Boras Expects a Reward

With Dodger closer Eric Gagne expected to win the National League Cy Young Award today, agent Scott Boras said he hopes the club will reward Gagne with a contract befitting his status as one of the major leagues’ brightest stars.

“He’s a franchise-type player, and you look at those guys differently,” Boras said at the general manager meetings here.

“Obviously, he’s a unique talent, which he demonstrates through performance. It’s a special situation, and you hope the organization looks at him in that light.” The record-setting reliever had a salary of $550,000 last season while converting all 55 of his save opportunities and establishing many all-time marks.

Gagne is eligible for arbitration for the first time, and Boras believes the Dodgers should have done more for the right-hander after his breakthrough 52-save season in 2002.

“I don’t think they treated Eric fairly, because there is a standard for exemplary performance for non-arbitration eligible players, such as the way the Cardinals treated Albert Pujols,” Boras said, alluding to the one-year, $900,000 contract given to the All-Star infielder-outfielder.

“There’s an industry standard that you have, and the Dodgers did not meet that. Both Eric and myself were not happy about that.

“He’s arbitration eligible now, so we have the right to address that matter and that issue this time around.”

The Dodgers acknowledge that Gagne is their franchise player, and many believe his importance to the team is immeasurable.

He cannot become a free agent, however, until he has six full seasons of service time, so the Dodgers don’t have to offer him a multiyear contract.

General Manager Dan Evans spoke cautiously about the sensitive situation.

“We haven’t even entered into contract negotiations with Scott yet,” he said. “To indicate where we are regarding that would be inappropriate.

“The key with him is that he’s a three-plus player. We have to evaluate all the things that go along with a multiyear deal.”

The proposed sale of the Dodgers from News Corp. to Boston real estate developer Frank McCourt could affect the club’s ability to negotiate a multiyear deal with Gagne, especially if the sale process drags on through the winter.

But that’s not an insurmountable hurdle, Boras said.

“The team is going to be owned by someone,” Boras said. “We’ll have time, in the normal course of things, if that’s what they choose to do. I hope it is.”

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Evans and his staff were busy at the meetings, pursuing trades for Milwaukee first baseman Richie Sexson and Yankee first baseman Nick Johnson, among others.

Clubs that have discussed deals with the Dodgers said Evans is pushing left-hander Odalis Perez, but rejects offers for set-up man Guillermo Mota or top pitching prospects Edwin Jackson and Greg Miller.

“All I can say is that I’ve been having a lot of discussions with a lot of teams, and we have many more planned,” Evans said. “We’re still looking at certain things to see if there might be a match, and then exploring them if they’re there.”

The talks with the Chicago White Sox about left fielder Carlos Lee, which a team source said the Dodgers initiated, apparently stalled because the Dodgers are unwilling to include Mota in the deal. First baseman Paul Konerko remains a possibility for Perez.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers believe they are close to re-signing left-handed reliever Tom Martin, who filed for free agency after going 1-2 with a 3.53 earned-run average.

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The current Dodger management plans to implement its business and baseball plans because a vote still has not been scheduled on the proposed sale of the franchise, which requires ownership approval.

“We have our own guidelines, strategies and budgets in place and ready to go, and we have to act on them,” said Derrick Hall, senior vice president. “Not only because of the timing, but also because of the regulations that are in front of us.

“Major League Baseball rules specifically prohibit us from allowing prospective owners to influence decisions prior to formal approval. That’s the situation that we’re in right now.

“The prospective owners certainly don’t want to keep Dan Evans, or anyone from our management team, from doing his or her job. We have to continue to do those jobs, and act as if we are going to be owned by our current ownership from now on.”

The commissioner’s office had hoped the proposed purchase would come up for a vote at the Nov. 20 owner meetings in Chicago, but it was not added to the agenda because McCourt still has not forwarded most of the paperwork that must be reviewed.

If McCourt is successful in his bid to buy the team, he could modify or scrap the plans the Dodgers have put into motion.