Morgan Signs Two-Year Contract With Dodgers

The Dodgers whittled their list of potential free agents to five Tuesday by signing pitcher Mike Morgan to a two-year contract worth an estimated total of $1.3 million.

In a deal that was resolved sooner than expected, the well-traveled Morgan turned down the chance to negotiate a possible three-year deal as a free agent because, according to his agent, he has finally found a home. The money wasn’t bad, either. Morgan received a substantial raise from his 1989 incentives-included salary of about $450,000.

“He has made a lot of stops and he finally decided, if the deal was right, Los Angeles would be a real nice place to stay,” Joe Garagiola Jr. said from his Scottsdale, Ariz., office. Garagiola was speaking for Morgan, who is at his winter cabin in the Utah mountains.

Morgan, acquired in a trade with Baltimore last spring, was 8-11 with a 2.53 earned-run average last season. Against his wishes, he was removed from the rotation in July, despite a 2.61 ERA. But Garagiola said his client finally was convinced that he could best help the team with his versatility as either a starter or a reliever.

“(Dodger Manager) Tommy Lasorda had a good talk with Mike at the end of the season and told him what he meant to the team,” Garagiola said. “That was important to Mike. He is very happy to stay here and will do whatever they want, whether it be starting or relieving.”

In 19 starts, Morgan was 6-11 with a 2.74 ERA. In 21 relief appearances, he was 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA. His removal from the rotation left him 9 1/3 innings shy of qualifying for a place among the National League’s ERA leaders. His overall mark would have ranked fourth.

Signing Morgan gives the Dodgers insurance in case they lose the most notable of their five remaining potential free agents, pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who is asking for more than $2 million a year. The Dodgers’ offer is closer to $1 million.

Of the other four potential free agents, the Dodgers have said they intend to re-sign utilityman Mickey Hatcher. Outfielder John Shelby and infielder Dave Anderson will probably be offered spring training make-good contracts, although at least Anderson has said he will probably test the free-agent market first. Pitcher John Tudor has said that he would likely want to play elsewhere.