Olerud Likely To Stay With Mets
The New York Mets watched the door with concern Tuesday night to see which of their players were exiting in the expansion draft. At the same time, a player critical to the success they enjoyed last summer apparently moved closer to walking back in through the door.
A person familiar with the thinking of free agent John Olerud and his agent said Tuesday Olerud was quite close to re-signing with the Mets.
Another person characterized the Mets’ chance of obtaining Gary Sheffield from the Florida Marlins as a “long shot” that would be achieved only if a “unique” form of payment of his contract by the Marlins could be devised and said the Mets had made several offers to the Seattle Mariners for Randy Johnson.
Olerud was expected to accept the Mets’ offer of a three-year contract within a week.
Blauser appears gone
Walt Weiss has become the Atlanta Braves’ shortstop in a move that foreshadows another major move by the club.
Weiss, an 11-year veteran now with his fourth major league team, agreed to Atlanta’s 3-year offer worth $9 million, the best deal to emerge from the nine teams that initially contacted him.
The Braves thus have avoided a blockbuster contract that would have been required to keep Jeff Blauser and created payroll clearance for their pursuit of free agent center fielder Brady Anderson.
Tigers extend Clark’s pact
The Detroit Tigers took a little sting out of any expansion-draft losses when they signed slugging first baseman Tony Clark to a four-year contract for an estimated $12 million.
Catcher Jeff Reed decided to return to the Colorado Rockies, agreeing to a $2.6 million, two-year contract.
The Milwaukee Brewers re-signed reliever Doug Jones to a one-year, $3 million contract with a $2 million club option for the 1999 season.
Twins close to departure
The Minnesota Twins moved a step closer to North Carolina when baseball appointed a five-man committee Tuesday to guide the team through the sport’s relocation rules.
“Carl Pohlad has tried everything to stay in Minnesota,” acting commissioner Bud Selig said. “It’s very frustrating.”
The Minnesota Legislature last week defeated a proposal to finance a new ballpark, and Pohlad has an agreement with North Carolina businessman Don Beaver to negotiate a sale unless stadium financing is approved by Nov. 30.
“The deadline is a very real and significant one,” Selig said before the expansion draft. “If there’s no new ballpark, baseball will not survive in Minneapolis.”