First baseman Will Clark, one of the top two free agent hitters available, has signed a $30 million, five-year deal with the Texas Rangers.
Clark had said he wanted to stay with the San Francisco Giants, where he has been for eight years. But the Giants weren't willing to offer him a contract as long as the one he signed with Texas.Rafael Palmeiro, the other top free agent hitter, probably will leave the Rangers following Clark's signing.
Clark, who finished a $15 million, four-year deal this season, visited the Baltimore Orioles last weekend, but his lawyer and agent, Jeff Moorad, couldn't work out a deal despite extensive talks.
Clark, who will be 30 next season, also had an offer from the Colorado Rockies, but his first preference was to stay with San Francisco. When Giants owner Peter Magowan and general manager Bob Quinn wouldn't offer a guaranteed deal for more three years, Clark went with the Rangers.
Clark gets a $2 million signing bonus, $4 million in 1994, $5.7 million in 1995, $6 million each of the 1996 and 1997 seasons and $6.25 million in 1998. He has a no-trade clause for the first two years and a limited provision in the final three in which he can block trades to eight teams.
Other provisions call for him to get $250,000 if he is the AL MVP, $100,000 if he's MVP of the first-round of the playoffs, the league championship series or the World Series, $100,000 if he's a postseason player of the year and $50,000 if he's selected for the All-Star game, wins a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger or makes a postseason All-Star team.
Rangers president Tom Schieffer and general manager Tom Grieve stressed their need for a left-handed power hitter - and the fear that they may not end up with either player if they didn't act fast - prompted the move.
Both said they were disappointed they had not signed Palmeiro, and that he had been their first choice.
Schieffer said Palmeiro's original demand, which Schieffer said was "substantially more than $30 million," had gone up even more.
"Palmeiro chose not to come off his original offer one penny; in fact, he went up," Schieffer said.
Palmeiro said Clark, who was a teammate at Mississippi State, undercut him.
"That's Will," Palmeiro told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday. "That's the way he is. He's got no class. Friendship didn't matter to him. He was looking out for himself. I don't think much of Will. He's a low-life."