BASEBALL : TORRE'S TITLE REWARD IS LONGER CONTRACT.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

New York Yankees manager Joe Torre and team owner George Steinbrenner have agreed verbally on a contract extension, the New York Daily News reported.

Sources said the deal includes a raise for the '97 season, Torre's final year under his current contract, and a two-year extension worth slightly more than $2 million, with the second year at Steinbrenner's option.

In his first year as Yankees manager, Torre took the team to its first world championship in 18 years. He thought that merited a raise and an extension, but Torre also will be 57 in July, and he has said he doesn't want to manage more than a few more years.

Angels' invitees: Nine non-roster players, including right-hander Steve Ontiveros and infielders Luis Alicea and Jack Howell, will come to the team's spring training in March.

Ontiveros and Alicea signed minor-league contracts with the Angels earlier this month and Howell, who spent the entire 1996 season with the team, signed a minor-league deal last month.

Ontiveros, an AL All-Star with Oakland in 1995, didn't play last year after undergoing surgery on his pitching elbow. Alicea hit .258 with five homers and 42 RBI for the St. Louis Cardinals, while Howell hit .270 with eight homers and 21 RBI with the Angels.

Ready to run away: If Cleveland Indians general manager John Hart had traded Albert Belle and Kenny Lofton after the 1995 season, fans would have pinned his picture on a wanted poster.

It doesn't look like such a crazy idea now.

Belle played out his contract last year, then became a free agent and signed a $55 million, five-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. Now, Lofton's agent has told the team that the speedy center fielder will test the free-agent market after this season.

``We made overtures that we wanted to open negotiations, but Kenny made it clear that he didn't want to talk at this time,'' Hart told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. ``He said he still wanted to talk to us, but he also said he was going to test the free-agent waters at the end of the 1997 season.''

Lofton has won four straight Gold Gloves and five consecutive AL stolen-base titles and is considered the best leadoff hitter in the game. Last year, Lofton batted .317 with 14 homers, 67 RBIs, 132 runs and 75 stolen bases.

It was not clear if Hart made a contract offer during preliminary discussions with Lofton's agent, Steve Zucker. Neither Hart nor Zucker returned telephone messages Wednesday.

``Obviously, this changes our view of what we would entertain (in a trade) for Lofton,'' Hart said. ``At this stage, for a player we would have been very reluctant to talk about, you've got to examine what's best for the franchise over the long haul.''

Sabo in Seattle: The Mariners signed third baseman Chris Sabo, a nine-year veteran who played in 54 games for Cincinnati last season, to a minor-league contract.

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