Dodgers Brace for a Close Call in Retaining Relief Ace Shaw

Dodger pitcher Jeff Shaw, who would prefer to work closer to his year-round home in Ohio, will decide this week whether to remain with the ballclub, which hopes to retain Shaw by placing him among the game’s highest-paid relievers.

The all-star closer, as a traded player with a multiyear contract, has the right to demand to be traded again. If Shaw exercises that option, the Dodgers will have to move him by March 15, or he will become a free agent.

Sources said the Dodgers are willing to renegotiate his contract to pay him as much as $5 million annually--$2.2 million a year more than his current deal.

John Wetteland of the Texas Rangers was the top-paid closer in baseball in 1998 at $5.75 million, and Robb Nen of the San Francisco Giants had the highest salary in the National League West Division at $4 million.

Shaw made $650,000 this season and begins a three-year deal worth $2.8 million a year in 1999--far below market value for a premier reliever. Shaw and his representative, Joe Bick, plan to tell the Dodgers their intentions this week, possibly as early as today.

Contacted at his office in Cincinnati, Bick declined to discuss the Dodger proposals. But he acknowledged that the club has indicated its “desire to make the situation work.”

“We really haven’t gotten into specifics in that area [money] yet,” Bick said. “That hasn’t been the focus of our discussions. We do know that the Dodgers are willing to do some things to make this work for Jeff and Julie [Shaw’s wife], but it’s really not the time to get into that.

“But no matter where Jeff is, L.A. or anywhere, we certainly would like to be closer to market value. Jeff signed considerably below market value to stay in Cincinnati, and he’s not there anymore.”

Shaw saved 48 games overall--including 25 with the Dodgers after he was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds on July 4--to finish third in the National League. Tom Lasorda, senior vice president, traded Paul Konerko and Dennis Reyes, the Dodgers’ top position and pitching prospects, respectively, for the right-hander without realizing Shaw could demand to be traded after the season.

Many players said the Dodgers (83-79) would have finished under .500 without Shaw, 32.

Shaw, who lives in Washington Court House, Ohio, spent little time with his wife and children after the trade, and he told teammates he wouldn’t endure another season like the one just ended.

Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone declined to comment on the club’s financial efforts to retain Shaw. But Malone, who met with the Shaws at their home earlier this month, said he is optimistic.

“I was very encouraged by my meeting with Jeff and Julie, and I’ve been encouraged [by] our [phone] conversations,” Malone said. “I won’t put odds on anything, we’re still in the early stages, but I know that Jeff wants to win. That’s what we’re going to do.”

At the end of the season, Shaw said the odds of his returning to the Dodgers were 50-50.

“This is a very difficult decision for Jeff and Julie, and they want to take a good look at the entire situation,” Bick said. “There are a lot of things, concerning their family, that Jeff and Julie are trying to figure out. They need to be absolutely sure they can make [remaining with the Dodgers] work from a lifestyle standpoint.”