Green Won’t Waive Bye-Bye to Dodgers Yet

Shawn Green is like a puppy that keeps squirming away from new owners and dashing back to familiar surroundings. For the second time in three weeks, a trade that would have sent the Dodger slugger to the Arizona Diamondbacks might have fallen through.

After 48 hours of negotiating, Green refused to waive his no-trade clause Thursday, because he deemed the contract extension offered by the Diamondbacks unsuitable.

“In its present form, the trade is dead,” Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta said. “The only way to go about it at this point is to continue to revise any agreement we had with them. As it stands right now, it’s over.”

Green was to go to the Diamondbacks along with $8 million for minor league catcher Dioner Navarro and minor league pitcher William Suarez. Navarro was coming to the Diamondbacks in the deal that sent Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees, although now it is unclear whether Navarro will be included in that trade because the Diamondbacks wanted him only in order to complete the Green deal.

Green and the Diamondbacks had to cease negotiations at 9 a.m. Thursday, but sources said the Diamondbacks talked to the Dodgers all day about providing additional financial assistance to meet Green’s demands. The teams plan to continue discussions today.

Also, the Dodgers could ask Major League Baseball to allow Green and the Diamondbacks to resume negotiations today. Calls to Green and his agent, Greg Genske, were not returned.

Should a new negotiating window open, the Diamondbacks could ask the Dodgers to help the trade along by including more cash. DePodesta did not dismiss that option.

Another possibility is that Green could drop his demand for an extension and agree to go to the Diamondbacks for one season before becoming a free agent, although a source said that is unlikely.

Keeping Green -- and the $16 million he is owed in 2005 -- could strengthen the Dodger batting order but severely hamper efforts to add a starting pitcher before spring training.

DePodesta has been in serious negotiations with free agent Esteban Loaiza, but those talks could cool now that the projected payroll is about $98 million with Green.

A 10-player trade among the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Yankees that also would have sent Green to Arizona fell through Dec. 21 when the Dodgers pulled the plug at the last minute. The latest proposal was an effort by the Dodgers to shed half of Green’s salary and get Navarro, whom they believe is one year away from becoming an everyday major league player.

Green was able to veto the deal because he has 10 years of major league service, including five with the same team. And he turned it down even though Jeff Moorad, the chief executive officer of the Diamondbacks, is his former agent.

Moorad was unable to take part in the negotiations because baseball has not approved his application to become a managing partner of the Diamondbacks.

Green is believed to want an extension of two or three years at an average annual value of about $11 million. The Diamondback offer came in at less than a $10-million average annual value.

The Dodgers had requested the 48-hour negotiating period rather than the customary 72 hours. Neither side asked for the window to be extended Thursday because, as DePodesta said, “This had been kicked around for months. If they were going to get something done, they could have done it in 48 hours. Nobody felt another day would have helped.”

Several industry sources expressed surprise that the deal wasn’t completed.

“In Paul’s mind it was a fait accompli,” a baseball source said. “It’s a shock to a lot of people. That being said, there shouldn’t have been so much optimism. They shouldn’t have announced the trade pending Shawn waiving the no-trade clause unless it’s perfectly understood by all parties what the parameters of an extension are.”

If Green is a Dodger on opening day, he probably will play first base. DePodesta wanted Hee-Seop Choi to have an opportunity at the position, but there is even less flexibility in right field, where newly signed J.D. Drew or Milton Bradley are scheduled to play.

Green, 32, hit 28 home runs and drove in 86 runs last season, and in five Dodger seasons has averaged 30 homers and 102 runs batted in. He rebounded from a slow start last season and had a strong second half, helping the Dodgers to their first playoff appearance since 1996.

DePodesta has said repeatedly that he expects Green to have a productive season because he is fully recovered from a shoulder injury and because it is his last season before becoming a free agent.

“Having Shawn gives us a formidable middle of the lineup,” he said. “I have absolutely no problem having him being here.”

DePodesta said he has “yet to place one outgoing phone call this off-season regarding trading Shawn,” adding that he turned down several inquiries from other teams.

Still, DePodesta seemed to make off-season moves with the assumption Green would be gone, signing Drew for five years at $55 million and expressing the belief that Choi is ready for a full-time job.

Adding the salaries of Green and starting pitcher Odalis Perez, who was signed Wednesday for three years at $24 million, the 2005 payroll is about close to the $100-million threshold. It is unclear how much higher co-owner Frank McCourt would go, but DePodesta said the Dodgers probably would not sign another impact free agent.

Loaiza is seeking a two-year deal for $7 million to $10 million. He appeared ready for stardom after going 21-9 in 2003 with the Chicago White Sox, but fell apart after being traded to the Yankees midway through last season. Loaiza, 33, finished 10-7 with a 5.70 earned-run average and is 100-89 with a 4.70 ERA in 10 seasons.

“The Dodger situation intrigues us,” said John Boggs, Loaiza’s agent. “It’s a good fit.”

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High five

Shawn Green’s five seasons with the Dodgers compared with the best five-season stretches of other notable L.A. Dodgers:

*--* H 2B HR RBI AVG OB% SLG% SHAWN GREEN (2000-04) 842 183 162 509 280 366 510 RON CEY (1976-80) 702 117 132 432 264 367 462 STEVE GARVEY (1975-79) 1,006 168 113 513 312 352 483 PEDRO GUERRERO (1983-87) 691 107 113 361 312 390 527 ERIC KARROS (1995-99) 815 146 154 519 284 346 499 MIKE PIAZZA (1993-97) 838 107 167 526 337 402 583

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Los Angeles Times