GLENDALE, Ariz. — Garret Anderson was about to set a deadline that could have ended his 16-year career when the Dodgers came calling.
Anderson signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers on Wednesday. He reported to camp Saturday, saying he stayed in shape this winter but did not face pitchers.
"I was getting close, getting to a point where I was like, 'OK, if I don't hear something by this point, it would be very hard to start the season with a team,'" Anderson said. "(The deadline) was right around this time."
Manager Joe Torre said Anderson will be kept out of games until the veteran deems himself ready to play.
"I'm not ready to play any games yet," Anderson said. "I at least need a week or so. I've been hitting (off a pitching machine), throwing and running, but even these guys took nine or 10 days to get into a game. From that standpoint, I need that grace period that they had."
An everyday starter for nearly all of his 16-year career, the 37-year-old Anderson will compete with Brian Giles and Doug Mientkiewicz to be the club's left-handed pinch-hit option off the bench. All three are in camp on minor league deals.