Dodgers nab Ellis for 2nd base

With the Dodgers closing in on locking up Matt Kemp with a huge deal, they made a smaller one to address another need on Tuesday.

Mark Ellis was inked to a two-year, $8.75 million deal to play second base. The deal includes an option for a third year.

Last season, Ellis split time between the A's and Rockies, hitting .248, 7 homers, 48 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. For his career, he's hit .266 with a .331 OBP. He was a member of the A's organization since 2002 before being traded last season.

When it's all said and done, the Dodgers have basically swapped Jamey Carroll (who signed with the Twins) with Ellis. But which of the two is better? Well, Carroll is 38 and Ellis is 34. Both look to be locked in at starting positions, as Carroll will be at short.

I have to think it will be hard for Ellis to top the production of Carroll, who put together a good couple of years playing many different roles. Carroll hit .290 in 2010 and .291 last season. He also averaged playing in 140 games a season, and started in both the infield and outfield. I was disappointed to see him leave, but certainly can't blame him for taking Minnesota's offer.

Ellis has more pop, as he had five straight seasons of 10+ homers. He hit .291 in 2010, but really tanked to start the 2011 season with a .217 in 62 games. After moving over to the Rockies, though, he hit .274 in 70 games.

Both are good defenders, but the edge has to go to Ellis, who owns a career .990 fielding %. In playing second between both teams last year, he committed three errors in 636 total chances. Wow.

What the Dodgers have to hope for is that Ellis is more like the hitter he was in Colorado and not at the end of his Oakland tenure. They definitely will get a slick double play combination with Dee Gordon up the middle, as both can flat out get it done. That should be fun to watch.

It's not a major signing by any means, but with Kemp in the fold and second base taken care of, it's time to look at locking up the other big guns (Clayton Kershaw, possibly Andre Ethier) and improving their starting pitching.