Loretta could be answer to Dodgers' problems
Loretta, earning $2.75 million this season, would fit both the Dodgers' budget and their need for a versatile infielder. However, the Astros probably would not consider trading him until second baseman Kaz Matsui recovers from surgery to repair an anal fissure.
Matsui is expected to miss the next 2 to 3 weeks, and during that time Loretta will replace him at second. The Nationals' Ron Belliard and Royals' Esteban German are among the other options the Dodgers are considering.
Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, who is owed $19.1 million over the next three years, and White Sox third baseman Joe Crede, who is earning $5.1 million this season, still appear too expensive for the Dodgers.
Garciaparra became the Dodgers' starter at third after the team's other third baseman, Andy La Roche, tore a ligament in his right thumb earlier this spring, sidelining him until at least mid-May.
The Yankees, by placing Ensberg on their 40-man list, would guarantee his $1.75 million contract, increasing his chances of making the club.
Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, who helped revitalize Alex Rodriguez last season, also is making a difference for Ensberg, who is batting .313 with five doubles in 32 at-bats this spring.
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| If Morgan Ensberg doesn't stay in pinstripes, he could be in blue. (Eliot J. Schechter / Getty Images) |
"It's shocking," Ensberg says. "Everything he does is so simple. He gets rid of all of your excess motions, gets you down to a good foundation.
"I used to be a guy with eight different stances and eight different hand positions. Now I'm down to one. And it took only one session, one 15-minute deal in the batting cage.
"This is the most consistent 3-4 weeks of an approach I've had in my life."
Ensberg, 32, hit 36 homers for the Astros in 2005, but declined to 23 and 12 the past two seasons.
Lopez, 27, also has played 82 games at third base and 55 at second in his career, and his ability to fit in at multiple positions could increase the number of teams that are interested in him.
The Giants need all the help they can get, and the Twins and White Sox remain unsettled at second base. The Cardinals also could view Lopez as an upgrade over their new shortstop, Cesar Izturis.
Berroa, the 2003 American League Rookie of the Year, is in camp with the Royals as a non-roster player. He appeared in only nine major-league games last season, but is guaranteed $4.75 million in '08 as well as a $500,000 buyout.
Inge says Cabrera's eyes would follow the ball to the bat. He would make contact without blinking, squinting or flinching, then follow the ball off the bat as well.
"Right there, I said, 'This is 90 percent of the reason that this guy is a great hitter — his hand-eye coordination,'" Inge says.
"He can hit, that's what everyone says. But I think he's more than that, and he thinks he's more than that," Rolen says. "He pushes. He cares. You see his hard work, his intensity."
Adds Eckstein, "We work together every day on double plays, and I watch how hard he works taking groundballs. Everyone knows he's a hitter. But he has a high level of commitment both offensively and defensively."
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