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The Los Angeles Dodgers top priority at this point is finding a reliever, preferably of the left-handed variety, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes that if the Dodgers trade outfielder Andre Ethier they could look to replace him by signing free agent Nick Swisher or Michael Bourn:
#dodgers 1 aim rat moment is to find a reliever, preferably a lefty.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 18, 2012
The Dodgers are shopping Ethier, major-league sources say — and their intent might be to clear a spot for a free agent such as first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher or center fielder Michael Bourn.
The Dodgers could look to the trade market to acquire their reliever, as they’ve been tied to right-hander Joel Hanrahan who’s being shopped by the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, if they look to free agency to fill their demand they will find several left-handed options remain available, including Mike Gonzalez, Tom Gorzelanny, J.P. Howell, Rafael Perez and Will Ohman.
The Dodgers have said that they’re not actively shopping Ethier but instead willing to listen to offers. If they decide to move the outfielder, Rosenthal believes their intent could be to ship out Ethier in order to replace him with Bourn or Swisher.
