BASEBALL WINTER MEETINGS : Brewers Sign Parker to Be DH

The Milwaukee Brewers, in need of a designated hitter, signed free agent Dave Parker to a two-year contract Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are trying to keep Robin Yount, their free-agent center fielder.

The Brewers seem to be banking on Yount’s loyalty in the face of what sources here say is a huge offer from the Angels.

Yount, in addition to the remaining debt on $5 million in loans that he received from the Brewers as part of his last contract, is said to be having problems because of investments in Arizona land.

The Angel offer, the sources claim, was tailored by Jackie Autry, wife of the Angel owner and a former bank executive. It would provide Yount with enough up-front money to relieve his financial problems, plus a piece of land belonging to Gene Autry near the Angels’ training complex in Mesa, Arizona.

Jackie Autry, after arriving with her husband Sunday night, said she was not involved in the Angel offer. She would not discuss the details of that offer but confirmed that Yount’s loans are a serious complication.

She also speculated that Yount’s heart is in Milwaukee and he is torn between an emotional attachment to Brewer owner Bud Selig and a pragmatic belief that the Angels have a better chance to win.

“I think he wants to be in Milwaukee and I think he wants to be with the Angels,” she said. “If he could split it down the middle, he’d be happy.”

She said that a deal hasn’t been completed and couldn’t predict when or if one would be.

The signing of Parker, who led the world champion Oakland A’s in run production last season, was interpreted as an attempt to convince Yount that the club is commited to strengthening itself.

Yount, the American League’s most valuable player, criticized the Brewers’ talent when the season ended. He claimed that the veteran corps of Paul Molitor, Jim Gantner and himself had been isolated by the heavy mix of young players.

Parker, who drove in 97 runs and hit 22 homers for the A’s, is 39 and a clubhouse leader. He would seem to be everything that Yount said the Brewers were missing.

“I hope this has some impact on his decision,” Parker said, appearing at baseball’s winter meetings here. “I’m looking forward to being his teammate.”

The Brewers had not signed a free agent since 1980, when they came to terms with infielder Roy Howell of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Harry Dalton, general manager of the Brewers, said the Parker signing was a mere coincidence. “Like a lot of players, Robin was disappointed we didn’t win and expressed his feelings,” Dalton said, “but as far as coming here with the feeling that he had put a gun to our head, that’s not the case.

“Everyone knows we had an unstable DH situation and trouble with our run production against right-handers. Parker brings a championship presence to the clubhouse and a proven record as a run producer.”

The Brewers were 49-62 against right-handers last season, when they finished fourth in the American League East with an 81-81 record.

They gave Parker a $400,000 signing bonus and guaranteed salaries of $1 million in 1990 and $1.4 million in 1991. He can earn $250,000 each year in appearance bonuses and will receive a $225,000 buyout if the Brewers fail to pick up his $1.4 million option in 1992. The total guarantee is $3.025 million.

Is it tough leaving Oakland?

“Not after the earthquake, it isn’t,” Parker said, adding that he wanted to be closer to his Cincinnati home and wanted a two-year contract that the A’s refused to offer.

A’s general manager Sandy Alderson cited Parker’s age and said he was unwilling to go beyond a one-year offer.

“You can’t take the same snapshot and use it every year,” he said. “The A’s have to rejuvenate, and this is part of the renewal process.”

The A’s, Alderson said, are not interested in free agent Pete O’Brien, a proven hitter. Of the sweeping escalation in free agent salaries, Alderson said:

“This is like the sea changing off the coast of Malta. I’ve spent the last 24 hours the same way George Bush did-- retching over the fantail.”

Hank Peters, general manager of the Cleveland Indians, said Sunday that he hoped to conclude a trade involving Joe Carter within 48 hours.

The interested teams, with the key player being proposed for Carter:

The Angels (Devon White), Boston Red Sox (Mike Greenwell), Kansas City Royals (Danny Tartabull), San Diego Padres (Sandy Alomar), St. Louis Cardinals (Vince Coleman and/or Willie McGee), Chicago White Sox (Ivan Calderon) and Toronto Blue Jays (Manny Lee, Duane Ward and Junior Felix).

The Angels are also in the market for a relief pitcher to take the load off Bryan Harvey. A possibility is Kirk McCaskill going to the Philadelphia Phillies for Roger McDowell if McCaskill is not used in a Carter trade.

Tom Reich, who represents Angel free-agent catcher Lance Parrish, met twice with San Francisco Giant president Al Rosen Sunday, but Rosen later said: “I think California is so bold right now that they’re not going to let their catcher get away.”

Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, met with four teams, including the Boston Red Sox about Ellis Burks, but little was accomplished.

“It’s a tougher match this year,” Claire said. “We definitely have limited opportunities.”

Those opportunities became even more limited when the Cleveland Indians, who met with five teams to discuss Joe Carter, did not include the Dodgers. And representatives for Milwaukee free agent Robin Yount have not talked to the Dodgers in several days.

The Dodgers still are seeking a center fielder, but Claire now says that he would not have to be a leadoff hitter.

“I think Kal Daniels could do that,” he said of the injured Dodger outfielder.

Among the center fielders Claire probably will discuss this week are Kansas City free agent Willie Wilson, New York Met Juan Samuel, Philadelphia Phillies Len Dykstra and Von Hayes and Pittsburgh’s Barry Bonds.

Baseball Notes

Fred Claire said he expects the Dodgers to lose two players in today’s major league draft, during which non-roster players with at least three years of experience can be selected by other teams. The two are triple-A pitchers who were once top prospects: William Brennan, who was 6-9, 5.23 earned-run average for Albuquerque, and Greg Mayberry, who was 8-4 with a 3.96 ERA for the Dukes. Most of the Dodgers’ best prospects have less than three years experience. The Dodgers have the 10th selection in the draft but, because their roster is at its 40-man limit, Claire said they would not make a selection.

Times staff writer Bill Plaschke contributed to this story.