Marlins Spent Big Bucks, but Braves May Cut Back

Major league baseball experienced another wacky winter of wild spending, weird decisions and widespread player movement. In the National League, it can best be illustrated by the following:

--A broadcaster, Larry Dierker, will manage the Houston Astros.

--Not even family ties could stem the annual migration from Montreal. Moises Alou, the son of Expo Manager Felipe Alou, and Mel Rojas, the nephew, both left as free agents.

--Deion Sanders returns to the Cincinnati Reds after a year away from baseball--playing football for Jerry Jones and Barry Switzer in Dallas having reminded him how much he missed Marge Schott.

--The Florida Marlins, seeking to reverse a three-year attendance slide, guaranteed $89.075 million to six free agents, which does not include the five-year, $7.5-million commitment to Manager Jim Leyland, who resembled Sergei Bubka in vaulting from the latest no-name lineup of the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Cloud Nine of Miami.

“I just want a chance to win,” Leyland said from Florida. “That’s what it’s supposed to be about. I was comfortable making a million a year [with the Pirates], living 10 minutes from the park, great schools, great city, great relationship. But I was gonna get my . . . beat again and it was eating at me, reaching the point where it was killing me.”

Leyland has a chance to win. The Marlins are clearly baseball’s most improved team, but whether they have balanced the power in the East--they finished 21 games behind the Atlanta Braves--while blowing out the checkbook is a question for the long season.

For the present, as NL teams assemble for spring training, this much seems certain: The Braves, who have won the league title in four of the last six years and division titles in five of six, still appear to be the NL’s best and the team that faces one of the spring’s most intriguing decisions.

Specifically: Will either David Justice or Fred McGriff be traded to disengage an outfield logjam and keep the payroll below luxury-tax levels?

Ideally, General Manager John Schuerholz acknowledged, the Braves would like to “adjust both the roster and payroll” but “we aren’t sitting around focusing on that. We want to go out and win another championship. The Marlins have gotten better. They’re a very strong team, but I still think we have the best team.

“I’m comfortable with our pitching, which is the most important element of a championship team. [All of our pitchers] have done what needs to be done to produce a championship for five or six straight years, and I fully expect them to do it again. Unlike some teams, I don’t have to sit here and wonder if the players we signed are capable of doing what’s needed.”

Sounds like a shot at the Marlins.

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How much did each team improve? Here’s one man’s ranking:

1. Florida: The free-spending Marlins fell short in the pursuit of Albert Belle but were then positioned to spread the wealth. They signed Bobby Bonilla and Moises Alou to protect Gary Sheffield, Miami-area resident Alex Fernandez to spur interest in the Cuban community and improve a rotation that already includes Kevin Brown and Al Leiter, role players Jim Eisenreich and John Cangelosi to strengthen the bench, and Dennis Cook to add depth to the bullpen. Leyland has spent the winter with tongue in cheek, insisting that “Atlanta’s not getting too nervous,” but the Marlins now have quality players in every category.

2. San Francisco: New General Manager Brian Sabean took some Bay Area heat when he traded Matt Williams to Cleveland, but the Giants, who finished 23 games behind San Diego last year, are faced with massive rebuilding, and Sabean’s initial objective was to put a proven major leaguer at every position. He has basically done that. The Giants report with an all-new infield of J.T. Snow, Jeff Kent, Jose Vizcaino and Mark Lewis. The talented Darryl Hamilton was signed to play center field between Barry Bonds and Glenallen Hill. The Giants figure to be better, but by how much depends on the spring search for pitching. William VanLandingham (9-14), Shawn Estes (3-5) and Kirk Rueter (6-8) are the big three--so to speak--of the rotation.

3. Chicago: The spring spotlight will focus on the attempt of rookies Kevin Orie and Brooks Kieschnick to nail down two power positions: third base and left field. The Tribune Co. popped for Rojas, the Expos’ closer, but lost staff ace Jaime Navarro to the White Sox and sometime starter Jim Bullinger to Montreal, prompting the signing of free agents Kevin Tapani and Terry Mulholland. Free-agent shortstop Shawon Dunston returns after a year in San Francisco, and free-agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez returned to Houston after 1 1/2 years with the Cubs.

4. San Diego: The Padres’ high ranking on the improvement ladder stems from the possible signing of Japanese star Hideki Irabu, the second coming of Hideo Nomo. Irabu, who would prefer to sign with the New York Yankees, can match Nomo’s power repertoire and would figure to become a No. 1 or 2 starter for San Diego. The Padres acquired second baseman Quilvio Veras, a potential leadoff man, from Florida for reliever Dustin Hermanson, but have been unable to trade a leadoff man named Rickey Henderson, a pursuit that will continue this spring. Henderson and Greg Vaughn shared left field amiably as the Padres battled for a division title, but that does not figure to work over a full season. The Padres lost Bob Tewskbury to free agency, re-signed Fernando Valenzuela and traded right-handed power pitcher Scott Sanders to Seattle for southpaw stylist Sterling Hitchcock. A key: the ongoing spring rehabilitation of MVP Ken Caminiti after rotator cuff surgery. Caminiti hopes to be ready for the start of the season. It may take longer.

5. Atlanta: The Braves did what they needed to do, committing $62.125 million in long-term contracts to pitchers John Smoltz, Denny Neagle and Mark Wohlers, and picking up Tom Glavine’s ’97 option at an additional $5 million. The payroll is about $55 million and needs to be $50 million or less, Schuerholz said. Trading either Justice or McGriff would accomplish that and relieve the outfield SigAlert. Justice returns from last year’s shoulder injury to join Marquis Grissom, Ryan Klesko and the two impressive rookies of ‘96, Jermaine Dye and Andruw Jones. Any team interested in Justice will first want to check out his shoulder in spring games. An alternative McGriff trade would enable Klesko or Justice to move to first base. Would the Braves consider returning Dye or Jones to the minors? Said Schuerholz: “They’ve both proved they can play at this level, but I wouldn’t be hesitant to do that if the situation dictates it, if [Justice] is healthy and we’re unable to make a move.”

6. Dodgers: In Bill Russell’s first spring as manager, second base is important, but probably not the key. The key is center field and the accompanying leadoff position. An offense that was 12th in the league at .252 and last in on-base and slugging percentages virtually died without any leadoff consistency. Brett Butler is essential, but to think he can play 130 or more games seems wishful thinking. The Dodgers retained essential members of their division-best pitching staff and filled a third base void by signing Todd Zeile, but they have no apparent option at leadoff if Butler can’t go and only journeymen support if Wilton Guerrero isn’t ready at second base. Keep an eye on Philadelphia’s Mickey Morandini.

7. Colorado: The Rockies signed free-agent catcher Kirt Manwaring to improve defensively at a key position. They re-signed free-agent outfielder Ellis Burks to keep their high-altitude offense intact. They did nothing to improve a pitching staff that had the league’s highest earned-run average of 5.59. The spring hope is that Bill Swift, who pitched only 124 innings in the first two years of his three-year, $13.15-million contract, will finally come up sound. Swift had more operations (two) than wins (one) last year.

8. Cincinnati: Schott sold her car dealership after claims that she had falsified sales figures. You can still find a lemon or two at Riverfront Stadium. The Reds knocked about $13 million off a $43-million payroll over the winter by dealing basically in retreads. They didn’t re-sign comeback player of the year Eric Davis or the ponderous Kevin Mitchell (saving on the postgame buffet) but welcomed Sanders back to center field and traded for Ruben Sierra, the bulk of whose $5.5-million contract is being paid by Detroit. Terry Pendleton, 36 and coming off a .238 season in Florida and Atlanta, was signed for the bench, and free-agent gambles such as Kent Mercker and Ricky Bones were acquired for a pitching staff that is counting on Pete Schourek to return from midseason elbow surgery and Jeff Brantley to repeat his 44-save season. Lee Smith went to Montreal as a free agent.

9. St. Louis: The Cardinals didn’t need to do much and didn’t. The big move: signing Delino DeShields to play second base. An improvement? Don’t ask. Longtime prospect Dmitri Young, a first-round selection in 1991, will play a more prominent role and may open the season at first base, depending on center fielder Ray Lankford’s recovery from shoulder surgery. First baseman John Mabry will move to the outfield if Lankford isn’t ready.

10. Houston: The Astros will find Dierker far different from the tightly wound Terry Collins. Dierker wants the players to relax during the spring and play a lot of golf. General Manager Gerry Hunsicker may have been dreaming of a distant fairway when he made a nine-player trade with the Tigers in which center fielder Brian Hunter and shortstop Orlando Miller, among others, went to Detroit basically for light-hitting catcher Brad Ausmus and some suspect pitching. The Astros are hoping oft-injured free agent Pat Listach can replace Miller at short and that touted rookie Bob Abreu is ready in right, allowing Derek Bell to move to center, replacing Hunter. Doug Drabek went to the White Sox as a free agent, and Sid Fernandez was signed to replace him.

11. Philadelphia: After ownership resolved the sudden rift between General Manager Lee Thomas and Manager Jim Fregosi in favor of Thomas, Terry Francona was hired as manager, insisting he knows the meaning of patience. Lenny Dykstra and Darren Daulton will try a spring comeback from their career-threatening injuries, but the prognosis isn’t good. The Phillies have a rookie-of-the-year candidate in third baseman Scott Rolen, but illustrating the likelihood of a long summer is this: Former Angel Rex Hudler, a second baseman basically, will be asked to play right field full time.

12. New York: The Mets were the team of the future a year ago, blessed with baseball’s best young pitching, but that future has turned as bleak as the 71-91 record of last season. The big three among the young pitchers--Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen--all underwent arm surgery and are at various stages of long and uncertain recoveries. The Mets bolstered their middle relief during the winter, but the only significant move seemed to be a grasping-at-straws trade for John Olerud, who has continued to fade since his .363 of ’93.

13. Montreal: A productive farm system and Alou’s managerial skills have enabled the Expos to stay competitive amid the ongoing financial defections, but the loss of Moises Alou, Rojas and pitcher Jeff Fassero makes for an even tougher proposition, although the system has come up with another apparent winner in outfielder Vladimir Guerrero. Alou said the brother of the Dodgers’ Wilton Guerrero is the best prospect he has ever seen. Guerrero may open as a platoon player in right field, but figures to play a lot. The Expos acquired another promising player by trading Fassero to Seattle for catcher Chris Widger and others, but a $17-million payroll has left Alou thin on starting pitchers beyond Pedro Martinez, and it’s doubtful that Lee Smith, at 39, can duplicate Rojas’ 36 saves.

14. Pittsburgh: Under new Manager Gene Lamont, the Pirates will take 70 players to spring training, as if quantity equated to quality. The club has regressed and retrenched under new ownership, initiating another five-year plan. A $21-million payroll has been reduced to about $12 million, slightly more than the White Sox will pay Albert Belle. Among players traded for prospects or suspects: Jay Bell, Jeff King, Carlos Garcia and Orlando Merced.