DODGERS NOTEBOOK: NO BIG DEAL: L.A. SIGNS TATIS.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

Eight years after he became the only major leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same inning, Fernando Tatis is hoping to return to the scene of the crime. But the minor league contract he signed with the Dodgers on Tuesday falls well short of guaranteeing that.

Tatis was St. Louis' everyday third baseman when he showed up at Dodger Stadium on April 23, 1999, and took Chan Ho Park deep twice in the third inning. Since then, his star has fallen dramatically, to the point he appeared in just 28 games over the past threeseasons. He isn't expected to play in many this year, either.

Tatis, 32, probably will spend the season at Triple-A Las Vegas as an insurance policy in case something happens to Dodgers third baseman Wilson Betemit.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers finalized their signing of veteran reliever Rudy Seanez to a minor league deal. Seanez, 38, will go to camp with at least a decent shot at earning a spot in the Dodgers' bullpen. Reliever Chin-Hui Tsao is expected to undergo a physical examination Friday, the only remaining hurdle to finalizing his one-year, major league contract.

Tatis' big night at Chavez Ravine came at the beginning of what was easily his best season, in which he batted .298 with 34 homers and 107 RBIs for the Cardinals. But he never came close to those numbers again, largely because of a series of injuries. Tatis went to spring training with Tampa Bay in 2004, but didn't make the club and was released. He didn't return to the big leagues until last summer, when he batted .250 in a brief call-up by Baltimore.

Beimel update: Assistant general manager Kim Ng said that while there has been little movement in negotiations with reliever Joe Beimel, the Dodgers' only remaining arbitration-eligible player, she remains hopeful of avoiding what would be the club's first arbitration hearing since Eric Gagne's three winters ago.

``We absolutely have not had any progress,'' Ng said. ``... But I'm sure I'll probably reach out to them this week just to see where this is. I don't think anybody really wants to go to a hearing.''

Beimel, who got $425,000 last season, is seeking $1.25 million through arbitration. The Dodgers filed at $912,500.

Beimel, a left-hander, was a key piece of the Dodgers' bullpen last season. But he angered teammates and club officials when he cut his hand on a glass while drinking in a bar two nights before the playoff opener, leaving him unavailable.

If the case goes to a hearing -- in which a three-person panel must choose one of the above figures, with no leeway to choose a figure in between -- the club can use that incident in making its case against him.

Also: Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was honored Sunday night as the Los Angeles Sports Council's co-Executive of the Year, sharing the award with Ducks general manager Brian Burke. Colletti also is expected to be named Baseball Executive of the Year this weekend by the Chicago Hit and Pitch Club.

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Fernando Tatis makes major league history by hitting his second grand slam in one inning -- the third -- off Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park on April 23, 1999.

Donald Miralle/Getty Images