Gagne Likely to Have Contract Renewed for $550,000

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Negotiations between the Dodgers and the agent for pitcher Eric Gagne reached an impasse Saturday night, and the Dodgers informed the All-Star closer that, barring a last-minute settlement, they would renew his contract today for $550,000, about $300,000 less than Gagne was seeking.

Agent Scott Boras believed Gagne, who went 4-1 with a 1.97 earned-run average and a franchise-record 52 saves in 56 opportunities last season, should be the highest-paid player ever in his service class and was seeking more than $800,000.

But as a player with only two years and 119 days of service time -- 18 days short of qualifying for arbitration -- Gagne had virtually no leverage in contract talks, so the Dodgers could essentially set the right-hander’s salary.

Asked what he thought about the Dodgers’ decision, Gagne, who made $300,000 last season, said, “I don’t think, I just play....I don’t know. It’s all right. We were pretty far apart, so they’re just going to renew me. We’re going to talk one more time [this morning], but I doubt anything will happen.”

Gagne said he will harbor no ill will toward the Dodgers or let the renewal affect his play.

“That’s just the business side of the game, and it’s nothing I can control,” Gagne said. “It’s not something that will motivate me. We’re very close in the clubhouse, and this has nothing to do with the team. It’s not going to carry over into anything else. I just have to go out and perform and see what happens next year.”

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Darren Dreifort was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start against Montreal on Saturday because of soreness in his right hip, an injury that so concerned the Dodgers they had Dreifort undergo a precautionary MRI exam Friday.

But Manager Jim Tracy said the exam “came up clean” and Dreifort is scheduled to pitch two innings of today’s exhibition game against Houston.

When asked Saturday morning how he felt, Dreifort gave reporters a thumbs up and said, “I’m fine,” as he walked to the training room.

But the fact that Dreifort’s soreness was in the same leg on which he underwent knee surgery last July could be cause for concern. Dreifort, in the third year of a five-year, $55.4-million contract, was nearing a possible return from his 2001 elbow surgery when his knee flared up last season.

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Center fielder Dave Roberts, who hit .277 with 45 stolen bases and 63 runs last season, agreed to terms on a one-year, $400,000 contract, nearly twice as much as his 2002 salary of $217,500 and $100,000 more than the new major league minimum....Among the 80 or so players who showed up for an open tryout at Dodgertown were Jim Leyritz, an 11-year veteran who helped the New York Yankees win the World Series, and Nial Hughes, a reliever who was one of two players the Dodgers traded to Cleveland for Roberts in December 2001. Christian Bridenbaugh, the other pitcher acquired in the Roberts deal, is out of baseball. “Man,” Roberts said. “That makes [General Manager] Dan Evans look good.” Leyritz inquired about a job with the Dodgers this winter but was told the team didn’t need any more backup catchers....Wilson Alvarez gave up two runs on three hits in three innings of the Dodgers’ 4-2 oss to the Expos at Viera, Fla. The Expos broke a 2-2 tie on Scott Hodges’ two-run homer against Rodney Myers in the eighth. Paul Shuey and Giovanni Carrara each threw scoreless innings for the Dodgers.