It was four days ago when the Dodgers dropped the bombshell that Hanley Ramirez’s right thumb will require surgery, putting him out for at least the next 60 days. The Dodgers starting shortstop tore a ligament in his thumb last Tuesday while playing for the Dominican Republic in its victory over Puerto Rico. I remember recently saying I wasn’t a big fan of nine Dodger players playing in the World Baseball Classic. I’m all for the games, I just feel they shouldn’t be played right before the start of the MLB season. That’s a topic for another day though.
Despite losing Hanley for the first third of the 2013 season, Ned Colletti says he won’t be looking for infield help while Hanley goes through the recovery process. Dylan Hernandez also confirmed that Colletti has recently reconfirmed that he has no plans to re-start his pursuit of free agent third baseman Scott Rolen.
Should the Dodgers kick the tires on the trade market, Elvis Andrus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jemile Weeks, Jose Altuve, Chase Headley and Emilio Bonifacio have all had rumors connected to them over the last couple months. While it’s highly unlikely that any of the above players are moved in the coming weeks, it’s still worth noting that a few of the above players could help the Dodgers out for both their immediate short-term need and more.
With the surplus of Dodger infielders already under guaranteed contracts I fully expect Colletti to run with his internal options, at least for the time being. Luis Cruz will likely remain at third, but the possibility of a brief move to short exists. This would force the Dodgers to rely on Nick Punto and Juan Uribe to handle duties at third. Not a huge fan of either one of those guys playing every day for eight weeks. My preferred method, Dee Gordon, although according to Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times, “it’s hard to imagine that’s the direction they will go.” Which in my opinion is completely understandable after a subpar 2012 season in which Gordon posted a .228/.280/.281 line. Still, I feel like Gordon would be better than Uribe or Punto, at least Gordon would be playing with a “something to prove” attitude.
Opening Day is just days away and if you are looking for Dodgers tickets, it’s not too late. It sure would be nice to see anyone other than Juan Uribe starting at the hot corner come April, 1. Though I’m not sure the other options of Justin Sellers, Skip Schumaker, and Jerry Hairston Jr. are all that much better. I definitely see them being in the mix and all three are better options than Uribe, but wait there’s more! My plan B, Elian Herrera, yeah I’m a big fan of Elian, he’s had a great spring, yet no mention of his name to fill in for Hanley. What’s up with that? I was lobbying for him to take a permanent roster spot for most of the 2012 season, seems I will be doing much of the same in 2013. At least the kid plays with heart, something Juan Uribe can’t say these days.
