LA Dodgers & Angels

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers hired Ned Colletti as their general manager Tuesday to replace the fired Paul DePodesta.

Colletti has been an assistant GM with the rival San Francisco Giants since 1997. He beat out Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng, who was trying to become the first woman in major league history to be hired as a GM.

The Dodgers called a news conference for Wednesday to introduce Colletti in his new job.

Ng and Colletti were thought to be the only candidates to interview for the job. Former Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians GM John Hart withdrew Monday as a candidate.

Dodgers spokeswoman Camille Johnston confirmed the hiring of Colletti, who has served under Giants general manager Brian Sabean for the past nine years.

The 50-year-old Colletti is considered a good negotiator and communicator, attributes owner Frank McCourt said he wanted in a GM after firing DePodesta on Oct. 29.

DePodesta was let go after less than two years on the job. He succeeded Dan Evans and signed a five-year contract in February 2004, shortly after McCourt purchased the team from News Corp.

The Dodgers are the only team in the majors without a manager. McCourt said at the time of DePodesta's firing that the search to replace Jim Tracy would be on hold until after a GM was picked.

Tracy and the team parted ways in October, and he was hired to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Dodgers went 71-91 last season, their worst record since 1992 and second-poorest since the franchise moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. They won the NL West championship in 2004 with a 93-69 record.

Colletti, who began his career in public relations for the Chicago Cubs in 1982, eventually became involved in the baseball operations side of the business. He represented the Cubs in arbitration hearings and negotiated contracts.

Among the deals he put together were contracts for Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson and Greg Maddux.

Working under Sabean with the Giants, Colletti again was heavily involved in player negotiations, including working out a contract for Barry Bonds.

During Colletti's years in San Francisco, the Giants won division titles in 1997, 2000 and 2003, and were the NL champions in 2002.

Ng and Roy Smith, the Dodgers' vice president of player development, represented the club at the recent major league general managers' meetings in Indian Wells, Calif.

Ng, who turns 37 on Thursday, was the New York Yankees' assistant general manager for four years before taking the Dodgers' job in December 2001. She also has worked for the Chicago White Sox and the American League.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ned Colletti, hired as the Los Angeles Dodgers' general manager earlier this week, is planning to meet with Jim Fregosi and Terry Collins to discuss the team's vacant managerial position.

Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch confirmed Friday that Colletti would meet with Fregosi and Collins in Tampa, Fla., where he'll attend the wedding of San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean, his former boss.

Colletti worked for the Giants for 11 years -- the last nine as Sabean's assistant -- before being hired by the Dodgers on Tuesday to succeed Paul DePodesta.

The Los Angeles Times first reported that Colletti would meet with Fregosi and Collins. Those meetings are expected to take place this weekend.

Fregosi, 63, managed the then-California Angels from 1978-81, the Chicago White Sox from 1986-88, the Philadelphia Phillies from 1991-96, and the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999-2000. His 1993 Philadelphia team reached the World Series before losing to the Blue Jays.

Collins, 56, managed the Houston Astros from 1994-96 and the Angels from 1997-99. Collins, the Dodgers' director of minor league operations, was considered the leading contender for the team's managerial job before DePodesta was abruptly fired Oct. 29 when the search was thought to be in its final stages.

Other potential candidates for the Dodgers' managerial job could be Lou Piniella, former manager of the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and former Dodgers' pitching ace Orel Hershiser, the Texas Rangers' pitching coach since 2003.

Rawitch also confirmed that assistant GM Kim Ng and vice president Roy Smith would travel to Florida for the meetings. There hasn't been an official announcement concerning the status of Ng or Smith since the hiring of Colletti, but indications are both will remain with the Dodgers.

Ng, who lost out to Colletti for the GM job, has three years remaining on her contract with the Dodgers, as does Smith.

Colletti said at a news conference Wednesday that the Dodgers' next manager should be a "great leader" who is a well-rounded and can communicate with him, and with the spectrum of players from 22-year-olds to 38-year-olds. He said managerial experience was preferred, but not absolutely necessary.

The Dodgers parted company with manager Jim Tracy on Oct. 3 -- a day after the season ended. They are the only major league team without a manager. Tracy, who managed the Dodgers for five years, has since been hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Dodgers haven't advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since they were World Series champions in 1988. They won the NL West title in 2004, but went 71-91 last season -- their second-poorest record since they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.