Expect Housecleaning to Continue

By JASON REID

Sept. 28, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Fox Group hired Kevin Malone to clean up the mess at Chavez Ravine, and the new Dodger general manager has been busy.

In his first two weeks, Malone initiated the long-overdue purge of an underachieving front office. He replaced longtime pals of the former owner with executives who have strong backgrounds in scouting and development, ending a country-club setting.

Malone has the support of team President Bob Graziano, who persuaded his Fox Group superiors that Malone could right their ship. And Malone has fueled expectations, saying the Dodgers should qualify for the postseason in 1999.

Now the hard part begins.

The team is in disrepair, and Malone can’t fix those problems by simply forcing out players he considers unproductive.

The Dodgers begin the off-season facing major concerns offensively and in the bullpen, and they have a hole in center field. There will be a new Dodger manager next season--probably Felipe Alou--and Malone might not be able to provide his field leader with a balanced team despite a payroll expected to be among the highest in major league history.

Malone acknowledges he faces a formidable challenge, but he has traveled bumpier roads.

“I once had to trade three all-stars--and I had 48 hours to do it,” said Malone, referring to his tenure as the Montreal Expo general manager. “You want to talk about difficult challenges, that one certainly was.

“This is one, but I think it’s one that we have a good chance to complete. Overcoming the obstacles is my favorite part.”

Then Malone should have a lot of fun.

The Dodgers were last in the National League in on-base percentage, batting with runners in scoring position and 12th in runs. Even if Malone convinces Alou, considered among the best managers in the game, to leave Montreal and succeed Glenn Hoffman, the Dodgers won’t contend in the NL West unless they improve offensively.

“We have to score more, there’s no question about that,” Malone said. “There are many ways to do that, many different combinations of things we can do, but we have to do that.”

The Dodgers will join the Angels, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the Mike Piazza derby. Piazza wants to return to the team, and the all-star free-agent catcher has supporters in the organization.

Piazza still is believed to be seeking a six-year, $100-million package. The Dodgers won’t get serious with Piazza unless Chase Carey and Peter Chernin--co-chief operating officers of Fox Group parent company News Corp.--are convinced that Piazza could make next season’s team a World Series contender.

Malone faces a big challenge in trying to retain all-star closer Jeff Shaw. During his brief rein as interim general manager, Tom Lasorda, senior vice president, acquired Shaw from the Cincinnati Reds for Paul Konerko and Dennis Reyes, the Dodgers’ top position and pitching prospects, respectively.

Shaw saved 25 games with the Dodgers and 48 overall, and many players said the club would have finished under .500 without him. Shaw, 32, is under contract for the next three seasons at $2.8 million annually--far below market value for a premier closer.

Only one problem for the Dodgers: Shaw can demand a trade as a player traded with a multiyear contract, and the Ohio native doesn’t love L.A.

Shaw tempered his public comments about his unhappiness during the season because the Dodgers endured too much turmoil in their first year in the Fox Group lineup. But Shaw confided in teammates and friends that he wants to be closer to his home in Washington Court House, Ohio, next season.

“It’s been very hard,” Shaw said. “I didn’t see my son after Aug. 24, and Julie [his wife] is pregnant with our third now.

“I talked to my boy twice a day, but it’s not enough. This [Los Angeles] is not something I’m used to. Being this far away from them, for so long, was too difficult, and it’s not something I want to go through again. I’m going to sit down with Julie and my agent, and then we’re going to make some decisions, but I think it’s only 50-50 [he will return].”

Malone is expected to offer to renegotiate Shaw’s contract in an attempt to keep him, but team sources said this is one of those rare baseball problems that money probably can’t fix. This is about lifestyle.

“I know Jeff wants to be closer to his family, I know that’s an issue, but I have to sit down with him to figure out if we can help him with some things,” said Malone, the Expo general manager when Shaw pitched for Montreal. “Maybe it will take me going to Washington Court House and sitting down with Jeff and Julie to get an understanding of what we can do.

“If he wants to be part of a team that’s committed to winning, then we can offer that. Jeff would be a key part of that, but if he doesn’t want to be here, then I have to make sure I have alternate plans in place.”

The Shaw situation will dictate Malone’s off-season moves. Free-agent relievers Scott Radinsky and Mark Guthrie also aren’t expected to return.

The Dodger payroll is expected to grow from about $60 million to $75 million if the club retains its core players. That figure would far exceed the all-time mark of about $70 million by the Orioles this season.

The Dodgers have $46.5 million committed to 13 players next season. Eight players are eligible for arbitration, including catcher Charles Johnson, and starting pitchers Ismael Valdes, Carlos Perez and Darren Dreifort.

Starting pitcher Brian Bohanon, among the biggest surprises in the league, is eligible for free agency and is expected to receive a lucrative offer elsewhere. The club holds a $5.6-million option on Ramon Martinez’s contract for ‘99, but it will exercise a $600,000 buyout because the staff ace underwent shoulder surgery during the season.

He won’t pitch again until--at the earliest--after the All-Star break. The Dodgers might lose Martinez, who is revered in the clubhouse.

Malone also has a potential problem in the outfield because Raul Mondesi is no longer willing to play center field. Mondesi is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner in right field, and he moved to center to accommodate Gary Sheffield after the Piazza trade.

The Dodgers could attempt to acquire a center fielder for Shaw or the enigmatic Valdes. But can Malone persuade Sheffield to play left field?

“We have work to do,” Malone said. “But we’ve got the right people to get it done, and they’re committed to finishing the job.”

The cleanup continues.

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Dodger Players’ Status

PLAYERS

Bobby Bonilla: signed through 2000

Juan Castro: eligible for arbitration

Roger Cedeno: eligible for arbitration

Jim Eisenreich: signed through 1999

Mark Grudzielanek: eligible for arbitration

Charles Johnson: eligible for arbitration