THERE'S A PRICE TO PAY FOR THESE MOVES.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

Be still my beating heart. They just don't make drugs for these kinds of things, getting all giddy and fighting hyperventilation over the baseball offseason.

Yet there it is, our local teams dropping serious legal tender on slap-hitting center fielders, middle relievers and starting pitchers coming off shoulder surgery. Kinda gets you all gooey inside, huh?

Mark those calendars seam-heads, spring calls and the Dodgers and Angels have looked at their major offseason needs and then done some other stuff. Not bad stuff exactly, just pricey stuff that doesn't address their major need.

POWER! Big bombers. Ball crushers. Guys who don't just hit the ball, but specialize in sending into the stratosphere. And preferably with men on base.

The Dodgers and Angels were seriously devoid of this little weapon last season, and now on the eve of the winter meetings beginning Monday -- despite promises and pleas -- they are no better off than when the season ended. In the Dodgers' case, they're actually worse.

Admittedly this wasn't the sexiest free-agent class, but all the guys that had are boys drooling -- Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Aramis Ramirez -- are off the table. Not to excuse our locals, but owners went the spoiled sultan route, falling over themselves to drop gold, jewels, first borns and really cool season tickets at their feet.

The Cubs alone lavished Soriano with $136 million and Ramirez with $75 million. The Cubs are owned by the Tribune Co., and just imagine how much it would spend if it only owned a local newspaper.

The Astros dropped $100 million on Lee. The Red Sox spent more than $50 million just for the rights to talk with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, which quickly had the Yankees answering with a $26 million bid just to deal with pitcher Kei Igawa.

It's inmates running the asylum, and it affects the Angels and Dodgers, who overpaid for their speedy singles-hitting center fielders.

The Dodgers spent $44 million for five years on the guy the Cubs apparently didn't really want, Juan Pierre, which was made to look like a bargain by the Angels spending $50 million for fiveyears on Gary Matthews Jr.

Pierre is 29, gets lots of hits and leads off, though he seldom walks and had just a .330 on-base percentage last season. This apparently bumps leadoff incumbent Rafael Furcal to the second spot.

Matthews is 32 and the owner of one really good season, this last one. His signing remains a mystery, perhaps only the labyrinthine mind of GM Bill Stoneman can fully appreciate.

It hardly qualifies as the marquee signing promised by owner Arte Moreno in September. ``Yeah, I guarantee that,'' Moreno said then. ``That's a pretty easy guarantee because we're going to do it.''

Hey, I once guaranteed my wife I'd write a best-selling novel and we'd move to a place on the beach, but you know, things happen. Or sometimes, don't happen.

The Dodgers were just as quick to label acquiring a power hitter their No.1 priority, but the best power hitter still available on the free agent market is -- J.D. Drew.

I'm thinking not. Drew, of course, is the mild-mannered outfielder who stunned the Dodgers by opting out of his contract, despite repeated September comments he planned on returning.

Drew, however, is a client of Scott Boras, the super agent who all but silently ran the Dodgers during the Kevin Malone days. His clients have a way of doing as Boras commands.

Drew opting out of his contract was hardly all bad news for the Dodgers, but it left a 20-home-run and 100-RBI gap in the middle of the order, the place they could least afford it. A team already almost desperate for power, is about to become the most active small-ball team in baseball. It is just so exciting.

Boras' days of influence with the Dodgers are over, which doesn't bode well for their re-signing Greg Maddux or Eric Gagne.

Drew's surprising exit messed up the Dodgers' short-term plans. And although it freed up $33 million for free agency, there was precious little out there to spend it on.

``There are people in our organization who think there is more power (potential) from (Wilson) Betemit and (Andre) Ethier and maybe from (Russell) Martin,'' Colletti said.

Sure, but moderate power improvement from each will still leave the Dodgers a few kilowatts shy of lighting up the company Christmas tree.

The only real hope left for the Dodgers and Angels is to now acquire power via trade, and best of luck. For some strange reason, Manny Ramirez is available again. But teams are not in the habit of dangling desirable bats on the trading market, at least not significant ones. Certainly, acquiring one would require dealing prized prospects, something Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has been loath to do.

If the Dodgers had to open the season now, James Loney would probably be in right, Ethier in left and Pierre in center. Matt Kemp, perhaps the most promising prospect, will have to earn a place on the team. That Pierre had better be able to steal second and third.

The Dodgers did sign local product Randy Wolf at a reasonable rate, but are gambling his shoulder holds up. The Angels did sign middle reliever Justin Speier for $18 million, apparently finding nothing else to spend money on.

The Angels, who opened last season with a payroll of over $103 million, are so frustrated in their pursuit of a power hitter, they are apparently considering trading speedy utilityman Chone Figgins and potential ace Ervin Santana to the White Sox for third baseman Joe Crede and right-hander Freddy Garcia. Crede has a bad back.

There are no easy solutions out there, and maybe just no solutions. Does make it easier on the heart, though.

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