Another Griffith Tries to Buy Twins

Attorney Clark Griffith said Friday he has a plan to keep the Minnesota Twins in town, improve the team’s performance and increase attendance--and he doesn’t need a new stadium right away to do it.

Griffith said he is prepared to buy the team with a bid he valued at $134 million, including $86 million in cash and the rest in assumed liabilities such as players’ salaries.

It’s the same deal Griffith has talked about before. But he said he raised the value from $86 million on his accountant’s advice, to parallel a reported $140-million deal from North Carolina businessman Don Beaver.

“I think this offer is as good as the North Carolina offer,” said Griffith, a son of former Twin owner Calvin Griffith.

Twins President Jerry Bell said baseball owners would prefer a local buyer. But they won’t look favorably upon Griffith’s bid because it is considerably lower than Beaver’s, he said.

“Once they analyze the deal, I’m convinced they won’t approve it,” he said.

*

The Atlanta Braves withdrew their offer to Brady Anderson after signing Andres Galarraga to a $24.75-million, three-year contract.

General Manager John Schuerholz said the Braves, who will have a payroll of more than $60 million in 1998, don’t have enough money to sign “any other major free agents.”

That includes Anderson, who hit .288 and had 18 homers, 73 RBIs and 18 stolen bases for the Baltimore Orioles last season, and Kenny Lofton, who had hoped to re-sign with the Braves after hitting .333 with 27 stolen bases in his only season in Atlanta.

The Braves had offered Anderson a four-year deal for around $29 million. He is expected to receive similar offers from Toronto and the New York Yankees.

Galarraga replaces Fred McGriff, who was traded to Tampa Bay this week for a player to be determined.

A Baltimore television station reported Friday night that Anderson turned down a four-year $25-million dollar offer from the Orioles.

Anderson had told the Washington Post earlier that he will stay with Baltimore if it matches the offer other teams are willing to pay him for four years, or if the Orioles give him a five-year deal.

*

Free-agent catcher Brent Mayne and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a two-year, $1.45-million contract. He hit .289 with six home runs last season for Oakland. . . . Mike Benjamin, who played every infield position for the Boston Red Sox last season and then became a free agent, re-signed for $242,500. . . . The Red Sox agreed on a relationship with Korea University that allowed the team to sign 21-year-old right-hander Sun-Woo Kim to a minor league contract. . . . Houston Astro second baseman Craig Biggio was presented the Branch Rickey Award for outstanding community service.