Joyner Is in Camp, Unsigned : Angel First Baseman Seeks Contract That Rewards Rookie Year

Like Jose Canseco, his rival in the 1986 American League race for Rookie of the Year, Wally Joyner has not signed a contract for the 1987 baseball season. But unlike Canseco, Joyner is in training camp, having reported a day before the Angels were to hold their first full-squad workout.

“I’m down here to play ball,” Joyner, the Angel first baseman, said Thursday. “I didn’t think it would benefit me by staying away. My job is to put the uniform on and, hopefully, at the same time, my people and the Angels can negotiate a good contract.”

Canseco, meanwhile, is sitting out the opening days of the Oakland A’s training camp at Phoenix. He plans to hold out until an agreement is reached.

Earlier this week, several published reports on the East Coast speculated that Joyner would join Canseco as a spring holdout, saying he was miffed over an initial offer of $90,000.

Joyner and his agent, Steve Freyer, denied the report.

“A holdout is an option, but we dealt with the idea for about five minutes,” Joyner said. “We agreed that beginning the season here was best for me. To hold out would be showing that we expect this to be a problem.

“I feel I should be compensated for having an above-average year, an above-good year. Hopefully, the Angels think the same way. I’m not asking for the world. I’m asking to be treated fairly, and so far the Angels have been fair to me.”

Freyer called the reports “balderdash.”

“We never entertained the notion of holding out,” Freyer said. “And the figure of $90,000 was way off. The Angels have not insulted us.”

Freyer would not disclose figures, but it is believed that he and Joyner are seeking a one-year contract in the range of $250,000 to $300,000.

“Darryl Strawberry received $335,000 after his rookie season,” Freyer said. “We understand that times are different now, that the mood of management is to keep salaries down. Still, we want to reward Wally for an extraordinary season.”

In 1986, Joyner batted .290 with 22 home runs and 100 RBIs, breaking the club’s rookie record for RBIs before the All-Star break.

Freyer recited the rest of his client’s resume.

“He was the first rookie to be voted to start the All-Star Game,” he said. “He was eighth in the (American League) MVP voting. He had people all over wanting to see ‘Wally World.’ That qualifies as extraordinary.”

Freyer gets no argument from Gene Mauch, the Angel manager.

“I feel Wally should get as much as, or more than, any other rookie,” Mauch said. Negotiations between Joyner and the Angels have been slow to develop. In late December, in accordance with baseball regulations, General Manager Mike Port tendered Joyner a contract for the same salary as he earned in 1986--$65,000. Freyer termed it a token offer.

“Mike sent along a note saying that he didn’t want to tender an offer that would be misinterpreted,” Freyer said. “But he had to send Wally a contract by the Dec. 20 deadline. And that contract was for what he made last year.”

According to Freyer, he did not discuss actual contract figures with Port until Tuesday.

“We talked briefly Tuesday and had a real long conversation (Wednesday),” Freyer said. “The ball’s in Mr. Port’s court. We are awaiting his response to our modest proposal.”

Joyner said he was not concerned about the inactivity of the recent months.

“We had talked with Mike in the past few weeks, and he said he had me still in his mind but asked if could take time first to work with the people who had deadlines,” Joyner said, referring to free agents Doug DeCinces, Brian Downing and Bob Boone, and Gary Pettis and Dick Schofield, who went to arbitration.

“Once the two arbitration cases were done, all of a sudden it’s my turn,” Joyner said.

Port, who was in Dallas Thursday for the baseball owners’ meetings, has said he wants to have all players signed by next Thursday, whether that means reaching a new agreement or renewing contracts for 1986 salaries.

Freyer said that may be pushing it with Joyner.

“I don’t know if we’re a week away,” he said. “We’re not that close. If it comes down to it, I’ll ask Mike to consider delaying that date.”

Angel Notes

Gene Mauch was asked if he ever had managed a player who held out during the spring. “No,” he said. “I had Richie Allen disappear on me a few times. A lot of the players I had were holding on, not holding out.” . . . Mauch also offered an outsider’s view on Gary Pettis’ recent arbitration settlement. Pettis was asking for $550,000 but lost and will receive $400,000 for 1987. “If I was Gary Pettis, I’d get myself a new agent,” Mauch said. “I was sorry to see Gary go in that high. If he had pulled those numbers down a little bit, I bet he would have won it. How about $495,000? Anything under $500,000 would have been a lock cinch.” . . . Along with Wally Joyner, other position players who reported to camp early were infielder Mark McLemore and outfielders Devon White, Jack Howell, Reggie Montgomery and Mark Ryal.