Dodgers Talk to Gibson’s Agent; Claire Refuses to Divulge Details

Fred Claire, executive vice president of the Dodgers, issued a statement Sunday in which he said he had talked with Doug Baldwin, the agent for new Detroit Tiger free agent Kirk Gibson, and that he expected to talk with Baldwin again early this week.

Claire refused to discuss any other aspects of the situation, but is known to have scheduled a staff meeting by telephone for this morning to review: 1) Gibson’s availability, 2) the ability of the Dodgers to find room for him amid the presence of Pedro Guerrero, Mike Marshall, John Shelby and Mike Davis, and 3) the possibility of a trade involving either Guerrero or Marshall.

Baldwin could not be reached for comment, but told sources who requested anonymity that Claire said he would be better able to define the Dodgers’ interest--or lack of it--when they next talked.

The sources, who have close ties to Baldwin, also said that Gibson’s new contract demands will be designed to compensate for the money he estimates that he lost as a free agent victim of the owners’ collusion in the winter of 1985-86.

At that time, they said, he was seeking a five year, $7.5 million contract but received no offers and eventually signed a three year, $4 million Detroit contract that has paid him $2.7 million, including signing bonuses, for 1986 and ’87.

Thus, to reach $7.5 million, Gibson will be seeking $4.8 over the next three years.

He is already guaranteed $1.3 million in the final year of his current contract, so a two-year extention could cost the Dodgers $3.5 million or $1.5 million more than they have guaranteed Davis to play right field for the next two years.

Davis, to a large extent, replaced Gibson in the Dodgers’ plans. His signing, of course, followed the Dodgers’ December withdrawal from a Guerrero-for-Gibson trade because of Gibson’s possible involvement in the collusion decision that has now made him a free agent.

Now, however, the numbers--both in personnel and payroll--may mitigate against the Dodgers getting involved again.