BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : WORLD SERIES : Blue Jays Are Planning to Trim Payroll

Despite the popular perception that the Toronto Blue Jays will buy their way into the World Series each year, making this their annual fall gala, Blue Jay General Manager Pat Gillick contends they might have more severe budgetary woes than anyone else.

The Blue Jays, whose budget teetered at about $50 million this season, must trim about $6 million to $8 million from their payroll for next season, Gillick contends.

While this hardly is unique, the Blue Jays’ biggest problem is that several of their players, such as first baseman John Olerud and pitcher Juan Guzman, are due to receive hefty raises.

“I don’t want to demean other organizations or sound egotistical,” Gillick said, “but we’ve got a lot more talent than other teams, and you have to pay for that talent.”

This is why the Blue Jays will have to bid adieu to at least five high-priced veterans before next season, Gillick said, and replace them with younger, inexpensive talent.

The game plan, according to club officials, is to allow left fielder Rickey Henderson and shortstop Tony Fernandez to leave via free agency. They will pay a $1-million buyout instead of exercising the option in starter Jack Morris’ contract. They probably will release reliever Mark Eichhorn. Catcher Pat Borders probably will be traded.

“This has really become a bigger problem for us than anyone else,” Gillick said. “I don’t think people are going to feel sorry for us, but we’re already at 97% seating capacity. We can’t sell too many more tickets.

“We’ve also got problems with the dollar. It’s decreased in value by five cents since the start of the season. The only way we can generate more revenue is to raise ticket prices. But this club is owned by a brewery, and they’re a little sensitive to that.

“It’s not a good feeling, but it’s almost gotten to the point where we’ve got to make the World Series to turn a profit.”

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Despite the Blue Jays’ overwhelming success, not even two consecutive World Series titles will change Gillick’s mind about retiring after the 1994 season.

“Guys hang on and hang on until they get pushed out,” Gillick said. “I don’t want to go out like that. People in the business are afraid to leave the business, and that’s just not me.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I think Michael Jordan said it best: ‘When you retire, you get to do what you want to do.’

“And that’s what I’ll do.”

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Blue Jay right fielder Joe Carter said of Toronto’s wild comeback victory in Game 4: “You can’t put it in words, you can’t describe it, it’s baseball.

“I think half of North America was asleep when everything happened. I think they went to sleep thinking the Series was tied at 2-2. When they woke up, they said, ‘They won? How?’ They are probably more excited than we were. I’m sure we’re the talk of Canada.

“You’re surprised because in the World Series, you usually don’t expect to see games like. We had games like this vs. the Phillies in spring training, but you don’t expect it in the World Series. It was like a slo-pitch softball game.”