Oriolesfan44

The Dodgers, who lost three players to free agency on Tuesday, reloaded in a big way Wednesday.

Free-agent pitcher Jason Schmidt and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a three-year contract worth $47 million.

The team has been in the market for a starting pitcher, especially after losing Greg Maddux to the Padres on Tuesday.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti previously worked as a front-office executive while Schmidt was pitching for the Giants.

Schmidt's $10 million option for 2006 was exercised by the Giants, but knew they might lose him as a free agent this offseason. The 33-year-old right-hander seemed ready for a change of scenery from San Francisco, which has endured two straight losing seasons and three in a row out of the playoffs.



Some scouts seemed more interested in Schmidt this season than Oakland's Barry Zito, who is expected to leave the A's and sign with a big-spending team.

Schmidt was the Giants' lone All-Star this season and went 11-9 with a 3.59 ERA.

Schmidt was determined to explore his options this winter, knowing he could be signing the final contract of his career. He pitched 213 1/3 innings last season, the third time in four years he went over the 200-inning mark.


On June 6, Schmidt struck out a career-high 16 in a 2-1 win over the Florida Marlins. He matched the 102-year-old franchise record for strikeouts set by Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson on Oct. 3, 1904, against the Cardinals.

The NL pitcher of the month for May after going 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA, Schmidt also broke the San Francisco record of 15 strikeouts accomplished by Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1966.

Schmidt signed a four-year contract before the 2002 season that included a $10 million club option for last season. The Giants exercised that, knowing they would likely lose him in free agency after 2006.