Commentary : Now, What About Dodger Free Agents?

As a former sportswriter who is believed to have been to a dictionary and a thesaurus once or twice, Dodger General Manager Fred Claire seemed to define the same word in opposite ways Friday, raising the question as to what a distraction is.

Claire said one reason the Dodgers chose to extend Manager Tom Lasorda’s contract for two years was that the club didn’t want his uncertain status becoming a possible distraction over the second half of a promising season.

But asked if he didn’t harbor the same concern regarding the uncertain status of the 12 Dodgers eligible for free agency when the season ends, Claire said no, the club would stay with its previously announced policy of not negotiating contracts until the final game has been played.

Confusing? Contradictory?

“I just don’t think the two relate,” he said, alluding to the signing of Lasorda and the closed-door approach to the players.

“Tommy is more in a management capacity. We have 12 guys who can become free agents, and I don’t think you can solve all of those problems in a day or two. If I did, I might reconsider, but my feeling is that to become involved in those situations would prove to be a tremendous distraction for the players and everyone involved.”

But isn’t there a risk of distraction even if the Dodgers don’t become involved? Isn’t it likely to fester as the season progresses?

“I don’t see it happening,” Claire said. “I don’t see any of our players saying they can’t concentrate on the game because they don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the year.

“The reason for that is that the players are focused on a goal and team concept, as trite as that sounds.

“They are under contract, they are well paid, and we’ve made our policy clear publicly and in private meetings with their agents.

“The strongest thing we have going now is attitude and talent.”

The attitude, of course, is enhanced by the standings. Winning breeds confidence and contentment. Leave the rocking and shaking to the fault lines. There are still 80 games to be played.

“I think that if we finish well, the future is right here,” second baseman Steve Sax said, meaning that he foresees continued employment in Los Angeles.

Sax is one of the 12 players eligible for free agency. The core of the team could leave if the Dodgers don’t think green. In addition to Sax, there are Pedro Guerrero, Fernando Valenzuela, Mike Marshall, Alfredo Griffin, Jay Howell, Alejandro Pena, Jesse Orosco, Mickey Hatcher, Danny Heep, Don Sutton and Rick Dempsey.

Will they all be singing a September song, wondering about their future? Will it, in fact, become a distraction?

“It could be late in the year, but I don’t think anyone is thinking about it now,” Howell said. “I think one thing is that everyone considers this a fair organization that will do the right things.

“I mean, wherever you are, whatever team you’re on, you’re going to hear guys griping about how they’ve been treated by the club. You’re going to hear undertones. But I haven’t heard one thing here.”

Sax agreed.

“I can honestly say I haven’t had one distraction,” he said. “I’m healthy. I’m making a lot of money. I’m with a good organization that has a chance to win. My agent will take care of the rest when the season is over. I mean, I really feel good about things. There’s an exciting atmosphere around the clubhouse.

“I even think Tommy has mellowed out some, though I don’t mean his waistline. He’s more open-minded now. What I like is that you can tell him what’s on your mind and not worry about it. He respects your opinion.”

Said Marshall, echoing the theme:

“We’re halfway through the season, we’re five games in first place and the last thing on my mind is worrying about free agency or who’s negotiating with who.

“Fred has been on record as saying he won’t negotiate with any (potential) free agents. He’s the boss, so I’m not thinking about it.”

Well, at times he thinks about it. Marshall thinks about free agency in terms of an accomplishment, of having spent six years in the majors, 11 in pro ball. He said that he looks forward to it in that regard and as an option, though the recent history of free agentry hasn’t been promising.

“I’ve enjoyed playing for Tommy and the Dodgers,” he said. “Hopefully, this season will be our best, but I have no idea what the future holds. The only thing I’m concerned about now is winning. I certainly wasn’t distracted by this being Tommy’s last year (of a three-year contract). I didn’t even think about it, but I’m happy for him and I assume he’s happy. He deserves it.”

Would the Dodgers’ attitude change if their division latitude did? That is hard to say, but this much isn’t: It seems easy for Claire to maintain his policy amid the current euphoria. He can ride the wave, delaying what figures to be a series of difficult decisions. Is he prepared to assess any of the involved players?

“From the standpoint of our intentions, that gets into the negotiation process,” Claire said, “and I don’t think it would be beneficial to the club (to discuss it). We’ll make our evaluations at the end of the season.”

Eligible players can begin filing for free agency 15 days after the end of the World Series. The Dodgers already have baseball’s top payroll at about $17 million. Claire said in the spring that payrolls move in cycles and that it is likely his will soon retreat, the implication being that the club will look within, weeding out veterans and replacing them with lower-salaried farm prospects.

“We’ve got a lot of free agents, but I think the fact that the world knows Tommy Lasorda will be back helps the situation,” Claire said Friday.

It is one potential distraction out of the way, but there are 12 others, no matter how you define it.