Dreifort Stays With L.A.

By JASON REID

Dec. 12, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

DALLAS —

Accomplishing their top off-season goal, the Dodgers agreed to terms Monday with free-agent pitcher Darren Dreifort and now will try to acquire a veteran catcher and left-handed reliever.

General Manager Kevin Malone had discussions with other teams and agents about players to bolster the 25-man roster after drawing up Dreifort’s five-year, $55-million contract at the winter meetings here.

Catcher Sandy Alomar is the top position player on the Dodgers’ list, and Malone and his staff are trying to engineer a trade for a reliever, though finding a match has been difficult.

The Dodgers still have work to do, but retaining Dreifort, 12-9 with a 4.16 earned-run average last season, was a major step.

“Keeping him with the Los Angeles Dodgers was very important to us,” Malone said. “We think now . . . we have one of the better starting rotations, or at least comparable to anyone in baseball.

“Darren is a young starter, he is getting better, and he has the potential to be a No. 1 starter.”

The 28-year-old right-hander--39-45 with a 4.28 ERA in his career--received a $2-million signing bonus and will make $9 million the next two seasons.

Dreifort’s salary escalates to $11 million in 2003 and ‘04, then $13 million in ’05. The package includes bonuses for being selected to the All-Star game and finishing among the leaders in awards balloting.

The Colorado Rockies offered Dreifort, who made $3.7 million last season, a six-year, $60-million deal that included deferred payments and other structural issues that Scott Boras, Dreifort’s agent, considered unacceptable.

Other clubs pursued Dreifort, but the former Dodger No. 1 draft pick enjoys working at Chavez Ravine.

“I want to thank Kevin Malone and [Chairman] Bob Daly for bringing me back,” Dreifort said in a conference call with reporters. “I’m excited about the way things are going and hopefully they’re going to get nothing but better over the next several years.

“The support the organization has shown me was big. I’ve definitely had some ups and downs, most definitely some downs, but that’s the great thing about Kevin and the way that everything has been handled. They’ve always shown faith in me and never given up on me.”

Daly agreed to the value of the contract and Malone completed negotiations late Sunday night.

Boras had sought to include a player-option clause that would have permitted Dreifort to become a free agent after the 2004 season, but Daly and Malone held firm against that.

“One of the solid parts of this negotiation is that Darren, particularly in the last couple of years as a starting pitcher, has really evolved and has been very comfortable in the [organization’s] environment,” said Boras, who completed Dreifort’s deal while also negotiating free-agent shortstop Alex Rodriguez’s record 10-year, $252-million contract with the Texas Rangers.

“Our approach in this negotiation was to view the landscape, and a few mountains in between, but in the end it was Darren’s choice to return to the Dodgers. His career is beginning to bud there, and Darren is very comfortable with where the team is going.”

The Dodgers hope to give Dreifort a new batterymate: Alomar.

Team officials had discussions with Alomar’s agent, John Boggs, here and plan to continue talks this week.

“Right now, I’d say the discussions we’ve had are still preliminary,” Boggs said, not commenting specifically on the Dodgers. “The teams interested in Sandy understand how he can help a pitching staff, and the Dodgers certainly have a talented pitching staff.”

A National League baseball executive said the Dodgers, now that Dreifort’s deal is done, hope Alomar will agree to a one-year contract in the $3-million range plus a club option.

The Dodgers do not comment on negotiations, but Malone acknowledged interest in Alomar.

“We’re always interested in trying to get better, so you’d have to be interested in a guy who’s a six-time all-star, who has that experience and, from what we hear, that leadership in the clubhouse that you need to win,” Malone said. “But you always have to look at situations and determine if you can find the right fit.”

For the Dodgers, that means payroll responsibility.

Sources said Malone must work within a payroll of $105 million to $110 million for the first half of the 2001 season.

The Dodgers last week agreed to a three-year, $22.5-million contract with free-agent pitcher Andy Ashby, and with Dreifort’s deal are committed to paying $93.625 million to 18 players next season--not including arbitration-eligible pitcher Chan Ho Park.

Park, also represented by Boras, may make at least $10 million in 2001, putting the Dodgers close to their budget with six players remaining to be signed.

Trading for a reliever could reduce payroll.

The Dodgers have raised Devon White’s name in trade proposals, sources said. The disgruntled center fielder turns 38 on Dec. 29 and is owed $5.9 million.

Many teams are interested in right-handers Terry Adams, Antonio Osuna and Matt Herges, and would consider taking White in a deal for a left-handed setup man if the Dodgers agreed to pay about half of White’s salary.

The Dodgers would prefer to move right-hander Al Reyes, who is not expected to make the team.

“We’re talking with a lot of teams, but it’s difficult,” Malone said. “There is a lot of interest in our pitchers, but we need to get value in return.

“We’re going to keep looking to see if there’s a deal out there that makes us better, but we feel good about what we’ve done so far.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Arms Race

Comparing the Dodger rotation to other top rotations in baseball (statistics are from last season):

DODGERS

Kevin Brown (13-6, 2.58)

Chan Ho Park (18-10, 3.27)

Darren Dreifort (12-9, 4.16)

Andy Ashby (12-13, 4.92)

ATLANTA

Greg Maddux (19-9, 3.00)

Tom Glavine (21-9, 3.40)