KARROS' CONTRACT A GOOD SIGN(ING).

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

Any concern that the Dodgers' day-to-day operations might be bogged down by the pending sale of the club was allayed Wednesday. With ringing finality.

Just two days after president Peter O'Malley's stunning announcement that the franchise was being put up for sale, the team signed one of its star players, first baseman Eric Karros, to a rich new contract.

``The announcement of the sale has no impact on anything we do,'' executive vice president Fred Claire said while announcing the agreement, which will bring Karros $20 million over the next four seasons, including a $2 million signing bonus and $4 million in salary this year.

``Business will be as usual at Dodger Stadium. This contract, I think, is reflective of that. We need to make the decisions. We do everything that we can to build a championship team. There has been no directive given to me other than, `Do business as you normally do.' ''

On a prorated basis, the contract ties Karros with pitcher Ramon Martinez as the highest-paid Dodgers. Martinez signed last offseason for $15 million over three years.

Although Karros' contract was worked out in a little over one day - ``a two-Diet Coke negotiation'' marveled Jeffrey Moorad, Karros' agent - the next item of business for Claire and the Dodgers figures to be considerably more nettlesome.

Catcher Mike Piazza, eligible for salary arbitration but not eligible for free agency for two more seasons, is expected to seek a bank-breaking deal. Although Claire said he intended to meet with Piazza's representation this week, one labor source predicted the Dodgers might work out a one-year agreement or let the matter go to arbitration.

Piazza elected to skip Wednesday's two-hour morning workout, but he was at the park a short time later - to film a commercial. It provided some surreal juxtaposition: At the precise moment Karros was at a Stadium Club press conference, smiling over his new deal, Piazza was visible down in the outfield some distance away, smiling for the cameras.

``None of these (workouts) are mandatory,'' said manager Bill Russell, who admitted that Piazza hadn't given him an explanation for his non-participation in the first one. ``I don't know what his schedule is.''

Karros' contract was worked out amid an odd series of events.

Last Friday, Moorad said, Claire called, and a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday. Moorad and Karros then met on Monday at the agent's Newport Beach office. While they were huddled, the news broke that O'Malley was putting the Dodgers up for sale.

``We scratched our heads,'' Moorad said. ``I said, `We might not need this (Tuesday meeting) anyway.' But Fred called us an hour later (to say it was still on).''

The Tuesday session was the first for the two sides, and Moorad expected it to be strictly preliminary, but when Claire proposed a three-year contract in Karros' ballpark, the agent called his client and said the time might be ripe for a counterproposal.

The Dodgers accepted that bid Wednesday morning. Karros, who made $3.3 million last season, will pull down $4 million in each of the first two years of the deal, $5 million in each of the final two.

Said Claire: ``If you look at the negotiations we've done, we do mean what we say. We don't play a high-low game. We say, `This is how we feel. We hope we can work it out.' ''

Karros, who in 1992 began the Dodgers' string of five straight National League Rookies of the Year, led the Dodgers in RBI in '96 with 111, and was second in home runs (behind Piazza's 36) with 34.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) First baseman Eric Karros agreed to a four-year, $20 million deal.

(2) New Dodgers Todd Zeile, left and Nelson Liriano share a laugh during workouts Wednesday.

Terri Thuente / Daily News