Downing, DeCinces Are Re-Signed by Angels : Boone Is Out; Only 5 Players Reach Agreement

The Angels came to terms with free agents Doug DeCinces and Brian Downing Thursday night but were unable to beat the 9 p.m. deadline in their bid to re-sign catcher Bob Boone, who now may not rejoin the Angels until May 1 at the earliest.

In a long day and night at Anaheim Stadium, General Manager Mike Port first reached agreement with Downing, the 36-year-old left fielder who hit 22 homers and drove in 96 runs last year, when he earned $725,000 in salary and incentives.

Downing’s new contract, it was learned, calls for two guaranteed years at $900,000 each and a third year not guaranteed at $850,000. He can qualify annually for a $50,000 bonus by making the All-Star team.

In an early-evening press conference, Port said that the dedicated Downing represented the heart and soul of the Angels and that his retention was a priority.

Third baseman DeCinces agreed to terms at about 8 p.m., Port said.

He had been seeking a two-year guarantee but capitulated in the face of the club’s refusal to offer more than one. He did receive a second year, but it is not guaranteed.

Port refused to reveal terms, but it is thought that DeCinces will have a shot this year at the same $1.1 million he earned while slugging 26 home runs and driving in 96 runs last year.

Of that total, $800,000 was in salary and $300,000 in incentives based on games played. Port said that the incentive phase of the new contract has been translated into plate appearances.

The 36-year-old DeCinces was on a hunting trip and unavailable for comment. He was, however, in contact with his Baltimore attorney, Ron Shapiro, who negotiated with Port via telephone.

The 39-year-old Boone, who caught 139 games or more in each of his five seasons with the Angels, was still negotiating with Port at the deadline.

“It’s absurd that we couldn’t get it done,” Boone later said via telephone, “but the Angels never gave one inch from the time we started and never really communicated.”

Boone said he was ready to accept a one-year, $883,000 offer at the 11th hour, “but I then thought about the six weeks of supposed negotiations, all the times I had put on the gear when I shouldn’t have and the fact that I was taking a cut from my last contract (which averaged $917,000 a year over three years). I didn’t feel that I was being treated fairly and I asked for a $10,000 raise, knowing it would probably queer the deal, and it did.”

Boone said he was disappointed and saddened to leave the Angels but did so with no ill feelings “because I have nothing but tremendous memories. The Angels meant a lot to my career when others thought it was dead.”

Although he now must face an uncertain market, Boone said he was excited at the thought of initiating what he called a “new phase” in his career. It is thought that both the Oakland A’s and the Philadelphia Phillies may be interested in his services.

Of the 15 players governed by the Thursday night deadline, only 5 came to terms with their respective teams.

In addition to Downing and DeCinces, second baseman Willie Randolph and pitcher Tommy John rejoined the New York Yankees, and catcher Ernie Whitt returned to Toronto.

The list of those who passed on the deadline and are prepared to test the owners’ solidarity includes Montreal outfielders Tim Raines and Andre Dawson, Yankee pitcher Ron Guidry and outfielder Gary Roenicke, Atlanta first baseman Bob Horner and pitcher Doyle Alexander, Detroit catcher Lance Parrish, Boston catcher Rich Gedman and Texas infielder Toby Harrah.

Would the Angels, who recently added protection via the acquisition of Butch Wynegar and Jack Fimple, now be inclined to pursue Parrish or Gedman as a replacement for Boone?

Port said it was too soon to make that decision, that his goal had been to re-sign Boone and that both sides should be blamed for not getting it done.

“It was important for us to keep all three of our players,” he said, “but I had prepared myself to lose all three. Even though we signed two of the three, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t sign the third. I don’t want to discuss the negotiations with Bob out of respect for what he has meant to the club.”

Downing, meanwhile, said he was ecstatic, that he wanted to remain with the Angels because this is his home (he lives in Yorba Linda) and that getting the second guaranteed year was his “main focus” in that he didn’t want the 1987 season to be similar to 1986, when he faced daily speculation regarding his future.

“I had a sense right from the start,” he said, “that the Angels wanted to me to be part of the club, and that meant a lot to me. I had the feeling from the start that they really wanted to work this out. Knowing now that I have the second guaranteed year should relax me.”

The third year, Downing said, is not based on any statistical criteria, nor is there a buyout if the Angels do not want to retain Downing.

“It’s strictly up to the Angels,” he said. “If I can’t do the job, I don’t want to be around, anyway. Who knows, I may retire after the second year.”

There has been speculation that Downing will replace Reggie Jackson as the club’s designated hitter this season, turning his spot in the outfield over to unproven Jack Howell, with rookie Devon White ticketed for right field.

“No one has said anything to me about it,” Downing said, “but if they want me to DH, that’s fine. I feel that if I can move from catcher to the outfield, I can move from left field to DH. I’m prepared to play the outfield again, but I don’t object to being the DH. I can concentrate strictly on my hitting and probably go about it a little differently. I’d probably concentrate on driving in runs.”

In the last five of his eight years with the Angels, Downing has averaged 82 RBIs and 22 home runs a season. The Angels now seem to be in transition, rebuilding from within the system, but Downing said he hopes to have some proven veterans hitting behind him and that the club will pursue one of the premier players now available as a free agent.

“There are some guys out there who can turn a rebuilding club into an instant winner,” Downing said.

It is unlikely, however, that the Angels would pay the price for a Raines or a Dawson. This is a club that would not even listen to the contract proposals of Jack Morris.