November 04, 2007
Attracting Players
Luis Gonzalez wants to play for the Dodgers again now that they hired Joe Torre:
The 40-year-old left fielder, who filed for free agency Wednesday, was dissatisfied with his diminished role on the team and declared at the end of last season that he had no intention of retuning to Los Angeles.
"This is no knock against Grady," Gonzalez said, referring to former manager Grady Little, who resigned Tuesday. "But the credibility that Joe and his coaches bring is definitely intriguing."
Luis must be thinking, "Joe likes to play veterans who don't produce. Maybe he'll play me!" Luckily, the Dodgers are showing no interest in bringing Gonzalez back to the team.
Gonzo returning to Dodgers next season? Fahgeddaboudit! He should have retired honorably after the DBacks let him go. Still has a pop in his swing but too sloooooow.
Clearly, Gonzo ain't the hitter he used to be--but he still managed an adjusted OPS+ of 101 this last season, vs. Juan Pierre's 75. Ideally, both of them would go and the Dodgers would find a decent left fielder to go along with Kemp in center and Ethier in right--but if they *had* to keep one of them, I'd rather keep Gonzo there as a place-holder for a season or two rather than suffering through four more years of Pierre AKA Ken Landreaux Mk II.
