by Ken Rosenthal

Belliard, 33, had not cleared waivers as of Thursday afternoon, sources say, and it was not immediately known whether the Dodgers had placed a claim.

Two Los Angeles newspapers reported late Thursday night that the Dodgers indeed claimed Belliard, giving them 48 hours to complete a trade with the Nationals from the time of the claim.

The Los Angeles Times speculated that the Dodgers registered a claim to prevent Belliard from going to the Diamondbacks, who recently lost second baseman Orlando Hudson to a season-ending wrist surgery.

But the Dodgers, sources say, have legitimate interest in Belliard, and if they claimed him to block him, they wasted their time. The Diamondbacks did not claim Belliard.

The exact time of the Dodgers' claim and the extent of the Nationals' interest in trading Belliard is not known.

The Dodgers recently identified Belliard as a possible target, most likely viewing him as an upgrade over Pablo Ozuna, who has batted only 15 times since joining the team on July 20, serving mostly as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

If the Dodgers acquired Belliard, Ozuna would appear more expendable than Angel Berroa, who is the team's sole backup to shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. Neither Ozuna nor Belliard is well-suited to play short.

Belliard could back up Jeff Kent at second base and Casey Blake at third and also serve as a pinch-hitter. He is owed the balance of his $1.6 million salary this season and $1.9 million next season.

The Dodgers have taken on minimal salary in mid-season trades for Blake, Berroa and outfielder Manny Ramirez.

Belliard, a right-handed hitter, is batting .237 with a .340 on-base percentage and 10 home runs in 224 at-bats.