NL West

Adrian Gonzalez can now be called a "former San Diego Padre."

Late last night, rumors were on fire that the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox were close to a deal that would send Gonzalez to the Northeast. I wanted to see if this was more than talk, seeing as we went through this same kind of thing this time last year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been busy this offseason, locking up several players already and in the hunt for even more.

General manager Ned Colletti has been aggressive following a disappointing fourth-place finish for the Dodgers in the NL West. The team, picked by many to win the division, managed only an 80-82 record and was never really in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Colletti is determined to change that, building a roster around young studs Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

The clock struck midnight, and the deadline for MLB teams to tender contracts passed. Of course, non-tendering doesn't mean you can't or won't return to that club, but often times it's a good sign that the team, player or both wanted to go in a different direction.

Let's take a look at some of the players who were non-tendered and where they might catch on.

LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners

When the Winter Meetings begin on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers front office will have already accomplished several of their objectives. General Manager Ned Colletti filled out the rotation by re-signing Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda before bringing back Jon Garland.

Brian Sabean has done it again.

This time he has gone out and filled the San Francisco Giants' only real hole by signing shortstop Miguel Tejada to a one-year deal. 

Tejada, a former MVP, is now 36 and at the tail end of his career. 

So the question is, is Tejada the right man to help the Giants repeat? 

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After falling a victory short of the playoffs, the Padres entered the MLB offseason with a goal in mind: lay low at the winter meetings. With that being said, the Padres have made risky and regrettable moves.

It has been a big week for the Colorado Rockies as they have extended Troy Tulowitzki through 2020 (for $157M, no less) and resigned free agent Jorge de la Rosa.  

It seems painfully obvious that staying in Denver is ideal for Tulo and not so much so for de la Rosa, but these are two players worth examining further heading into 2011.

Jorge de la Rosa‘s situation this offseason came down to the simple philosophy of supply and demand.

The number of quality starting pitchers available this offseason was in short supply, so the demand for the limited amount of these pitchers goes through the roof because teams are desperate for any arms they can find these days.

With the signing of Miguel Tejada to a one-year deal (salary and bonus equaling $7M) the first question that comes to mind is: Why? 

Don't get me wrong, I am all for signing Tejada, but why let Juan Uribe leave after winning a World Series with your team for the same exact amount of money?

Whether or not one will have a better year than the other is debatable and it seems like the biggest sticking point, for the second year in a row with Uribe, is the amount of years.

The Dodgers signed Juan Uribe to a three-year $21 million contract today, and the Giants responded by inking Miguel Tejada to a one-year $6.5 million contract (plus incentives).  The moves strengthens the Dodgers and weaken the Giants in 2011.  After that, the moves are better for the Giants.