Dodgers May Get Left Out : Baseball: Tudor signs one-year contract with the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the A’s talk with Valenzuela.

Amid an off-season that is looking strangely like last summer, the Dodgers lost free agent pitcher John Tudor Thursday and could be losing free agent pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

Tudor, deciding he needed to pitch more than three times a month as he did in September, turned down a competitive Dodger offer and signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. At the same time, sources said Valenzuela is within days of signing with another team, the leading candidate being the Oakland Athletics.

“Yes, we have talked to Valenzuela,” an Oakland source confirmed. “There won’t be anything tomorrow, but I can’t say about two or three days from now.”

Dodger sources say Valenzuela was heavily wooed by the New York Yankees last weekend, but, contrary to media speculation, the Yankees dropped from the picture earlier this week.

In a statement issued Thursday, Yankee Vice President George Bradley said, “The Yankees have never been interested in Valenzuela nor have we had any conversations with Fernando or his agent.”

Oakland appears a likely choice because the A’s were one of the finalists in the Tudor sweepstakes, and are in need of a solid left-hander to join Dave Stewart, Mike Moore and Bob Welch in the defending world champions’ rotation. They are hurting from the loss of right-hander Storm Davis, who recently took his 31 starts to Kansas City, although they did sign right-hander Scott Sanderson Wednesday.

Despite an improved Dodger offer last week, the Dodgers and their former Cy Young Award winner remain far apart. They have offered Valenzuela a two-year deal of about $1.7 million per year, a pay cut from Valenzuela’s $1.85-million salary of last season. That offer is about $3 million less than Valenzuela’s demand of three years at nearly $6.5 million.

The Dodgers have also offered Valenzuela arbitration, which he must accept by next Tuesday. But Valenzuela’s lawyer, Dick Moss, implied he would not accept that offer, meaning if the club can’t sign him by Jan. 8, he cannot re-sign with the Dodgers until May 1.

Moss and Valenzuela’s agent, Tony DeMarco, refused comment Thursday, but earlier this week Moss dropped hints.

“The Dodgers have been trying to create a climate where it’s all set up for Fernando to sign,” Moss said. “That is not true, and if there’s any further doubt about that, we could erase it on Dec. 19.”

Moss added: “People should realize the seriousness of what is happening here. The Dodgers have offered to substantially cut Fernando’s salary for two years. That’s not a good way to treat him.”

Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire, currently in Hawaii combining business with a rare vacation, would not comment on reports of Valenzuela’s imminent departure.

“I recognize the situation as it is,” Claire said. “Fernando is out there for all teams to approach. The only thing I will say is, we still have an interest, and we’ve expressed that interest.”

Their interest in Tudor apparently came too late. Tudor, who was acquired by the Dodgers from St. Louis for Pedro Guerrero on Aug. 17, 1988, signed a one-year deal with his former team for a guaranteed $350,000 plus around $900,000 in incentives based upon the condition of his bothersome left shoulder.

Claire confirmed that the Dodgers recently made a similar offer. But sources say Tudor turned it down because, after he was activated Sept. 2, he only made three relief appearances the remainder of the season.

“John signed with the Cardinals because of his level of comfort with Whitey (Manager Herzog) and (pitching coach Mike) Roarke,” Tudor’s agent, Steve Freyer, said. “He doesn’t want this interpreted as a slam to the Dodgers.”

But, Freyer admitted, “had John been able to pitch in September, it would have been most beneficial to John and the Dodgers.”

Whether Tudor’s loss turns the Guerrero trade into a Dodger black eye depends on what statistics you read. Guerrero had an MVP-type season for the Cardinals last summer, batting .311 with 117 runs batted in, but Tudor had helped the Dodgers to their 1988 World Series championship by going 4-3 with a 2.41 earned-run average in nine starts. He departed Game 3 of the 1988 World Series against Oakland after just 1 1/3 innings with a bad shoulder, and did not pitch for the Dodgers again until last June 27.

Dodger interest in Tudor waned after he went back on the disabled list July 8, and when he was ready to attempt another comeback in September, the Dodgers weren’t ready for him. At one point during September, he even asked the team for his release, and was refused. He finished the year 0-0 with a 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. When he turned down the Dodgers’ offer to pitch in the Arizona Instructional League after the season, it was assumed he would not rejoin the team.

But as the Valenzuela negotiations broke down, the Tudor talks heated up, and he was even offered arbitration to stay with the club.

“The Dodgers made every effort to sign him,” Freyer said. “We had very good conversations. They tried. This was not a slam dunk for the Cardinals by any means.

“But John just has a strong, strong relationship with St. Louis.”

Said Claire: “We certainly gave John every consideration as far as opportunities and support are concerned. We took every step to get him back.”