The Dodgers have signed 39-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brian Giles to a minor league deal. Giles played in 61 games for the Padres last season and he was 43 for 225 (.191 avg, .548 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 23 RBIs. He had some knee problems last season and the Dodgers hope that is a thing of the past because he was solid in 2008 for the Padres hitting .306 with a .854 OPS in 147 games. Giles has now played in 1,847 games in his major league career and he is 1,897 for 6,527 (.291 avg, .902 OPS) with 1,121 runs scored, 287 homers, 1,078 RBIs and 109 stolen bases. I like this signing for the Dodgers because if Giles’ knees are o.k. the man can still play.

The Dodgers have signed 29-year old righty swinging catcher Justin Knoedler to a minor league deal. He played in 17 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 12 for 60 (.200 avg, .560 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs. Knoedler has played in 14 games in his major league career and he is 2 for 18 (.111 avg, .269 OPS). This was a organizational depth signing and little more.

The Los Dodgers have re-signed 33-year old righty starter/reliever Jeff Weaver to a minor league deal. He pitched in 28 games (7 starts) for the Dodgers last season and he was 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Weaver has now pitched in 312 games (274 starts) in his major league career and he is 99-118 with 2 saves, a 4.67 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He did a good job for the Dodgers as the long man out of the pen also making some spot starts. That’s probably the same role he’ll have with the team in 2010.

The Dodgers have signed 32-year old switch-hitting IF/OF Alfredo Amezaga to a minor league deal. He will make $650,000 bucks if he makes the Marlins with a additional $800,000 bucks in incentives. Amezaga played in 27 games for the Marlins last season and he was 15 for 69 (.217 avg, .528 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 544 games in his major league career and he is 334 for 1,331 (.251 avg, .652 OPS) with 167 runs scored, 12 homers, 106 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. Amezaga can play anywhere in the outfield and everywhere in the infield except first base. If he is healthy he will be a asset for the Dodgers’ bench.

The Dodgers have signed 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Reed Johnson to a 1-year deal. He played in 65 games for the Cubs last season and he was 42 for 165 (.255 avg, .742 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers, 22 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Johnson has now played in 784 games in his major league career and he is 728 for 2,581 (.282 avg, .755 OPS) with 394 runs scored, 52 homers, 306 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. This was a good signing for the Dodgers as Johnson can handle all three outfield spots on defense and he is a solid hitter off the bench.