DODGERS UPDATE: BRADLEY SIGNS, PEREZ CLOSE.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

While their impending trade of Shawn Green to Arizona remained in a holding pattern, Dodgers officials tended to other pressing matters Tuesday, avoiding arbitration with center fielder Milton Bradley by signing him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract and moving very close to an agreement to re-sign left-hander Odalis Perez.

Perez's new contract, reportedly a three-year deal worth $24 million, won't be announced for several days, if at all. It probably is entirely contingent upon the Green trade, which would free up $8 million for the Dodgers, which in turn would cover the average annual salary of Perez's potential new deal.

Perez spent the past three seasons with the Dodgers and became one of the club's most reliable starters with a combined 34-28 record and a 3.55 ERA, even though his run support at times was little more than a pittance. Last season, he went just 7-2, despite a 3.25 ERA, then struggled during two playoff starts against St. Louis.

Perez earned $5 million last season before becoming a free agent. As his former club, the Dodgers must sign him by Saturday or lose all rights to him until May.

Neither Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta nor Perez's agent, Fernando Cuza, could be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the agreement with Bradley leaves the Dodgers with just three players - pitchers Brad Penny and Eric Gagne and shortstop Cesar Izturis - still eligible for arbitration.

``Milton was a key to our success in 2004, and we expect him to be a major contributor again in 2005,'' DePodesta said in a press release issued by the club. ``He is an accomplished player with the ability to be even more.''

Before he can reach his true potential, though, Bradley probably needs to corral his notorious temper, which he presently is attempting to do through anger-management therapy. In this case, that temper was a good thing for the Dodgers, because it clearly gave them all the leverage in negotiations with Bradley. Ultimately, it kept his salary far below what he would have commanded had he not been ejected from four games last season, had he not been suspended twice by the league office and had he not gotten into a verbal altercation with a reporter during the playoffs.

DePodesta had made it clear weeks ago, both publicly and privately, that it would not be in Bradley's best interests to take the club to an arbitration hearing. Bradley apparently got the message, agreeing to a relatively modest, $770,000 raise from his 2004 salary of $1.73 million.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks began negotiations on a contract extension for Green, for which commissioner Bud Selig had granted them a 48-hour window that ends at noon Thursday. That new contract is believed to be a prerequisite to Green waiving his no-trade clause and agreeing to go to Arizona, along with $8 million, for two minor leaguers: pitcher William Juarez and either of two catchers, Dioner Navarro or Chris Snyder.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com