26-year old righty swinging Russell Martin will be the main man behind the plate again in 2010. He played in 143 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 126 for 505 (.250 avg, .681 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 7 homers, 53 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The Dodgers hope to get Martin a few more breaks to keep him fresh as I think his bat is starting to suffer due to his heavy workload the last three years. Martin made 7 errors and he had 3 passed balls in 137 games behind the plate. He threw out 25% of the runners trying to steal on him last season and Dodgers’ pitchers had a 3.37 ERA with him behind the plate.

It appears that the suddenly thrifty Dodgers will go with 28-year old righty swinging rookie catcher A.J. Ellis behind the plate as Martin’s back-up. The Dodgers really hope that Ellis can help them lessen the workload on Russell Martin who caught a major league leading 1201 innings last season. Ellis played in 8 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 1 for 10 (.100 avg, .200 OPS) with 1 RBI. Ellis also played in 90 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 89 for 283 (.314 avg, .813 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 0 homers, 39 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Ellis didn’t have any errors or passed balls in 27 2/3 innings for the Dodgers last season. Base stealers were successful on their only attempt against Ellis last season but Dodgers’ pitchers had a 3.25 ERA with him behind the dish.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CATCHERS IN 2010: B

UPDATE: The Dodgers have brought back 40-year old righty swinging Brad Ausmus to back up Russell Martin. Ausmus was error-free in 30 games behind the plate for the Dodgers last season but he did have two passed balls. Ausmus is still a good defensive player as he threw out 22% of the runners trying to steal against him and Dodgers’ pitchers had a 3.64 ERA with him behind the plate. Ausmus played in 36 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 28 for 95 (.295 avg, .712 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

The Dodgers have re-signed 32-year old righty starting pitcher Vicente Padilla to a 1-year, $5.025 million dollar deal. He pitched in 8 games (7 starts) for the Dodgers last season and he was 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Padilla pitched in 26 games (25 starts) overall for the Rangers and Dodgers last season and he was 12-6 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has now pitched in 305 games (221 starts) in his major league career and he is 98-85 with 2 saves, a 4.33 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Dodgers as Padilla really pitched well for them last season down the stretch and in the playoffs.

30-year old switch-hitting catcher J.D. Closser has signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers. He played in 99 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 88 for 321 (.274 avg, .723 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 10 homers and 48 RBIs. Closser last played in the majors during the 2006 season with the Rockies. He has played in 160 games in his major league career and he is 107 for 447 (.239 avg, .687 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 10 homers and 48 RBIs. Closser will battle A.J. Ellis for the back-up catcher job for the Dodgers this spring.

The Dodgers have signed 32-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal. Gibbons has not played since the 2007 season with the Orioles in the majors likely due to a steroids admission. In 7 years in his major league career and he has played in 779 games in his major league career and he is 724 for 2,787 (.260 avg, .768 OPS) with 348 runs scored, 121 homers and 405 RBIs. It will be interesting to see if Gibbons can get back to the majors in 2010 and the Dodgers will give him a chance to earn that in spring training.

The Dodgers have signed 27-year old switch-hitting utility infielder Argenis Reyes to a minor league deal. Reyes played in 9 games for the Mets last season and he was 2 for 17 (.118 avg, .284 OPS) with 1 stolen base. He has now played in 58 games in his major league career in which he is 26 for 127 (.205 avg, .475 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Expect Reyes to play most of the 2010 season in AAA for the Dodgers.