Joyner Picks Royals Over Angels : Baseball: Free-agent first baseman passes on guaranteed four-year deal worth nearly $16 million and signs a one-year, $4.2-million contract.

Resisting the powerful lure of a guaranteed, four-year contract worth nearly $16 million and Whitey Herzog’s persuasiveness, Wally Joyner put his principles above his market value Monday.

Joyner’s rejection of the Angels’ offer for a one-year, $4.2-million contract from the Kansas City Royals was a stunning move, one that periodically brought him to tears as he explained his decision at a news conference.

By omission rather than inclusion, Joyner blamed the deterioration of his relationship with the Angels on doubts about his commitment supposedly raised over the years by Jackie Autry, the club’s executive vice president and the wife of owner Gene Autry.

Joyner pointedly praised Herzog, the Angels’ senior vice president for player personnel, and his eyes overflowed in discussing Gene Autry’s kindness. But by not mentioning her name, Joyner implied that Jackie Autry had driven him away at least partly by rejecting two agreements forged by Herzog and prolonging the negotiations.

Although the Royals agreed to waive their arbitration rights so that Joyner can become a free agent again after this season and promised to discuss a long-term contract with him, he nonetheless took a huge gamble by rejecting the Angels’ offer.

“I think we all know who Whitey is and what he stands for. . . . If he had control and was able to do what he wanted to do, it might have been different,” Joyner said. “What I found out, as far as myself was concerned, was that he did not have the power he thought he had with me.”

The smile that illuminated Joyner’s face as he strode into the room soon vanished as the finality of his decision hit him. He had also negotiated with the Braves and the Dodgers, but could get neither the long-term deal he wanted with the Dodgers nor a lucrative one-year deal.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have an opportunity to play with the Kansas City Royals. It was,” he said, pausing as a teardrop slid out of his left eye. “It was probably the toughest decision I’ve made. I’ve enjoyed my time with the California Angels. That’s where Wally World started.”

He hesitated again to compose himself.

“But in my opinion, I didn’t see any future with myself and the Angels,” Joyner continued. “Obviously, signing a one-year deal wasn’t, it never has been a money issue. I think I have a lot of integrity and I think for me doing this, I got a new start, a fresh start, an exciting start.”

Joyner, a career .288 hitter who hit .301 with 21 home runs and 96 runs batted in last season, added: “This morning shows my frustration and disappointment that I couldn’t play for a great man like Whitey. We tried as best we could to go with what we had and it didn’t work.”

Jackie Autry said that she had never called Joyner a malingerer or questioned the seriousness of his medical problems, such as the staph infection that sent him to the hospital after Game 3 of the 1986 American League playoffs or the sprained ankle that curtailed his 1991 season.

“Nobody can blame a player if he’s injured,” she said. “If the doctor says he can’t play, he can’t. Certainly, our contract offer was indicative of our thinking about Wally Joyner. . . . We put a lot of money on the line. I don’t think anywhere have you seen an indication from ownership that he couldn’t play because he was injured. If he felt that way, he should have come to us. I haven’t spoken to Wally because I don’t come down to the clubhouse.”

Club President Richard Brown said if Joyner based his departure on Jackie Autry’s alleged dislike for him, “it’s really tragic because it’s untrue.”

Former General Manager Mike Port also said he never heard Jackie Autry impugn Joyner.

“You make objective evaluations on every player in line with their performance statistics, nothing on a personal basis,” he said. “Any time you tread into that with players, you have a lot of different personalities and it’s not a game of personalities, unless it’s illegal.

“But I also submit, as (former Angel general manager) Buzzie Bavasi used to say, ‘You don’t get .300 hitters mad at you.’ ”

Herzog negotiated with Joyner because of Joyner’s previous acrimonious dealings with Senior Vice President Dan O’Brien. Joyner took the Angels to arbitration and won in each of the last two years and had his contract unilaterally renewed the previous year. He said he had tried to forget the past.

“But after what happened the last two weeks, I thought it might affect the way I play and I didn’t think that was fair to the California Angels or California Angels’ fans,” he added.

During the last two weeks, the talks stalled for eight days--which Joyner blamed on Jackie Autry--and he was given a deadline of 4 p.m. PST last Friday to sign with the Angels or lose their offer. Their differences, which centered on Joyner’s desire to be paid $9.5 million in salary and bonuses by Jan. 15, 1994, to minimize his losses in case of a 1994 lockout, were largely resolved by the weekend.

And at about 11 p.m. Sunday, Herzog bridged the final gap when he visited Joyner in the hotel suite Joyner shared with one of his agents, Michael Watkins.

“I honestly said to Wally, ‘Don’t let him come over. You know how persuasive Whitey is,’ ” said Joyner’s other agent, Barry Axelrod. “If Whitey had been able to do what he did last night, we’d absolutely have had a deal. We were ready 10 days ago. Whitey and us had actually talked about when we were going to have a press conference.”

Herzog’s arguments led Joyner to reconsider his options through a sleepless night. He reaffirmed terms with the Royals at 8:40 a.m.

“My higher priority is to take care of my family and with a guaranteed contract that was a stronger possibility,” Joyner said.

But because “there was a different set of rules for Wally Joyner than anybody else,” he said he told Herzog, “ ‘I wish I can be an Angel, but I can’t.’ ”

Herzog said he was frustrated that negotiations didn’t start until Nov. 13 and more frustrated that he met Joyner’s conditions but was still rebuffed.

“If he wanted to remain an Angel, he could have,” Herzog said. “I was going to do (the contract payout) the way he wanted it. I think Wally made a decision he didn’t want to be with the Angels. I’m not saying it’s the wrong decision. I respect that decision very much. . . .

“I’m sure Wally thinks, ‘I go for one year to Kansas City and Kansas City refuses arbitration. The guy from Blockbuster (Video owner Wayne Huizenga) has got millions. I can offer myself to Miami.’ ”

Joyner’s departure leaves the Angels’ lineup nearly devoid of power and probably will force them into making at least one other major deal.

“With Von Hayes (in right field), Lee Stevens just moves to first base,” Manager Buck Rodgers said. “Before, we were going to give a chance to Lee Stevens. Now we’ll have to depend on him a little more.”

His initial nervousness gone, Joyner said he felt “great relief” and no regrets.

“Money isn’t everything, and I don’t want it to ever be the reason I do anything,” he said. “Playing with the Angels has been tremendous. I’ve had my problems with them, and what has transpired over the last two weeks kind of did me in. I had some long talks with a lot of people and I didn’t sleep a whole lot. . . .

“I’m not trying to get even. There’s nothing for me to get even with. It was just a point where I had to make a decision and it was in my best interest for my family and myself to leave.”

Angel Notes

Richard Brown said that the Angels have narrowed their monetary differences with Chuck Finley, enough for Whitey Herzog to say an agreement is possible before the end of the week. . . . Herzog met with Dodger Vice President Fred Claire to discuss left fielder Kal Daniels, among other players, but no deal was imminent. . . . Herzog also spoke to General Manager Al Harazin of the New York Mets about a deal involving Finley--if the Angels can’t sign him--and Kevin McReynolds.

Herzog said his hope of signing center fielder Otis Nixon hit a snag because Nixon’s agent, Joe Sroba, doesn’t yet have certification papers to represent Nixon.

The Angels are expected to finish details today that would send pitcher Mike Fetters to Milwaukee for relief pitcher Chuck Crim.