Tonight’s Season Opener Is Postponed by Owners : Baseball: Clubs are told to release replacement players, and exhibitions are canceled. A lockout vote will be taken today, but regulars are expected to report this week.

Baseball’s replacement season was put on hold Saturday. The dreams seemed to be darkening for those would-be major leaguers.

The clubs were instructed by management’s Player Relations Committee to release temporary players by midnight Saturday, and tonight’s scheduled season opener between the New York Mets and Florida Marlins was postponed.

In addition, today’s final seven exhibition games, including the last game of the Freeway Series between the Angels and Dodgers, were canceled. Owners will vote on a lockout at today’s meeting in Chicago, but the possibility of approval seems slim.

Major league players could begin reporting to spring training camps on Monday. Management and the players’ union began discussions Saturday on back-to-work procedures. The season would tentatively open on April 26.

Referring to the Chicago meeting, acting Commissioner Bud Selig said: “Until we have a chance to review all of our options, everyone felt we should cancel (today’s) games.”

The PRC, meanwhile, ordered clubs to release their temporary players--some will be re-signed to minor league contracts--in an effort to cut costs.

Any replacement player on an opening-day roster, which were due by 6 p.m. today, would have qualified for a $25,000 bonus and severance package.

“They’ve told us the season was over,” said Pete Kuld, a replacement catcher with the Cleveland Indians.

“They’re not going to have replacement games. Everybody’s got their travel orders.”

A National League general manager said that isn’t quite the case, insisting that the replacement season hasn’t been totally abandoned.

“Even though the contracts haven’t been executed, teams will still have the ability to reassemble their replacement teams next week, depending on what the owners decide tomorrow,” he said.

The Chicago meeting was called after the players’ union offered to end the 232-day strike Friday when U.S. District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor ordered a temporary injunction restoring key provisions of the expired labor agreement, including salary arbitration, free-agent bidding and the anti-collusion clause pertaining to free agency.

Owners have steadfastly said they do not want to play another season under terms of the expired agreement, but it is not certain they have the 21 votes needed to approve a lockout that carries major financial risks.

“I’m just one owner, but my guess is that we’re not going to lock out,” New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner said on CBS-TV during halftime of the UCLA-Oklahoma State NCAA tournament game.

Steinbrenner said he expected regular players to return this week for a 21-day training period and that ultimately the owners and players will reach a bargaining settlement “to clean up this mess.”

The Yankees, Mets, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres are believed to be six of the eight votes required to block a lockout, with the Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox believed leaning that way. Dodger owner Peter O’Malley continued to insist Saturday that he has not decided.

“Our first decision tomorrow is to vote on a lockout,” Colorado owner Jerry McMorris said. “That’s the big decision in front of us, then the rest of the pieces will fall into place.

“I think you’ll have a majority of votes in favor of it, but I don’t know if you’ll have enough to get to three-quarters.

“I’ve been very clear in my position. I’m not inclined to vote for a lockout because I don’t think it’s in the best interest of this franchise, but I won’t make a final decision until I see the judge’s order.”

Added an American League owner: “There’s a lot of intense feeling for a lockout, but a lot of clubs haven’t received a complete report on the risks and options. Bud hasn’t given anyone his opinion yet, and a lot of clubs could be swayed by that.”

Nevertheless, there were developments Saturday that seemed to pave the way for the return of the major leaguers:

--It was learned that the Player Relations Committee sent a memo to the clubs giving them permission to start signing players. The PRC, in what was tantamount to a signing freeze, became the sole bargaining agent for the 28 teams on Feb. 6, when it also eliminated the provisions now restored by the injunction.

“They had no choice,” union leader Donald Fehr said of the PRC memo. “I mean, they’re under court order.”

Barring a lockout, Fehr added it should be “fairly easy” to establish a timetable for salary arbitration and free-agent signings.

--Lawyers for the two sides met at the union office to discuss “back to work” rules. There were no agreements, Fehr said, but a source familiar with the discussions said there is a tentative agreement for camps to open to regular players on Monday, with a mandatory reporting date of Wednesday.

Foreign players who have been unable to obtain visas during the stoppage would be given more time to report. The union plans to establish a training base for the more than 100 free agents in Homestead, Fla., and a season of between 139 to 145 games would begin about April 26.

Fehr described the discussions as “businesslike,” but said he did not think they automatically suggested the owners will accept the players’ offer to return.

“I don’t think we’ll know that until tomorrow,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and everything will go forward swimmingly. We’ll see.”

Management lawyers are still scheduled to seek a stay and expedited appeal on the injunction ruling Tuesday.

--Some owners may link the regulars’ return to a no-strike pledge from the union, which Fehr might grant if the owners pledge not to implement a new economic system through Dec. 31, meaning the old system would have to stay in place through 1996, as well. Sources said there was a brief discussion on the pledge issue Saturday.

--If the lockout is rejected, some owners, hardened even more by the injunction decision, might argue that replacement games be played while the regulars prepare. Or they might insist on darkened stadiums over replacement games if the lockout is approved.

Although owners approved the use of replacements by a 26-2 vote Thursday, there could be a new vote on the replacement issue in Chicago.

“I don’t know what votes we’ll take,” Selig said. “We’ll discuss a number of scenarios and then decide.”

* REPLACEMENTS EXIT

The Freeway Series between Dodger and Angel replacements was canceled after two games. The Dodgers won, 4-3, Saturday night. C14

* UNFORGETTABLE SPRING

Substitute baseball players created memories to last a lifetime during the 1995 training camps in Florida and Arizona. C3