Baseball’s Winter Meetings : Dodgers, Angels Have Voids to Fill Before Their Teams Are Complete

While Jack McKeon of the San Diego Padres reveled in his role as deal broker Thursday, signing free-agent pitcher Bruce Hurst and then turning his sights on outfielder Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves, executives of the Dodgers and Angels returned home from baseball’s winter meetings with unfinished agendas.

The Dodgers hardly came home empty-handed, of course. As Executive Vice President Fred Claire was proud to point out, Sunday’s swap for Baltimore first baseman Eddie Murray enabled them to join the New York Mets as the only teams in the National League with 3 players who hit 20 home runs or more last season.

But Claire returned to Los Angeles Thursday morning without a second baseman-leadoff hitter. A prime target, Wally Backman of the Mets, wound up with Minnesota, and a last-ditch alternative, free agent Willie Randolph, remains unsigned.

“Just remember, for every door that closes, another opens,” Manager Tom Lasorda said bravely before leaving for a speaking engagement in Florida.

But Lasorda failed to mention that Mariano Duncan, the man penciled in as the Dodgers’ starting second baseman in April, was last seen disappearing through a trap door to Albuquerque after calling Lasorda a liar.

The Dodger manager proclaims his willingness to set aside personal differences while making out his lineup card, but Lasorda is known to have a long memory. And when given a chance to clear the air on his visit to the Dominican Republic last week, Lasorda took a pass. So did Duncan.

The Angels didn’t come home empty-handed, either. After laying a total of almost $9 million on the table for Hurst and another free-agent pitcher, Nolan Ryan, General Manager Mike Port brought back a backup catcher, Bill Schroeder, who will not be confused with Bob Boone by anybody in Anaheim.

An off-season that had started out so promising with the trade for catcher Lance Parrish and the signing of free-agent pitcher Bert Blyleven turned sour in the last fortnight with the defection of Boone and the rejections by Hurst and Ryan.

It wasn’t long ago that free agents--look no further than Reggie Jackson--were only too happy to take Gene Autry’s cash and relocate at the Big A. Given how ardent Autry was in his pursuit of Hurst and Ryan, was their ultimate “thanks but no thanks” a reflection of how the Angel organization is perceived these days?

Autry demurred.

“Nolan told me he honestly wanted to come with us but his family was his main concern and I can readily understand that,” Autry said. “In Hurst’s case, he had told us all along that his desire was to go to San Diego, that he liked the environment there.

“They both put family ahead of money, and I can respect that.”

What’s happening here--has the Happiest Place on Earth suddenly become a bad neighborhood? No, Port said, Hurst and Ryan were special cases, Hurst because the San Diego life style had great appeal, Ryan because he didn’t want to stray too far from his ranch in Texas.

“I know Gene is disappointed but he’s also realistic,” Port said. “I think he’s comfortable with the effort we made.”

Even if it paled next to that of the Texas Rangers, who acquired two .300 hitters and two starting pitchers--among them Ryan--while unloading 10 players in a frenzy of activity. Or to the Padres, who already had added first baseman Jack Clark before signing Hurst and were pushing hard to wrest outfielder Murphy from the Braves.

“I’m not concerned about San Diego,” Claire said. “I’m concerned about our ballclub, and we’ve made a lot of changes.

“They can do whatever they want to do. Obviously, they’re (now) a better team, but so be it.”

There were two trades Thursday involving Montreal. The Expos acquired a shortstop, Spike Owen, from Boston after using four players at that position last season.

Montreal--which also got minor league pitcher Dan Gakeler in the deal--gave up right-handed pitcher John Dopson, whose 3-11 record as a rookie was mitigated by his 3.04 earned-run average. Dopson shut out Orel Hershiser and the Dodgers, 3-0, for his first big-league victory.

The Expos also threw in utility infielder Luis Rivera, who hit .224 in 123 games last season.

Montreal’s other deal involved an exchange of outfielders. The Expos acquired left-handed hitting Mike Aldrete, who batted .267 in 139 games for the San Francisco Giants, for the right-handed hitting Tracy Jones, who batted .295 in 90 games for the Expos and Reds last season.

Neither player is projected as a starter, although the Giants are hopeful that Jones will give them some right-handed power if Candy Maldonado has another off-year or if rookie third baseman Matt Williams--who is expected to cause a shift of Kevin Mitchell to the outfield--falters.

Baseball Notes

Fred Claire said that he had spoken again Thursday to Ron Shapiro, agent for Willie Randolph, but the Dodgers’ executive vice president said the team still has yet to make an offer. Randolph, as one of the free agents involved in the second collusion case, must decide by Dec. 16 whether he will sign with another team or become Yankee property. If the Yankees, however, don’t offer him a contract by Dec. 20, the date by which contracts must be tendered, Randolph would become a free agent again.

Claire said that he had received no indications that Randolph--who lives in New Jersey--had reservations about re-locating to the West Coast. . . . There may be a new entry in the Randolph sweepstakes--the Montreal Expos.

Times staff writer Ross Newhan contributed to this story.