Hochevar Deadline Is Near

The Dodgers must sign heralded pitcher Luke Hochevar before he begins fall classes at Tennessee on Aug. 24 or lose rights to him. Neither side is particularly optimistic because there is nearly a $2-million difference between what he wants and what the Dodgers are willing to pay.

Hochevar, Baseball America’s college pitcher of the year, dropped beyond the first round because teams were worried that they could not meet the demands of his agent, Scott Boras. The Dodgers couldn’t resist with the 40th pick and now are embroiled in high-stakes negotiations.

Sources on both sides say Hochevar is seeking $4 million, a deal similar to what Boston gave St. John’s pitcher Craig Hansen, the 26th pick. The Dodgers have offered a little more than $2 million, which would make him the highest-paid draft pick in team history.

“There is a certain number we will go to today, tomorrow or several weeks from now,” said Dodger scouting director Logan White, who is handling the negotiations. “We really like Luke and his family and want him to be a Dodger. I think we are being tremendously fair.”

Another sticking point is that the Dodgers are reluctant to offer Hochevar a major league contract, which would require them to put him on the 40-man roster immediately. The Dodgers have several highly regarded minor leaguers to protect on the roster this fall to keep them from being taken in the Rule 5 draft.

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Former Dodger pitcher Carlos Perez was ordered to pay $15 million in damages after being found liable in a sexual assault civil trial in Vero Beach, Fla. Amy McQuillin was awarded the full amount she and her attorney, L.H. Steven Savola, sought for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages.

McQuillin was awarded $9 million in punitive damages -- the full amount sought.

The two-day trial was conducted despite Perez, 34, failing to attend either day. According to court documents, he is believed to reside in the Dominican Republic.

Perez was accused of forcing McQuillin to have sex with him in March 1999, when he was in Vero Beach for Dodger spring training. Perez, who earned $17.8 million in five major league seasons, pitched for the Dodgers from 1998 to 2000.