BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Sandberg Set to Return From Retirement

Ryne Sandberg, the all-star second baseman who abruptly retired from the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the 1994 season, will come back and play in the major leagues in 1996, the Associated Press learned Monday.

Sandberg, who will become a free agent, is expected to announce his decision later this week, two sources told the AP.

Sandberg was put on the voluntarily retired list by the Cubs on June 13, 1994, after his sudden retirement from the Cubs at 34. But the 10-time all-star, considered one of the best all-around second basemen in the game’s history, will return next season at 36.

At the time of his retirement, Sandberg, the 1984 National League Most Valuable Player and holder of several major league fielding records, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and had no intention of returning.

He was in the second year of a four-year contract and walked away from about $17 million.

Sandberg spent much of his time in retirement living at his home in Arizona, near the Cubs’ spring training site in Mesa. Although he was not playing ball, his contract with the Cubs called for some off-field work for the team.

Sandberg recently remarried, and friends have described him as happier than he has been in a long time and said he is ready to return to the game he had played professionally since he was 18.

When Sandberg left the Cubs, he was upset with the way the team was being run by General Manager Larry Himes. Himes has been reassigned, and the Cubs have completely changed their front-office structure.

Ed Lynch, who briefly played with Sandberg and is one of his friends, is the general manager, and Andy MacPhail, who built World Series champions in Minnesota, is the president.

AROUND THE MAJORS

Davey Johnson finally got the job he coveted, and the Baltimore Orioles signed the manager they rejected in favor of Phil Regan a year ago.

Johnson, who guided the Cincinnati Reds to the NL Central title this season, received a three-year contract from the team he played for from 1965-72.

After Baltimore fired Manager Johnny Oates last October, Johnson applied for the opening. But the Orioles chose Regan, and Johnson went back to Cincinnati for what he knew would be his last season with the Reds.

While Johnson led the Reds to the playoffs, Regan encountered myriad problems in his first year as a major league manager. The Orioles finished 71-73 despite carrying a payroll in excess of $40 million, and Regan was dismissed Oct. 20. That cleared the way for Johnson.

Johnson has the best winning percentage among active major league managers (.576) and a 799-589 career record as a manager. In 1986 he directed the New York Mets to a World Series championship.

The Orioles are still looking for a general manager to replace Roland Hemond, who resigned the day owner Peter Angelos fired Regan.

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With Johnson’s departure, Ray Knight became manager of the Cincinnati Reds, completing a transition that has been in the works for a year.

The club agreed to a two-year contract with Knight, who has not managed at any level.

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Looking to rebuild a team that was one of the American League’s worst last season, the Detroit Tigers hired Randy Smith as general manager.

In a widely expected announcement, Smith, the former general manager of the San Diego Padres, signed a three-year contract. At 32, he is the youngest general manager in the majors.

One of his first jobs will be finding a replacement for Sparky Anderson, who resigned after the season after 17 years as the Tigers’ manager.

Smith replaces Joe Klein, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the season. Klein, 53, was expected to be offered another job in the Tigers’ organization. The Detroit News reported he would take charge of scouting and the minor league system.

Smith quit Sept. 26 at San Diego, where he had spent all but two of the last 11 years. During those two years he was assistant general manager of the Colorado Rockies.

Smith had been unhappy working with Padre president Larry Lucchino. But it took the Padres until last week to complete Smith’s release.

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Manager Marcel Lachemann and the Angel coaching and training staff have been invited back for the 1996 season, the team said.

This is the first time since 1989-90 that the Angel coaching staff has remained intact for consecutive seasons. Lachemann has a rollover contract that is automatically extended each year at the club’s option.

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The Seattle Mariners say they will exercise the 1996 options in the contracts of AL batting champion Edgar Martinez and infielder Joey Cora. General Manager Woody Woodward also said he probably will offer salary arbitration to reliever Norm Charlton by Thursday’s deadline to prevent him from becoming eligible for free agency.

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The Cleveland Indians have exercised the 1997 option on the contract of Manager Mike Hargrove, who led the team to its first World Series appearance since 1954. . . . New York Yankee outfielder Ruben Sierra had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn muscle in his left shoulder.