Mitchell Gets Largest 1-Year Raise : Baseball: Giant outfielder’s salary will increase from $660,000 to $2.083 million.

The salary escalation that began during baseball’s free-agent signings will apparently continue through the arbitration process, as evidenced Tuesday by the signing of two players who had filed for arbitration.

Kevin Mitchell, the National League’s most valuable player last season, signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for $2.083 million, the largest one-year increase in baseball history. And relief pitcher Roger McDowell signed a three-year, $6-million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

A total of 161 players with three years or more of major league service filed for arbitration before Tuesday’s deadline, two more than the 1986 record. Players who filed Tuesday will exchange salary figures with their clubs Friday. An arbitrator will select either the player’s or club’s figure after a hearing in February. The player and club can continue negotiating until the hearing begins.

Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers was the only eligible player not to file or settle before the deadline. Morris’ agent, Richard Moss, and Tiger General Manager Bill Lajoie said they were confident of reaching an agreement this week.

Two players who filed before the holiday weekend exchanged arbitration figures with their clubs Tuesday. Pitcher John Candelaria of the Montreal Expos filed at $1.2 million, with the Expos countering at $700,000. Pitcher Juan Nieves of the Milwaukee Brewers came in at the same $370,000 he made last year, and the Brewers filed at $310,000.

Mitchell, who hit .291 in 1989 and led the National League with 47 homers and 125 runs batted in, received a raise of $1.423 million, topping the previous one-year record of $1.305 million, set by the Oakland Athletics’ Jose Canseco last winter. Mitchell made a base salary of $535,000 last year. That total increased to $660,000 when he collected an MVP bonus of $100,000 and an All-Star bonus of $25,000. His new contract also has award bonuses totaling $225,000.

“Both Kevin and I are confident that this season was not an aberration for him,” Mitchell’s agent, Joe Sroba, said. “If we were to sign a multiyear (contract), we would have wanted it to reflect that confidence. But looking at it from the Giants’ side, they would want to see one more year of production before going ahead and making Kevin the highest-paid player in baseball.”

Conceivably, Mitchell’s raise--and his stature as the highest salaried Giant in history--could be eclipsed by teammate Will Clark, who made $1.125 million while batting .333 with 111 RBIs and 23 home runs last year and has filed for arbitration. Clark is believed to be seeking a salary in the $2.8-million neighborhood.

McDowell, who was 4-8 with a 1.96 earned-run average and 23 saves, made $762,000 last year. His new contract calls for a $600,000 signing bonus, $1.2 million in 1990, $2 million in 1991 and $2.2 million in 1992. He can make another $625,000 per year in bonuses.

Ruben Sierra of the Texas Rangers, Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals, Paul Molitor of the Brewers and the Oakland Bash Brothers, Canseco and Mark McGwire, are among other noted players who have filed for arbitration.

Several players who had filed or had been eligible to file reached agreements with their clubs Tuesday. They included: Oakland pitcher Curt Young, two years at $1.45 million; Baltimore Oriole pitcher Jay Tibbs, one year at $335,000, and outfielder Joe Orsulak, $585,000; Texas Ranger pitchers Bobby Witt, $415,000, and Jose Guzman, $400,000; Cleveland Indian catcher Joel Skinner, $280,000; Giant outfielder Donell Nixon, $225,000; San Diego Padre pitcher Pat Clements, $245,000, and Detroit pitcher Edwin Nunez, $400,000.