Dodgers Facing Decisions on Five

The Dodgers have decisions to make on five players before the Friday night deadline for tendering arbitration. Takashi Saito is one of the five despite the fact he's the highest-rated reliever in the National League over the past two years, still, the club might release Saito, who missed two months with an elbow injury.

"We're still trying to figure something out on that," general manager Ned Colletti said. Saito could get $3.5 million if tendered arbitration and the Dodgers want to sign him for $2.5 million.

Colletti and made it clear that if Saito doesn't reach agreement with the club by Friday, the deadline for clubs to offer contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, he will be non-tendered. The Dodgers are offering an incentive-laden, one-year deal, with incentives based on games finished. Saito's representatives want a stronger guarantee, something the Dodgers are never going to give the right-hander given his recent health issues and inconsistency.

Other possible Dodgers candidates for non-tenders are Yhency Brazoban, Scott Proctor, Jason Repko and Angel Berroa.

Berroa is coming off a multi-year deal in which Kansas City paid him $4.75 million last year. Rules prevent a team from cutting a salary by more than 20 percent, so the Dodgers would have an arbitration submittal number of at least $3.8 million, more than they'd want to pay Berroa.

Because of that, Berroa is likely to be non-tendered. Colletti speculated that Berroa won't sign and would become a free agent.

Saito, Berroa, Brazoban, Proctor and Repko may be in danger of being non-tendered on Friday if they don't agree to terms.

In other Winter Meeting Notes, the Padres and the Cubs called off their talks about a trade for Padre ace Jake Peavy. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry informed Padres GM Kevin Towers he just couldn't justify giving up what it would take to get Peavy right now. ...The New York Mets obtained J.J. Putz from Seattle as part of a three-team, 12-player trade. In the deal, former Dodgers minor league outfielder Franklin Gutierrez was sent from the Indians to Seattle. . . . The Detroit Tigers acquired former Dodgers right-hander Edwin Jackson from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Matt Joyce.