Offseason Begins With Look at Free-Agent Market for A’s

They sail into the offseason with a painful, open October wound. But the Oakland A’s hardly plan to retreat to port and unload the heart of their 103-win, playoff-sharp, World Series-weak team.

Instead, they must practice an annual baseball rite as reliable as the fresh smell of grass in spring training. Who is allowed to jump ship and who should be kept aboard?

A’s brass will gather in Phoenix, Ariz., for two days of organizational meetings. The Series sinking against Cincinnati will provide a foul odor more than a compelling topic of conversation.

Most importantly, Oakland must ponder its list of free agents. As many as seven players--including starting pitchers Bob Welch and Scott Sanderson, center fielder Willie McGee and second baseman Willie Randolph--could vanish via free agency.

“The more important priority is keeping the team together, not changing it,” manager Tony La Russa said.

The task, as La Russa knows, runs deeper than simply clinging to talent. Money talks, and the A’s payroll is climbing faster than the national deficit.

General manager Sandy Alderson said this past season’s player payroll was $21 million to $22 million. He projects that to rise to $30 million to $32 million in 1991.

Other teams may simply have more cash to float in front of Welch and friends.

“I have no real feel for what the market’s going to be,” La Russa said. “It’s obvious we have attractive pitchers and players.”

The A’s built this powerful team with more concern for the product than its price tag. They fielded the best team money could buy--but still were exposed as beatable.

Alderson takes this uneven memory into another busy winter of decision-making.

“There’s no urgency to change,” he said. “But I do think you go into an offseason with the last event firmly in your mind.

“Just like we won 100-plus games, and we swept the Red Sox, we have to take into account that we got blown away by the Reds. It’s not like winning.”

And it’s not like the same players will automatically don an A’s uniform next spring. Not at all.

Here is a look at the hot spots:

Pitching dilemma--Free agency could carve a wicked scar in Oakland’s strong staff.

“We have to look at our pitching,” Alderson said. “Given the free-agent possibilities, we have to make sure we have enough depth there.”

The equation begins with Welch. He operates from a Herculean position of strength, after becoming baseball’s first 27-game winner since 1972.

Welch, who turns 34 on Nov. 3, could land in the $3 million salary range. He is acting as his own agent in negotiations with the A’s.

“It’s hard to say,” Alderson said of the team’s chances to re-sign Welch. “He obviously pitched well, with 27 wins. I don’t think anyone can expect him to win 27 again next year, but he’s an outstanding pitcher.

“We’d like to have him back. We want to sign him. That’s probably our top priority.”

The A’s soaring payroll may prevent them from keeping both Welch and Sanderson. Though Sanderson, 33, won a career-high 17 games, his future could spin on Welch’s axis.

If Welch becomes a multimillionaire elsewhere, Sanderson’s chances of staying greatly improve. If not, Sanderson may get stranded on the curb while Welch strolls into the bank.

Out of pure fiscal reality, the A’s will take a close look at promising, inexpensive pitchers. Expect them to consider Todd Burns and Reggie Harris as candidates for the starting rotation.

Call it the Young, the Cheap and the Restless.

“I think we have to give young kids a shot,” Alderson said. “Most clubs have to be prepared to give young kids a chance at starting.

“You just can’t keep paying guys millions of dollars to pitch every fourth or fifth day.”

Crowded outfield--There are four outfielders for three jobs. Unless Alderson turns Jose Canseco trade whisperings into stunning reality, someone must vanish from this picture.

The most obvious and likely candidate is Willie McGee. The A’s acquired him with a clear eye on 1990, a partially successful gamble.

McGee helped Oakland secure the division title and sweep past Boston. But the World Series ring will not arrive in the mail anytime soon.

And, plain and simple, the A’s expect McGee to flee.

“It’s clear in my mind that Willie wants to play every day,” La Russa said. “Can we do that for him? No, unless something happens.

“If I knew they were all going to stay healthy, it would be a problem. We’ve got four guys who are going to want to play six times a week. And that’s impossible to do.”

McGee conceded to overwhelming discomfort in replacing popular Dave Henderson. Henderson has a mightier bat, a loud, loyal fan club and, after arthroscopic surgery, an apparently sound right knee.

“I’m an everyday player, so I’m going to go someplace where I can play every day,” McGee said. “They’ve got a great outfield here.

“It’s a business. They wanted me to fill in until Dave got healthy. It’s his job. He was here before I got here, and he helped them win a championship and get to three World Series.

“I was just a fill-in. I know that and I’m able to deal with it. I’m a realist.”

Only an arbitrator could change this scenario. Under damages from the 1987 collusion ruling, Henderson might join the free-agent pool. A decision is expected this week.

“I can see circumstances in which Willie would be back,” Alderson said. “It’s very possible Dave Henderson would get second-look free agency, and if he decides to go somewhere else ... “

Infield patch-up--The A’s have other items on their winter agenda. As he did last offseason, Alderson will look for a left-handed hitting infielder.

Oakland’s lineup still leans to its right. And the infield depth remains shaky: Injuries again hampered shortstop Walt Weiss, and second baseman Mike Gallego hit only .206.

A key piece in the puzzle is veteran Willie Randolph, acquired from Los Angeles last May. Randolph, while not Gallego-like, played steady defense. He also showed plenty of life in his bat, hitting .292 over the season’s last two months.

The A’s can keep Randolph by offering him salary arbitration this week. Otherwise, he too could become a free agent.

Randolph, 36, mostly worries about completing his career so far away from his family’s home in New Jersey.

Around the horn--Behind the plate, the A’s probably will shuffle Terry Steinbach’s backups. Veterans Ron Hassey and Jamie Quirk both can file for free agency.

Hassey, who hit .213 while serving mostly as Welch’s personal catcher, will be 38 when spring training opens. He is not optimistic about returning, and Alderson said Hassey’s status is not strongly linked to Welch’s.

Alderson hinted the A’s may keep Quirk, 36, and replace Hassey with younger, cheaper Troy Afenir. “I personally like Afenir a little bit,” Alderson said.

Money does matter. Alderson also is aware his left fielder, Rickey Henderson, groused in spring training that his four-year, $12 million contract needs upgrading.

Henderson promptly put together an MVP-type season, hitting .325 with 28 home runs and 65 stolen bases. He has become vague about demanding a renegotiation, but the possibility still lingers.

“I’d probably wait for him to call me,” Alderson said, flashing a wry smile. “But I’m not answering my phone.”

Said Henderson: “I have no problems with the organization. I think they know my ability. When the time is right, we’ll approach each other.”

Actually, Henderson suggested a contract extension. His current deal runs through the 1993 season.

“They might talk about keeping me here for (the rest of) my career,” Henderson said.

For now, the A’s eye 1991 more carefully than ’94. They will remember this season as a lingering example of the obstacle-filled path to Dynasty Plateau.

Alderson--wearing, notably, a 1989 World Series T-shirt--expressed no great shock at Cincinnati’s surprise stampede.

“These things happen too frequently to be stunned,” Alderson said. “That’s what differentiates baseball from basketball or football. There’s a lot less running to form than in those other sports.”