Money Shifts Balance of Power in AL West : Baseball: Royals and Angels plunge into the free-agent market in maneuvers designed to dethrone two-time division champion Oakland.

If the Oakland Athletics thought they were going to roll into the 1990s on their dynasty label, they discovered a missing ingredient. Cash.

They tied up Rickey Henderson for five years at a cool $3 million per and figured that was enough to solidify baseball’s best team. But it might not be enough to ensure the A’s of being the best team in their own division.

Clearly, you have to pay to play with the big boys in the American League’s West Division. And the teams chasing Oakland are doing it in high style.

Kansas City is the latest and, so far at least, the most persistent challenger. The Royals have added $19 million worth of Davises to their budget for the next four years.

Monday’s signing of free-agent reliever Mark Davis, formerly of the San Diego bullpen, to a four-year, $13 million contract came four days after the already well-armed Royals had enticed Storm Davis from Oakland with $6 million for three years. The additions make John Wathan the first manager ever to have both reigning Cy Young Award winners on his pitching staff.

With a league-leading 44 saves in 48 opportunities, Mark Davis was the National League winner last year, while Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen (23-6) won the award in the American League. And, despite a somewhat lofty earned run average, Storm Davis has won 36 games over the last two years. Injuries would appear to be the only reason the Royals won’t have the best pitching staff in the American League next season.

“Our pitching staff is the strongest in baseball right now,” Wathan said. “We’ve got a lot of options. We’ve got a lot of depth.

“When we have our American League Cy Young winner go eight innings and we’ve got our National League Cy Young winner in the bullpen, what are you going to do? What a decision. Which Cy Young do you end up closing the game with?”

Agreeing to an offer that his agent said was only the fifth-best he had received, Davis, 29, dropped his request for a five-year contract.

“It was not a matter of money,” he said. “I had a lot of factors that I was considering and this organization met most of those factors. I took into account that Kansas City is a most consistent organization, and the way my family felt. I did not take the highest bidder. I took the one that’s best for Mark Davis and for my family.”

Even the “fifth-best” offer carried plenty of dollar signs.

In addition to getting a $1.5 million signing bonus, Davis will receive salaries of $1.75 million in 1990 and a record $3.25 million for each of the 1991-93 seasons.

“It really is amazing the kind of money that’s coming out now, isn’t it?” said Davis’ wife, Candy, laughing. “You’d think he had discovered the cure for cancer, or something.”

And now the Royals are fortified with a pitching rotation of Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Tom Gordon and Storm Davis with Mark Davis as their closer.

“Obviously, we’re delighted to sign Mark Davis,” said Royals General Manager John Schuerholz. “This is the second time in a week we’ve been able to sign a player for less than he was offered elsewhere, but with the two Davises, as well as Richard Dotson, this gives us the best pitching staff we’ve ever had here and, I’d have to say, the best staff anywhere in baseball.”

Traditionally, the Royals have shied away from the expensive free-agent field, but the A’s dominance, despite several key injuries in 1989, obviously has affected the approach of every team in the division.

The Chicago White Sox, taking the Orioles’ approach in the American League West, are the only team that hasn’t stretched its credit limit. Oakland’s other chief competitor, California, set the guidelines earlier by giving Mark Langston a $16 million, five-year contract.

Suddenly the domino effect is playing havoc with Oakland’s attempt to dominate. The additions by Kansas City and California wouldn’t be as drastic if the A’s were able to keep their cast intact, but cracks are starting to appear in the foundation.

The world champions took a good gamble in re-acquiring Henderson from the Yankees, but not without depleting their talent base. And since the end of the season, the A’s have lost three significant players (Dave Parker, Tony Phillips and Storm Davis) and are on the verge of losing Matt Young.

Parker led the A’s with 97 RBI, Davis had 19 wins and Phillips was an effective and versatile performer who will be difficult to replace.

If Young leaves, as expected, it would mean that four of the nine pitchers who opened the season (Eric Plunk and Greg Cadaret went to the Yankees in the Henderson deal) would be gone.

Ken Phelps provides some protection for the loss of Parker, and the A’s overall talent can probably make up for Phillips’ departure. But ultimately the draining of the pitching staff will create problems.

Despite their reputation as baseball’s bashers, the A’s have relied heavily on a very versatile and deep pitching staff. Now there are holes to fill if Manager Tony La Russa is going to continue to enjoy the luxury of saving Dennis Eckersley until the final three outs.

Oakland General Manager Sandy Alderson, long a proponent of fiscal restraint but hardly oblivious to changes in the marketplace, thinks his team can survive this mini-crisis. But he might be having some doubts.

“We came here with the best team in baseball and I think we’ll leave here with the best team in baseball,” Alderson said during the winter meetings last week.

That was before the Royals had completed their Davis roundup.

Now the A’s have to be at least mildly concerned about being the best team in their division. The Royals and Angels in particular are gambling a lot of money that they won’t be.

In the American League West, you have to pay to play. And there are going to be some heavy losers.