There Are 105 Million Reasons Why They Hate Dodgers

The Dodgers left the winter meetings here Tuesday after seemingly improving the team by signing all-star pitcher Kevin Brown--and made many new enemies in the process.

While leaving the Opryland Hotel, baseball officials continued to criticize the ballclub for making Brown the game’s first $100-million player, signing the right-hander to a seven-year, $105-million deal. Many general managers still expressed concern about the deal’s impact on the market, indicating the Dodgers haven’t gained supporters in the past few days.

“We have a group at the top that can afford to do this, and that’s just the reality of the situation,” said General Manager Randy Smith of the Detroit Tigers. “This has been going on for some time, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this, so I’m not shocked by anything anymore.

“But we’re going to start to have to look at the competitive balance issue. You look at these contracts and I think most people see problems for the game. The thing I don’t get is when you’re making that type of money, you would think these guys have enough pocket change to afford some of these things for themselves.”

Smith was referring to the Dodgers providing a jet to fly Brown’s wife and children from their home in Georgia to Los Angeles 12 times each season. Brown, who also gets hotel suites on the road, isn’t the first player to receive perks in addition to his salary, but use of a plane is groundbreaking.

San Francisco Giant General Manager Brian Sabean mocked the contract.

“We offered them [Brown and agent Scott Boras] the 49ers and the Golden Gate Bridge, and [Boras] didn’t crack a smile,” Sabean said sarcastically. “God bless him and God bless America.”

For his part, Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone isn’t concerned about how the Dodgers are viewed in the industry. But by the end of the news conference, he was clearly irritated by his opponents’ whining.

“What? We’re not supposed to try because we have the resources?” Malone said while meeting with reporters in his hotel suite. “We’re not supposed to try to get better? We’re not supposed to try to be the best team possible?

“I know I’m a hillbilly from Kentucky, but I’m not stupid. What are we in this for? Are we trying to win or are we trying to play this game [so] that we’re going to get just good enough, but we don’t want to make anybody mad? I can’t worry about making people mad. If people want to be mad because the Dodgers are being aggressive, then that’s their problem.”

Malone met with many general managers interested in trading with the Dodgers but said he was not overwhelmed by the proposals he received.

“It was really just a time of information gathering,” Malone said. “I was trying to find out what other clubs were doing, just trying to keep my fingers on the pulse of what was going on.

The Dodgers plan to move shortstop Jose Vizcaino and starting pitcher Dave Mlicki. Vizcaino, who will make $3 million next season, has two years and $6.5 million remaining on his contract. Mlicki will make $2.25 million in 1999 in the final year of his contract.

The Fox Group has set the Dodger payroll, which would be about $90 million if the season started today, at $85 million for ‘99, sources said. Malone would like to be a little under that figure.

He might wait to trade Vizcaino and Mlicki until spring training, when teams’ needs will be more urgent and they may be willing to sweeten offers.

“Every club is looking for pitching and we have a surplus,” Malone said. “Whenever you have a surplus you have options, and there is a market for all of our pitchers, but I like to have depth going into spring training. . . .

“Unless I get something that I really feel good about, and makes us better, we’ll keep everybody we have now and go into spring training.”

Malone says he is confident Brown’s record-setting contract won’t stir animosity in the clubhouse.

“If you’re a true team player, your ultimate goal is to win, and you want [the organization] to do what it takes to win,” Malone said. “If you’re a selfish player, we’re not going to have you around.”

Second baseman Eric Young, who has spoken with several of his teammates, said Brown’s contract won’t be a problem.

“We’re behind it 100%,” said Young, who is recovering well from the broken right foot he suffered last season. “When I first heard about it, I was like, ‘Oh, God, we got Brown.’ Every individual has a chance to negotiate their own contract and they should just be happy with that.

“Brown is the guy we needed and he definitely puts our team on a different level. People have to recognize the Dodgers as being a force now. Maybe Chan Ho [Park] will win 20 games now because he’ll watch how Brown goes about his business and it will rub off on him. We definitely look good on paper, but I just hope guys know we still have to do it on the field. We have to show up hungry from the first day [of spring training].”

Former Dodger third baseman Dave Hansen has returned to the club to back up Adrian Beltre, baseball sources said. Hansen, 30, played in Japan last season. A left-handed batter, Hansen was drafted by the Dodgers in 1986 and played in the major leagues for parts of eight seasons. In 90 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1997, Hansen batted .311 (47 for 151) with three home runs and 21 runs batted in.

The Dodgers have also signed left-handed reliever Greg Cadaret, who was 1-2 with a 4.23 earned-run average in 50 games for the Texas Rangers last season.

Cincinnati all-star shortstop Barry Larkin has confided in friends he wants to join the Dodgers. The Reds’ franchise player has demanded to be traded, and he has supporters in Dodger management, but Malone insists the club won’t make a deal for Larkin. . . . Former Dodger catcher Tom Prince and pitcher Jim Poole signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

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A day after Montreal picked Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams from the Philadelphia system for $50,000 in the major league draft, the Rangers got the outfielder from the Expos for about $100,000. . . . Third baseman Ed Sprague, 31, signed a $1-million, one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had 36 home runs and 101 RBIs for Toronto in 1996, but has slumped since then.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.