DODGERS UPDATE: GARCIAPARRA COMES TO L.A. FIVE-TIME ALL-STAR RECEIVES ONE-YEAR DEAL.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

A decision Nomar Garciaparra had all but made by the end of last week became official Sunday when the five-time All-Star signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers.

Garciaparra, who was born in Whittier and grew up in Bellflower, is expected to begin the 2006 season as the Dodgers' everyday first baseman, a position he never has played in the big leagues.

Garciaparra will be formally introduced at a 2 p.m. news conference today at Dodger Stadium. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a source with knowledge of the negotiations said Garciaparra will receive a $6 million base salary with incentives that actually could pay him more than the $8 million that has been widely reported as the maximum.

Another source said Garciaparra will top that figure if he has 500 plate appearances - a figure he hasn't reached since 2003.

Garciaparra, 32, chose the Dodgers over Cleveland, Houston and the New York Yankees, all of whom wanted him to play somewhere other than his natural shortstop position.

``I'm just so happy for Nomar, his wife and the Dodgers that they were able to get this done,'' said Arn Tellem, Garciaparra's Los Angeles-based agent, who declined to comment further because he didn't want to upstage his client on the eve of the formal announcement.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti did not return phone messages from the Daily News. Colletti met with Garciaparra and Tellem on Thursday. Another meeting with Garciaparra and his wife, retired national soccer star Mia Hamm, took place Friday. It was after that second meeting that it became apparent Garciaparra would choose his hometown team.

With Garciaparra in the fold, Colletti figures to turn his immediate attention to improving the outfield, where the Dodgers appear to be closing in on agreements with free agents Reggie Sanders and Kenny Lofton. If both veterans sign with the club, Sanders will play left and Lofton center, with J.D. Drew in right. The Dodgers could face a logjam when shortstop Cesar Izturis, who is expected to move to second base, returns sometime around the All-Star break. At that point, Garciaparra possibly would move to left field, with Jeff Kent shifting from second to first.

Sanders, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., has two-year offers on the table from a handful of clubs, including the Dodgers. He prefers to play for a National League team on the West Coast, and the Dodgers are the only suitors that fit that description. Lofton, who recently moved from Tucson, Ariz., to Santa Monica, has narrowed his choices to Arizona and the Dodgers, both of whom are offering one-year deals.

Garciaparra rejoins new Dodgers manager Grady Little, his manager in Boston in 2002-03, and former Red Sox teammates Derek Lowe and Bill Mueller.

Garciaparra has a .320 average in 10 major-league seasons, with 191 home runs and 740 RBI. His best season came with Boston in 1998, when he posted career highs of 35 homers and 122 RBI. Garciaparra then won the American League batting title each of the next two seasons, hitting a career-best .372 in 2000.

He also has a .367 on-base percentage and has struck out just once every 9.8 at-bats.

A fan favorite in Boston, Garciaparra nevertheless was dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the 2004 trading deadline, causing him to miss the Red Sox's first World Series victory in 86 years. He wound up re-signing with the Cubs as a free agent last winter, but he missed a significant portion of the 2005 season after he severely tore his left groin running out of the batter's box during an April 20 game in St. Louis.

Garciaparra returned late in the season and finished with a .283 average, nine home runs and 30 RBI.

The Dodgers now have $74.16 million committed to 14 players. They have just two arbitration-eligible players in catcher Jason Phillips and first baseman Hee-Seop Choi, and it's possible neither will be offered a contract before Tuesday's 9 p.m. deadline, which would make both of them free agents. There no longer is a spot for the light-hitting Phillips because the Dodgers plan to go with DionerNavarro as their regular catcher and Sandy Alomar as the backup. Choi could have some value to the club as a left-handed bat off the bench, but the Dodgers already have Ricky Ledee and the switch-hitting Jose Cruz Jr. for that.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com