Marshall, Pena Become Latest Dodgers to File for Salary Arbitration

Mike Marshall and Alejandro Pena, both cut the maximum of 20% by the Dodgers, filed for salary arbitration Thursday, joining Orel Hershiser, who had filed Wednesday in response to a 20% cut.

Of the six Dodgers eligible for arbitration, five filed before Thursday’s 9 p.m. deadline, with Matt Young and Dave Anderson joining Marshall, Pena and Hershiser in filing. Len Matuszek passed, agreeing to a one-year contract for the same $220,000 he made last year. Matuszek, 32, hit .261 with 9 home runs and 28 runs batted in last season.

Gary Pettis and Dick Schofield, two of three eligible Angels, filed. Jerry Narron did not.

Any player with three or more years of major league service and whose contract has expired can file for arbitration.

The hearings will be held between Feb. 5 and 20, but the involved players can continue to negotiate with their clubs in the meantime.

If the negotiations remain unresolved, an arbitrator will ultimately chose between a figure submitted by the club and a figure submitted by the player. The players and clubs involved in Thursday’s filings must submit their respective figures by Monday.

For Hershiser, Marshall and Pena, arbitration is something of a risk in that the Dodgers can withdraw their previous offer and submit a figure that would represent more than a 20% cut.

Asked if that might happen, Vice President Al Campanis said:

“The rule reads that if a player goes to arbitration he can be cut more than 20%, and that certainly is a consideration we are thinking about deeply.”

In the wake of his 19-3 record in 1985, when he earned $212,000, Hershiser went to arbitration last winter and won, getting a $788,000 raise to $1 million. Now, after a 14-14 season, he has been offered $800,000, a 20% cut.

It is believed that Hershiser wants a raise similar to the $100,000 raise that Fernando Valenzuela got after going 12-17 in 1984 or the $56,250 raise that Bob Welch got after going 7-13 last year.

Of Hershiser, Campanis said: “He lost 11 more games than the previous year and won five less. That’s a 16-game differential right there. You pay for what you get.”

Marshall has been offered $520,000 after making $650,000 last year, when a back injury prevented him from playing the final six weeks. He hit 19 homers and had 53 RBIs in 103 games.

Pena, 1-2 with a 4.89 earned-run average, missed the season’s first seven weeks while undergoing shoulder rehabilitation. He made $350,000 and has been offered $280,000.

Young, who earned $205,000 with Seattle last year, is expected to receive a raise before his case goes to arbitration. Anderson, however, has received a cut from his $200,000 of last year, when he batted .245 and missed two months with a broken finger.

In the wake of a fifth-place finish, the cuts were not unexpected.

“We’re not holding it against guys because they were hurt but we do want good years,” Campanis said. “It’s as simple as that. As I told one of the guys the other day, I feel we’re being fair in view of the circumstances. If they perform well they’ll be compensated, the way it used to be.”

Pettis and Schofield have received mailed contracts from the Angels for the salaries they made last year, $300,000 and $210,000, respectively. There have been no negotiations, but General Manager Mike Port said Thursday that was only because he had been busy trying to re-sign free agents Doug DeCinces, Brian Downing and Bob Boone. He said that he expected to start talks soon.

Narron, who did not file, is expected to sign for the same $142,000 he made last year.