윈터미팅은 바쁜 거야~(친박연대 Tony Jackson)

Judging by the first few weeks of baseball's offseason, it would seem that someone forgot to light the proverbial hot stove. Almost all of the marquee free agents are still out there, unsigned, and there have been less than a half-dozen notable trades.

By Monday, though, when baseball's annual winter meetings officially begin at Las Vegas' Bellagio resort, those flames figure to be burning hot.

It's about time.

The Dodgers, who saw 14 players from their National League Championship Series squad file for free agency and at least one of those players retire, have yet to fill any of the holes left by those possible defections. They still don't have a shortstop. They still haven't added a starting pitcher, unless you count the finger-crossing, breath-holding hope Jason Schmidt will be healthy by the start of spring training.

And they still have no sense of where they stand with Manny Ramirez.

"It might have been a little slower than in recent years," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "But as the calendar moves, people will start falling into place."

The calendar already has moved to a point of critical mass. This tends to be a week when desperation starts to set in, not only on the part of free-agent players but on the part of clubs looking to fill holes and other clubs seeking to dump high-salaried players.

It was at these meetings a year ago, in Nashville, Tenn., where free-agent center fielder Andruw Jones, who had entered

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the offseason seeking a seven-year contract, sheepishly accepted a two-year, $36.2 million deal from the Dodgers, and fans know all too well how that turned out.

The fact Ramirez remains on the open market and apparently hasn't come close to signing anywhere means he, too, might have to settle for a deal far less than what he was hoping for when he filed for free agency.

Perhaps something akin to the two-year, $45 million contract, with a club option for 2011, that the Dodgers initially offered but then rescinded - assuming that offer resurfaces.

"We are nowhere different than where we have been (with Ramirez)," Colletti said. "We offered him a two-year deal, it was rejected, and we offered arbitration. We would still love to have Manny back."

The Dodgers also are believed to be still in the running for free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia, the top pitcher on the market, and the fact Sabathia still hasn't jumped at the New York Yankees' offer of six years and $140 million seems to suggest he isn't all that interested in pitching in baseball's biggest pressure cooker.

Still, if Sabathia doesn't join the Yankees, the San Francisco Giants appear to be the favorites to land the Vallejo native.

And besides, the Dodgers' first order of business at this point appears to be re-signing or replacing free- agent shortstop Rafael Furcal and free-agent third baseman Casey Blake.

"I would say that getting our infield stabilized is a high priority," Colletti said.

Two of the four starting spots are set, with James Loney at first base and Blake DeWitt somewhere. If the Dodgers re-sign Blake, DeWitt will play second. If they don't, there is a strong possibility DeWitt will play third.

Even if Blake does return, the Dodgers still will need a shortstop.

If that person isn't Furcal, the club will consider one of its three utility infielders, Tony Abreu, Angel Berroa or Chin-lung Hu, but only if it can add enough offense at another position to make up for the dramatic offensive dropoff at shortstop that would result from having one of those three players replace Furcal in the everyday lineup.

"If we can fill a need from within, we will consider that first," Colletti said. "If we can fill a need with a trade, we will consider that, too. Until we exhaust that, we may or may not enter the free-agent market, depending on available players."

Something that also remains unclear - despite recent comments by co-owner and team president Jamie McCourt that perhaps the club's money would be better spent building and renovating area youth fields than paying expensive players - is where the Dodgers' payroll will fall.

It hasn't fallen much below $100 million in any of the five seasons since McCourt and her husband, Frank, bought the team from NewsCorp. But the flagging economy, which is perhaps as good a reason as any why the hot stove has been so lukewarm throughout baseball this winter, could have an impact.

For his part, Colletti denied the suggestion he has been ordered to cut payroll.

"I don't know if you ever have a set number," he said. "I think the number depends on who the players are. By virtue of the fact we offered arbitration to (Ramirez, Blake and free-agent pitcher Derek Lowe), that shows there is a chance we could expand (the payroll) if it's for the right player."

결국 이 기사의 의미는 마지막 문장에 미괄식으로 다 나와있고 위에 떠들어댄 얘기는 다 아시는 얘기죠. 과연 얼마나 쓸까요... 알맞는 풀래이어라면 페이롤 확대가능성까지 언급하는 걸 보니 믿는 구석이라도 있단 얘기??