Dodgers Lose One, Keep One, Get One : Baseball: Morgan goes to Cubs, but Hershiser is re-signed for three years and knuckleballer Candiotti is acquired for four.

The Dodgers’ off-season continued with all the ups and downs of a Tom Candiotti knuckleball Tuesday.

They lost free agent Mike Morgan to the Chicago Cubs, but signed free-agent pitcher Candiotti from the Toronto Blue Jays and Orel Hershiser for a combined $25.5 million base salary.

While Morgan’s departure and Hershiser’s re-signing were no surprise, few expected such quick action on Candiotti, 34, who will become the National League’s first regular knuckleball pitcher since Phil Niekro.

“I haven’t broken the news to Mike Scioscia yet,” said Fred Claire, Dodger vice president.

Although Candiotti had secretly visited Dodger Stadium Monday, his agent, Rocky Lucia, said there were substantial gaps in negotiations as late as Tuesday afternoon.

But shortly after Morgan joined the Cubs Tuesday, the Dodgers closed those gaps, and will pay him $15.5 million for four years.

They could have signed Morgan for $3 million less--he signed for $12.5 million with the Cubs--but they refused to give Morgan the guaranteed fourth year.

Morgan led the Dodgers in innings pitched (236 1/3) last season while finishing second in victories (14) and earned-run average (2.78).

Candiotti, a right-hander who split time between the Cleveland Indians and Toronto, pitched 238 2/3 innings while going 13-13 with a 2.65 ERA. His best features, aside from the bewildering knuckler, are that he has pitched more than 200 innings six consecutive years and had only one losing season during that time, despite pitching mostly for Cleveland.

“I’m glad for Candiotti, but . . . after all I’ve done for them, they spend the last two months saying they can’t give me four years, then they turn around and give that guy four years?” Morgan asked late Tuesday. “What college did these people go to?”

The Dodgers also worked furiously to finish the deal with Hershiser, signing him for a base salary of $10 million for three years.

“It’s kind of ironic that I sign a four-year deal, then all of a sudden they pop up and sign two more pitchers,” Morgan said.

Hershiser can ultimately make more than Candiotti because of incentives that could increase his average annual $3.3-million salary to $4.8 million a season if he makes 35 starts.

“I think it has been a shock at times,” Hershiser said of the club’s off-season maneuvering. “But I think the club is going to improve because I trust Fred and his moves. You have to give this organization time to assemble the team.”

Claire was so intent on filling out his pitching staff Tuesday that he also offered a contract to New York Met free agent Frank Viola. But Viola didn’t act quickly enough, and Claire later acknowledged that his free-agent money is drying up.

“With events of tonight, the door to free agency is much closer to being closed,” Claire said.

Claire said his starting rotation is basically set with Ramon Martinez, Bob Ojeda, Kevin Gross, Candiotti and Hershiser.

Besides various roster tune-ups, Claire intimated that his final off-season choice would be to find a first baseman. This acquisition will probably involve trading Kal Daniels, although Daniels has been joined on the trading block by Chris Gwynn.

Gwynn, the Dodgers’ best pinch-hitter, admitted Tuesday that he has asked Claire to trade him because he is stuck behind three All-Star outfielders after the acquisition of Eric Davis.

Gwynn said Claire promised he would “do his best” to move the former first-round pick during the winter meetings in Miami next week.

“I told him I want to be moved to a better opportunity,” Gwynn said Tuesday. “I do not want to pinch-hit anymore. I am tired of it. I want to see what I can do every day.”

The loss of Gwynn would severely damage the Dodger bench, which benefited from his team-high 13 pinch-hits last season. He equaled his career-high production numbers of five home runs and 22 runs batted in, matching his 1990 output.

This year’s numbers came in 139 at-bats, which indicates Gwynn could be capable of 18 homers and 79 RBIs if given a full season. “It would not be our choice to trade him, but he made his request clear to me, and I told him I would do what I could,” Claire said.

Although Claire contacted Wally Joyner’s agents Wednesday, chances of signing the Angels’ free-agent first baseman dimmed with Candiotti.

“I think we are looking for someone for a short-term basis there,” Claire said.

Candiotti, who was unavailable for comment, has the sort of pitching style that makes Claire think a four-year contract will not be enough.

“With the way he throws, with his durability, I am sure that he will pitch at least four more years,” said Claire, who added that the Dodgers would not try to sign a catcher specifically to catch the knuckleballer.

According to agent Lucia, Candiotti, who grew up in Northern California but rooted for the Dodgers, will also be one of the most excited Dodgers.

“During this whole process, he kept saying he couldn’t believe it,” Lucia said. “When it comes to Dodgers trivia from the ‘60s and ‘70s, he knows as much as anybody.”

But a Dodger rooter who grew up in Concord? Lucia said that to Candiotti, that makes as much sense as a strong, 200-pound pitcher who throws a knuckleball. “Tom rooted for the Dodgers because everyone else rooted for the Giants,” Lucia said. “That’s just the way he is.”

How They Compare

The career pitching statistics of the two pitchers the Dodgers signed Tuesday--Tom Candiotti and Orel Hershiser--and Mike Morgan, who signed with the Chicago Cubs.

TOM CANDIOTTI

YEAR TEAM IP W-L BB SO ERA 1983 Mil 55 2/3 4-4 16 21 3.23 1984 Mil 32 1/3 2-2 10 23 5.29 1986 Cle 252 1/3 16-12 106 167 3.57 1987 Cle 201 2/3 7-18 93 111 4.78 1988 Cle 216 2/3 14-8 53 137 3.28 1989 Cle 206 13-10 55 124 3.10 1990 Cle 202 15-11 55 128 3.65 1991 Cle-Tor 238 2/3 13-13 73 167 2.65 Total 1405 1/3 84-79 461 878 3.57

OREL HERSHISER

YEAR TEAM IP W-L BB SO ERA 1983 LA 8 0-0 6 5 3.38 1984 LA 189 2/3 11-8 50 150 2.66 1985 LA 239 2/3 19-3 68 157 2.03 1986 LA 231 1/3 14-14 86 153 3.85 1987 LA 264 2/3 16-16 74 190 3.06 1988 LA 267 23-8 73 178 2.26 1989 LA 256 1/3 15-15 77 178 2.31 1990 LA 25 1/3 1-1 4 16 4.26 1991 LA 112 7-2 32 73 3.46 Total 1594 106-67 470 1100 2.77

MIKE MORGAN

YEAR TEAM IP W-L BB SO ERA 1978 Oak 12 0-3 8 0 7.50 1979 Oak 77 2-10 50 17 5.96 1982 NYY 150 1/3 7-11 67 71 4.37 1983 Tor 45 1/3 0-3 21 22 5.16 1985 Sea 6 1-1 5 2 12.00 1986 Sea 216 1/3 11-17 86 116 4.53 1987 Sea 207 1/3 12-17 53 85 4.65 1988 Bal 71 1/3 1-6 23 29 5.43 1989 LA 152 2/3 8-11 33 72 2.53 1990 LA 211 11-15 60 106 3.75 1991 LA 236 2/3 14-10 61 140 2.78 Total 1385 67-104 467 660 4.10