Tartabull Goes to Yankees : Baseball: The contract is worth $25.5 million for five years, free-agent outfielder says.

In a movement toward restoring luster to a once-proud franchise, the New York Yankees signed free-agent outfielder Danny Tartabull on Sunday night to the most lucrative contract in club history.

Tartabull, 29, said he received a five-year, $25.5-million contract, making him the second-highest paid player in baseball behind Bobby Bonilla of the New York Mets.

The deal includes a $1.5-million signing bonus and a clause guaranteeing he will earn an additional $1.5 million in endorsements during the life of the contract. Tartabull will receive $5 million in 1992, $4.75 million in 1993, $4.25 million in 1994, $5 million in 1995 and $5 million in 1996. There also are incentives that would pay him $150,000 for being the league’s most valuable player, $50,000 for making the all-star team and $50,000 for being World Series or League Championship Series most valuable player.

Yankee officials and agent Dennis Gilbert were unavailable for comment. The announcement will be made at a news conference today in New York.

The Angels were among the clubs bidding for Tartabull’s services, and he is the latest of a line of free agents to turn his back on them. The Angels lost first baseman Wally Joyner and pitcher Kirk McCaskill to free agency and failed to land outfielder Bonilla.

“Danny Tartabull’s a tremendous offensive player,” said Richard Brown, Angel president. “We feel he would have given us the hammer we need. But not at a price we feel is greater than his value.

“We’d never gotten into serious negotiations, but due to the money we were hearing and the five-year guarantee he wanted, we decided to pull out of it.”

The Yankees were late and surprising entrants in the Tartabull derby. They had not signed a major free agent since second baseman Steve Sax in 1988.

The New York front-office has been in such disarray since the 1990 ban of principal owner George Steinbrenner that they did not make a free-agent offer in a year.

Now, in what is considered their biggest free-agent signing since Dave Winfield in 1980, the Yankees have landed Tartabull.

He has averaged 26 homers and 89 runs batted in during his six-year career and led the major leagues with a .593 slugging percentage last season while playing with the Kansas City Royals.

Tartabull filed for free agency in the off-season and was being courted by the Angels, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. He was scheduled to visit Ranger officials and had an appointment Tuesday with Whitey Herzog, Angel vice president.

Everything drastically changed in mid-week. After telling Gilbert two weeks ago that the Yankees would have no interest in Tartabull, General Manager Gene Michael telephoned Thursday and offered a four-year, $16-million contract. Gilbert informed him that the Texas Rangers already had offered a five-year, $20-million contract.

Three hours later, Michael telephoned and said the Yankees would increase their offer. He and Yankee vice president Joseph Molloy, Steinbrenner’s son-in-law, met secretly in Los Angeles on Saturday with Tartabull, Gilbert and attorney Steve Schneider.

The Yankees offered Tartabull a five-year, $21.5-million contract late Saturday afternoon. The offer was rejected, and after Michael and Joseph Molloy convened, they raised the offer to $25.5 million by Sunday morning. By Sunday night, the deal was done.

“They were pretty adamant about not wanting to go home until they got me signed,” Tartabull said. “You talk about persistence. That really impressed us.”

Gilbert, who also represents Bonilla, telephoned Ranger General Manager Tom Grieve and Herzog during the day to inform them of the turn of events. The Rangers couldn’t compete, Grieve said, and Brown said the Angels were unwilling to pay $25 million.

“Texas and the Angels were both very attractive to me,” said Tartabull, who resides in Malibu, “but the New York Yankees, they’re something else. How can you not get excited about that tradition? There’s a great mystique to it. Everyone and everybody would love to have that prestige.”

The only disappointing aspect of his new employer, Tartabull said, is that he must change uniform numbers. He learned uniform No. 4 is retired, courtesy of Lou Gehrig.

Tartabull asked for No. 5. Sorry: Joe DiMaggio.

OK, No. 7? Mickey Mantle’s.

“I knew better than to ask for No. 3 (Babe Ruth), but I think I’ll go for No. 44,” Tartabull said. “I don’t remember anyone wearing that number there.”

Just Reggie Jackson.

“Hey, that’s perfect,” Tartabull said. “Me and Reggie. There’s going to be a lot of pressure playing in New York, anyway, but I love it. That’s what makes me tick.

“So might as well add on a little bit more, right?”

Times staff writers Ross Newhan and Helene Elliott contributed to this story.