LOS ANGELES -- It's hard to think of the Los Angeles Dodgers without A.J. Ellis. It's also hard to think of them paying him more than the $3.5 million he made last season and, now that he's eligible for arbitration the second time, that's a risk they may be unwilling to face.There might be a middle ground. Odds are the Dodgers will not tender Ellis a contract, but that doesn't mean he's gone. They could non-tender him and then negotiate with him and subsequently sign him to a lower salary.