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In an unsurprising move, the Dodgers have declined the 2010 $10 million option on Jon Garland, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  By declining the option, Garland is owed a $2.5 million buyout.  Per terms of the August 31 trade with Arizona, the Diamondbacks are paying that buyout.

Kensai at Memories of Kevin Malone said it best:

Garland gave the Dodgers his best during his tenure, as he posted a 2.72 ERA in six starts, but he is exactly the type of guy you want to cut bait with after the season concludes. The Dodgers got excellent performance out of him that likely boosted his value, but his career shows an overwhelming trend of mediocrity, so let somebody else pay for an illusion.

Per terms of the trade with Arizona, the Dodgers cannot offer Garland arbitration if he is deemed a Type A free agent.  Thanks to MLB Trade Rumors and Detroit Tigers Thoughts, who have diligently tracked the free agent rankings, project Garland to be a Type B free agent, meaning the Dodgers could offer Garland arbitration if they so choose.  Then again, since Garland would almost certainly achieve a salary in arbitration reasonably close to the $10 million option just declined by the Dodgers, don't expect the club to offer him arbitration.

That Jon Garland didn't play in the postseason cemented his Dodger legacy as an insurance policy, albeit with an expensive premium.  For those six starts, the Dodgers gave up middle infielder Tony Abreu, who has five more seasons before hitting free agency.

Previously on True Blue LA: Dodger Roster Breakdown

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In a move that is not much of a surprise, Manny Ramirez is going to exercise his $20 million option for 2010, and remain with the Dodgers, per Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.

Just as in 2009, much of Manny's 2010 salary is deferred.  Per our Dodger payroll worksheet (there is always a link on the right sidebar of the front page as well), here is the payout of Manny's salary:

Keep in mind that Manny's 2009 salary was reduced by his 50-game suspension.  Player's salaries are computed over the 183-day regular season, so Manny lost $6,830,601 of his $25 million salary for being ineligible 50 of the 183 days, spread out through 2013.

Manny Ramirez hit .290/.418/.531 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI in 104 games in 2009.  He started 99 of a possible 112 games while active.  The official decision to exercise the player option does not need to be made until November 10 or five days after the World Series, whichever is later.

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

One Type B free agent greets a Type A free agent on the mound

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There will be plenty of time this offseason for moves, but here's an overview of the current Dodger 40-man roster.  There are 43 players currently on the 40-man roster, including four on the 60-day disabled list.  That will change quickly after the World Series as players file for free agency.  I have split them into a few groups:

Free Agents (13+1)

Type A*:  Orlando Hudson, Randy Wolf

Type B*:  Ronnie Belliard, Guillermo Mota, Vicente Padilla, Will Ohman**

Others:  Jim Thome, Brad Ausmus, Jason Schmidt, Mark Loretta, Juan Castro, Eric Milton, Doug Mientkiewicz, Jeff Weaver

*Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts has done a great job of figuring out the Elias Rankings, and has posted them at MLB Trade Rumors.  In order to receive compensation for Type A or Type B free agents, the club must offer them arbitration.  Type A free agents net a first round pick from the team that signs them, provided the pick isn't in the top 15, in addition to a supplemental pick in between the first and second rounds.

If a team signs more than one Type A free agent, the players are ranked by their Elias ranking, they give up picks in the lower rounds as well.  For instance, the Yankees last year gave up their first three picks for signing C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett, all Type A free agents.  Type B free agents net only a supplemental pick.

There is always the risk that a player will accept arbitration (like Darren Oliver did with the Angels last season).  If he does, the maximum salary cut a player can take is 20%, so for Guillermo Mota, for instance, the least he would make in arbitration in 2010 would be $1.88 million (80% of his $2.35 million 2009 salary).  In the case of Hudson and Wolf, they had low base salaries so this isn't an issue, but there is still quite a risk because they are still likely to command a high salary in arbitration.

**I'm counting Will Ohman in this exercise, even though he is no longer on the 40-man since his option was bought out last week, but the Dodgers, however unlikely, can still offer Ohman arbitration if they so choose.

What should happen:  Offer arbitration to Hudson, Wolf, and Belliard only

Options (2)

• Manny Ramirez has a $20 million player option for 2010.  He has until November 10 to accept or decline this option.
• Jon Garland has a $10 million mutual option for 2010.  If the Dodgers decline, his buyout is $2.5 million; if Garland declines, his buyout is $1 million.  As a condition of Garland's acquisition, the Diamondbacks will pay either buyout if the option is not exercised.  Even if either side opts out, Garland is a Type B free agent, and the Dodgers could offer him arbitration if they so choose.

What should happen: Manny comes back, Dodgers let Arizona pay Garland $2.5m to walk away, don't offer Garland arbitration

Arbitration Eligible (9)

Look for:  Repko to get non-tendered

Under Contract (4)

Under Team Control (15)

Here are some important dates to remember for the offseason:

Day After World Series Ends:  begins 15-day period for eligible players to file for free agency

November 20:  Date reserve lists must be set (adding players to 40-man roster for purposes of Rule 5 draft)

December 1:  Last date to offer arbitration to free agents to receive compensation

December 10:  Rule 5 draft

December 12:  Deadline to tender contracts to players under team control or pre-free agency arbitration-eligible players

It will be a long offseason, but the hot stove is always interesting.

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Emperor Palpatine takes questions before tonight's game

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The Dodgers and Cardinals have announced their roster for the division series.

Dodgers

Catchers (2): Russell Martin, Brad Ausmus

Infielders (7): James Loney, Ronnie Belliard, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, Orlando Hudson, Juan Castro, Mark Loretta

Outfielders (4): Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre

Pinch Hitters (1): Jim Thome

Starting Pitchers (4): Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, Chad Billingsley

Relievers (7): Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, Ramon Troncoso, Jon Garland, Jeff Weaver

Cardinals

Catchers (2): Yadier Molina, Jason LaRue

Infielders (7): Albert Pujols, Skip Schumaker, Julio Lugo, Brendan Ryan, Mark DeRosa, Troy Glaus, Old Friend Joe Thurston

Outfielders (4): Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel

Starting Pitchers (4): Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro, one of John Smoltz or Kyle Lohse

Relievers (8): Ryan Franklin, Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte, Trever Miller, Dennys Reyes, Blake Hawksworth, Mitchell Boggs, one of Smoltz or Lohse

The Dodgers starting rotation will be Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, and Chad Billingsley, in that order.

The Cardinals will counter with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and Joel Pineiro for the first three games.  Either John Smoltz or Kyle Lohse, who will both be available in the bullpen tonight, will start game four on Sunday.

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Will Doug Mientkiewicz be on the active roster come Wednesday?

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The rosters for the division series don't need to be turned in until 10am on Wednesday, but here's a look at the likely Dodger NLDS active roster.  Keep in mind, this is what I think the Dodgers will do, not necessarily what I would want them to do.

First, the locks:

Catchers (2)
Russell Martin, Brad Ausmus

Infielders (7)
James Loney, Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, Ronnie Belliard, Juan Castro, Mark Loretta

Outfielders (4)
Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre

Starting Pitchers (2)
Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw

Relief Pitchers (5)
Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, Ramon Troncoso

That leaves five spots:

Lefty Pinch-Hitter (1)
Jim Thome has struggled as a pinch hitter, both this season and in his career.  He has four singles in 17 at-bats as a Dodger.  He can't run, because he's slow and because he has a bad foot.  He can't play first base, because of chronic back problems.  Yet I believe he will make the roster over Doug Mientkiewicz, simply because Thome represents the threat of power, something lacking on the Dodger bench.  Mientkiewicz would be a fine choice for a spot, especially if his shoulder is healed enough to play first base if needed, and in fact I would take him over Loretta, but I don't think that will happen.

Starting Pitchers (2)
Three guys are fighting for two spots, to start games three and four.  Joe Torre hasn't officially named his starters for those games yet, but based on other comments he has made, I believe Chad Billingsley will start game three as long as he gets through his simulated game today in Arizona without any problems.  That leaves Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland fighting for the other two spots.  Padilla has pitched better of late, but over the course of the season, they were pretty similar pitchers (4.46 FIP for Padilla, 4.48 for Garland).  I believe Padilla will be the choice to start Sunday in St. Louis.

Relief Pitchers (2)
I think Garland gets the nod as the long man in the pen, leaving Jeff Weaver out in the cold.  That leaves one more bullpen spot, which I think will go to James McDonald, over Guillermo Mota and Scott Elbert.  McDonald had a good season as a reliever, after a shaky start in the rotation, posting a 2.72 ERA and a 3.41 FIP from the bullpen.  Over the last two months, McDonald has passed Mota on the depth chart, even when Mota was fully healthy.  The other viable option is Elbert, because the Cardinals struggle so much against left-handed pitchers.  However, the Cardinals really only have three lefty batters:  Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus, and Rick Ankiel.  Their struggles with southpaws are largely due to their right handers failing to hit them (hitting .244/.328/.392), and I don't think Torre would use Elbert to face a righty, regardless of how they hit lefties.  If the Dodgers were facing the Phillies, Elbert would have been more likely to make the roster, simply because they have more left handed batters Elbert could face in a LOOGY situation.

That's my prediction for the NLDS roster.  What's yours?

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Blake "Mr. Frequent Flyer Miles" DeWitt was recalled today, along with Chin-lung Hu.

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The Dodgers have added to their bench today, recalling infielders Blake DeWitt and Chin-Lung Hu from Triple A Albuquerque.  The Isotopes' season ended on Friday night when they were eliminated by Memphis in the first round of the PCL playoffs.

This is DeWitt's sixth stint with the Dodgers this season.  DeWitt, who started all eight Dodger playoff games at second base last season, has five hits in 32 at-bats with the big club in 2009.

This is Hu's first time with the Dodgers this season.  Hu hit .294/.332/.393 in Albuqeurque this season.

This is a formality more than anything, but the fact that DeWitt and Hu were recalled means they can't be among the PTBNL candidates to complete the Jon Garland trade.  That player will still almost certainly be Tony Abreu, but officially the Diamondbacks won't choose the player from the list provided by the Dodgers until October 15.  DeWitt and Hu being on the roster eliminates them from consideration since a player to be named later can't play in the same league he is traded to in between the time of the trade and the time he is named.

The Dodgers now have 34 players on the active roster.

by Frank Franklin II - AP

Mark Loretta, along with the rest of the Dodger reserves, have really struggled since the All-Star break.

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For most of the season, the Dodger bench has consisted of just four members:  Juan Pierre, Mark Loretta, Brad Ausmus, and Juan Castro.  The company line throughout the season has been that these are all former starters, veterans who understand their role and provide veteran experience and leadership from the bench.  That's all well and good, when they are producing, and in the early part of the season, they were:

Pierre got quite a bit of playing time because of the Manny suspension, but overall (even with Loretta's struggles) that's a pretty solid second tier. 

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The rest of the price for Ronnie Belliard's services for two months has just been announced: Victor Garate, a 24-year old reliever pitching very well in Double A.

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Nationals Farm Authority brings us the news that Victor Garate has been named as the player sent to Washington to complete the trade for Ronnie Belliard. From the Nationals:

Garate has been one of the most effective relievers in the Double-A Southern League this season, posting a 2.04 ERA (12 ER/53.0 IP) and .191 (36-for-188) batting average against in 47 appearances with Chattanooga. His earned run average ranks eighth among Southern League pitchers (minimum 50.0 IP). Garate’s 56 strikeouts rank tied for ninth among full-time relievers in the circuit and his 9.51 strikeouts per 9.0 innings rank sixth (minimum 50.0 IP). He has stranded 17 of 21 inherited runners in ‘09.

The 24-year old Garate was ranked as the 20th-best Dodger prospect by both Kensai and Canuck Dodger, and 28th by Phil Gurnee in our True Blue LA midseason prospect report.

Pete McElroy of MASN also confirmed the trade, and passed along this quote from Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo:

"He's effective against left-handed and right-handed hitters," GM Mike Rizzo said during MASN2's game with the Padres this afternoon. "We seem him in the middle of the order."

Class A reliever Luis Garcia was also sent to Washington in the deal, as announced on Sunday.

This opens up a spot on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, presumably for one of Doug Mientkiewicz or Will Ohman, who are on the 60-day DL.

Thanks to Sam DC for the link.