DODGERS NOTEBOOK: DANTE GOOD IN A PINCH L.A. INKS BICHETTE FOR BAT.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

The Dodgers have sought a right-handed bat on the bench to complement lefty Dave Hansen for the past three years. The latest attempt to fill the void is their most promising.

Four-time All-Star outfielder Dante Bichette, who averaged 31 homers and 128 RBI during a five-year stretch with the Colorado Rockies to end the 1990s, agreed to a minor-league contract Wednesday with the Dodgers.

Bichette is only guaranteed an invitation to major-league camp, but he's expected to make the club as the fourth outfielder.

``We have been looking since July last year for a right-handed bat off the bench who can drive the ball in the gap or out of the park late in the game,'' Dodgers general manager Dan Evans said. ``Those are hard guys to find. In (Dave) Hansen, we have one of the premier pinch hitters in the history of the game. We needed somebody from the right side.''

Certainly, the lack of a feared right-handed pinch hitter cost the Dodgers last year. Teams consistently used left-handers against Hansen because Dodgers manager Jim Tracy lacked an effective right-handed bat to balance things out.

In a pinch, the Dodgers batted an anemic .197 last season. Right-handers hit .207 (25 for 121) with four homers and 12 RBI. The Dodgers' most-used right-handed hitter off the bench was Hiram Bocachica, who went 4 for 33 (.121) with one RBI and likely lost his job with the acquisition of Bichette.

``I see myself as being a big part of the puzzle to help the club win. It's a great situation,'' Bichette said via telephone from his Florida home. ``I feel like I can really play at a high level. I have myself in great shape and I can play at the level I used to play at.''

Bichette, 38, was 1 for 11 as a pinch hitter last season with Boston but brings power potential. He batted .286 with 12 homers and 49 RBI in 107 games with the Red Sox and also had 30 doubles, which would have ranked second on the Dodgers last season.

Bichette made $7 million last season. He will make $575,000 this season if he makes the Dodgers' roster. He can earn another $525,000 in incentives.

Bichette, who also plays first base, said he had similar offers from St. Louis, Cleveland, the Angels and the New York Yankees. He liked the Dodgers' situation and believes he can play every day.

``I would love to and I still believe I can, but I have to be able to do what they ask me. And I will do that,'' Bichette said. ``If they need me off the bench, that's fine.''

--Ishii talks crawling: The Dodgers and Japanese left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii's agent expect negotiations to intensify by the weekend as their Feb. 8 deadline creeps up, but neither side is budging much as talks continue to center around philosophical differences in how to complete a deal. The sides are no closer now than they were a week ago.

``We have a long way to go in a short time,'' said Ishii's agent, Joe Urbon of Octagon. ``We need to make more progress if we're going to get Ishii over here by Feb. 8.''

Both sides remain optimistic a deal will be reached, but Urbon has alerted Ishii to be prepared to return to his Yakult Swallows team in the Japanese Central League. The Dodgers are offering a three-year deal worth just more than $8 million, while Ishii is looking for a three-year deal worth $14 million.

``I think the most important thing is as long as we're talking about it, the fact of Ishii pitching for the Dodgers this year, I would consider that progress,'' Urbon said. ``It's fair to say it's inching along.''

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DANTE BICHETTE

The Dodgers hope the veteran is the right-handed bat off the bench for which they've been looking.