With the Pirates losing out in the bidding for free agent Bill Mueller yesterday, it is unclear how they will play their next hand in searching for a third baseman.

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They might turn up a joker. Or a wild card. Or they might just hold.

General manager Dave Littlefield left open just about any possibility after learning yesterday morning that Mueller would choose the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Pirates, and sign a two-year contract worth $9.75 million.

"We're out there recruiting a variety of different guys at different positions, and we'll continue to do that. He made the decision to go on with another club, and we'll move on," Littlefield said of Mueller. "I certainly have a lot of respect for the guy, but I've been in this business for a while and don't really get too emotional about those types of things."

Asked if there remain outside possibilities to play third, he replied, "Yeah, there definitely are."

He did not identify any, but one of those might be Joe Randa, another free agent who, like Mueller, is represented by agent Ron Shapiro. The Pirates are among "quite a few" teams that have inquired about Randa, Shapiro said yesterday.

Nicknamed "The Joker" for his seemingly perpetual grin, Randa is a 10-year veteran who spent one season with the Pirates in 1997, helping that $9 million team to an unlikely run at the National League Central Division title. He will turn 36 Sunday, so his value generally is viewed as lower than Mueller's; but he unquestionably is the best of the remaining free agents at third base. He split last season between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres and batted .276 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs.

Randa is not in negotiations with any team and is unlikely to show much urgency in choosing one, now that he is the focal-point free agent at his position. It is not known how much he is seeking, but he made $2.15 million last season.

Nomar Garciaparra, who played some third base for the Chicago Cubs last season, is available on the open market and has drawn an inquiry from the Pirates. But his agent, Arn Tellem, said yesterday Garciaparra's field of suitors is down to four teams, including the New York Yankees, and the rest are thought to be the Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros.

Other possibilities appear to be much longer shots, mostly because they would have to come through trades with partners that look poorly matched with the Pirates.

Arizona is shopping terrific power hitter Troy Glaus, 29, but he is owed $34 million over the next three years, and the Diamondbacks want their trading partner to take on outfielder Luis Gonzalez's $11.5 million for next year, too. Texas has offered to part with potential-laden Hank Blalock, 25, but the Rangers have been firmly rejected by the Pirates in seeking starter Oliver Perez in return. The Philadelphia Phillies want to move David Bell, 29, but he is coming off a dismal season in which he batted .248 with 10 home runs in a hitter's paradise, and he is due to make $4.7 million next year.

All of which could lead the Pirates to the conclusion that they are better off sticking with what they have in Freddy Sanchez.

Sanchez, who will turn 28 next week, just completed his first full season of Major League Baseball and batted .291 with five home runs -- four of those in September -- and 35 RBIs. He also played exceptional defense.

To boot, he made barely above major-league minimum wage with a salary of $322,000, can be renewed at a similar price for next season, and will remain the Pirates' property the following three years through arbitration. That alone could make it worth their while to see more of him.

Littlefield did not rule it out.

"There have been some solid signs, the way he's performed defensively, the way he gets on base. ... Freddy's a ballplayer," Littlefield said. "He's only had one year in the big leagues, so I don't think this is a finished product. But you always want to try to improve. As we sit here in December, there's a lot of time until April. Let's see if we can do some things to try to improve our situation."

The Pirates were aiming for what they felt was an upgrade in what, by all accounts, was an aggressive pursuit of Mueller.

"Pittsburgh engaged in what I thought was as impressive an effort in going after a player as any I have seen in a long time," Shapiro said. "Dave Littlefield was a constant, candid communicator with us. Jim Tracy called Bill. Not a day went by in the past two weeks that the Pirates didn't call. They certainly made the decision very hard for Bill."

It had been widely believed and reported that the Pirates made Mueller a three-year offer, but that was not the case, both parties insisted yesterday. Rather, they said, the final bidding between the Pirates and Los Angeles came down to dueling two-year offers. The Pirates fell just short of the Dodgers' guaranteed money, but it is possible they offered incentive bonuses that could have made their offer more lucrative.

Mueller based his decision, Shapiro said, primarily on his desire to play on the West Coast. The Mueller family maintains its offseason home in Arizona, and his wife, Amy, is from San Francisco. Also, Mueller spent parts of six seasons with the San Francisco Giants and had ties to Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti, who used to be an assistant GM with the Giants, and manager Grady Little, who was his manager with the Boston Red Sox in 2003.

Mueller, 34, was the American League batting champion that year and has a career .292 average.

"Every successful team has true baseball players with the makeup, drive and desire of Bill Mueller," Colletti said.

"I've known both Ned Colletti and Grady Little for years, and I respect them both immensely and thank them for this opportunity," Mueller said. "I'm really excited about the direction the Dodgers are headed."