DODGERS OBTAIN RIGHTS TO LEFTY L.A. NOW MUST SIGN JAPAN'S ISHII.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

With their minor-league system in the rebuilding stage and quality starting pitching on the free-agent market at a minimum, the Dodgers have found another way to bolster their rotation.

Though careful to mention at every opportunity that left-handed starting pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii still needs to be signed, the Dodgers were giddy Wednesday upon learning they won exclusive negotiating rights with the Japanese star.

The Dodgers' bid was approximately $11.25 million, about $1.15 million more than the New York Mets, whom baseball officials said finished second in the bidding. The Dodgers now have until Feb. 8 to reach a contract agreement with the 28-year-old.

General manager Dan Evans and Ishii's agent, Joe Urbon of Octagon, are expected to begin negotiations next week. Ishii wants a three-year deal worth approximately $10 million, but the Dodgers might not want to pay more than $9 million, sources said.

``This will prove to be a very big acquisition for the Dodgers,'' said Dodgers pitching coach Jim Colborn, a former pitching coach with the Orix Blue Wave in the Japanese Central League and former Pacific Rim scout with Seattle. ``I think he'll be an impact pitcher.

``He's a low-ball pitcher. He's got an average fastball and an average slider. He was consistently one of the best pitchers in the (Japanese) Central League. It'll be our first glimpse at a Japanese lefty here.''

Ishii's arrival would give the Dodgers two Japanese pitchers - they signed Hideo Nomo last month - and also should test Colborn's moderate command of Japanese. Colborn highly endorsed the Dodgers' pursuit of Ishii.

``We did not make the bid with the intention of not signing him,'' said Evans, who added several scouts compared Ishii to the Yankees' Andy Pettitte. ``We have every intention of signing him. I think this is where Ishii wanted to be. He made it very clear that he wanted to play on the West Coast. He made it very clear publicly that the Los Angeles Dodgers were his first choice.''

Major League Baseball was notified late Tuesday that the Yakult Swallows, Ishii's team in Japan, had accepted the bid. If the 6-foot, 180- pound Ishii signs, he'll be property of the Dodgers for six years. The Dodgers outbid the Mets, Angels, Texas and Seattle. The 30-day window to sign Ishii, who is vacationing in Hawaii, began with the announcement of the winning bid.

``He's very excited,'' Urbon said. ``The Dodgers were one of his top two choices. He couldn't be happier in knowing they bid what they bid, and there's a very good chance he would be a Dodger within 30 days.''

The Dodgers envision Ishii fitting into the third slot of a starting rotation that includes Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo and Andy Ashby. Eric Gagne and lefty Omar Daal could battle for the fifth spot, though one of them could be traded.

However, Evans might wait until spring training to make a move to ensure Brown and Ashby, both coming off elbow surgery but projected to be ready, are healthy. The Dodgers are hesitant to trade Gagne but would do so if the package was right, sources said.

The Dodgers could add more depth to their starting pitching at the All- Star break if right-hander Darren Dreifort's recovery from a second elbow-reconstruction surgery continues at its current pace. Dreifort is ahead of schedule and could be back following the All-Star break.

``He does a couple of things if we're able to get this done,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``He adds depth to our rotation. He adds flexibility to our situation if we continue to look at other areas of our club, if there's a possibility to improve it. And also the fact that we add a left-hander in our division.''

Ishii went 78-46 with a 3.38 ERA and 1,266 strikeouts in 1,173 1/3 innings in his Swallows career. The Swallows won five league titles with Ishii on the staff. He went 12-5 with a 3.40 ERA last season and was 54-31 with a 3.21 ERA in the past five seasons.

Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green experienced Ishii close up when a group of major-league all-stars toured Japan following the 2000 season. Though Green didn't face him, he got a good look from the dugout.

``He was by far the most impressive pitcher we saw over there,'' Green said. ``This is huge for us. It'll be nice to have a lefty in the rotation. If we have (Brown and Ashby) coming back healthy, I think it's going to be a great season for us.''

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(color) The Dodgers bid $11.25 million to win the rights to sign Japanese left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii, who is projected to be a starter.

Associated Press