Saberhagen Is Winner in Arbitration; Gooden Signs

Bret Saberhagen, the American League Cy Young Award winner and Kansas City’s World Series hero, won his arbitration case Friday and will be paid the $925,000 he sought in 1986 instead of the $625,000 offered by the Royals.

Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets, the National League Cy Young Award winner who was scheduled to go to arbitration next Tuesday, agreed Friday to a one-year, $1.32-million contract with the New York Mets. The 21-year-old right-hander had sought $1.5 million. The Mets had offered $1.1 million.

Saberhagen’s case was the only one decided Friday. It gave the players 8 arbitration victories to 10 for the owners. In each case, an arbitrator hears testimony from both sides, then awards either what the player wants or the club has offered. There is no middle ground.

Three more players, besides the celebrated Gooden, signed with their clubs before their arbitration cases were heard--shortstops Onix Concepcion of the Royals and Andre Robertson of the New York Yankees and pitcher Ken Schrom of Cleveland. Terms of their contracts were not immediately announced.

Even if Saberhagen had lost in arbitration, and even if Gooden had gone the route and lost, they still would have enjoyed enormous pay increases. Now, they are even bigger.

Last season, Saberhagen’s salary was $160,000, Gooden’s was $400,000.

Gooden, a two-year major leaguer, was 24-4 with a 1.53 earned-run average and 268 strikeouts, all major league bests for 1985.

Saberhagen, 21, and in his second year in the majors, was 20-6 with a 2.87 ERA. He beat the St. Louis Cardinals twice in the World Series, pitching a shutout in the 11-0 seventh game, and was named the Series’ Most Valuable Player.