Is There a Strawberry in Dodgers’ Future?

When wondering about next year for the Dodgers, one need only look back to the last weekend in August.

The New York Mets were at Dodger Stadium. A Met outfielder, who is also baseball’s most attractive potential free agent this winter, met a Dodger player in the outfield during batting practice.

Darryl Strawberry stuck his toe to the ground.

“Then he told me, ‘This is where I am going to be standing next year,’ ” the Dodger player recalled. “He said, ‘You wait, this is going to be my home.’ ”

Darryl Strawberry wants to return to his Los Angeles roots and become a Dodger.

The Dodgers also want Strawberry, although club officials cannot admit it yet because of rules against tampering.

When Strawberry declares his free agency the day after the World Series, as agent Eric Goldschmidt promised earlier this week, the talking will begin.

Strawberry, with his 37 homers and 108 runs batted in, will cost at least $4 million a season. But many Dodger officials believe that money could buy them the division title that ultimately proved to be an unrealistic goal in this season of injuries and misfortune.

Strawberry’s addition would help the Dodgers not only on the field, but in the front office, because it would allow management to trade Kal Daniels for a starting pitcher or third baseman.

Yes, the Dodgers’ top power hitter with a team-leading 27 homers and 94 RBIs could be playing elsewhere next season. And he knows it.

The Dodgers figure he is their most marketable commodity but Daniels, who is happy in Los Angeles, warned that such a trade might not be so easy.

“If I get traded to a place I don’t want to play, I am retiring,” he said. “I’ve been to a place where I’m not happy (Cincinnati), and I don’t want that situation again. I have saved my money, I can afford to quit.

“If I go to like, Toronto, I call my agent and tell him to call a press conference, because I’m done.”

The pursuit of Strawberry and the possible trading of Daniels could make for a busy winter.

Officials will not publicly discuss winter moves until after the organizational meetings next week in Arizona, but the club’s needs are as obvious as they are plentiful.

They will need a center fielder because Kirk Gibson probably will not re-sign.

They will need a left-handed relief pitcher because they don’t trust the ones they have.

They will need a third baseman because they will probably move Lenny Harris and Mike Sharperson to second base to fill the hole left by the probable departure of free agent Juan Samuel.

And they will need a starting pitcher in case Orel Hershiser cannot return from shoulder surgery.

Remember, even Manager Tom Lasorda admitted that the team’s second-place finish this season was something of a miracle. A championship next season will take more than the same old tricks. It will take better players.

How they might address these needs, by position:

Center fielder: In the worst-kept secret this season, Kirk Gibson wants to play closer to his Detroit home. His recent slump and benching by Lasorda cemented what will probably be a parting of the ways.

The top candidate for this position is Stan Javier, who has the backing of some members of upper management. And with his .297 average, he seems to have earned a chance.

But because he has never been a regular in parts of five big league seasons, will this produce-now-or-be-benched organization agree to give him his first chance?

If not, they will probably pursue Oakland free-agent center fielder Willie McGee, who some believe they should have acquired earlier this year while he was still in St. Louis.

Left-handed relief pitcher: An effective player in this position this year might have helped the Dodgers win the division title.

They obviously didn’t consider Pat Perry or Ray Searage effective, refusing to pitch either in the final month.

Look for them to pursue potential free agent Ken Dayley of St. Louis to fill this role. He has battled injuries, but still was 4-3 with a 3.01 earned-run average in his first 54 appearances this year.

Also potentially available as a free agent is Houston’s Juan Agosto and, although he is perhaps too expensive for a team with two closers, the New York Yankees’ Dave Righetti.

Third Baseman: The Dodgers are not sure that Jeff Hamilton will be able to return from shoulder problems that perhaps could have been repaired surgically.

Because Hamilton chose to rehabilitate the shoulder instead, he could well learn next spring that he still needs surgery. The Dodgers do not want to base a starting job on that risk.

With Harris and Sharperson probably moving to second base when the unhappy Samuel departs, the Dodgers figure to have a hole that some people think can be filled from within.

During the club’s meetings next week, minor league officials will be speaking loudly on behalf of Dave Hansen, who starred in his first season at triple-A Albuquerque. But others may consider him unproven.

If Hansen’s backers lose the argument, the Dodgers will probably pursue yet another potential St. Louis free agent, Terry Pendleton. This is also an area where Daniels could bring an experienced starter in a trade.

Starting pitcher: A projected season-opening rotation would include Ramon Martinez, Tim Belcher, Fernando Valenzuela, Mike Morgan and Jim Neidlinger.

It is not a rotation that allows club officials blissful sleep.

Among potential free agents are Ted Higuera of Milwaukee, Tom Browning and Danny Jackson of Cincinnati, Mike Boddicker of Boston and Zane Smith of Pittsburgh.

Then there is the most intriguing potential free-agent pitcher. Anybody for the return of Bob Welch?