BASEBALL MEETINGS : With Lawyers Still at Work, Bonds Deal Remains on Hold

The agreement between Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants remained on hold Monday after lawyers spent the day trying to finalize the six-year contract worth an estimated $45 million.

The deal hit a snag when Giant owner Bill Lurie, who is in the process of selling the team to Peter Magowan, chairman of Safeway Inc., said he would not be responsible for paying Bonds if the sale of the team is not approved by the other major league owners. Parties involved say the deal is still on and attorneys are working out the problems.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said it was difficult for him to say goodby to veteran catcher Mike Scioscia, who was not offered arbitration and is not in the Dodgers’ plans for next season.

“It will be tough not having Mike with me next year,” Lasorda said. “He’s been with me since we brought him up in 1981 and I can truly say he has been one of the greatest Dodgers of all. Never once did he show me one minute of disrespect, never once did he not give his best for me, the fans or the team owner. “

Also not offered arbitration were infielder Dave Anderson and pitchers Bob Ojeda, Jay Howell and John Candelaria. If clubs did not offer their free agents arbitration by midnight Monday they cannot sign them until May 1.

Scioscia, 34, is reportedly talking with the Montreal Expos.

Despite the acquisition of outfielder/infielder Cory Snyder on Saturday, the Dodgers are still pursuing a true third baseman.

“I don’t plan on Cory playing third base next season,” Lasorda said. “I’m not saying that he won’t but I don’t think he will.”

Although still confused by a trade he never sought, Jim Abbott says he has had no second thoughts about rejecting a four-year, $16-million contract offer by the Angels and triggering a trade. Claiming the team had to deal Abbott if he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal, Whitey Herzog, the club’s senior vice president, sent Abbott to the Yankees on Sunday for three minor leaguers--pitchers Russ Springer and Jerry Nielsen and first baseman J.T. Snow.

“I don’t have any regrets. It’s just unfortunate the way things happened,” Abbott said Monday. “The Angels made a proposal for a four-year offer and it wasn’t what we’d asked for. It wasn’t that I wanted to leave the Angels, but they took it as that.

“The Angels were very fair to me and I’m not going to say that they weren’t. The contract was something we chose not to sign. We made an offer that was fair ($17.5 million for four years) and we made an offer for a one-year deal. If that’s the way Whitey wants to play it in the papers I can’t do anything, but I hate to be played as sounding greedy. I didn’t think what we asked for was out of the question.”

Abbott said he was saddened by the trade, which he learned of when he returned from a Hawaiian vacation with his wife.

“Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I’d always be with the Angels. I guess I was naive to think that after all was said and done,” he said. “This is tough for me because I always felt I’d be part of the Angels. I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for Gene Autry.

“I’m really excited about playing with Don Mattingly and Spike Owen. I’ve heard a lot of good things about them, and I’m looking forward to playing for a team that wants to win.”

Paul Molitor, unable to reach an accord with the Brewers that would prolong his 15-year career in Milwaukee, was being wooed by the Angels and Blue Jays after the Brewers said they wouldn’t offer him arbitration by the midnight Monday deadline. The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins were also interested in Molitor, who was fourth in the American League batting race this season with a .320 average and drove in 89 runs.

Molitor, 36, earned $3.4 million in 1992 but was being offered a salary of less than $3 million by the cost-conscious Brewers.

Baseball Notes

The Dodgers have reportedly offered Lenny Harris to the Houston Astros. . . . The Cleveland Indians are talking with Bobby Ojeda. . . . The Dodgers chose Dera Clark, a right-handed pitcher, and Doug Fitzer, a left-hander, in Monday’s minor league draft. . . . The Seattle Mariners signed former Dodger Mike Marshall, 32, to a triple-A contract and invited him to spring training. Marshall spent last season in Japan, where he failed to produce and was sent to the minors by the Nippon Ham Fighters. . . . The Detroit Tigers re-signed Lou Whitaker to a three-year contract worth $10 million.

Whitey Herzog’s other talks involved the Braves, but his ability to swing a deal hinged on several factors. Atlanta was awaiting a response to its $32-million contract offer to free-agent pitcher Greg Maddux, who on Monday went on a tour of the New York suburbs by Yankee General Manager Gene Michael. If the Braves sign Maddux, they will rid themselves of other high-salaried players; one they deem expendable without requiring much return is left-hander Charlie Leibrandt, who earned $2.6 million plus incentives in 1992. That’s high for the Angels, but they might take it if they can’t find a proven starter for the fourth or fifth spots in their rotation. The Angels are also interested in outfielder Ron Gant, but that hinges on whether Deion Sanders signs a contract to play baseball exclusively instead of playing both baseball and football.

Still seeking a center fielder, the Angels have talked to the Expos about Cliff Floyd, Montreal’s first-round draft pick in 1990. . . . Of the Angels’ five free agents, only infielder Rene Gonzales was offered arbitration.