DODGERS UPDATE: DODGERS FAIL TO SIGN MAYNE AGENT EXPECTS CATCHER TO RETIRE.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

The Dodgers failed to reach an agreement with catcher Brent Mayne before Saturday night's deadline, a fact that apparently will hurt them more than it hurts him.

Mayne's agent, Barry Meister, said he believes his client will retire.

``I'm not going to make anything official, but I would expect that would be the case,'' Meister said. ``Los Angeles is home for him. He really only wanted one of two things. He wanted to either play for the Los Angeles Dodgers or retire.''

Saturday was the final day for clubs to re-sign their own free agents. Any player who didn't sign with his former club cannot appear in a major- league game with that club before May 1.

Mayne, 36, who lives in Costa Mesa, rides into the sunset after a 15-year career during which he batted .263 for six major-league clubs, including the Dodgers in the final two months of last season. Acquired from Arizona at the trading deadline, Mayne split time behind the plate with David Ross and batted .188 in 47 games.

The Dodgers are left in a bind with their catching situation, although general manager Paul DePodesta is believed to have several contingency plans in place. DePodesta declined to comment on the Mayne matter, but the Dodgers clearly will have to go outside the organization to find a replacement, either to back up Ross or share time with him.

Dioner Navarro, whom the Dodgers are expected to receive from Arizona if they can complete the Shawn Green trade, isn't thought to be major-league ready, although he could see big-league time sometime in 2005. Russell Martin is the only other catcher on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, and he batted .250 last year at Single-A Vero Beach (Fla.). Brook Fordyce, 34, and Paul Bako, 32, two nondescript veterans, still are available on the free-agent market.

It isn't clear how close the Dodgers came to an agreement with Mayne, a former Cal State Fullerton star who received $800,000 in 2004.

``It's not a question of us playing offers off other clubs or against each other,'' Meister said. ``We discussed it and just couldn't get close enough to bridge the gap between what the Dodgers thought was fair and what would (give) Brent (incentive) to play for one more year. There are no hard feelings. Paul and I worked pretty hard to get something done.''

Meanwhile, talks continued to move forward between Green and the Diamondbacks, leaving what appears to be just one final hurdle between the Dodgers first baseman and the two-year contract extension he is seeking before he agrees to waive his no-trade clause.

Once that trade is complete, the Dodgers are expected to use the $6 million they will save from Green's $16 million salary for next season to sign free-agent pitcher Derek Lowe to a four-year, $36 million contract.

With Green reportedly having agreed to a two-year contract extension worth somewhere between $16 million and $17 million, the final sticking point is believed to be a series of performance bonuses built into Green's current six-year, $84 million contract.

None of those bonuses is especially costly. The most expensive is the extra $250,000 Green would receive if he were to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award, and the maximum he could receive from reaching any combination of bonuses is $850,000.

But when the Diamondbacks went through an ownership change last summer, they instituted a policy of not writing performance bonuses into contracts.

``We're not locked into this (trade),'' said Ken Kendrick, the Diamondbacks' managing general partner.

``If we have to walk away from it, we will.''

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com