Sutton Is Back With Dodgers : Free-Agent Pitcher Signs for One Year With Incentives

Tuesday’s Dodger press conference at a downtown restaurant was originally intended to introduce Jesse Orosco to the Southern California media.

It did that and more.

Orosco got his introduction as planned.

But then the Dodgers re-introduced Don Sutton as a member of the organization.

Is Sutton joining former teammate Don Drysdale in the broadcast booth?

Is he succeeding Steve Brener as publicity director?

No, on both counts.

Sutton, 42, was signed Tuesday morning to continue his pitching career in the Dodger rotation.

“For myself and my family, this is more than I could have possibly envisioned,” Sutton said, having been signed as a free agent after a meeting with business partner Jim Riskas and Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president. “I’m not very good at coping with my emotions, but I have a warm feeling and a lot of neat reasons when I think about returning to my alma mater.”

Sutton debuted in 1966 and spent the better part of 15 years as a Dodger before leaving as a free agent after the 1980 season. He returns with a one-year contract that represents a change in Dodger policy in that it is laden with incentive provisions of the type that former general manager, Al Campanis, refused to include.

The terms were not announced, but Sutton said he can earn about $800,000 by satisfying all the provisions.

On the way to an 11-11 record with the Angels last year, Sutton earned $890,000. He received $550,000 in salary and another $340,000 in incentives based on games started.

Sutton said his 1988 salary will be less than last year’s and that the incentives are more varied. Some, he said, are based on his ability to remain on the roster at certain dates. Others stem from starts and appearances.

Sutton called it a shared risk.

“If I do the job, I’ll be paid well,” he said. “If I don’t, well, I don’t even want to think about that. I made 34 starts last year, and in 25 of them, (the Angels) had a chance to win without scoring a lot of runs.

“The tank eventually has to run dry, but I don’t think that will happen for a while. I think I can still give the Dodgers a chance to win. I know they can count on three things: I’ll be on time, I’ll be in shape, and I’ll take the ball whenever it’s offered.”

All of that, Claire said, was a factor in the Dodgers’ decision to share the risk. The Dodgers had not given incentives since 1976, when Tommy John received some in his return from elbow surgery. Will he now give incentives to others?

“I think you have to treat it case by case,” Claire said. “In this case, I think it can work for both of us.”

Claire said he had spoken with Sutton briefly at the December baseball meetings in Dallas, and they met again last week. He said that Sutton’s availability did not influence the decision to trade Bob Welch, but “having made that move, we felt we had to address the pitching situation, and that Sutton represented a proven winner who can have a positive influence on our younger players.”

Manager Tom Lasorda, speaking from the Dominican Republic, also cited Sutton’s durability, the fact that he has continued to pitch 190 or more innings every year since the 1981 strike, the only season Sutton failed to pitch that many.

Lasorda said Sutton would join Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser in the rotation, with Tim Belcher, Shawn Hillegas, Tim Leary, Alejandro Pena and Ken Howell competing for the other two spots. Orosco and Jay Howell, he said, would be his left- and right-handed stoppers in the bullpen, respectively.

With an overall record of 321-250, Sutton ranks 2nd on baseball’s all-time list for games started, 14th in wins, 6th in strikeouts, 11th in innings pitched and 9th in shutouts. He has been gone from the Dodgers for seven seasons but remains the club’s all-time leader in victories with 230, losses with 175, starts, strikeouts, innings pitched and shutouts.

“Seven years seems like a long time,” Sutton said, reflecting on his departure from the Dodgers. “A lot of things have happened. I mean, it’s not the road I would have chosen to follow, but I wouldn’t trade any of it. I met some wonderful people and learned some valuable lessons. We were worlds apart regarding what I felt I was worth in 1980, but looking back, it was the right business decision for all involved.”

Sutton pitched for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics before joining the Angels, who refused to pick up his contract option after the 1987 season in which he had a 4.70 earned-run average and averaged only five-plus innings per start.

Angel Manager Gene Mauch restricted Sutton to 100 pitches per start. Sutton said that he hopes Lasorda will be more flexible, treating each start on its merits. He said that he had been conducting talks with five teams, including one in Japan, when the Dodgers made their offer, allowing him to remain a commuter from his Laguna Hills home.

“I decided that I had to pitch again in 1988 when all the jobs I applied for were taken,” Sutton said, glib as always. Can he pitch into the ‘90s, making it four decades?

“I don’t know if I can back up third base that many more times,” he said, smiling.

Of his remaining goals, the goal-oriented pitcher said: “I’ve accomplished just about everything I set out to accomplish. I don’t want to stay around and embarrass myself, but I do want to win a World Series. That’s the one thing I have left.”

What does Claire have left after acquiring three pitchers, Sutton, Howell and Orosco; a shortstop, Alfredo Griffin; and a right fielder, Mike Davis, this winter?

There are the ongoing conversations with agent Jim Bronner, who represents free-agent third baseman Gary Gaetti of the Minnesota Twins. Bronner said that he will be meeting with the Twins today but expects to talk with Claire again before Friday, when Gaetti must re-sign with the Twins or become ineligible to rejoin them until May 1.

There’s also Steve Garvey’s desire to return to the Dodgers for a final hurrah, which would unite him with a former fistic adversary, Sutton. As Dodger teammates, Garvey and Sutton had a clubhouse fight in 1978.

Claire said he will be talking with Garvey within the next 10 days, but his tone, and the probability that Mike Marshall or Pedro Guerrero will be moving to first base, compounding the logjam there, makes it seem unlikely that Garvey--or even free-agent first baseman Jack Clark--will be signed.

Claire reflected on his winter’s work and said: “We’ll go into the 1988 season considerably improved over the way we finished the 1987 season, and there’s still more we may do.”

SUTTON’S CAREER

YEAR TEAM W-L ERA 1966 Los Angeles 12-12 2.99 1967 Los Angeles 11-15 3.94 1968 Los Angeles 11-15 2.60 1969 Los Angeles 17-18 3.47 1970 Los Angeles 15-13 4.08 1971 Los Angeles 17-12 2.55 1972 Los Angeles 19-9 2.08 1973 Los Angeles 18-10 2.43 1974 Los Angeles 19-9 3.23 1975 Los Angeles 16-13 2.87 1976 Los Angeles 21-10 3.06 1977 Los Angeles 14-8 3.19 1978 Los Angeles 15-11 3.55 1979 Los Angeles 12-15 3.82 1980 Los Angeles 13-5 2.21 1981 Houston 11-9 2.60 1982 Houston 13-8 3.00 Milwaukee 4-1 3.29 1983 Milwaukee 8-13 4.08 1984 Milwaukee 14-12 3.77 1985 Oakland 13-8 3.89 California 2-2 3.69 1986 California 15-11 3.74 1987 California 11-11 4.70