Dodgers Now Must Reassess Options

For weeks, baseball executives have bemoaned the paralysis created by the trade talks involving shortstop Alex Rodriguez and outfielder Manny Ramirez. With that negotiation pronounced dead Tuesday, other proposed deals and signings that hinged on the outcome of the headline trade now can proceed.

This does not mean that Santa will deliver shortstop Nomar Garciaparra or outfielder Magglio Ordonez to Dodger Stadium tonight, or ever. Dodger General Manager Dan Evans said Tuesday his off-season plan was not dependent on a resolution of the talks involving Rodriguez, Ramirez, the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers.

“I really don’t believe we were stonewalled or hindered by that situation,” Evans said.

The Dodgers and Chicago White Sox engaged in what one source called “intense negotiations” this week that could have resulted in Garciaparra joining the Dodgers. If the Rangers had traded Rodriguez to Boston for Ramirez, the Red Sox would have then sent Garciaparra to Chicago for Ordonez.

The White Sox would have flipped Garciaparra to the Dodgers, but another source said Evans was unwilling to meet the asking price of Chicago General Manager Ken Williams. The White Sox would trade Ordonez to the Dodgers too, but the price is believed to be the same -- reliever Guillermo Mota, a starter, probably Odalis Perez, and a top prospect or two.

If the Red Sox decide to trade Garciaparra anyway, they would likely ask for a similar package. Evans considers that price far too steep, in part because Garciaparra and Ordonez can leave as free agents next fall.

The Dodgers still have hitting to get, pitching to trade and money to spend. Evans acknowledged the newest crop of free agents -- the “non-tenders,” 58 players that include Jay Payton, Randall Simon and former Dodger Karim Garcia -- was underwhelming.

Even with marquee free agents signing elsewhere and Rodriguez, Garciaparra and Ordonez staying put for now, Evans said there are “an awful lot of options out there that we like.”

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Times staff writer Ross Newhan also contributed to this report.