LOS ANGELES — Santa Colletti came to town Saturday.
While waiting for Juan Uribe to decide if he’ll return as the starting third baseman, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was in South Central L.A. handing out goodies at the Angel City Toy Giveaway, a holiday-season community event sponsored by the Rotary Club at Algin Sutton Recreation Center.
It’s become an annual stop for Colletti, whose under-the-radar resume of charitable ties ranges from sponsoring the training of guide dogs for the sight-impaired and stroke-vulnerable, to funding scholarships for first-generation college students at “A Place Called Home,” to reading poetry as an introduction to literature for young students called “Get Lit,” to a six-year affiliation with “A Better LA,” which empowers community leaders to better their neighborhoods.
“My parents died of cancer,” said Colletti, whose mother died earlier this year. “We never had much, we lived day to day financially. But if somebody needed help, my parents were the first ones there, and I never forget that. I’m blessed to have this opportunity. And I wake up every morning hoping to be a blessing to somebody.
“All of these programs are very special to me and the Dodgers have been cool. They let me do it.”
Colletti’s appearance Saturday morning coincided with an Internet report that he was considering 37-year-old free agent Michael Young as a starting third baseman for 2014. Colletti, however, said Uribe remains his first choice and an offer remains on the table. If Uribe signs elsewhere, Colletti said asking Hanley Ramirez to play third base remains an option, but that would create a hole at shortstop.
He said the Dodgers could “mix and match” at third base, which is where Young might come into play in a utility role, as would fellow free agent Mark Ellis, who the Dodgers are talking to as a bridge at second base to Cuban rookie Alexander Guerrero. The Dodgers haven’t decided if Guerrero should start at second base, shortstop or in the Minor Leagues. They think Ellis could handle third base occasionally.
Colletti said Ramirez hasn’t been asked yet to change positions, but Colletti has had enough discussions with Ramirez’s agent, Adam Katz, to know that the player will accept such a move as long as he isn’t asked to shuttle back and forth between the two positions.
Colletti said he is relatively confident he will come up with a solid right-handed reliever for his open spot in the middle innings but a little less confident of finding a left-handed reliever. A return of J.P. Howell has been the preferred option, but Colorado’s signing of lefty Boone Logan to a three-year, $16.5 million deal will make it tougher to retain Howell with anything less than a three-year contract.
“We have to make the right decision, regardless of what other teams are doing,” he said. “Sometimes a team does something that seems of desperation. Sometimes we have. This time, whether we get it done or not, I don’t know.”
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
