Ueberroth Plays Role as Clemens Agrees to Return to the Red Sox

Capping a week of intense negotiations prompted by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth’s intervention as mediator, Roger Clemens agreed Saturday to end his contract walkout and rejoin the Boston Red Sox.

Clemens, the American League’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner last year, left the Red Sox’s Florida training base March 6 when his 1987 contract was renewed at $500,000.

Although last week’s negotiations have yet to produce a new contract, Clemens agreed to return because the framework for a two-year contract is now in place.

Said Randy Hendricks, Clemens’ agent: “It will be 10 days to two weeks before everything is finalized. There are a number of important issues still to be resolved. But the most important thing is that Roger can get on with the season. Nobody wanted this to go on.”

Including Ueberroth, apparently.

Now, having helped put Clemens on Boston’s Saturday night charter for Milwaukee, where the Red Sox begin their pennant defense Monday, Ueberroth is rumored to be working in another direction.

Sources indicate that he is attempting to get the Major League Players Assn. to waive the rule that prevents free agents such as Tim Raines, Rich Gedman, Bob Boone and Ron Guidry from returning to their previous clubs until May 1.

Don Fehr, the union’s executive director, could not be reached for comment Saturday.

The rule is designed to stimulate bidding by other clubs and Fehr has said in the past that he would not waive it.

Now, however, with the season about to open, it seems obvious that Raines and the others have no choice but to return to their original teams. And the union now may be willing to let them rather than have them lose a month’s salary waiting until May 1.

Ueberroth acknowledged that he does not want to see the season open with some of the top stars sidelined, but he discussed only the Clemens situation, saying he intervened because both sides were “stubborn and hard headed.”

“Roger Clemens was unquestionably the best pitcher in baseball last year and he’s a good kid on top of it,” Ueberroth said by phone.

“Everyone loses if he doesn’t pitch. I felt that if we could get everyone in the same room we could get it resolved.

“My style is to be pro-active rather than pro-litigious.

“I tend to make a lot more mistakes that way, but at least I’m always doing something.

“I told them, ‘Let’s get together, damn it, and get this done.’ ”

Ueberroth said he delivered that message on Monday when he ordered Boston President and co-owner Haywood Sullivan to join him in Phoenix and asked Hendricks and Clemens to make it a foursome, which they did.

The face-to-face negotiations consumed most of Tuesday and Wednesday, at which time Sullivan returned to the team’s Florida training base while Hendricks and Clemens went to Houston, where they resumed negotiations by phone.

It was decided Friday night that Clemens, happy that the Red Sox are “ready to recognize what I did last year,” will rejoin the team. The contract terms were not announced, but both sides compromised significantly, according to Hendricks.

Clemens, who originally wanted two years at $2.4 million, will apparently get about $2.7, with incentives. He will apparently accept the $500,000 this year since the Red Sox have reportedly agreed to expand a $475,000 incentive package by $150,000 if he starts 31 games. His 1988 salary is expected to be about $1.5 million.

Last year, en route to a 24-4 record, he made $330,000, with incentives.

Clemens returned to Boston’s training base in Winter Haven, Fla., Saturday and promptly pitched six no-hit innings against Harvard in a minor league exhibition game. He struck out 10, walked two and got six infield outs.

“I might have to take my lumps in the first couple starts,” Clemens said, “but I’m ready. My velocity is fine. I just have to get my location down.”

It is not certain when he will make his first start. He had been scheduled to oppose Milwaukee’s Ted Higuera in the season opener.

Of Clemens’ return, Boston pitching coach Bill Fischer said: “We just improved by 24 games.”