Angels Re-Sign Free Agent Outfielder Downing : Club Is Still Talking With Boone and DeCinces

The Angels re-signed free agent Brian Downing Thursday and continued talking with Doug DeCinces and Bob Boone, while other teams, facing a midnight deadline, scrambled to retain their own players.

Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and Lance Parrish seemed certain to leave their clubs, while Bob Horner, Rich Gedman and Ron Guidry were among the other 13 free agents with uncertain futures.

Teams that did not retain their players by the deadline could not re-sign them until May 1.

Downing, 36, batted .267 with 20 home runs and 95 runs batted in last season as the Angels’ left fielder.

Downing’s agent, Tom Reich, also represents Parrish and Raines. Reich said there was virtually no chance they would remain with their clubs.

Parrish, who has said he will not re-sign with Detroit, has rejected the Tigers’ one-year offer of $1 million.

Last year, in a similar situation, the Tigers reached agreement with free agent Kirk Gibson shortly before a midnight deadline.

Raines and Dawson, both All-Star outfielders with Montreal, say they will not stay with the Expos.

Raines, who batted .334 and stole 70 bases last season, turned down Montreal’s contract of three years for $4.8 million, only a slight raise. Dawson, who says he wants to play for the Chicago Cubs, rejected the Expos’ offer of $2 million for two years.

What will happen to free agents who did not re-sign by the deadline remains to be seen. The players’ union last year filed a grievance against owners, charging they were colluding to restrict free-agent movement and salaries. The matter is being heard by an arbitrator.

Last month, free agent Jack Morris, the winningest pitcher in the 1980s, offered to sign with either the New York Yankees, Philadelphia, California or Minnesota, and was turned down by all four. Morris later accepted Detroit’s proposal of salary arbitration.

The Phillies, needing catching help, say they are interested in Parrish if the Tigers did not re-sign him.

Reich said he had not discussed the possibility with the Phillies, “but I do believe there are going to be pockets of interest.”

This week, the Yankees were apparently not interested in Gedman. According to Jack Sands, Gedman’s agent, the All-Star catcher expressed a desire to play in New York but was told by Yankees General Manager Woody Woodward, “We have no interest in Gedman” because the team already had Joel Skinner.

The Red Sox had offered Gedman a two-year contract at $750,000 per season, and Gedman rejected the proposal. Early Thursday evening, the Red Sox made what they called their final offer to Gedman, and were waiting to hear from the player and his agent.

Atlanta and Horner also remained apart. The Braves originally offered a three-year contract worth $4.5 million that was rejected by Horner and then pulled off the table by the team, which said it was too high anyway.

“I would assume we’re going past the deadline,” Bucky Woy, Horner’s agent, said Thursday. “We’re no closer than we were four months ago.”

The Braves were also still talking to their other free agent, pitcher Doyle Alexander, who has been offered $1.7 million for two seasons.

The Yankees had four free agents, including cocaptains Willie Randolph and Guidry.

Reggie Ringuet, Guidry’s agent, said he talked with the Yankees on Thursday evening, but reported no progress.

“We’re nowhere,” Ringuet said at 8 p.m. “It’s like no one is going to call anyone.”

Earlier in the day, Ringuet said he had not spoken with the Yankees since Monday. Guidry had sought a two-year contract worth $2.5 million, a total of $900,000 more than the team offered.

The Yankees signed pitcher Tommy John to a one-year contract, but apparently had decided not to re-sign outfielder Gary Roenicke. John’s salary is guaranteed for around $350,000; if he does not make the roster next season, he will serve in the front office, possibly as a roving pitching coach.

Other free agents who faced a decision by midnight were Toby Harrah of Texas and Ernie Whitt of Toronto.

Whitt, who is acting as his own agent, said at 6:15 p.m. Thursday that “negotiations are broken off and it doesn’t look promising at all.”

“I spoke to them half an hour ago and they’re sticking at their figure, which is unacceptable to me,” the Blue Jays catcher said. “They said it was their final offer.”