Daly Considers Beltre Settlement

Dodger chairman Robert Daly and agent Scott Boras are scheduled to speak again today about a multiyear contract for Adrian Beltre, and baseball officials are watching developments closely.

Daly is willing to settle the Beltre matter by giving the young third baseman a long-term deal, but baseball sources said the commissioner’s office has encouraged the Dodgers to let the arbitration process unfold. The Major League Baseball Players’ Assn. has filed a grievance on behalf of Beltre, seeking to have him declared a free agent because the Dodgers violated rules by signing him before his 16th birthday.

Commissioner Bud Selig punished the Dodgers in December for the early signing, but he did not grant Beltre free agency.

Many baseball officials believe Selig’s decision will be upheld by an arbitrator, and are concerned the Dodgers will further distort the game’s out-of-control salary structure by offering Beltre a package considered excessive for his service time and accomplishments.

Although Dodger officials are confident about their position, they are eager to resolve the situation. The question is, will Daly make a move unpopular with baseball’s hierarchy only four months into his tenure at the Dodgers’ helm?

Beltre participated in the first full-squad workout Wednesday at Dodgertown with his contract status still unresolved.

“Our position has remained unchanged throughout, we’re simply looking for what’s fair,” Boras said. “Although Adrian Beltre’s rights were violated by another regime, it’s the responsibility of this regime to remedy the situation.

“This regime has the power to accomplish that, and we’ve said all along we want to negotiate to bring this to a just conclusion. That’s all Adrian and his family want.”

For his part, Daly also wants to make the cloud disappear. But he doesn’t want to create new ones.

“Yeah, I talk to a lot of people too, and the general feeling is that the chances are better for us to win [in arbitration],” Daly said.

“I know there are those people out there who want us to just wait and see what happens, but they are some of the same people who will be calling Scott [to acquire Beltre] if we lose.

“Look, anyone who knows me knows that I’m not going to do anything irrational or crazy. If we’re able to work out a deal, it will be the right deal for the Dodgers.”

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Manager Davey Johnson and other officials addressed the team for more than 30 minutes before the workout began.

“I just told them that I probably had the worst year of anybody in this group last year,” Johnson said, “and with their help I want to change that.”