The ink isn't quite dry on Nomar's contract yet- mostly because nothing has actually been signed- but we might be hearing something about what looks like it could be a two year deal very soon.  Not surprisingly, he'll get a raise, too. 

Meanwhile, fans inclined to boo the now departed J.D. Drew may not have travel to Boston or Chicago after all, since the Angels are showing interest.  After all the moves Bill Stoneman hasn't made in the last couple years, to throw Arte Moreno's money- a lot of Arte Moreno's money- at Drew seems an oddish choice.  But hey, I'm just a blogger.

BK

Just got word from the PR Department that Bill Mueller, who was limited to only 32 games in 2006 before knee surgery ended his season, has retired.  I can't say I'm surprised, since the writing was on the wall after he went on the DL, didn't respond to surgery or treatment, and basically said it would take a miracle cure to get him back on the field.  Mueller will stay in the organization as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.  He's a smart guy and should do well in the front office, but it's a shame that a player who made and stuck in the majors by grinding every day and making believers out of people didn't have a chance to finish his career on the field.  Good move by the organization to find a job for him. 

BK

The affirmative vote could be coming any day now.  For most of the season, word around the campfire seemed to be that the Dodgers would love another go around with Nomar, but at a reasonable price and for only X number of years.  Thus, his fantastic comeback season might have dictated terms too much rich for the Blue's blood.  But J.D. Drew's sudden back door bolting has apparently turned the front office a little skittish about losing too many injury-prone-but-often-prolific RBI sources, because it's looking like a guy perhaps better suited to play for L.A.'s other ball club will be sticking around the Ravine. 

I can't truly decide how I feel about this until I see the exact terms of the deal, but I'm kinda... how shall we say... nervous.  On one hand, Nomar strikes me as a good guy (if a little odd) who seemed  more than a little proud of representing his hometown squad and, when healthy, produced big time results and was the National League's equivalent of Jeter or Big Papi when it came to the art of clutch.  On the other hand, he also finished the playoffs barely able to walk after dealing with some ailment or another all season. 

Yes, playing first base will keep him better preserved than shortstop.  Grady Little's "heavy rest" plan, which managed to squeeze 146 games outta Drew, will be replicated for Garciaparra.  And while James Loney finished the season strong, he may not be ready for a full time role (or maybe is, but will find it in Drew's vacated right field.  Who knows?).  There are definitely reasons for bringing back into the fold.  I just hope the Dodgers don't crawl under one potentially undesirable contract after just getting out from another.   

But again, we should see the exact figures before declaring Defcon 1 status.

AK

A couple days ago, Ned Colletti briefly talked a little Florida meetings/general Dodger free agency shop with myself and a few writers.  Everyone on hand didn't seem to think there was a ton of pressing, breaking info on hand.  As Colletti himself said, "This is more of an update that we don't have a whole lot to report."  But in our quest to bring you every bit of Blue Minu-tia, we shall present it forthwith:

On how close the Dodgers are to hiring their AAA manager
"We're closer than we are to a field coordinator.  We could have a AAA manager in the next few days."

Honestly, I'm surprised you guys weren't talking about this already.  (Just kidding.)  But for those who haven't seen it, Bill Plaschke wrote an interesting column today about Joe Beimel, and the aftermath of BarGate.  In my mind, the decision about whether he can come back or not is really up to his teammates.  If they're willing to accept him, his apology, and the changes he says he's made and will continue to make, it doesn't seem like a problem to me.  If they can't, then he has to go. On a baseball level they need him, but I certainly wouldn't blame any of the guys in the Dodgers clubhouse if they couldn't forgive Beimel for what he did. 

BK

As a native St. Louisan, I'm not all that nostalgic about the Blue's connection to Vero Beach. Maybe you are, but a move to the Cactus League seems to make perfect sense to me... which is what seems to be happening. The Dodgers started the ball rolling on a long-rumored proposal to move the team's spring headquarters to Glendale, Ariz., perhaps as early as 2009. There are still some issues to work out, including a competing S.T. proposal from nearby Goodyear that could impact the deal. Quick note: Should the Dodgers eventually take residence in their proposed Cactus League home, they might not want to drink the water. Glendale's current residents? The Arizona Cardinals (1-8, last place, NFC West) and Phoenix Coyotes (5-12, last place, Pacific Division).

In other news, it's slim pickings (not Slim Pickens) thus far for Ned Colletti, and T.J. Simers caught up with Ross Porter.

—BK

The baseball suits are all in Florida, talking shop, comparing notes (and likely cursing Scott Boras), so that means only thing. That stove is hot enough to cook a whole cow in under 30 minutes. What may lie ahead for the Dodgers? That's a good question(s), so here's a potential answer(s). Should a man named Soriano be on Ned Colletti's radar, he may have to compete with a team received checks from. And as J.D. Drew proved, the lure of a dollar can be awfully hard to overcome. Not that you should bitch at Drew, in the eyes of very unlikely source. But no matter who the Blue picks up, with any luck, it'll be a player half as great as this guy.

OK, so the Dodgers rookies finished a point or two behind Hanley Ramirez in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, but there were three of them — Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, and Takashi Saito — in there. No sign of Brox or Bills. Ethier was hurt by having under 400 official ABs and a serious September swoon. Saito was likely hurt by an early season as a set up guy, long stretches where the Dodgers gave him nothing to save, and a bias (held by folks like me) against calling grizzly veterans of the Japanese leagues "rookies." Martin? Short of ABs, a few gaudy stats, and victim of a seriously deep crop of Senior Circuit rooks. Really, every rookie in the league was hurt by the Florida Marlins, who had six of the top twelve. Granted, when you have about 20 rookies on your team, that's bound to happen.

Should you feel slighted by the voting, feel free to manipulate these stats to make the Dodgers look good.

—BK

More reaction today on J.D. Drew's decision to opt out of the remaining three years (and $33 million) of his contract with the Dodgers. First from Bill Plaschke, who will not be pouring forties on the sidewalk to honor his memory, then from the Philadelphia Daily News (hello, déjà vu), and finally from the Boston Globe, indicating the Red Sox could take a run at Señor Fragile. ESPN.com's Buster Olney lays out the other teams that might be interested, and points out in a painfully thin FA market, Drew is likely to get paid. This despite a Raul "Man, His Stats Were Never as Good as You Remember" Mondesi on-field record and a penchant for injury that makes him riskier than B.A.S.E. jumping using your bedsheets as a parachute.

Yet because Leonard of "Memento" fame had better short term memory than your average GM, it's very possible that someone will commit to paying Drew eight figures when he's pushing 36 years old. So financially, he'll probably come out ahead, or at the very least, no worse off than he would have been here. But where does that leave the Dodgers?

In news that threw everyone (including Ned Colletti) for a corkscrew loop, J.D. Drew exercised his opt out clause and became a free agent.  The shocking exit either frees up a boat load of cash to play with and leaves the Dodgers in need of filling 100 ribbies, depending on how one chooses to view the amount of liquid in a glass.  While Colletti probably won't go out and key Drew's (more than likely expensive) car, it's safe to say the GM's tone while discussing this matter would qualify as, shall we say, miffed.  For others, it's a champagne popping worthy event, end of story.