Market Concerns Before the Draft

By ROSS NEWHAN

Nov. 18, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays draft the nucleus of their first teams today, but the Diamondbacks got a head start Monday, lavishing $34 million on free-agent shortstop Jay Bell.

The five-year stunner reawakened concern that the expansion teams won’t hesitate to further inflate an inflated market.

And combined with the Atlanta Braves’ three-year, $3-million signing of Colorado Rockie free-agent shortstop Walt Weiss on Monday, it narrowed the Dodgers’ list of possible replacements for Greg Gagne.

Free agent Jose Vizcaino may top the list. Mark Grudzielanek and John Valentin are among the trade possibilities.

The Dodgers, of course, could take another hit today, when Arizona and Tampa Bay each draft 35 players from the 28 other clubs.

Eric Karros, Todd Zeile and Eric Young are believed to have been left off the club’s 15-player protected list for the first of the three rounds.

Whether the expansion teams will focus on younger players or select some of the higher salaried veterans left unprotected--either to keep or to use in subsequent trades--isn’t certain, but two things are:

* Owner Jerry Colangelo says it is nobody’s business but the Diamondbacks’ how much money they spend and on whom.

* A barrage of trades will follow the draft’s final round, when the ban on trades, beginning with the filing of protected lists last Tuesday, ends.

Among the possibilities:

* The Montreal Expos will send Pedro Martinez to the Boston Red Sox for three pitching prospects: Carl Povano, Rafael Orellano and Peter Munro. The Associated Press reported Monday night that Martinez, who is eligible for free agency after the 1998 season, would not sign a long-term agreement with the Red Sox. There was no indication whether that would jeopardize the deal.

* The Florida Marlins may continue their fire sale, trading Robb Nen to the Red Sox, Kevin Brown to the St. Louis Cardinals and Gary Sheffield to the New York Mets.

* Both the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays, in prearranged deals, will trade several of the players they have drafted.

Each of the 28 other clubs will lose two players, some three. Each can protect three more players after the first and second rounds.

The Angels are likely to lose a middle relief pitcher such as Mike James, Pep Harris or Shigetoshi Hasegawa in the first round.

If Dodger Vice President Fred Claire has guessed right, thinking the two new clubs will focus on younger and less expensive players, Karros, Zeile and Young may remain in the fold, with Karim Garcia or Roger Cedeno possibly lost in the draft.

“My sense is that the first round will be youth-oriented, with the exception of five or six solid major league-type guys who will be drafted to either help the club drafting them or traded off because of their value,” Claire said. “The second and third rounds may be more creative.”

Any club leaking its protective list faced a $250,000 fine. Arizona and Tampa Bay are the only organizations to have seen the entire list, and both have been operating behind the locked doors of war rooms that are swept for listening devices at the start of each day.

Two plane loads of Tampa Bay fans are coming in for an event that has been three years in the making. A few lucky ones may be among the few dozen fans who will watch in the ballroom of the Phoenix Civic Plaza. The rest will join Diamondback fans to watch on large screen televisions in nearby Symphony Hall.

The Devil Rays pick first, but General Manager Chuck LaMarr said Monday they had not decided on a choice. There has been speculation that it could be Cleveland left-hander Brian Anderson, the former Angel who pitched so well in the recent World Series.

“I think in five years, we’ll be able to look back and our No. 1 pick will still be with us and will have had an impact at the major league level,” LaMarr said.

Pitcher David Nied, the Colorado Rockies’ first pick in 1992, was plagued by injuries and is out of baseball. Outfielder Nigel Wilson, the Florida Marlins’ first pick, is now playing in Japan.

Among the high-salaried, veteran players believed to be unprotected for this draft, besides the three Dodger infielders, are Bobby Bonilla, Greg Vaughn, Fred McGriff, Gregg Jefferies, Brian McRae, Ben McDonald, Darryl Hamilton and Ron Gant. The expansion clubs estimate they have already spent more than $200 million, including the $130 million entry fee.

“We want to be as competitive as quickly as we can,” Tampa Bay owner Vince Naimoli said Monday.

The Devil Rays and Diamondbacks swept the board of the four amateur players who became free agents on rule violations in the 1996 draft--Tampa Bay spending $10.2 million on free agent pitcher Matt White and Arizona $10 million on San Diego State first baseman Travis Lee.

Both clubs will debut among baseball’s revenue elite, and the Bell signing was another indication of their ability and willingness to invest.

“As I’ve said before, everyone ought to look in the mirror before casting stones,” said Colangelo. “We’re the new kids on the block. We have a game plan and we’re going to stick to it. We intend to build something here that can’t be torn down. We’ll decide how we spend and how much we spend. I find it interesting when I see the payrolls out there and people worrying about what we’re going to do. We’ll go about our business and won’t question what they do.”

Bell will be 32 in December. He made $4.8 million with the Kansas City Royals last season, driving in 91 runs. His new contract carries an annual value of $6.8 million. Arizona Manager Buck Showalter said Bell, who ironically lives in Tampa Bay, has the type character on which the club hopes to build.

Said Bell, “The Dodgers showed interest but nothing of substance. The nice thing is, Mr. Colangelo wanted me for my character as well as ability.

“He also gave me a no-trade clause, so I’ll be here all five years. I mean, realistically, the first couple years will be tough for us, but I know I’ll still be here for the good times.”

Claire said Bell was a “nonfactor” in the Dodgers’ thinking.

“We would not and could not have made that [financial] commitment,” he said, adding that the Dodgers were also not ready to commit to Weiss.

Among the shortstops still available as free agents are Vizcaino, who made $2.8 million with the San Francisco Giants last year; Jeff Blauser, Shawon Dunston, Ozzie Guillen, Kevin Elster and Benji Gil. Claire would not confirm or deny rumors Monday that the Dodgers had been close to a deal for Montreal’s Grudzielanek before the Expos agreed to trade Martinez to Boston, lessening the need to dump Grudzielanek’s salary. However, sources said those talks may not be dead.

The Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs are also in the shortstop market, creating expensive competition.

Said Claire, “There’s no question [the Bell signing] will have a huge financial impact [on that market] and sends another signal that Arizona and Tampa Bay are going to spend a lot of money. It’s the same old song. People have a right to do what they want, but am I concerned? Yes. I’m concerned for the sport. It’s my view, and I’m entitled to it.”

Baseball Notes

The Red Sox re-signed pitcher Bret Saberhagen, 33, who returned to the majors last season after missing the 1996 season because of shoulder surgery. Saberhagen made six starts for the Red Sox, going 0-1 with a 6.58 earned-run average over 26 innings. . . . Bobby Bonilla had surgery on his left Achilles’ tendon and will be in a cast for three weeks. . .

Baseball’s players’ association started hearing appeals from 18 rookies who were denied membership in the union because they were replacements during the 1994-95 strike. . . . Some general managers have begun to doubt whether the Mariners really will trade Randy Johnson. “I think they’re just trying to sense what the market is,” Mets General Manager Steve Phillips said. The Seattle Times reported Monday that the Mariners turned down an offer of New York Yankee reliever Mario Rivera for Johnson.

EXPANSION DRAFT

* When: 1 p.m.

* Time: Phoenix

* TV: ESPN.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Chosen Ones

Most No. 1 picks in the expansion draft have not fared well. A look :

Player: Eli Grba

Pos.: P

Year: 1960

Teams: Angels from Yankees

Comment: Went 20-24 with 4.40 ERA for Angels. 200 strikeouts, 199 walks.