Dodgers looking at CC | Hot Stove News Tracker

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, who has quite a puzzle on his hands with two or three infield openings, a leftfield opening and at least one more opening in the starting rotation, said in a phone interview with SI.com that they are looking into superstar free agent pitcher CC Sabathia after recently removing their well-chronicled initial $45-million, two-year offer to Manny Ramirez."It's certainly something we're interested in, and we'll see where it goes,'' Colletti said about Sabathia.

The Giants, Angels, Red Sox and Brewers are also believed to have interest in Sabathia, but the Dodgers -- who play in Sabathia's preferred California and preferred National League -- might be the best hope to steal Sabathia form the heavily favored Yankees in the CC Derby.

However, the Dodgers are well aware of the Yankees' market-setting $140-million, six-year offer to Sabathia, and executives around the league are skeptical whether Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will want to try to match the Yankees dollar-for-dollar. Under McCourt's ownership, the Dodgers have limited their free-agent deals to two or three years, except in the case of outfielder Juan Pierre, who got a five-year deal. "We have kept to that style,'' Colletti said. "(But) I don't have any rules. Everyone's taken on an individual basis.''

On the Ramirez front, Colletti indicated that for now the Dodgers would "wait to hear'' from Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras. However, it's clear they retain an interest in Ramirez, who became the most important midyear acquisition anyone made last summer and led the Dodgers into the playoffs by hitting .396 and knocking in 53 runs in 53 games after the trade, then batting before hitting .520 in the playoffs.

Said Colletti, "We need some pitching, we need to shore up the infield and we'll see what happens with Manny.''