Gagne Negotiations Remain Unresolved

And then there was one.

With center fielder Dave Roberts expected to sign a one-year, $400,000 contract today, All-Star closer Eric Gagne will be the only unsigned high-profile Dodger approaching Sunday’s club-imposed signing deadline. The Dodgers can unilaterally renew Gagne but would rather not risk upsetting a player considered vital to their long-term success.

Agent Scott Boras, negotiating with Kim Ng, assistant general manager, declined comment, but club sources said he’s seeking more than $800,000, believing the Canadian right-hander should be the highest-paid player ever in his service class. The Dodgers opened talks in the $500,000 range.

The situation is complicated because Gagne is coming off one of the best seasons for a reliever in major league history, but at 2 years 119-days service time was 18 days short of qualifying for arbitration.

Gagne could have commanded more than $4 million in arbitration after establishing a Dodger record with 52 saves in 56 opportunities and going 4-1 with a 1.97 earned-run average. He also had 114 strikeouts and only 16 walks -- four intentional -- in 82 1/3 innings. The Dodgers put a picture of the converted starter on the cover of their media guide, signifying Gagne is a cornerstone of the franchise.

So how much should the Dodgers pay Gagne?

“There are a lot of factors that you consider, and you certainly look at what players did their previous year, but that’s not the only thing,” said Ng, commenting in general on negotiations.

“You look at the entire career and you come up with a number that you think is fair, and hopefully [the other side] will think is fair too. We’ve done a pretty good job of determining what that is.”

Gagne, 27, struggled to establish himself in the rotation, shuttling between Chavez Ravine and triple-A in 2000 and 2001, the last demotion costing him arbitration rights this season. But Gagne’s dominance last season outweighs his inconsistency as a starter. “We just want them to be fair,” Gagne said. “I know I can’t go to arbitration, so I’m not expecting anything crazy, just fair. I think everyone knows there’s a fair number.”

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Kevin Brown threw 75 pitches in his final bullpen tuneup and is scheduled to pitch an inning Sunday against the Houston Astros at Dodgertown. Manager Jim Tracy said he had not determined whether Brown or left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii would start.

“Take a baby step to get my feet wet and then go from there,” said Brown, who for the third time threw all his pitches. “It’ll be my first spring training game, so whether it’s three pitches or 30 pitches you never know.

“I’ve been through spring training where I’ve thrown a ton and been through spring trainings where I haven’t thrown a lot. This should be somewhere right in the middle, I’d expect, if things keep going the way they’re going.”

Dave Wallace, senior vice president of baseball operations, monitored Brown’s session and was satisfied.

“Nice to see him have two good ones [sessions] in a row,” Wallace said. “More than a quality pen, but two consecutive quality ones.”

Plagued by back and elbow problems the last two seasons, Brown said he won’t be hesitant on the mound.

“I won’t be thinking about the past two years when I walk out there, I’ll be thinking about trying to get somebody out,” he said. “Everything else will fade into the background.”

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The Dodgers and Detroit Tigers were rained out after the first inning with the Dodgers leading, 1-0, at Lakeland, Fla.