Ausmus and Belliard to Return to LA

The Dodgers made a few moves yesterday, but nothing that will wow any of the fans, or make a world championship look more possible. Both Brad Ausmus and Ronnie Belliard re-signed with the club, and both will probably occupy backup roles with the team.

One interesting thing of note in yesterday’s signings was the umm…..weight clause…..in Belliard’s contract. According to the LA Times, there is a clause in the contract that states that Belliard must weigh 209 pounds or less during spring training. That’s one of the more unique contract clauses I’ve seen in a while.

But as for these two’s actual role on the team, it always helps to have experience. Ausmus has been one of the best catchers in the game over the years, and though Russell Martin is the main man at this point, Ausmus will be a nice player to give Martin some rest every now and then.

In Belliard’s case, he’ll probably be able to compete for the starting second baseman job, as that’s the position with the most open competition heading into spring training. As of right now, I’m not sure anyone is a clear-cut favorite at that position, as Blake DeWitt and Jamey Carroll still have something to prove to the staff. So we’ll see if Belliard can make a strong case for the starting spot there.

All in all, a couple of solid signings to add to the bench, and Belliard may even get the chance to be a starter. We should have some heavy competition at second base when spring training rolls around.