Rangers Get Clark : Baseball: Giants’ first baseman leaves for a five-year, $30-million contract.

Free-agent first baseman Will Clark, unable to get more than a three-year guarantee from the San Francisco Giants, agreed to a five-year, $30-million contract with the Texas Rangers on Monday.

The Rangers turned to Clark, General Manager Tom Grieve said, after agent Jim Bronner told the organization last Friday that it would take more then $30 million to retain their first baseman, free agent Rafael Palmeiro.

“Our priority was to re-sign Rafael, but we couldn’t go to six years or more than $30 million and we couldn’t risk losing Clark as well,” Grieve said. “It’s imperative that we have a left-handed power hitter in our new stadium next year.”

Palmeiro had his best season in 1993, batting .295 with 37 home runs and 105 runs batted in. The Baltimore Orioles, spurned by Clark, are expected to pick up the pursuit of Palmeiro.

General Manager Bob Quinn of the Giants said his club will try to replace Clark from within.

“We’ll go with what we have, I can assure you of that,” he said.

What do the Giants have?

A combination of veterans Dave Martinez, Todd Benzinger and Mark Carreon, and a 23-year-old prospect named J.R. Phillips who led the Pacific Coast League in home runs and RBIs and is now leading the Arizona Fall League in home runs.

Phillips, who attended Bishop Amat High in LaPuente and was originally signed by the Angels as a third-round draft choice in 1988, was claimed on waivers by the Giants last December after the Angels got into a “40-man roster crunch” when they signed Chili Davis as a free agent, Quinn said.

“In essence, you don’t replace Will Clark overnight but we have some people who will be given the opportunity, and we think Phillips, in particular, has an outstanding future,” Quinn said.

Nevertheless, he added, the Giants were disappointed to lose Clark and said it was an obvious setback.

“It’s difficult to characterize my emotions,” he said. “On the one hand you’re talking about one of the great players in franchise history.

“On the other, we offered three years and the option on a fourth that matched up, dollar-wise, (to the Texas offer). But we weren’t comfortable guaranteeing five years, and that was the deal breaker.”

Clark, in the last year of a four-year, $15-million contract, was plagued by a knee injury that limited him to 132 games. He batted .283 with career lows in home runs, 14, and RBIs, 73.

Quinn said he was satisfied that Clark’s knee injury wouldn’t be a long-range problem but declined to say why the club wouldn’t go to five years for Clark, other than to suggest that the Giants are reluctant to be burned again. He said they owe $4.5 million to released players such as Dave Righetti and Bud Black who “were probably signed for one year too many.”

The Giants, of course, signed Barry Bonds for six years at $43.75 million last winter, and recently signed free agents Robby Thompson and Mark Portugal for three years each, with a fourth-year option.

“Our priority was to re-sign Will and Robby and add a pitcher,” Quinn said. “We accomplished two of three and did our damnedest to get it all done. We put more time into trying to re-sign Will than in signing Thompson and Portugal combined. I hope our fans can recognize that.”

Clark will attend a news conference in Texas today. Agent Jeff Moorad said that Clark’s preference was to re-sign with the Giants and he leaves with mixed feelings.

“At the same time, he’s thrilled with the opportunity to join a hungry young team that should compete for the lead in the new AL West for years,” Moorad said.