Baseball Arbitrator Rules Today on 1986-87 Free-Agent Collusion Case

NEW YORK —  Arbitrator George Nicolau will rule today whether baseball owners conspired to restrict the movement and salary of free agents after the 1986 season.

After five months of deliberation, Nicolau will rule on the Major League Baseball Players Assn.’s charge that the owners violated the basic agreement during the off-season of 1986-87.

Another arbitrator, Thomas Roberts, ruled last Sept. 21 that the owners were guilty of collusion during the 1985-86 off-season.

Roberts has not yet ruled on monetary damages and will hear additional economic evidence in October. On Jan. 22, he declared seven of the affected players free agents, and one of them, outfielder Kirk Gibson, switched teams; he left the Detroit Tigers to sign with the Dodgers.

The second collusion case involves 79 players, including Doyle Alexander, Bob Boone, Andre Dawson, Rich Gedman, Ron Guidry, Bob Horner, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and Tim Raines.

Nicolau will rule only on whether the club owners conspired to restrain the movement of players who became free agents after the 1986 season. If he finds that collusion did exist, he then will preside over hearings to determine whether any players should be made free agents again and to set monetary damages, if any.

The average salary of free agents after the 1986 season dropped by 15% from the preceding season, and the average player salary increased just $86 to $412,606 in 1987.

Nicolau also is hearing a third collusion case, covering last winter’s free agents.