Luis Gonzalez: The $7.5 Million Mistake

Let's see, for a heck of a lot less than $7.5 mil, the Dodgers could've signed me to go hitless in seven at-bats, and misplay balls in left field, which is what Gonzo has managed to do in his first two games in Dodger blue. The 39 year old is 0-7 on the season, and has allowed Bill Hall to turn a routine single into a double, and Johnny Estrada to turn a routine fly ball into a double, amongst other miscues. Gonzo's reaction after the game was pretty blunt:

About the Estrada hit: "I just couldn't get to it."

About the Hall double: "He's a fast guy, he just beat me there, I've just got to get it and get it in."

Gonzalez shook his head and almost frowned.

"You guys have all seen me, you know who I am," he said. "I've played long enough, what you see is what you get, I'm not 21."

Meanwhile, James Loney, who's only 22, killed the ball during Grapefruit League play and is down in the minors with his MLB service time ticking away. Ned Colletti has done what appears to be an excellent job shaking things up and putting together a winner for the Dodgers, but signing Luis Gonzalez does not appear to be one of his better moves (at $4.5 million or less it would have been an adequate signing).

Oh yeah, it's my moral obligation to tell you that this is why Gonzo's had some trouble in left, courtesy of Tony Jackson's Inside the Dodgers blog.