La Russa still wants Rolen

Despite lingering feud, manager needs 3B

NASHVILLE - Tony La Russa has conceded that his relationship with Scott Rolen may never be great again, but it doesn't mean the Cardinals manager necessarily is looking to deal the third baseman.

"I believe based on what I've seen somewhere, he's strong-minded enough that I don't see his opinions changing on a personal basis," La Russa said yesterday at baseball's winter meetings. "And it's gotten to the point where I don't care. What I care about is that he reestablish his stature as a major league productive star. And that's one of the points I've tried to make to him."

The Cardinals tried to deal Rolen to Milwaukee recently, but the Brewers would not offer more than lefthander Chris Capuano. The Cardinals wouldn't kick in some money for the remainder of Rolen's three-year, $36 million deal.

La Russa and Rolen have feuded for a while now, but the manager has never understood why. He realizes Rolen has had an issue with a medical procedure that caused shoulder problems, but La Russa has never understood why Rolen holds a grudge against him.

"He asked to be traded, so under normal circumstances if a guy doesn't want to be part of your situation, then you consider that," said La Russa. "So inquiries have been made. There hasn't been anything happening so far that would make the guys in charge pull the trigger . . . I'm just saying from a manager's point of view, I consistently say don't trade him. And I say that because one of our important needs is to have somebody who can hit behind Albert [ Pujols].

"I think he has put some things together in his mind and I think he needs to understand that the Cardinals have given him a lot since he's gotten here. He's been given a contract, a world championship, and he's given back some. And so, we need him."

With so many teams in need of a third baseman, the Cardinals could still deal Rolen. But finding a bat to replace him would be problematic.

Dodgers agree with Jones

Center fielder Andruw Jones and the Dodgers reached a preliminary agreement on a $36.2 million, two-year contract, the Associated Press reported late last night.

Jones must pass a physical for the agreement to be completed, a person familiar with the deal said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

Jones will receive a $12.2 million signing bonus, of which $5.1 million is payable next year, $2.1 million in 2009 and $5 million in 2010. He well get salaries of $9 million next year and $15 million in 2009. He also will receive a no-trade clause.

The deal was reported by the Los Angeles Times on its website.

Sad parting

Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest said last night he had nothing lined up with another team before he sent Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers for six prospects. That was an obvious slap at the Los Angeles Angels, who had trouble completing a package of prospects for Cabrera. Beinfest also said it was the hardest deal he's ever had to make.

"You know, this is a business, and I'm a fan and I love the game, and you can become emotional at times," he said. "I would say that, you know, [dealing] Derrek Lee, after the world championship [the Marlins won in 2003] was difficult. Obviously, [trading] Juan Pierre, after what he did for our organization; Josh Beckett speaks for himself; Mike Lowell. It is a function of our situation and it is a business and we have to do the best we can with what we have in our situation. This one was a little bit tougher in that - and usually I don't talk about myself, but Dontrelle Willis did a lot for my career. He was our first trade. To land a Dontrelle Willis in your very first trade as a GM in 2002, doesn't get any better than that. That's probably something that I hope to live up to. Maybe [Cameron] Maybin and [Andrew ] Miller [the two major prospects Florida obtained from Detroit] will help with that. But [it was] very emotional."

Arizona seeks Haren

While there are talks going on between the Diamondbacks and A's concerning Dan Haren, the teams have not settled on the other players who would be involved. There's a long way to go, but the Diamondbacks seem to have the prospects the A's want . . . Brian Roberts to the Cubs? There's a lot of talk between the Orioles and Chicago. The Cubs would move Mark DeRosa to right field and Roberts would play second base. It would take some of the Cubs' young pitching to make the deal. While Roberts wouldn't be Baltimore's first choice to deal (the Orioles would rather unload Daniel Cabrera), the team isn't getting much action on Cabrera because the asking price is considered too high. The Cubs also have explored a deal for lefthander Erik Bedard with Baltimore, but the price has been prohibitive . . . The Cubs are trying to sign center fielder Kosuke Fukodome, but it's going to cost quite a bit . . . The White Sox have a lot of "irons in the fire," according to one of their officials, but nothing major. They're trying to obtain two outfielders . . . Three years at $13 million? That's what journeyman reliever David Riske received from the Brewers. There's also an option year. Teams hate to give long-term deals to middle relievers because they usually don't pan out. Having lost Francisco Cordero to the Reds and Scott Linebrink to the White Sox, the Brewers were evidently desperate . . . According to an ESPN. com report, the players' union and Major League Baseball are trying to determine a suspension for Royals free agent signee Jose Guillen, who allegedly received shipments of a banned substance from 2002-05. Guillen was signed to a three-year, $36 million by the Royals but will likely miss the start of the 2008 season because of a possible 10- or 15-day suspension, according to ESPN.com.