Minors deals for Flores and Moylan

The Dodgers signed a couple of minor league deals on Wednesday, bringing in catcher Jesus Flores and right-handed reliever Peter Moylan.

Flores spent five seasons with the Nationals, though he's more known for racking up injuries than hits.  He has a career .241 average, and last season hit a mere .213 in 83 games.  Shoulder injuries KO'd him for the entire 2010 season, so he's obviously trying to prove he can stay healthy and contribute.

Looking at the Dodgers' catching situation, it's easy to see why Flores thinks he has a chance.  A.J. Ellis is the starter, and after a red-hot start to 2012, he really came back to Earth in the second half.  Tim Federowicz is the backup, and he's largely unproven.  A good spring and a healthy body could be the ticket for Flores.

Speaking of injuries, there's Peter Moylan.  He's appeared in 295 games since 2006, but in four of those seasons he only saw the mound 15 times or less.  The last two seasons saw him appear in 21 games combined thanks to shoulder injuries.

The good news is that a career 2.95 ERA and 1.29 WHIP give the Dodgers plenty of reasons to give him a chance.  He's a side-arming righty, so it's obviously a different look than what hitters are used to.  The Dodgers' bullpen is very crowded right now; ditto for their starting rotation.  So the chances of him making the team appear slim, but who knows?  The Dodgers have a way of reviving old pitchers, so maybe he'll be the latest to turn the trick.