wants him back. If not, he could absolutely regret not signing with them.

Who would I rather have? I'm really mixed on this one. Dunn's power stats can't be denied. Getting 40 and 100 would be really sweet. Watching him get on base would also be nice. But, I think his K's would be hard to take on most nights. It's hard to believe that someone with as good an eye as him strikes out that much, but he does. If the Dodgers are slumping and he's K'ing all the time, he could take a lot of heat.

With Abreu, the Dodgers would have to remember that it's not the guy that won the Home Run Derby a few years back. He'll get hits, steal some bases, play good D, but won't be the power hitter of Manny. If fans understand that, it could work.

I guess I never really answered which one I'd rather have, but it's too hard to say. They won't do what Manny did down the stretch, but they both can help the Dodgers win in their own ways.