Dodgers Are Near a Deal for Al Oliver

The Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a trade in which career .300 hitter Al Oliver would come to Los Angeles in exchange for pitcher Pat Zachry. But Dodger Vice President Al Campanis said Saturday, “There are some peculiarities” in Oliver’s contract that must be worked out before the trade is consummated.

“There are a lot of things that have to be straightened out,” Campanis said. “We’ve been talking about this for the last two or three weeks. I think the Phillies would do it and we’d do it, if we can put it all together. If it materializes, it would be of value to us.”

Two trades were made Saturday, both involving the Giants. San Francisco sent slugger Jack Clark to St. Louis for four players--first baseman-outfielder David Green, pitcher Dave LaPoint, first baseman Gary Rajsich and infielder Jose Gonzalez. The Giants also traded reliever Gary Lavelle to Toronto for pitcher Jim Gott.

Campanis would not elaborate on what the contract snags may be in the Oliver deal. It is possible the Dodgers are attempting to get the Phillies to pick up part of Oliver’s $750,000 salary, although Campanis said that is not the case.

Oliver, 38, batted .301 with no home runs in 119 games in 1984 while dividing the season between the San Francisco Giants and Phillies. A 16-year veteran, Oliver has hit higher than .300 11 times, including the last nine seasons.

“He’s played first base, the outfield and he’s a helluva hitter,” Campanis said. “What we need is the bat. We lost games last season coming off the bench.”

Apparently, the Phillies had no qualms about unloading Oliver. During last December’s winter meetings, Phillies President Bill Giles told a gathering of team officials that he would give an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris to anyone who could arrange a deal for Oliver. Reportedly, both Cleveland and Texas turned down deals for Oliver.

Zachry, who will be 33 April 24, was 5-6 with a 3.81 earned-run average and two saves in 58 games last season.

Reached at his home in Waco, Tex., Zachry said: “I hate to leave the friendships I made on the ballclub in L.A., but I’m looking forward to a new start in Philadelphia. It’ll be nice to be a kid again instead of an old-timer.”

Zachry said that because of the Dodgers’ surplus of pitching he wasn’t surprised at being expendable. But he cautioned against expecting too much from relief pitcher Steve Howe, who recently underwent surgery on the ulnar nerve in his left elbow.

“He (Howe) thinks he’s going to start Opening Day,” Zachry said. “He’s out of his mind. It took me nine months (to recover from a similar operation. Look at Jerry (Reuss). Anytime you have surgery, it takes time.”