Before numbers needed to be exchanged with arbitration-eligible players last week, the Dodgers agreed to one-year deals with Adrian Beltre, Odalis Perez, Alex Cora, and Guillermo Mota. Beltre will reportedly earn the most of the four with a $3.7M salary for 2003.

Although his BA and OBP dipped for the second year, he appeared to rebound in the second half and all of his 2001 problems can be attributed to the botched appendectomy he suffered before the season. The 23-year-old appears ready for a sizeable power jump and possibly a rebound to his 2000 BA and OBP numbers. However, his plate discipline has suffered over the past few years and will need to be resurrected to support that development. Considering his youth and upside, I would have attempted to sign Beltre to a multi-year deal to at least eat up his remaining arbitration years, as his value and cost should continue to increase.

Odalis Perez will make $3.4M in 2003. Perez is not a power pitcher, but his control was excellent last season and he managed to strikeout a fair number of batters. I'm somewhat concerned about the 25-year-old's health, since he pitched over a hundred innings more this past season than in 2001 and has a history of injury trouble. The Dodgers need him to remain healthy next season, as they lacked rotation depth even before Omar Daal departed as a free agent. Provided Perez remains healthy, I think he can come close to repeating last year's performance. However, I think LA was wise to hold off on offering him a multi-year deal until after he's completed another season, though he will grow even more expensive next year if he can duplicate 2002.

LA signed Alex Cora to a one-year, $1.15M contract. The 27-year-old experienced a nice growth spurt in his skills last season, improving his plate discipline to raise his BA and OBP. He also demonstrated his speed skills more aggressively on the bases than he had previously done in the majors. Cora gives them a strong infield reserve with the ability to start if needed, so this seems like an appropriate price. I expect him to maintain this level of production for the next several seasons.

Guillermo Mota will receive a $625,000 salary in 2003. The Dodgers didn't have Mota in the majors for all of last season. He's a soft-tossing pitcher and therefore doesn't strikeout a lot of batters, though he held his own in that area in 2002. The primary problem area in his skill set is his BB/9, however he was able to compensate for that problem by limiting the hits he allowed to reduce his total baserunners. I suspect he'll be able to perform at a similar level in 2003.

LA has signed a number of players to minor league contracts, including LHP Wilson Alvarez, LHP Pedro Borbon, LHP Troy Brohawn, LHP Yorkis Perez, RHP David Lee, RHP Calvin Maduro, RHP Rodney Myers, RHP Scott Winchester, 2B-R Marty Malloy, 3B-R Ryan Minor, OF-R Calvin Murray, UT-R Terry Shumpert, and 2B-S Quilvio Veras.

Wilson Alvarez is a nice addition to the organization, as while I believe the 32-year-old is no longer suited to starting, he could develop into a quality reliever. Unfortunately, I believe the Dodgers will be more tempted to use him as a spot starter, considering they have some left-handed depth in the bullpen.

Pedro Borbon does not possess strong skills. His BB/9, HR/9, and H/9 were considerably above target levels. However, the 35-year-old's K/9 have been on an upswing for the past couple years, so in a pitcher friendly environment, he could probably provide decent relief, if the Dodgers need him.

Troy Brohawn demonstrated decent skills with San Francisco's AAA affiliate at Fresno in the Pacific Coast League, where the 30-year-old spent most of last season. However, he lacked dominance and the ability to limit baserunners with the Diamondbacks in 2001. Consequently, I'd consider both Alvarez and Borbon before calling up Brohawn.

Last season with Baltimore's AAA affiliate at Rochester, Yorkis Perez compiled a 44:20 K:BB with 42 H and 4 HR allowed in 40.1 IP for a 3.79 ERA. While his control could still use some work, I believe he's more deserving of a bullpen job than these other lefties.

David Lee allows too many baserunners through both hits and walks to be used as a major league reliever. I don't expect the 29-year-old to receive a cup-of-coffee with the Dodgers in 2003.

Calvin Maduro started last season on the DL due to a strained right forearm and ended it on the DL after surgery to remove a cracked bone spur and bone chips from his elbow. His pitching when he was active was understandably poor. However, he does not appear to have bounced back strong as he compiled a 15:18 K:BB with 25 H and 2 HR allowed in 36 IP in winter ball. His performance in the majors has never been strong, so I hope the Dodgers find alternatives if they need a starter.

Rodney Myers has struggled with his control in the majors over the past few years, but he continues to show some promise as a reliever in AAA. Consequently, I wouldn't object to the Dodgers giving him a cup-of-coffee if they need a fresh arm in the pen at some point during the season. Winchester isn't a dominant pitcher, but the 29-year-old has demonstrated decent skills in AAA and could probably provide LA with adequate relief help.

Marty Malloy has displayed solid plate discipline throughout the minors and also possess moderate speed and power skills. I doubt the 30-year-old will find a place on the bench out of Spring Training, but if the Dodgers need a reserve infielder during the year, he'd be an excellent choice. Ryan Minor hasn't even been able to display decent skills at AAA, so the 29-year-old shouldn't be considered for a call-up during the season.

Calvin Murray lacks the plate discipline to move from AAAA outfielder to regular reserve. However, the 31-year-old has moderate speed and power skills, so if the Dodgers need an injury replacement for a few weeks in the middle of the season, I expect he'll be used.

Terry Shumpert provides the Dodgers with an interesting utility option. Unfortunately, as the 36-year-old had difficulty producing offensively in Colorado, I don't think LA will like the results if he's on their bench.

After failing to find major league work last season, Veras chose not to play in the minors. While I expect the majority of his speed skills have disappeared at 31, Veras displayed solid plate discipline throughout much of his career and should be able to find a bench job. However, I'm not sure the Dodgers will want to bump one of their returning infielders to find room for him, so he may have to wait for an injury to break onto the team.