Aloha to Rivera, Treanor, and Coffey

The Dodgers have already made the decision to release the trio of Juan Rivera, Matt Treanor, and Todd Coffey.  Each will receive a buyout of $3.5 million, $800,000, and $2.2 million, respectively.

Add it all up, and it's savings of $6.5 million.  Don't expect the Dodgers to hold onto that money for too long.

I can't really say these were tough decisions, as all three were pretty much forgotten about by the end of the year.  I do like how Rivera played hard no matter if he was playing outfield or first base. He only hit .244 with 9 homers and 47 RBIs while appearing in 109 games last season.  Once Shane Victorino and Adrian Gonzalez were brought in, he was a man without a position.  About the only reason he played from September on was because Victorino slumped.

Still, it was obvious he is on the decline, as he's no longer the feared power hitter he once was.  At least he went out with a bang, hitting a two-run homer in last at-bat of the season.

Treanor backed up A.J. Ellis, but only appeared in 36 games, hitting .175 with 2 homers and 10 RBIs.  There's no way he could have envisioned such little playing time coming into the season considering Ellis was largely unproven.  However, Ellis caught fire to start the year, and never got hurt.  In turn, that only hurt Treanor.  At least his wife is a gold medalist (volleyball star Misty May Treanor, in case you've forgotten).

Coffey only pitched in 23 games before blowing out his elbow, leading to Tommy John surgery #2 in his career.  He was terrible, too, with a 4.66 ERA.

Treanor jumps on board

The Dodgers have found their replacement for the departed Rod Barajas, signing Matt Treanor to a one-year, $850,000 deal on Tuesday. He won't be the starter, but will play a key role in helping the development of young A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz.

Treanor spent last season split between the Royals and Rangers. Offense is not exactly his thing, as he hit .214 with 3 homers and 17 RBIs. For that matter, offense has never been his thing, collecting a .225 average with 16 homers and 119 RBIs since 2004. He has also spent time with the Marlins and Tigers.

What he is known for, however, is defense. Described as a "catch and throw" type of guy, he gunned down 25% of basestealers last season. One part of Barajas that I thought was underrated was his ability to handle the pitching staff, especially Clayton Kershaw. If Ned Colletti is aiming for similar results, then Treanor is a good guy to replace him with.

Now is the time for Ellis to step up and be the man. Federowicz is still a little ways away from being ready for the bigs, and Treanor isn't expected to catch more than 40 games a year. If Ellis can continue where he left off in September (.323 average in 12 games), then a starting spot should be his. If he still can't claim it, I don't think he ever will.