The Dodgers, seeking to upgrade their bench, particularly from the left side, have agreed to terms with outfielder Bobby Abreu, reports CBSSports.com Insider Jon Heyman. Heyman first reported that the Dodgers and Abreu were in discussions to this end.
Heyman also reports that Abreu's strong relationship with manager Don Mattingly, which dates back to their Yankee days, made this a good fit. Abreu had other suitors, the Orioles perhaps among them, but a return to the National League likely appealed to him. Initially, the signing was delayed because the Dodgers wanted to evaluate his medical reports and for Abreu to undergo a physical.
Abreu was recently cut loose by the Angels in order to make room for top prospect Mike Trout. The 38-year-old Abreu was hitting .208/.259/.333 in 27 plate appearances at the time of his release.
While Abreu isn't an adequate regular and shouldn't play the field these days, he does promise some decent OBP skills in platoon-advantaged situations. In that sense, he's an offensive upgrade over Adam Kennedy, the Dodgers' current lefty bench bat of first resort.
