Two Phillies Pitch For Big Bucks

While baseball's owners continued to haggle over the concept of revenue sharing in Fort Lauderdale yesterday, another version of the old how-to-split- the-pie argument began in earnest as players and teams exchanged salary arbitration figures.

The Phillies had five remaining players eligible for the process and, as usual, the gap was wide in some cases.

Not surprisingly, pitchers Curt Schilling and Terry Mulholland presented two of the knottier cases.

Mulholland has been the Phillies' Opening Day starter for the past three years. He turns 31 in March and can become a free agent at the end of the year. He pitched 232 innings in 1991 and 229 innings in 1992. Even last year, when he was nagged by a string of minor injuries before a strained hip flexor sidelined him for much of September, he still ended up with 191 innings, allowing 177 hits and 40 walks.

That's 10.4 baserunners per nine innings, fourth best in the National League. He also was tied for second with seven complete games and 10th in earned run average at 3.25.

These are all reasons he can use to justify asking for $4.05 million.

The Phillies, however, can counter with the fact that a pitcher with a 12-9 record is worth the $3.35 million they've offered; that's a $750,000 raise

from his 1993 base salary.

Mulholland's case may be easier to settle, however, than Schilling's.

The Phillies have offered to double his salary to $2 million. That's the same base salary they'll pay righthander Tommy Greene, who is in the same service class and was 16-4 with a 3.42 ERA.

Schilling, who showed signs of emerging as the staff ace last year, is asking for $3.2 million. He was 16-7, 4.02, but was the team's most dependable starter down the stretch. He lost just one decision after the All-Star break, was the MVP of the National League Championship Series, and shut out Toronto in Game 5 of the World Series.

Last year, the highest-paid starting pitcher with between three and four years of major league service time was Milwaukee's Jaime Navarro at $2.1 million; San Diego's Andy Benes won in arbitration to make $2.05 million while Kansas City's Kevin Appier, Minnesota's Kevin Tapani and Montreal's Ken Hill each made $2 million.

This year, Atlanta's Steve Avery is asking for $2.8 million from the Atlanta Braves, who are offering $2.1 million for a pitcher who was 18-6, 2.94.

Another interesting situation involves lefthander David West. He's asking $925,000, nearly three times the $315,000 he made last year. The Phillies have offered $500,000.

In the other two cases, first baseman Ricky Jordan has been offered the same $1 million he made last year but is seeking $1.2 million. Second baseman Mickey Morandini wants $850,000 compared to the club's figure of $625,000.

"I was a little surprised by some of the numbers," said Ed Wade, assistant to the general manager. "I thought some of the filings were a little high. But, as always, we hope to settle before it goes to a hearing."

Cases will begin being heard Jan. 31. A settlement can be reached any time before the hearing. Once an arbitrator gets a case, he must choose either the player's number or the figure submitted by the team.