Dodgers, Trying to Avoid the Draft, Expect to Announce Zeile Signing Soon

The Dodgers, who have shied away from the free-agent market for position players since signing outfielders Darryl Strawberry and Brett Butler in 1990, expect to sign third baseman Todd Zeile by Monday, sources said.

Zeile, 31, and the Dodgers have agreed in principle to a three-year deal worth $10 million to $11 million, according to sources, but will complete the pact after Saturday’s arbitration deadline. If the Dodgers signed Zeile before Saturday’s deadline, they lose their first-round pick in the 1997 June free-agent draft to the Baltimore Orioles, his former team.

The Dodgers have used 24 third basemen since 1986 with little success. Zeile, who played at UCLA, has a .263 batting average in his eight-year career and had 25 home runs and 99 runs batted in last season for the Philadelphia Phillies and Orioles. He also batted .364 with three homers and five RBIs in the postseason for the Orioles.