Mark Loretta the utility man

With Nomar Garciaparra on the verge of retirement thanks to his injuries finally getting the best of him, the Dodgers have found a perfect replacement to fill the utility role: Mark Loretta. Loretta was signed today for 1 year and $1.4 million.

Loretta has long been known as a solid hitter, as evidenced by his career .297 AVG and .361 OBP. He'll be entering his 16th season, and is capable of playing any of the infield positions. With the way the Dodgers cycle through injuries all year, he'll definitely get his playing time.

After peeking at .335 for San Diego in 2004, his average has settled down into the .280 range the last 4 seasons. For a bench player, that's fine. While he'll never be confused with a power hitter, he hit .330 against lefties last year. He also has a career .987 fielding %. Both are encouraging numbers for next season.

With 2 lefties starting on the right side of the infield (James Loney at 1st and Blake DeWitt at 2nd), Loretta will get chances in later innings with left-handed pitchers on the mound.

With Nomar hurt, is Mark Loretta on his way in?

Yet another rumor is being thrown around concerning trading for a 3rd baseman. This time it seems legit, given that both Andy LaRoche and Nomar Garciaparra won't be ready for the start of the season. In the past the names have been Brandon Inge and Joe Crede. Now, add Mark Loretta's name to the mix.

Loretta is currently with the Houston Astros, but will be behind Kaz Matsui when he gets back from his pain in the ass injury. Sorry... I couldn't resist! Anyway, Loretta is a steady, singles hitter. He has a combined 12 home runs the last 3 years, and his AVG will be in the mid-.280's range. If the Dodgers are willing to get a guy that will get hits, but provide absolutely no power, then they should go for it.

I do like Loretta because he is a guy that can get on base. He's certainly not flashy, but at this point, the Dodgers can't be too picky about who they want. If he can come cheap, it should be worth a shot.

The other options include Blake DeWitt, Tony Abreu, and Chin-Lung Hu. Their averages this spring are as follows: DeWitt - .243, Abreu - .214, Hu - .243. While they obviously are still raw and will be better in the years to come, those averages don't exactly make the Dodgers too confident in handing one of them the job. Abreu may be called to duty at 2nd to fill in for Jeff Kent until he returns, so DeWitt and Hu remain.

If it were up to me, then I'd lean towards Hu, only because he has more experience being in the Bigs. DeWitt's time will come at some point. Who knows how long Nomar will be out, but it's one of those injuries that looked minor at first, and gradually it becomes longer and longer for him to come back. When Kent comes back, I think Hu and Abreu can hold the fort down for awhile.