The Dodgers have signed 33-year old righty reliever Mike MacDougal to a minor league deal. He pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. MacDougal has now pitched in 331 games (3 starts) in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 15-22 with 70 saves, a 4.26 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. If the Dodgers can get MacDougal to throw strikes he might be able to help them out of the pen in 2011.

The Dodgers have signed 35-year old righty swinging outfielder Gabe Kapler to a minor league deal. Kapler played in 59 games for the Rays last season and he was 26 of 124 (.210 avg, .578 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers, 14 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Kapler has now played in 1,104 games in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 799 of 2,983 (.268 avg, .749 OPS) with 443 runs scored, 82 homers, 386 RBIs and 77 stolen bases. As long as the Dodgers only use Kapler against lefty pitching he could be an asset off the bench in 2011 if he makes the team out of spring training.

The Dodgers have signed 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Marcus Thames. Thames played in 82 games for the Yankees last season and he was 61 of 212 (.288 avg, .841 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. He has now played in 604 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 437 of 1,761 (.248 avg, .802 OPS) with 252 runs scored, 113 homers, 294 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. With his power comes his whiffs though as he has struck out 494 times in his major league career so far. Thames will likely platoon in LF with Jay Gibbons and don’t be surprised if they combine to hit 30 homers and knock in 90 runs between them.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed 31-year old righty reliever Roman Colon to a minor league deal. Colon pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Royals last season and he was 0-0 with a 18.00 ERA and a 3.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 121 games (8 starts) in parts of five years in the majors and he is 8-10 with 1 save, a 5.12 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Colon has a great arm but he hasn’t gotten much results wise in the majors. The Dodgers will give him a chance to earn a job in the bullpen for 2011 this spring.

The Dodgers have signed 32-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Redding to a minor league deal. Redding pitched in 18 games (17 starts) in AAA-ball for the Rockies & Yankees in which he was 8-5 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Redding last pitched in the majors in 2009 with the Mets. Redding has now pitched in 179 games (144 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 37-57 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Redding will likely be stashed in AAA when the 2011 season starts and he will give the Dodgers quality depth in the minors.