New GM Welcomes Help From Lasorda

VERO BEACH, Fla. â€”  New Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta reached out to Tom Lasorda on Friday, saying he wanted the Hall of Fame manager to play “an important roleâ€� in the club’s baseball operation.

“Tommy and I talked some in detail today about what I’d like his role to be with the club,� DePodesta said. “I believe there are a lot of ways we can utilize someone with Tommy’s experience, I absolutely do.�

DePodesta said he valued Lasorda’s opinions on player development and would make sure Lasorda was actively involved in that area.

There had been growing speculation within the organization that DePodesta might even consider Lasorda as farm director, a position left vacant since Bill Bavasi became general manager of the Seattle Mariners in November. Kim Ng, assistant general manager, continues to fill both roles while DePodesta considers candidates for the job.

Although Lasorda, 76, might be a good fit in many roles, DePodesta said he wanted the flexibility to send Lasorda wherever he needed him most.

“I envision Tommy’s role to be sort of a more encompassing position for the organization,� he said. “Rather than restricting him to one area, we can utilize him better than that.�

Lasorda said he was eager to help DePodesta.

“All I care about is helping the Dodgers get back on top again, where we belong, but I guess some people didn’t want to listen to what I had to say,� said Lasorda, who managed the 2000 gold-medal U.S. Olympic baseball team.

“I’ll do whatever Paul needs me to do. If he needs me to go look at some [minor league] players, I’ll go to that. If he wants my opinion about a guy in the big leagues, I’ll give him that.

“I’m not campaigning for anything or asking for anything. I just want to be there for Paul because it’s about the Dodgers.�

DePodesta said Lasorda would be busy.

“I think Tommy is the living embodiment of what the Dodgers are all about,� DePodesta said. “It would be foolish if we didn’t utilize his experience and expertise.�

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Jose Lima strengthened his bid to make the opening-day roster, pitching four strong innings in a 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The right-hander, who gave up four hits and one run, has a 2.25 earned-run average in five games.

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Alex Cora, recovering from a broken right forearm, said he experienced no pain after taking 60 swings in live batting practice.... Setup man Guillermo Mota (sore triceps muscle) threw without pain.