Giants Get McGee to Play Center Field

Willie McGee and Terry Pendleton found new places to play Monday as baseball’s winter meetings backed up talk with action.

McGee, who won a weird National League batting title and wound up the season in Oakland, agreed with the San Francisco Giants on a four-year, $13 million deal.

Pendleton, McGee’s longtime teammate in St. Louis, also struck it rich--a four-year, $9.8 million contract with Atlanta. The Cardinals recently lost reliever Ken Dayley to free agency and figure to soon get hit hard again if Vince Coleman leaves for the New York Mets.

Montreal prevented pitcher Dennis Martinez from joining the free agent migration, signing him to a three-year contract for more than $9.25 million.

In the only trade of the day, the New York Yankees sent rookie outfielder Oscar Azocar to San Diego for a minor leaguer to be named. In the hottest talk of the day, the Chicago Cubs set up a meeting with free agent George Bell.

The announcements about McGee and Pendleton came within 90 minutes of each other in the early evening, following a morning and afternoon dotted with discussions, but not much else.

McGee’s signing was by far the biggest move of the meetings and capped a strange year for him. He batted .335 for St. Louis before being traded to Oakland on Aug. 29 for Felix Jose and two minor leaguers. The Athletics got him mainly for insurance in case center fielder Dave Henderson’s knee did not recover, which it did. McGee, 32, won his second batting title when his average stayed frozen and Lenny Dykstra’s dipped.

“Willie is the kind of player who wants to come to the ballpark every day knowing he will play,” Oakland Manager Tony La Russa said. “I couldn’t promise that.”

McGee hit .274 for Oakland, but Henderson started most of the games in the World Series. The Athletics did not show great interest in signing McGee and will get a top draft pick as compensation.

McGee is a three-time Gold Glove winner, was the NL’s most valuable player in 1985 and is a .297 hitter with 277 stolen bases in nine seasons. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and wanted to play at home, and the Giants were glad to accommodate him.

Brett Butler has been the Giants’ center fielder for three seasons, but stands to become an instant free agent this week if baseball owners, as expected, ratify a collusion settlement. Butler is seeking a four-year, $15 million deal, the same terms teammates Kevin Mitchell and Will Clark got.

“Butler’s price is too high,” Giants general manager Al Rosen said. “I didn’t want to leave here without a center fielder.”

Butler has two years left on his contract and the Mets, among others, might go after him.

Pendleton, 30, batted .259 in seven years and has won two Gold Gloves at third base. He hit only .230 last season, but new Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz said he is not worried.

“He plays a position we felt it was very important to strengthen ourselves at,” Schuerholz said. “He brings a complete package.”

Martinez, 35, could have become a “new-look” free agent this week, but waived that right with his new contract.

The Expos lost starters Mark Langston, Pascual Perez and Bryn Smith to free agency last year, and Martinez indicated he might leave if Montreal did not give him a better deal. The new contract replaces the final season of a two-year deal he signed before 1990.

“We felt we could not go into the season without our No. 1 pitcher,” Expos general manager Dave Dombrowski said. “We needed to sign him.”

Martinez was 10-11 despite a 2.95 earned run average. Last season he was an All-Star for the first time in his 15-year career.

Martinez is 55-41 in five seasons with Montreal. He is 163-154 lifetime for Baltimore and the Expos.

Coleman’s agent, Richie Bry, would also like to get something done, preferably before he leaves town Wednesday. Bry met with the Mets in the afternoon and, even though St. Louis will get a chance to match the offer, it appears Coleman will wind up as New York’s leadoff hitter.

Bell’s future may not be decided so soon. Still, his agent, Alan Hendricks, set up a meeting for this week with the Cubs.

“We’ve got an appointment, but we don’t have any timetable for signing,” Hendricks said.

Bill Doran, coveted by several teams, and Cincinnati met. The second baseman was traded from Houston to Cincinnati last August and the Reds want him back, although the Dodgers seem to be the favorite.

Pittsburgh appears back in the picture for Zane Smith, who is being pursued by the Reds and Cubs. The Pirates wanted to get Martinez if he got away from Montreal, but now are really interested in re-signing Smith.

The Yankees said three teams were after Azocar and wound up trading him to San Diego. Azocar, who hit .248 with five homers and 19 RBIs in 65 games, was not protected on the Yankees’ roster and would have gone on irrevocable waivers Tuesday.

The morning began with the draft of players left off 40-man rosters. There were just 12 picks overall, but two were by Oakland--in a fun twist, both players were plucked from Cincinnati, the team that swept the Athletics in the World Series.

Oakland took pitcher Joe Turek and catcher Eddie Taubensee, teammates last season at Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League. Turek was 13-6 with a 2.34 earned run average and Taubensee hit .259 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs.

“Cincinnati? Payback time? That had nothing to do with it,” Dick Bogard, Oakland’s director of scouting, said with a laugh.

Players taken in the Rule 5 draft cost $50,000 and must remain on the major league roster for the entire next season. If not, they must be offered back to their original team for $25,000.