DODGERS GET BAEZ ACQUIRE D-RAYS RELIEVER IN 4-PLAYER DEAL.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

Eric Gagne's season-ending elbow injury last June exposed the Dodgers' once-celebrated bullpen as a hollowed-out shell of what it had been the previous year. On Saturday, new general manager Ned Colletti made a bold move to add depth to the club's relief corps in hopes of being better prepared if a similar catastrophe strikes sometime this summer.

It came, however, at a considerable price.

To acquire relievers Danys Baez and Lance Carter from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Dodgers gave up two of their top pitching prospects in starcrossed right-hander Edwin Jackson and still-developing lefty Chuck Tiffany. It marks the first time in Colletti's flurry of offseason moves that he has dipped into the club's stockpile of minor-league talent.

``Nobody in (the organization) believes Chuck Tiffany and Edwin Jackson won't be big-league pitchers,'' Colletti said. ``But at the same time, our big-league club has certain needs.''

With Colletti already having shored up the infield, the outfield and the rotation, his final squeaky wheel was the bullpen. Assuming Gagne is, as expected, healthy and ready to go when the season starts, the Dodgers will open with three relievers in Gagne, Baez and Carter who at one time or another have been All-Star closers. Throw in Yhency Brazoban, who was serviceable in Gagne's stead last year, and the four relievers have a combined 411 saves over the past four seasons.

The challenge for Baez, who made the American League All-Star team while saving 41 games in 2005, will be to swallow his ego and accept a primary setup role - something he convinced Colletti he was ready to do during a phone conversation immediately after the trade.

``He said, `I know the season is long, with a lot of twists and turns, and I'm ready for whatever comes my way,' '' Colletti said. ``It doesn't get much better than that.''

Baez did not return a phone message from the Daily News.

Baez, 31, will earn $4 million in the final season of what became a three-year, $9 million contract when the Devil Rays exercised his option on Oct. 5. He might be the club's future closer. With Gagne entering the final season of a two-year, $19 million deal, Baez theoretically would be the easier pitcher to re-sign next winter, especially if he isn't driving up his price by piling up saves this season.

Carter, 31, who avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $550,000 contract Dec. 5, was an All-Star in 2003 when he had 26 saves for the Devil Rays. He gave up that role when the club signed Baez the following winter. Carter fell on hard times last season and was sent to Triple-A Durham for a spell, but finished with respectable big-league numbers (4.89 ERA).

``Carter is somebody who can pitch a couple of innings at a time,'' Colletti said. ``He went to the All-Star Game as a closer, and ... that tells me a lot about his makeup.''

Tiffany was the Dodgers' second-round draft pick in 2003 and their top left-handed prospect. Jackson began his big-league career by outdueling Arizona's Randy Johnson for six innings on Sept. 9, 2003. But he was subpar the following spring, didn't make the Opening-Day roster and never really was the same.

``I really believe Edwin Jackson was ... so good that he tried to become a polished major-league pitcher before he was ready to handle it,'' Dodgers player development director Terry Collins said. ``He wanted to try to sink the ball and cut the ball and worked very hard at trying to (paint) corners. Because of that, he changed a lot of things he did mechanically and backed off that great fastball he had trying to get the ball to sink.''

Jackson wasn't surprised by the move.

``I figured there was a chance I might get traded,'' he said. ``I'm not mad at anybody. I'm going into my first start with a clean slate.''

--He'll play: The Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra, who is of Mexican descent, will play for Mexico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Colletti said Garciaparra, who is moving to first base for the first time in his career this season, will play that position in the WBC. But first, Garciaparra will report early to spring training to continue working at the position with new Dodgers hitting coach and former first baseman Eddie Murray.

--Camp invites: The Dodgers have signed veteran right-hander and two-time All-Star Aaron Sele to a minor- league contract and invited him to spring training. Also invited are the following non-roster prospects: pitchers Chad Billingsley, Justin Orenduff and Eric Stults; catcher Edwin Bellorin; infielder Tony Abreu; and outfielder Matt Kemp.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) BAEZ

(2 -- color) CARTER