BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJORS : Dim Hopes for Umpire Deal

Baseball umpires made a new proposal Monday, but the negotiator for the owners said he thought there was little chance for a deal by opening day next week. Umpires, who make from $60,000 to $175,000 per season, asked for a 40 percent raise, down from 53 percent in their previous proposal and 60 percent in their initial plan. Owners, who have locked out the umpires since Jan. 1, last Thursday offered a 10 percent increase, up from a cost-of-living increase in their previous proposal.

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The Cincinnati Reds signed Benito Santiago to a one-year contract for about $500,000 plus incentives. Santiago, 30, was one of the free agents working out in Homestead, Fla., waiting for an offer. He made $3.8 million last year with Florida and led National League catchers in assists. . . Free-agent pitcher Luis Aquino, a 29-year-old right-hander with a 31-29 record and a 3.57 career ERA, signed a minor-league contract with the Montreal Expos after spending last season with the Florida Marlins. . . . The San Diego Padres signed Cory Snyder, the former Dodger who had been playing for triple-A Las Vegas.

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Larry Doby, the first black to play in the American League, was hired as a special assistant to AL President Gene Budig. Doby joined the Indians in 1947, the same year Jackie Robinson made his Brooklyn Dodger debut. Doby hit .301 in 1948 as the Indians won the AL pennant.