Schofield Signs for 3 Years, $3.29 Million : Joyner Is Now the Angels’ Only Candidate for Arbitration

And then there was Wally.

One day after signing outfielder Chili Davis to a 3-year contract, the Angels did the same with shortstop Dick Schofield Thursday, reaching a $3.29-million agreement with Schofield that trims the club’s list of arbitration candidates to one.

No doubt, it’s a very big one--Wally Joyner, .295-hitting first baseman and curator of Wally World, who appears headed for an arbitration hearing next Monday. Angel vice president Mike Port talked twice Thursday with Joyner’s agent, Barry Axelrod, but both sides reported no progress.

Port also spoke with Dan Grigsby, who represents Schofield, and the result was a new contract that will pay Schofield a reported $1.1 million in 1989, $890,000 in 1990 and $1.3 million in 1991. According to Grigsby, the lower 1990 figure was arrived at because of the threat of a players strike that season.

Schofield, 26, batted .239 with 6 home runs and 34 runs batted in last season. Joyner, 26, batted .295 with 13 home runs and 85 RBIs in 1988. So why has Schofield come away from the negotiating table a multimillionaire while Joyner stands to make no more than $965,000 next year--or as little as $750,000--on an arbitrator’s decision?

In a word, tenure.

Schofield has 5 years of major league experience; Joyner has 3. After 6 major league seasons, a player becomes eligible for free agency, which made Schofield the much more attractive candidate for a 3-year contract, at least in Port’s eyes.

“We’re buying out 2 years of free agency with Dick,” Port said. “At his age, looking at his accomplishments and what we expect of him over the next number of years, this was the thing to do at this point in time.”

Another factor is the position Schofield plays. Capable shortstops are a prized commodity and in 1988, for the second straight season, Schofield led American League shortstops in fielding percentage.

“It’s the old proverbial question: ‘If you were to start a baseball club, what position would you fill first?’ ” Port said. “And that position is shortstop. You need that strength up the middle.

“I don’t mind telling you that there are a lot of people out there looking for a shortstop. And with a great amount of pride, I can say that we have one and will have one for the next several years.”

Schofield earned $522,222 in 1988. According to Grigsby, his new contract was modeled after the $3.5-million, 3-year contract recently given Texas Rangers shortstop Scott Fletcher. Fletcher’s deal also calls for a non-guaranteed fourth year, which could pay him an additional $1.2 million.

“Statistically, Dick and Fletcher are fairly comparable,” Grigsby said. “Fletcher may have an edge offensively and Dick has the advantage defensively, but they’re in the same class.”