Jackson Gets $1.375-Million Raise From Royals : Baseball: He signs a one-year contract for $2.375 million. His Raider salary is more than $1.1 million for 1991.
He needed two sports to do it, but Bo Jackson isn’t far from becoming a $4-million-per-year player.
Jackson, who was paid $1 million last year to play in the outfield for the Kansas City Royals after losing in salary arbitration, avoided arbitration Monday by signing a one-year contract for $2.375 million.
As a running back for the Raiders, Jackson has completed the fourth season of a five-year deal worth $7.4 million and will have a salary of a little more than $1.1 million this season.
Jackson, 28, batted .272 with 28 home runs and 78 runs batted in for the Royals last season. He had asked for $1.9 million last year.
Some Royal fans had expressed hope that the team would trade Jackson. There were reports that the Atlanta Braves were interested.
“Trading him was not a consideration,” first-year General Manager Herk Robinson said. “We have not considered trading Bo at all. We’re counting on Bo having a great year and contributing to a lot of success this year.”
Dr. Steve Joyce, the Royals’ team physician, has examined the hip injury that kept Jackson out of the NFL playoffs in December.
“The injury, in non-technical terms, is a soft-tissue injury,” Robinson said. “It is not considered serious. There was no bone or ligament damage.”
Jackson had difficulty when he was moved from left field to center last season, and Robinson said he might return to left. Brian McRae, brought up from the minor leagues in August, might be put in center.
“It’s up to (Manager) John Wathan, but I think his thoughts are to play Bo in left and put Brian in center,” Robinson said.
One of the raps on Jackson has been his strikeouts.
“He’s like a lot of hitters who have his power and his run-production potential,” Robinson said. “They’re going to strike out more than singles hitters. He has worked on that, and it’s getting better.
“He’s improved every year, and we believe he will continue to get better.”
Outfielder Danny Tartabull, the last Kansas City player seeking arbitration, avoided it by agreeing to a one-year contract later Monday. Terms were not disclosed. Tartabull, who made $1.65 million last year, was asking for $2.6 million. The Royals were offering $1.75 million.
In other settlements Monday, Cleveland right-hander Eric King agreed to $1.45 million, a $995,000 raise; Chicago White Sox outfielder Dan Pasqua agreed to $800,000, a $425,000 raise, and Atlanta outfielder Oddibe McDowell agreed to $925,000, a $235,000 raise.
Also, the New York Mets said they would issue a statement soon on the team’s negotiations with pitchers Dwight Gooden and Frank Viola. Gooden has said that if he does not get a contract extension by Friday that approximates Roger Clemens’ $21.5-million, four-year deal with Boston, he will become a free agent after the season.
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