Manny Ramirez is the Dodgers starting left fielder. That means Juan Pierre is not.
And that makes everyone happy — except Pierre. So he (and his overpriced contract) are looking for a trade to someplace he can play.
"I understand the situation, and if they hadn't signed Manny, it would have been a surprise," said Pierre. "I'm not bitter about it. I totally get it, you know what I mean? But I want to play. So they gave us permission to talk to teams and try to find a situation that can work out for everybody, and that's all I can ask for."
Pierre is fools gold as a leadoff hitter — you can say he hit a respectable .283 last season and stole 40 bases, which sounds good. But he almost never walks, so his on base percentage of only .327 was way below the power-hitting Dodger outfielders last season. He scored just 44 runs last season because he wasn’t getting on base, and that is not what you want in a leadoff hitter.
His numbers are still good enough to get him a starting job somewhere in the majors — but his contract may kill that. Pierre has three years and $28.5 million remaining on the foolish contract the Dodgers offered him. There are smaller-market teams that might want a player like Pierre, but that much money will scare them off in this economy. Even if he is willing to defer some of it.
But Dodger fans everywhere, who have turned Pierre into their target of frustration, hope there is one team that thinks he is worth the money. Good luck and Godspeed in finding that deal.
