BY ADAM RONIS
The long-term deal the Dodgers gave Juan Pierre seems like a bad move right now. What were they thinking? They had a minor league system stacked with talent and signed this guy to a 5-year, $44 million contract? He steals bases --he gets caught often too -- but what else does he do? He has no power, a poor on-base percentage, hasn't hit .300 the last three years, isn't a good defensive player and has no arm. Sure, he'll get 200 hits, but he wasn't a good fit for the Dodgers, especially since the Dodgers have Rafael Furcal to hit leadoff.
Matt Kemp is slated to start in rightfield, Andruw Jones in center and Pierre in left for now. The problem is Andre Ethier is tearing it up this spring. Only Ivan Rodriguez has more home runs. Ethier is going very late in drafts because all indications point to Pierre playing everyday, even though he has been awful in the spring. Making matters worse, if Ethier gets playing time it come at the expense of Kemp, which makes no sense.
Joe Torre is the one stuck making the tough decision, but blame the Dodgers front office for setting it up. NL-only owners need to stash Ethier away. Mixed leaguers need to hold off until his role is determined or keep him on the bench.