Stranger things have happened.

per MLBTR:

Type A (10 players):
Chone Figgins
John Lackey
Jose Valverde
Marco Scutaro
Mike Gonzalez
Rafael Soriano
Matt Holliday
Billy Wagner
Jason Bay
Rafael Betancourt

Type B (13 players)
Justin Duchscherer
Rod Barajas
Joel Pineiro
Mark DeRosa
Adrian Beltre
Ivan Rodriguez
Marlon Byrd
Brian Shouse
Gregg Zaun
Jason Marquis
Brandon Lyon
Fernando Rodney
Carl Pavano

if they sign him to a 2 or 3-year contract at a rate (at least in 2010) lower than he would have received in arbitration. That is still possible.

Colletti again shot down speculation that the Dodgers either want, or are willing, to move Billingsley.

“I can’t trade him,” Colletti said. “Where do you find another one? I need more, not less.”

TBLA breathes a collective sigh of relief.

I know Baseball Prospectus Rany J did an exhaustive study several years ago that showed what we have been telling people that high draft picks are important to the supply of the major league roster but it is still a good idea to remind everyone just how important high draft picks are and the difference in quality between a 1 and a 3.

in other words, is there a site that shows historical picks, ie. “Jason Giambi was signed by the Yankees, A’s drafted [player B] from Yankees’ slot as compensation”.

Russell Martin isn’t going to get nontendered or traded or not made the starter. Bengie Molina is not going to play for the Dodgers. Do you think Joe Torre would want to see Bengi Molina as the starting catcher? I sure don’t. Torre loves Martin.

Japanese baseball blogs here and here are linking to stories that indicate the Chiba Lotte Marines are interested in purchasing the contract of Dodgers left-hander Eric Stults.

Stults, who turns 30 next week, went 4-3 in 10 starts for the Dodgers last season, including a shutout. Chiba Lotte reportedly thinks he can pitch in their rotation.

We can’t even afford Eric Stults now.

http://diamondleung.tumblr.com/post/266031549/dodgers-willing-to-sell-off-eric-stults

McJackass obviously doesn’t see himself owning the Dodgers in 3-5 years since he just screwed the 2012-2015 Dodgers.

Hopefully its much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much sooner.

and it’s already scream into a towel time. Just great.

It sucks being the Kansas City Dodgers.

we’d probably have needed those draft picks.

it’s always nice to have more players in the farm.

I keep thinking about my earlier comment about what should happen to the Dodgers should they not offer arb to Hudson…and now they’ve jumped the shark by not offering arb to anyone. If there truly was a way to punish this ownership, not for contenting mind you, because all said and done, we will contend in 2010 and still have a good chance at the playoffs, would you do it? In a fantasy world where something like relegation could be done, I mean?

Seriously, Frank has now shown that he was so paranoid about even the slight possibility of adding $8-20 million of salary (I figure Hudson and Wolf would get $8-10 mil), that he chose to punt on 4 draft picks next year, and by extension, will probably punt this off-season, too. Not that this would surprise any of us.

Just sell the team, Frank.

“Our decision was made strictly from a baseball perspective,” Colletti said.

So Colletti is lying, or he’s a motherfucking idiot. But both are equally likely, especially since the Dodgers wanted Maddux back after 2006 but didn’t offer arbitration.

Or it could even be possible that Colletti is just mad at Logan White right now and he’s going to stick to his grudge in the meantime (like after JD Drew opted out).

Not that any of this is encouraging, except that there is the possibility that the Dodgers might not be the Florida Marlins. We might be the Seattle Mariners or the New York Mets.

Noting that his team is short on starting pitching, Colletti says he remains interested in re-signing Wolf.

If anybody believes that I’ve got a bridge to sell them.

My detective work proved correct RE: Jason Grilli. He signed with the Indians on a minor league deal.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/2009/12/02/grilli-signs-with-indians/
http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2009/12/right-hander_jason_grilli_sign.html

No, not that Beltre.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4706091&name=arangure_jorge_jr

Last week, without much buzz or fanfare, 16-year-old Dominican catching prospect Jacob Beltre agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres for a $60,000 bonus, a fraction of what many thought he would command just months ago when he was considered one of the top prospects in Latin America

So when our first rounder goes out the window, we have to wait until, what, the 60s or 70s? Bullshit.

at his website, Futility Infielder:

Furthermore, not only are they pennywise and pound-foolish when it comes to a substantial return on a relatively small investment in 2010 first-round picks, but they’ve been that way for longer than most of us realize

Quoth colleague Kevin Goldstein: “Santana’s bat is so special that if he was a first-base prospect, he’d still be elite.” I asked Kevin if he would rank among the game’s top 10 or 25 prospects in his 2010 Top 100 list, and he suggested that he’d likely be somewhere in between those two numbers. Ouchie

.

It’s a dark day for Dodger baseball, as both Weisman and MSTI conclude. I concur, to the point that I’m going to have to substantially rewrite my Baseball Prospectus 2010 team essay in light of this news

Who’s having the worst week?

A. Dodger fans
B. Tiger Woods
C. Charlie Weis

(My vote is “A”)

I’m pretty terrified for the future of the Dodgers if they were afraid of offering arbitration to two players who would a) most likely decline, and b) actually fill holes and not cost us a long term committment on the off chance they accepted.

Something tells me this could be a long winter for Dodger fans…

Noah Lowry is on the Dodgers’ radar, per Jerry Crasnick (ESPN Insider):

Lowry, 29, hasn’t pitched since August 2007 because of a rib injury, but the Dodgers have a connection to him. Colletti and Dodgers trainer Stan Conte were both in San Francisco in 2005 when Lowry pitched 204 innings and won 13 games for the Giants

Any type of guaranteed money is foolish.

Maybe the team will start printing their own “Dodger Dollars” now to help make ends meet and pay free agents. We could then pay Weaver 2 Million in Dodger Dollars.

on ESPN Insider:

The Dodgers just threw away four draft picks by failing to offer arbitration to Randy Wolf or Orlando Hudson. I spoke to one front office executive with another club who inferred from the non-moves that “they’re broke.” There’s little baseball logic to it — Wolf is headed for a multi-year deal elsewhere, and getting Hudson back for a year would have been a boon should he accept

The Dodgers lost 2 picks when they signed Hudson.

Anyone feel better?

And consider the possibility that there was a handshake agreement between the Dodgers and Wolf and Hudson not to offer arbitration. If Colletti violates that agreement, that’s not going to bode well for him in terms of keeping players’ trust. The man in snakeskin boots values character, after all.

Granted, that would be a stupid thing to agree to, but remember how genius those signings looked? We paid Wolf $8 million guaranteed in 2007, and he was guaranteed $5m this year. And Hudson got $8m with incentives but was only guaranteed $3.375m, and the Dodgers were hailed for the brilliant signing. Who knows.