--LF Manny Ramirez is expected to file for free agency soon. General manager Ned Colletti said he and Scott Boras, Ramirez's Newport Beach-based agent, have exchanged voice mails but have yet to actually talk about Ramirez. The Dodgers are expected to make an initial offer to Ramirez of no more than two years at a salary somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million each season, but Boras is expected to be seeking a lengthier deal for Ramirez.
--C Russell Martin could benefit from catching fewer games, general manager Ned Colletti said. Martin caught 149 games this season, a career high, after catching 145 last year, and he also showed an ability to play adequately at third base, which could give manager Joe Torre an option for keeping Martin's bat in the lineup while occasionally relieving him from the physical pounding of catching. But Colletti also conceded it was easier for him to make such a proclamation from the front office than it would be for Torre to actually make out a lineup without Martin in it. --RHP Brad Penny will learn by the first week of November whether the Dodgers will exercise his $9.25 million contract option for next season, something that seems highly unlikely. Penny missed most of the season with shoulder problems, then chose not to stick around for the team's playoff push. Colletti declined to say whether he was leaning one way or the other on Penny's option, but it also is possible the club could decline the option, pay the $2 million buyout and then try to re-sign Penny at a lower salary.
--INF Blake DeWitt is expected to receive one-on-one instruction at second base sometime this winter, although it isn't clear when that will happen. The Dodgers' Rookie Development camp, which is a two-week program in January at Dodger Stadium, would seem like the most likely setting. General manager Ned Colletti said DeWitt is a virtual lock to make the major league roster next season, but it isn't clear whether DeWitt will play second base or third base.
--INF Nomar Garciaparra could return to the club, after all. The oft-injured veteran batted .435 (10-for-23) in September, meaning the Dodgers might be interested in re-signing him for one year as a backup who can play at least three infield spots. General manager Ned Colletti said he had a preliminary discussion with Arn Tellem, Garciaparra's Los Angeles-based agent.
BY THE NUMBERS: 101 -- People who attended the Dodgers' organizational meetings, including every scout from all three scouting departments, every player-development official and every member of the front office. General manager Ned Colletti hadn't held organizational meetings after either of his two previous seasons. His predecessor, Paul DePodesta, had been fired immediately after the Dodgers' most recent organizational meetings in October 2005.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I am very disappointed. But I have a great job with a great organization, and we have work to do. We had a great year, going to the National League Championship Series, but we aren't where we want to be yet. We need to take it to that next step." -- Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng, after losing out to Milwaukee Jack Zduriencik for Seattle's GM job. Ng was one of four finalists for the position and was interviewed twice.
