In addition to Beltre, Los Angeles extended a laurel and hearty handshake to pitchers Odalis Perez and Wilson Alvarez and catcher Brent Mayne. Perez, like Beltre, seems more likely to hold out for a multiyear deal, which might or might not be with the Dodgers. Alvarez, who has strongly hinted that he likes pitching for the Dodgers and that he might retire after one more season, is very likely to return.

The Mayne case is peculiar. He has hinted he might already be retired and just hasn't said so, but the presence of a guaranteed contract might well postpone the rocking chair. If Mayne returns, it still doesn't prevent the Dodgers from signing a frontline catcher - it just implies that said catcher would be a right-handed hitter, and that he would displace Dave Ross and Mike Rose. Given that the Dodgers are unlikely to retain three catchers, neither Ross nor Rose has a guaranteed spot on the 2005 roster.

The decline of arbitration offers to Todd Hundley, Paul Shuey and Robin Ventura are non-events - none figures to play next year, if again. The rejection of Hideo Nomo climaxed just a bit more suspense, because there was the possibility the Dodgers would offer a minimum contract plus incentives to prove himself again. Nomo will now go that route elsewhere, if he goes it at all.

That leaves Steve Finley, Jose Hernandez and Jose Lima. By placing them down here, I'm burying the top story. But it's somewhat deliberate, because too much angst has been invested in the fate of these three players.

Look, the Dodgers needed all three of these players last season to win the National League West last season. And all three, while aging, could easily have at least one more good year left in them - which is the maximum that offering salary arbitration guarantees.

If, in the end, in February, or April, or July even, the Dodgers come away with less talent than these three have to offer, then it will have been a mistake not to have pursued them further. If, in the end, any of these three sign contracts that would have fit nicely into the Dodger payroll, then it also will have been a mistake to let them go.

Keep in mind, though, that many, many teams have declined to offer arbitration to players like these. Lima and Hernandez are perfect examples of this phenomenon - this is how they were available before the 2004 season for the Dodgers to sign. Remember - nobody wanted them. The pool remains deep.

Ask yourself whether Finley (39), Hernandez (35) and Lima (32), who bucked aging to register improved seasons in 2004, are likely to buck the trend again in 2005 - all while earning more money.

Maybe, in the end, the answer will be yes. But for now, resist. Resist the urge to judge these moves until you see who their replacements are.