LAS VEGAS -- Joe Torre usually takes a pass on the Winter Meetings and
doesn't have to answer questions like the one he took a pass on Tuesday:

Manny or CC?

"Great question," Torre said. "I'm not going to answer it. Two guys at
the top of their game and I'm not getting into it."

His club, however, already is into it. Dodgers management has
expressed interest in the coveted 28-year-old CC Sabathia to give
Torre his top Christmas wish, an ace starter, while playing it cool in
virtually non-existent negotiations for the 37-year-old Manny Ramirez,
who doesn't have another known team in pursuit.

Torre said his recruiting skills have yet to be enlisted for either
player, although he did make a sales pitch to free-agent pitcher Andy
Pettitte. Torre said he thinks Pettitte wants to return to the
Yankees, but left the door wide open for a Dodgers pursuit if those
talks break down.

"You bet," he said when asked if he'd want Pettitte to pitch for him
again.

As for Ramirez, Torre said he spoke with him right after the season
ended and was convinced he enjoyed his two-plus months with the
Dodgers. He said he was confident that he would get a motivated
Ramirez should he re-sign with the Dodgers, despite suggestions from
some in the game that Ramirez won't be the model citizen he was during
his spectacular 2 1/2-month salary drive.

"He has one of the elite agents [Scott Boras] to find out what his
value is and I don't look for that to be solved any time soon," Torre
said. "Manny is Manny. He brings a lot to the table."

But so does Sabathia, and Torre didn't mind hearing that Sabathia has
told the Dodgers he'd like to pitch for them.

"You hear rumors at the Winter Meetings, but the fact he made a
statement like that teases you," Torre said. "It's a long way between
'want to' to 'going to.' "

Nonetheless, Torre reiterated that his top priority is a veteran ace
starter who can double as a leader and role model, which pretty much
sums up Sabathia's resume. Torre said he was asked his opinion on
offseason strategy during an upper-level management meeting three
weeks ago.

"It doesn't look like [Derek] Lowe will be back, so we need someone
who's done it a bit," he said. "We have young pitchers with ability.
We need somebody to lead the way. Does that mean we can't be
successful without? No, it doesn't mean that. But one guy who can take
the pressure off and stop a losing streak? That's a lot to ask [of a
young pitcher].

"CC is pretty special. And I wouldn't mind giving him the bat. He hit
the longest home run in Dodger Stadium this year until [Matt] Stairs'
[in the playoffs]."

Torre said he supported the departure of free-agent pitcher Brad
Penny, sensing the right-hander was "uncomfortable" last season while
battling shoulder problems and winning only one game after May 4
during a free-agent season. Torre said he briefly spoke with Penny at
last month's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita but never had the lunch
meeting he hoped to arrange.

He said the club let left-handed reliever Joe Beimel go because he was
"inconsistent," particularly against left-handed hitters by comparison
to the previous two seasons.

He said he's spoken to catcher Russell Martin about consistency.

"He needs to get better and I think he will," said Torre, who spoke to
Martin last week.

Torre said he makes an annual trip to Las Vegas with family and
friends for golfing and decided to combine it with the Winter
Meetings. He said he was on the golf course Monday when word came that
he had not been elected to the Hall of Fame but said he hadn't
expected it and doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about it.

Source: Ken Gurnick / MLB.com