BUTLER SIGNS, BUT... : INSPIRATIONAL DODGER MAY END UP RETIRING.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Brett Butler and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year contract for 1997 on Wednesday. But Butler called it ``a formality'' and insisted that he is not yet prepared to play another season.

A deal had to be made by Saturday or Butler could not have re-signed with the Dodgers until May 1. The contract stipulates a $500,000 base salary, $500,000 if he makes the Opening Day roster, with $1 million in incentives that would allow him to reach $2 million, his 1996 salary.

``Brett's a known,'' said Dodgers executive vice president Fred Claire, previously without a proven leadoff hitter. ``Whatever it is he has to give the game, the Dodgers will get.''

Butler arrived home Wednesday in Duluth, Ga., after four days in Dorado, Puerto Rico, where he attended the players' annual executive board meeting.

From cancer and the resulting surgery and treatments last season, his right shoulder and side remain numb, he lacks saliva and he weighs only 152 pounds, at least 10 pounds below his playing weight.

The contract, Butler said, ``doesn't mean that I'm playing. It doesn't mean that.

``I signed it as a formality, but I'm really undecided.''

If his physical condition returns, including his cardiovascular health, Butler said he wanted the contract in place. He did not want to play for another club, though he filed for free agency on the advice of the Dodgers.

Since last season, which ended for him on Sept. 10 when his left thumb was broken by a pitch, Butler rarely has worked out. The lethargy resulting from cancer surgery in May and six weeks of radiation treatments through July has not left him.

Butler, 39, said he must begin a full-scale exercise program by Jan. 1 in order to be prepared for spring training, his 17th.

Since May 6, when doctors found a large tumor in his right tonsil during a routine tonsillectomy, Butler has wrestled with the idea of retiring.

On that day, he told his wife, Eveline, that he was finished with baseball. However, he made a remarkable return to the Dodgers' lineup on Sept. 6, after four months of recovery.

He then told teammates and friends that he would finish the season and retire. Two days later, his thumb was broken and he reconsidered again.

``I feel all right,'' Butler said Wednesday night. ``I just can't put the weight on.''

A healthy Butler would give the Dodgers the leadoff hitter they lacked most of last season, when his absence forced them to use six other players in that position. With their current roster, Todd Hollandsworth is the most likely candidate.

``I think it's great,'' Claire said. ``I really left it up to Brett. I wanted him to make the decision, because it was a big decision.''

To make room for Butler on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated right-handed pitcher Eric Weaver for assignment.

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