Shop Talk

The Dodgers have been clock-watching, anticipating open free-agent bidding.

Chairman Bob Daly and General Manager Kevin Malone have holes to fill, hoping to bolster the roster by signing a veteran starter, left-handed reliever and, maybe, all-star shortstop Alex Rodriguez--arguably baseball’s best all-around player. They also want to re-sign free-agent pitcher Darren Dreifort.

The handcuffs come off the Dodgers--and every club--tonight, marking the beginning of perhaps the most costly pursuit of players in the game’s history.

Teams were given a 15-day window after the World Series to negotiate with their free agents; other clubs were permitted to contact only players’ representatives to express interest.

The mandatory hands-off period ends at 9:01 p.m. PST, opening doors to the public.

The Dodgers plan to be among the first in line.

“We’re always looking to get better to give our fans the best team possible, and there are some people the Los Angeles Dodgers might be interested in, but we’re just at the beginning stages of that process,” said Malone, who met with many agents this week at the general managers’ meetings at Amelia Island, Fla.

“We’re meeting with people to find out if there’s a good fit, what they believe they can bring to our club and how much they want to be a Dodger. . . . We’ve got a pretty good team and pretty good players, we just want to fine-tune and make some adjustments.”

Signing Rodriguez might force a roster overhaul.

Rodriguez is expected to obliterate baseball’s salary scale, surpassing $20 million a season.

The Dodgers are not pursuing outfielder Manny Ramirez, who is seeking a similar package.

Rodriguez said he wants to play for either the Dodgers, Atlanta Braves or New York Mets, and the Dodgers and Fox want him too.

But do they want him at $20 million or more?

“There are no questions about Mr. Rodriguez’s makeup,” Malone said. “You know about his character, his skills and what this guy can bring to your team.

“But there are questions because of the dollars involved. Before we can sit down with Mr. Rodriguez, we need to sit down with [agent] Scott [Boras] to determine some things. We might find out that’s not a road we’re going to travel.”

Not surprisingly, Boras believes the Dodgers should take the trip.

“Alex Rodriguez is an ‘icon player.’ He’s the type of player who comes along once in a generation,” said Boras, who is close to Daly and Malone. “There is so much more to Alex Rodriguez than his numbers because he makes the people around him better.

“He is one of those rare players other players watch and follow. The Dodgers have to decide what having that type of player in their clubhouse is worth to them.”

In addition to courting Rodriguez, improving the rotation and bullpen is high on the Dodgers’ to-do list.

The fourth and fifth starters were 11-26 with a 6.28 earned-run average last season, and the bullpen lacked a reliable left-hander, frustrating former manager Davey Johnson.

Daly and Malone are determined to provide new Manager Jim Tracy with better tools.

Left-hander Mike Hampton and right-hander Mike Mussina are the top starters in another pitching-thin market, commanding the most attention from high-payroll teams seeking No. 1 starters.

There isn’t expected to be much pitching movement until Hampton and Mussina sign, establishing the market for the second- and third-tier starters.

Hampton and Mussina could receive contracts in the $14-million range, and that’s too high for the Dodgers, who are paying Kevin Brown $15 million a season and face difficult situations with Dreifort and Chan Ho Park.

Dreifort is seeking a five-year deal in the $50-million range, and Park can become a free agent after the 2001 season. Park is coming off a breakthrough season (18-10, 3.27 ERA and 217 strikeouts), and Boras, who also represents Brown and Dreifort, believes Park should make more than Hampton.

The Dodgers might lose Dreifort soon and Park next winter, creating concern at Chavez Ravine.

“Will [reaching a multiyear agreement with Park] be difficult? Yeah, it could be,” Malone said. “But I truly believe Chan Ho wants to be a Dodger for the rest of his career and will be.

“With Darren, it’s a matter of projecting his potential and reaching a deal everyone can be comfortable with. Like Scott says, ‘With Darren you’re betting on the come.’ We all believe in Darren, but . . . we just have to be comfortable.

“We also want to do some other things, and we have to be fiscally responsible. We want to have the best team we can, we want to make improvements, but we have to be cost-efficient. We’re dealing with a two-edged sword.”

The Dodgers would prefer to sign a starter to a three-year contract around $20 million, but it might take much more than that to complete a deal.

Left-hander Denny Neagle and right-handers Kevin Appier and Rick Reed are the top pitchers on the Dodgers’ wish list, and their agents believe the market will offer many attractive options.

“I know the Dodgers have [internal] issues because of Dreifort and Chan Ho, but there are some viable alternatives out there,” said Jeff Borris of the Beverly Hills Sports Counsel, who represents Appier.

“Everything is going to start to fall in place once Hampton and Mussina sign, and there just aren’t a lot of pitchers out there. It’s like musical chairs with the pitchers in this market, and a lot of teams are going to be caught on the outside when the music stops.”

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