Winter Meetings Are More About Purse Than Pulse : Baseball: Agenda used to be opportunity for executives to take stock of their clubs and the game. Now, it’s basically another round of meetings with representatives of free agents.

The major league phase of baseball’s winter meetings began Saturday with those not-so-free agents likely to forestall widespread trade activity.

“The meetings have become perverted--a showcase for the free agents,” General Manager Andy MacPhail of the Minnesota Twins said of a gathering once compared to a swap meet.

Now, with no trading deadline and the clubs unsure of which free agents will be where, most swapping is confined to contract offers.

“I’ve talked to three or four clubs every day for several weeks and can’t get anything going,” General Manager Lee Thomas of the Philadelphia Phillies said. “Everyone wants to wait and see what develops with the free agents.”

Although some of the top free agents, including Darryl Strawberry, Kirk Gibson and Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds already have signed, most are still available. They include:

--Pitchers: Bob Welch, Zane Smith, Ted Higuera, Dave Righetti, Scott Sanderson, Fernando Valenzuela, Kevin Gross, Matt Young, Charlie Hough and Juan Agosto.

--Infielders: Terry Pendleton, Jim Presley, Sid Bream, Franklin Stubbs, Bill Doran, Juan Samuel and Willie Randolph.

--Outfielders: George Bell, Vince Coleman, Tom Brunansky, Willie McGee, Candy Maldonado, Willie Wilson and Phil Bradley.

This year’s situation is complicated by the fact 16 more players will become free agents in early January or, perhaps, later this month as part of the collusion settlement.

As the lead item on the business agenda here, owners are expected to approve a $280-million settlement with the Major League Players Assn., payable Jan. 2.

The 16 players who receive what is called new-look free agency are expected to get three to four weeks to sign with another team if they wish. The signing team will not be required to compensate the player’s former team with an amateur draft choice. Most free agents in the current crop come with a compensation requirement.

Thus, there are clubs, currently disinterested in the market because of an unwillingness to lose a draft choice, which might pursue a new-look free agent--another factor in the delay of trades.

Among the new-look free agents will be two impact outfielders, Brett Butler and Dave Henderson; two power-hitting infielders, Jack Clark and Gary Gaetti; and 10 pitchers, including Dennis Martinez, Jack Morris, Danny Darwin, Dave Smith and versatile, valuable Juan Berenguer.

Also among the 16 is outfielder-designated hitter Chili Davis of the Angels.

MacPhail said: “Some trades will be made regardless, but it’s difficult to prioritize your needs when you don’t know who’s going to be with you. Will we still have Gary Gaetti at third base or won’t we? It definitely inhibits (trade) conversation.”

What hasn’t been inhibited is fueling of the hot stove with a fresh supply of cash.

Last winter, emerging from the cocoon of collusion, owners went on a free-agent shopping spree of shocking proportions. The average major league salary, according to figures compiled by the owners’ Player Relations Committee, increased from $489,539 in 1989 to $586,816 in 1990.

This new group of free agents is again traveling a yellow brick road. Consider three who have already signed:

--Mike Boddicker, a finesse pitcher at 33, received a three-year, $9.25-million contract from the Kansas City Royals.

--Danny Jackson, on the Cincinnati Reds’ disabled list three times in 1990 and winner of 16 games in the last two years, received a four-year, $10.5-million contract from the Chicago Cubs.

--Bud Black, one game above .500 for his nine-year career, received a four-year, $10-million contract from the San Francisco Giants.

Pittsburgh Pirate President Carl Barger said he wanted to cry when he saw what Black received, calling it a grievous and unforgivable inflation of the market.

Said a National League general manager who requested anonymity: “The whole thing is sick, insane. Here we are in a bad economy, about to be fined $11 million per club (as a result of collusion), and we continue to turn mediocre players into millionaires. I think we’ve reached a new low.”

Or high, depending on the vantage point.

The Dodgers went to five years and $20,250,000 to sign Strawberry. Now Welch, winner of 27 games and the American League’s Cy Young Award, seems destined to become the highest-salaried pitcher, the likelihood being a four-year contract averaging close to $4 million a year.

Among those in pursuit, aside from his Oakland Athletics, are the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The free-agent derby changes daily, hourly.

The Angel and Dodger needs have been chronicled. In the most interesting developments Saturday, it was learned that the Angels have had a series of conversations with third baseman Vance Law, who played in Japan last year; that they have joined the Dodgers in showing interest in second baseman Bill Doran; and that they have talked with the Chicago White Sox about second baseman Scott Fletcher, though Toronto’s Manny Lee may be the Angels’ No. 1 possibility at that position.

General Manager Mike Port also said that before center fielder Devon White is included in a deal for an infielder, the Angels would have to find a replacement in center field. Speculation Saturday centered on Baltimore’s Brady Anderson and Steve Finley.

This is the way it is in early December, often to the frustration of many club officials who would like to see a trading deadline restored to add spice to the meetings, or have the meetings moved to late January, after the free agents have signed.

“This was a real opportunity to change the meetings to a better time, and a mistake not to have done it,” Texas Ranger Manager Bobby Valentine said. “I mean, they had to be moved anyway, didn’t they?”

Originally scheduled for Los Angeles in conjunction, as usual, with this week’s minor league convention, the big leagues pulled out because of the collective bargaining dispute with the minors, an ongoing situation that will occupy much of the owners’ time at these meetings.

Said MacPhail, reflecting on the changing nature of the meetings: “I think we’ve lost a feeling of community that we used to experience at these meetings, and that’s regrettable. It used to be a chance to sit down with your peers. Now I’m always sequestered in my room with an agent. I mean, all industries need time to pause and check their pulse, but we don’t have that now because we’re spending so much time here talking to agents.’

A look at each team’s situation as the meetings got under way, excluding the Dodgers and Angels:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Baltimore--The Orioles, seeking to put some left-handed balance in their rotation and lineup, have made three-year offers to free-agent pitcher Matt Young and first baseman-outfielder Franklin Stubbs. Faced with the chance they will lose free-agent catcher Mickey Tettleton, one of their few power threats, the Orioles are reportedly willing to trade one of their right-handed starters--perhaps Bob Milacki or Pete Harnisch--for outfielder Cory Snyder of Cleveland. There have also been discussions with the Angels regarding a deal for third baseman Craig Worthington and outfielders Brady Anderson and Steve Finley.

Boston--The Red Sox, pitching-shy even before the loss of Mike Boddicker to Kansas City, have been sorting through some expensive help, seeing if they have a price-fit with free agents such as Bob Welch, Zane Smith, Ted Higuera, Fernando Valenzuela and Matt Young. The Red Sox also would like to improve their speed and have had conversations with free agents Willie Wilson and Willie McGee, while snubbing, to this point, their own free-agent outfielder, Tom Brunansky.

Chicago--The White Sox are looking for a veteran starting pitcher to stabilize their young staff and have major interest in Welch. They are also seeking a right-handed power hitter as a designated hitter or outfielder and have already had their doctors check out the stability of free agent Dwight Evans’ back, while also expressing interest in former Angel Brian Downing. A center fielder to platoon with Lance Johnson is also on their wish list. The White Sox are willing to trade left fielder Ivan Calderon and, perhaps, one of their many young relief pitchers.

Cleveland--The Indians are desperate for a starting pitcher but have little to offer beyond Snyder, whose value is down in the wake of a .233, 14-homer, 118-strikeout season. They are reluctant to part with third baseman Brook Jacoby, insistent that second baseman Jerry Browne is not available and hesitant to meet the contract demands of their own free agent, Candy Maldonado, who rebuilt his stature by driving in 95 runs with 22 homers and a .273 batting average. If Snyder and Maldonado both leave, the who’s-he outfield, left to right, will be Joey Belle, Alex Cole and Turner Ward.

Detroit--The Tigers, having signed free-agent power hitter Rob Deer as lineup protection behind Cecil Fielder, are attempting to fill their No. 1 need--pitching. They are in the hunt for Michigan native Welch but are reluctant to set a financial precedent they would have to duplicate when re-signing their own Jack Morris, expected to become a new-look free agent.

Kansas City--Signing Kirk Gibson may make it easier for the Royals to trade Danny Tartabull for a more dependable defensive right fielder, with Snyder and the Chicago Cubs’ Jerome Walton among the possibilities. Brian McRae, Hal McRae’s son, is ticketed to play center field, meaning Wilson will leave as a free agent.

Milwaukee--Runner-up in the Gibson bidding after having trading Glenn Braggs last summer and losing Rob Deer to Detroit as a free agent, the Brewers search for a power-hitting outfielder has turned to free agent Brunansky, the attempt being to avoid a right-field platoon of Mike Felder and Darryl Hamilton. The other area of Brewer concern is pitching, with widely romanced free agent Higuera likely to leave an injury-wracked rotation. The Brewers, in the bid for pitching, are fielding offers for third baseman Gary Sheffield.

Minnesota--The Twins would like to improve their left-handed power and made a bid for Gibson, but their No. 1 priority is bolstering a young rotation with the addition of a frontline pitcher capable of delivering 225 or more innings. The leading candidate is free agent Kevin Gross, though the Twins also could move Rick Aguilera back into a starting role and look for a relief pitcher. The possible loss of Gary Gaetti as a new-look free agent clouds Minnesota’s planning. The Twins have no replacement in their system.

New York--Critically shy of pitching and with little to offer in the way of trade, the Yankees are back in the free-agent market, starting with the retention of one of their own, Tim Leary; the signing of starter-reliever Steve Farr of Kansas City; offers to Higuera and Smith and the attempt to re-sign relief ace Dave Righetti in a bidding war with the Dodgers. New York also is attempting to fill another significant hole, third base, by signing free agent Terry Pendleton. The Yankees are willing to deal Jesse Barfield and Mel Hall, but the indication is that Steve Sax is not available, much to the Angels’ chagrin.

Oakland--The A’s face the loss of 44 pitching victories if both Welch and Scott Sanderson leave as free agents. Their re-signing is the A’s top priority, though Oakland is also working on a contract extension for Dave Henderson so that he will not be tempted to leave when his new-look free agency becomes effective. The A’s have told center fielder Willie McGee, whom they obtained after Henderson injured a knee in late August and who is a free agent, that their preference is to keep Henderson.

Seattle--The Mariners are looking for a right-handed power hitter and a left-handed relief pitcher. They are willing to trade first baseman-DH Alvin Davis but unwilling to trade any of their fine young pitchers. They have said they will not pursue free agency--at least until the list of new-look free agents is released--but are believed to have had discussions with free agent George Bell. They have made a two-year offer to Young, their own free-agent left-hander, but Young is likely to get three years elsewhere, with Baltimore, Boston, Texas and the Dodgers interested.

Texas--The Rangers are offering Pete Incaviglia but face a difficult task filling their two needs--a left-handed relief pitcher to replace Kenny Rogers, who is moving into the rotation; and a full-time catcher to replace John Russell and Mike Stanley, who have been moved to the triple-A roster after making only meager contributions to the 68 runs batted in by Texas catchers in the last two years. The Rangers have talked with the Montreal Expos about Mike Fitzgerald and to Cleveland about Joel Skinner.

Toronto--The Blue Jays, having signed free-agent relief pitcher Ken Dayley, are still in the market for a starting pitcher and a center fielder, having said that Mookie Wilson will be moved out of center. Two center-field possibilities are free agent McGee or a trade with the Angels for Devon White that would send Toronto second baseman Manny Lee to Anaheim. The Blue Jays also are interested in Brewer third baseman Sheffield, with the idea, if need be, that Kelly Gruber would be moved to center. They are expected to lose veteran infielder Rance Mulliniks to Texas as a free agent and are at a contract impasse with free agent Bell, having made only a one-year, $3-million offer that carries the proviso Bell would be the full-time DH.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Atlanta--The Braves are expected to let third baseman Jim Presley leave as a free agent and replace him with free agent Pendleton, whom they reportedly have offered a four-year, $10-million contract. The Braves are also romancing free-agent center fielder Wilson and free-agent first baseman Stubbs as a replacement for Nick Esasky, whose return from the vertigo condition that sidelined him for most of 1990 remains uncertain. They would trade left fielder Lonnie Smith and second baseman Jeff Treadway in the right deal.

Chicago--The Cubs, in the wake of signing Danny Jackson and coming up short in a bid for Steve Farr, are pursuing Smith, Pittsburgh’s free-agent pitcher. They also have talked with Seattle about third baseman Edgar Martinez in exchange for relief pitcher Mitch Williams and have interest in free-agent third baseman Presley and outfielder Bell. If Bell goes elsewhere, the Cubs hope to deal for a right-handed power hitter such as Tartabull, Incaviglia or Jesse Barfield. Speculation has centered on a Tartabull-for-Jerome Walton deal. There is also a possibility the Cubs would consider trading shortstop Shawon Dunston, who is eligible for free agency after the 1991 season, in the right package.

Cincinnati--Having re-signed pitcher Tom Browning, the Reds are looking to make only minor alterations. The most significant of these is the addition of a left-handed setup man in the bullpen, with lefty Norm Charlton scheduled to stay in a rotation that will include Scott Scudder as the replacement for departed Danny Jackson. The Reds can afford to deal Todd Benzinger or Glenn Braggs and play hardball with their three free agents--Bill Doran, Ron Oester and Rick Mahler. Manager Lou Piniella would like to keep Doran as a backup at second base and third base, but Doran is looking to play regularly and may get that chance with the Dodgers.

Houston--Owner John McMullen’s intention to sell the Astros has put any major transaction--such as a contract extension for Glenn Davis, who becomes eligible for free agency after the 1991 season--on hold. The Astros have written off Stubbs and Juan Agosto, who will leave as free agents, and may be in no financial position to prevent the departure of Dave Smith and Danny Darwin, who are expected to become new-look free agents. Third baseman Ken Caminiti is available for prospects, which may interest the Angels.

Montreal--The Expos made a two-year, $4-million offer to Gibson in the hope he might end their long quest for a left-handed-hitting run producer in the middle of the lineup and make it easier to trade Tim Raines for a frontline pitcher. The Expos have lost Gibson but still may be forced to trade Raines because of pitching shortages. They will make no attempt to re-sign free agent pitcher Kevin Gross and are expected to lose Dennis Martinez, the stabilizing veteran in a young rotation, as a new-look free agent.

New York--In attempting to reshape their outfield after the loss of Darryl Strawberry, the Mets are in strong pursuit of free-agent left fielder Vince Coleman, whose signing would allow Kevin McReynolds to move to right field, with Mark Carreon and Darryl Boston platooning in center. The Mets also have shown interest in White and have shortstop Kevin Elster and pitcher Ron Darling available in trade, though they are coming off shoulder and elbow surgery respectively and are not expected to throw until January.

Philadelphia--The Phillies, hoping to acquire a starting pitcher, were outbid for free agents Browning and Jackson and again have come to the winter meetings with Von Hayes as trade bait, along with first baseman Ricky Jordan. If unsuccessful in a trade for pitching, the Phillies will make a new-look run at Martinez.

Pittsburgh--The Pirates, having already lost outfielder R.J. Reynolds to a multimillion-dollar offer from Japan, are at a trade standstill while free agents Smith, Sid Bream, Don Slaught, Wally Backman and Gary Redus decide whether to return. The Pirates have made three-year offers to Smith and Bream, but the market may produce some bids for four years.

St. Louis--It is a time of turnover and transition for the Cardinals, who traded McGee before he became a free agent and recently lost Dayley to Toronto as a free agent. The exodus is expected to continue with the loss of Coleman and Pendleton as free agents, followed next year by Ozzie Smith’s departure. The replacements will come from within as the Cardinals reduce their payroll. Todd Zeile is being moved to third base as the replacement for Pendleton, leaving Tom Pagnozzi as the full-time catcher. Bernard Gilkey, regarded with the same esteem as Ray Lankford, who succeeded McGee in center field, will replace Coleman in left, with Milt Thompson in reserve if Gilkey fails.

San Diego--The Padres face the prospect of a cold winter. They are unlikely to fill any of their primary needs--right-handed relief, shortstop, third base--through free agency and have little to offer in trade other than pitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Derek Lilliquist. They also could lose first baseman Jack Clark as a new-look free agent.

San Francisco--Having added free-agent Bud Black to their injury-riddled rotation, the Giants are also believed to have interest in one more starting pitcher--Fernando Valenzuela, perhaps--and a setup man for bullpen closers Jeff Brantley and Steve Bedrosian. The Giants believe they could trade shortstop Jose Uribe and replace him with Mike Benjamin, but the area of real concern is center field, where Brett Butler could leave as a new-look free agent.