Over at MLB.com, Ken Gurnick brings us a great article into the outlook of the ‘08 Los Angeles Dodgers.  General manager Ned Colletti answered questons today at the team’s prosepct mini-camp, which was open to the media.  Many of his questions, however, dealt with the present state of the Dodgers roster.  Here are some good tidbits:

• Rookie Andy LaRoche and Nomar Garciaparra will compete in Spring Training for the starting 3B spot, and neither has an advantage at this point.  I say that with Joe Torre on the bench, Nomar will be in the Opening Day lineup, barring a fingernail injury.
• The team is not pursuing free agent 3B Pedro Feliz, contrary to reports otherwise.
• He’s just “fine with the outfield as it is.” This means the team will likely break camp with Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier, Andruw Jones and Matt Kemp as OF’s still on the roster.  He also added that it wouldn’t be out of “the realm of possibility” if Ethier started over Pierre in the outfield (LF).  No real shock there.  But again, it’s Torre’s decision, so we’ll have to just wait and see.
• Jason Schmidt is progressing nicely in his rehab from shoulder surgery, but the team’s trainer said that does not guarantee that he will be ready for Opening Day.  I bet he comes back some time in May or June, but that’s just a hunch.
• Negotiations to keep RP Rudy Seanez and bench player Mark Sweeney have stalled.
• Tony Abreu figures to be a super-utility infielder for the team; Garciaparra could be as well, if he loses the third base job to LaRoche. 

Filed under: Los Angeles Dodgers