A busy time in Sin City

These Major League Baseball winter meetings coincided with the National Finals Rodeo, which is held here in Las Vegas every December. There are cowboys everywhere, but it isn’t quite the culture clash you might think it to be. This morning, I saw two of them walking down the hall just outside the media work room, and these were REAL cowboys from head to toe: boots, Wranglers, long-sleeved Western-cut shirts, cowboy hats and full salt-and-pepper beards. As they walked, one of them was intently thumbing through the latest issue of a certain publication, copies of which had been stacked on a table outside one of the ballrooms. The publication? Baseball America, of course.

The Dodgers didn’t select or lose anyone in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft today. They did lose three players — SS Francisco Lizarraga (Cincinnati), RFAndrew Locke (Houston) and SS Shane Justis (Milwaukee) in the minor-league portion, which works differently from the major-league part. Those players are gone for good, the Dodgers getting $12,000 each for them from the teams who drafted them. The Dodgers did add one player in the minor-league phase, an infielder from the Toronto chain named Anthony Hatch.

Saito might be done with Dodgers

Ned Colletti characterized the negotiations as “a staredown,” and although he didn’t say it, it was 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 and sent into what is shaping up as free-agent purgatory this winter for many of the game’s unsigned players. The Dodgers are offering an incentive-laden, one-year deal, with those incentives presumably 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. In fact, as many as five of the Dodgers’ eight arbitration-eligibles — Saito, Angel Berroa, Yhency Brazoban, Scott Proctor and Jason Repko — are in at least some danger of being non-tendered on Friday if they don’t agree to terms. In Brazoban’s case, he is almost a lock to be non-tendered because of his continued failure to lose weight and get into better physical condition. … By the way, I got bad info earlier. The Dodgers are NOT interested in Omar Vizquel.

Dodgers might have interest in Omar Vizquel

He clearly would be nothing more than a fallback plan if the club doesn’t sign Rafael Furcal, he’ll turn 42 in April, and he hasn’t hit better than .250 in three years. But he IS an 11-time Gold Glove winner and would be another excellent addition to the clubhouse. He also would shore up the SS position for a year until Ivan De Jesus is ready, although he wouldn’t come close to providing the offense Furcal did.

Loretta deal done

The announcement is coming shortly, but this is something we have all basically known since last night. Appears to be a one-year, $1.25 million deal, and it’s as much about what he’ll bring to the clubhouse as it is about what he’ll bring to the field. Other than that, this penultimate day of the winter meetings is shaping up to be a slow one for the Dodgers.

Tommy back in the saddle

Tommy Lasorda has once again been named Global Ambassador to the World Baseball Classic, a title he gladly took on in 2006 and will fill again in 2009. He is at the podium speaking right now. He was introduced by MLB COO Bob DuPuy as being like Sara Lee. “There is nobody who doesn’t like Tommy Lasorda,” DuPuy said. Tommy just told the audience that from now on, he would like to be addressed as Mr. Ambassador, which elicited a smattering of laughter. … In case you didn’t already know, former Dodgers manager Davey Johnson will manage the USA team. Felipe Alou, who is also here, will manage the Dominican Republic.