The reported four-year, $44 million offer by the Mariners apparently didn’t happen, or at least it hadn’t happened as of this morning. All indications are Seattle’s three-year offer between $30 million and $33 million is the top offer so far, with the Dodgers having possibly matched it or possibly exceeded it slightly. But while the D-backs, Cubs, Mets and Royals are believed to have interest, a source said this morning that the Mariners and Dodgers are at the head of the class. This looks like a two-horse race, but it also is a race that is likely to last a while, with Kuroda letting his price go as high as it possibly can before he settles on one team or the other.

So far, this has got to be the dullest winter meetings I have ever covered. The biggest news of the first two days was that Tampa Bay traded the troubled Elijah Dukes to Washington (yawn). The rumor of the hour, at least where your hometown Dodgers are concerned, seems to be that they are coveting Baltimore’s Erik Bedard and that there is a possible deal in the works that would send Jonathan Broxton and Matt Kemp to the Orioles. I find that hard to believe, mostly that the Dodgers would part with Broxton at a time when they are about to enter the season with a 38-year-old closer, but I’m running it down anyway. Check with ya later.

Ned confirmed tonight that the club did make a formal offer to Hiroki Kuroda. Although it’s not clear what that offer was, it probably was in the neighborhood of three years and $30 million, which is about what Seattle and Arizona offered. But Seattle reportedly has upped its offer to four years and slightly more than $40 million, so even if the Dodgers are Kuroda’s preferred team, the Dodgers probably will have to seriously increase their offer to have a chance. At any rate, Kuroda isn’t expected to sign anywhere this week.

Just filed this for tomorrow’s paper. If Andruw’s market doesn’t increase, I could see Boras letting him do a one-year deal like he did for Pudge with Florida back in 2003, then trying free agency the next year. But they have to get a lot more desperate than they apparently are now before that will happen. Stay tuned.

By Tony Jackson
Staff Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Dodgers’ brief flirtation with free-agent center fielder Andruw Jones came to an abrupt end — for now, anyway — after club officials spoke on Monday with Scott Boras, the Newport Beach-based agent who represents Jones.
“We are nowhere close to a deal,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. “I had the intention of making an offer, but as it stands, it would have been foolish to do so.”
Colletti left the door open to continue negotiations, but only slightly.
“I’m not sure how we would explore it from here when the distance is that great,” Colletti said. “Those explorations would probably have to come from the other side.”
Boras is believed to be seeking a contract for Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner while with Atlanta, in the neighborhood of the five-year, $90 million deal center fielder Torii Hunter signed last week with the Angels. But Jones is coming off his worst offensive season in a decade — he hit just .222, and his 26 home runs matched his lowest total since 1997, his second full year in the majors — and his market appears to be limited.
Given that, Jones might eventually settle for a shorter-term deal to possibly put up better numbers and drive up his price for another run at free agency in a year or two.
The Dodgers turned their attention to Jones when they found another free-agent center fielder, Aaron Rowand, also beyond their price range. Rowand is believed to be seeking a five-year deal worth about $70 million. Unless either Jones or Rowand reduces his asking price — or the Dodgers’ tepid interest in free-agent Mike Cameron increases dramatically — the club apparently will go into next season with an outfield of Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre and Matt Kemp, something Colletti has repeatedly said he is comfortable doing.

First, the rumored offer to Andruw Jones (two years, $32M) is false. It isn’t clear whether any offer has been made, but there are strong indications that there hasn’t been one. Second, another rumor you might have seen on the web today, that the Dodgers are talking trade with Texas for third baseman Hank Blalock, also is false. Third, I just had my first exposure to new Angels GM Tony Reagins as part of a group of writers brought up to his suite for his nightly press briefing. Man, this guy doesn’t say ANYTHING. Except that he is happy with the makeup of the club as it presently stands. Over and over and over again. That’s it for now.