Dodgers Go Looking, but With Little to Offer

Baseball’s winter meetings open here today amid:

--Continuing speculation that the Angels may have already agreed to trade pitcher Ron Romanick for New York Yankees catcher Butch Wynegar.

--The Dodgers’ continuing pursuit of a relief pitcher and/or center fielder.

Does Dodger Vice President Al Campanis expect to be successful before the meetings end Wednesday?

“I doubt we’ll be able to make a deal,” he said.

Why?

Part of it is that the Dodgers are limited in what they can offer. Their only real lure is first baseman Greg Brock, who has been seeking a trade for more than a year.

The other part?

Well, how many clubs have a proven relief pitcher they are willing to trade?

The Montreal Expos would apparently part with Jeff Reardon but want an established starter in exchange. Orel Hershiser? Forget it, Campanis said.

The Seattle Mariners are apparently trying to deal left-hander Matt Young, an experienced starter-reliever, but for Brock? The Mariners already have two left-handed hitting first basemen in Alvin Davis and Ken Phelps.

The Detroit Tigers, with Eric King as the new closer, might yield Willie Hernandez, but only for a power hitting outfielder. Speculation centers on Minnesota’s Tom Brunansky.

Jay Howell? The Oakland A’s have a legitimate interest in Brock, but not at the price of their relief ace. Would they trade center fielder Dwayne Murphy for Brock? Doubtful. Right fielder Mike Davis, who has played center on occasion? That’s more of a possibility. So is Steve Ontiveros, who has 18 saves in two seasons working with Howell.

The Dodgers and A’s are going to talk again here. So are the Dodgers and Kansas City Royals, who are expected to trade a pitcher for a power hitting outfielder. Brock? Well, first baseman Steve Balboni has back problems and may become a full-time designated hitter.

The Royals have left-hander Bud Black, who was converted into a reliever last season. Would they trade him? The word is no, but the Dodgers will probably ask again.

How important is this?

“You don’t have to be a genius when you look at the stats and see we were 25th out of 26 teams in saves last year,” Campanis said.

The Dodgers had 25 saves. Only the Minnesota Twins had fewer with 24. Was it all the fault of Tom Niedenfuer, Ken Howell and Ed Vande Berg?

“No,” Campanis said. “We got fewer complete games from the starters, and the long men didn’t shut the door. We still think that Niedenfuer and Howell are a pretty good combination, but it wouldn’t hurt to load the gun (by acquiring one more proven reliever).”

Campanis added that many teams have inquired about the availability of Howell.

“He still has outstanding potential. He’s the type who can come back and haunt you,” Campanis said. “We’ve got him on a weight program and feel that if he can lose some, his control will improve.

“In fact, we’re getting good reports on all of our people. (Alejandro) Pena is throwing over 90 (m.p.h.) now in winter ball. He can turn our pitching around.

“(Pedro) Guerrero has been working out at our academy in the Dominican and is said to be in playing shape. He’ll start to run after the first of the year.

“(Mike) Marshall is on a program for his back and will start to hit in January. We’re a different team when everyone is healthy.”

Angel General Manager Mike Port, while continuing negotiations with free agents Bob Boone, Doug DeCinces and Brian Downing, said he is looking for a stopgap second baseman to platoon with Rob Wilfong in case the promising Mark McLemore or Gus Polidor aren’t ready; a fifth starting pitcher, who may ultimately emerge from the club’s farm system, and a catcher who could play regularly if Boone is not re-signed or would be young enough now to replace Boone in a year or two.

The Angels’ own Darrell Miller seems to fit that bill, but Manager Gene Mauch, hungering to win the pennant that keeps eluding him, apparently wants experience behind the plate.

Wynegar, 30, has the experience and defensive qualifications but has been on the restricted list since July 31 when he left the Yankees because of admitted mental stress over playing in New York and the second-guessing of his pitch selection.

The Angels want the Yankees to pick up part of Wynegar’s three-year, $2.2-million contract that has two years remaining, and permission to talk directly with Wynegar.

Neither contingency has been resolved, it is believed, but could be Monday when Romanick goes through the minor league draft. He is not on the Angels’ 40-man roster and cannot be traded until then.

Will he be selected in the draft? It seems unlikely that a club would spend $50,000 knowing it could then only cut Romanick 20% from his 1986 salary of $425,000.

The Yankees, by contrast, would be unloading part of Wynegar’s contract and a player who has said he will not return to New York.

Port has refused to confirm or deny that a trade is in place. He implied in a recent press briefing that he did not expect to make a trade at the meetings for the same two reasons affecting most other clubs--a priority on free-agent negotiations and the fact that the convention’s final day is no longer tied to a trading deadline.

Clubs can now trade without waivers until July 31. There is no longer an urgency to deal at the meetings.

The Angels, for example, can wait until spring training to examine their second base situation and even, perhaps, put in an emergency call to the retired Bobby Grich, who has yet to submit a letter requesting that he be put on the voluntary retired list.

Grich, reached at his Long Beach home, said he is 99.1% sure he will remain retired--”It feels good, it feels right”--but that he has not filed a letter on advice of attorney Jerry Kapstein.

“If I go on the voluntary retired list, I can’t play for the first 60 days of the season,” Grich said. “If I were to have a change of heart in the spring and decide to play, it would be easier for me to re-sign (and play immediately) as a free agent.”

The Angels can make Grich a free agent simply by giving him his release. He currently remains on their roster.

The Angels’ future second baseman?

Port said that McLemore, 22, is playing in the Puerto Rico Winter League “and the appraisal from people outside our organization is that he is superior to what we had at the position last year, with his offense right now more of a question than his defense.”

In the meantime, here are the clubs best equipped to deal and most likely to do so at these meetings:

--Kansas City seems determined to part with one of its many starting pitchers, probably Mark Gubicza, for a proven power hitter to bat behind George Brett. The Royals are reportedly looking at San Francisco’s Chili Davis, Toronto’s George Bell or Lloyd Moseby, Cincinnati’s Nick Esasky and San Diego’s Kevin McReynolds.

--The Blue Jays, blessed with an array of young outfield prospects, are reportedly willing to trade the veteran Bell or Moseby for a left-handed starting pitcher. They would prefer Danny Jackson from the Royals, rather than Gubicza.

--San Diego, seeking a leadoff hitter who can run or a power hitting third baseman, will give up McReynolds and/or a pitcher such as Andy Hawkins, Dave Dravecky or Eric Show.

The Royals can offer only a pitcher for McReynolds, but the New York Mets are reportedly offering a package that would include Mookie Wilson, Kevin Mitchell or center field prospect Stan Jefferson.

It has also been reported that St. Louis is willing to offer Willie McGee, plagued by leg problems last season, for McReynolds.

--Seattle, reportedly disturbed about the work habits of impressive rookie Danny Tartabull, would trade him for a starting pitcher and has talked to the Royals. Kansas City would employ the versatile Tartabull, who played second base and in the outfield last season, in the outfield. The Mariners have also talked to the Padres, who would use Tartabull at third base.

--Cincinnati, making way for young players like Kal Daniels, Tracy Jones and Paul O’Neill, would reportedly package Esasky and Eddie Milner for a starting pitcher or a power hitting first baseman such as the Chicago Cubs’ Leon Durham. The Reds might also trade touted shortstop Kurt Stillwell since they have another in Barry Larkin.

--San Francisco, set to play Candy Maldonado full time, would reportedly trade Davis for a starting pitcher.

--Cleveland and Detroit reportedly have center fielders available, but the price doesn’t seem right for the Dodgers in either case.

The Indians want a starting pitcher for the talented Brett Butler. The Tigers might be tempted by the idea of Brock as their first baseman when Darrell Evans goes, but center fielder Chet Lemon, 32 in February, is guaranteed about $700,000 a year through 1991.

For a million or two more, the Dodgers could have a free agent named Tim Raines.