BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Scout Calls Deal a Steal

Dodger scout Mel Didier, considered one of the best talent evaluators in the game, stopped by New York’s Shea Stadium Thursday and said the Dodgers made an “absolute steal” in their trade with the Montreal Expos.

“You just watch what these two guys [Roberto Kelly and rookie left-handed reliever Joey Eischen] will do for this team,” Didier said. “We not only got a great center fielder, but now we’re able to move [Raul] Mondesi back to right field, where he’s the best in the game.

“The big one for me was Eischen. We’ve been fooling with all of the soft-tossing lefties long enough. Now we’ve got a guy with a good arm who can throw.

“When I was in Montreal the other day, I was praying he wouldn’t pitch. I said, ‘Please Lord, don’t let him come in the game.’ I didn’t want him coming in and striking out two or three guys, and then having [Expo Manager] Felipe [Alou] say, ‘Maybe we better reconsider this deal.’

“It’s a steal, it really was.”

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The Dodgers claimed left-handed pitcher John Cummings on waivers from the Seattle Mariners and optioned him to double-A San Antonio. They made room on the roster by designating outfielder Reggie Williams for reassignment.

Cummings, 26, an eighth-round draft choice from USC in 1990, has a career 2-10 record and 6.07 earned-run average in 31 games with the Mariners. He is 0-0 with an 11.81 ERA in four appearances this season and is expected to remain in the minors all season with the chance to try for a starting job in 1996.

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Met closer John Franco apologized for a derogatory comment he made about Dodger starter Hideo Nomo in the New York Post. “What do I think of Ho Chi Minh?” he was quoted as saying. “Not as good as the hype.”

The Japanese-American community was outraged, and Met officials said they received about a dozen angry phone calls.

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Met pitcher Bret Saberhagen commented on his father, Bob Saberhagen, becoming a newspaper reporter in Pine Mountain, Calif.: “I told my Dad I don’t get along with too many writers, so if you ever write something bad about me, I’m disowning you.”