Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 27, 1990                   TAG: 9006270165
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OAKLAND, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Medium

CANSECO SIGNS DEAL MAKING HIM BEST-PAID

Rick Thurman of the Beverly Hills Sports Council said a news conference will be called for either 10 a.m. PDT., or after the A's game against Detroit.

Thurman confirmed Canseco had reached an agreement with the A's on a five-year contract, but declined to give out the specific amount of money involved.

"The contract by far will make him the highest-paid baseball player. It is the biggest contract there is," he said.

Canseco said last Friday that he had reached an agreement with the Athletics on the dollar amount and only minor details of the deal needed to be worked out.

When asked if the deal would make him the highest-paid player in the game, Canseco said, "That should be the obvious."

The deal enables Canseco to take the distinction as the game's highest-paid player away from Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees, who signed a five-year, $19.6 million deal in April.

"The A's are happy, Jose is happy and we're happy," Thurman said.

A recent newspaper report estimated the deal to be worth more than $23 million.

In his first four seasons in the majors, Canseco was voted the American League's 1986 Rookie of the Year and the AL's 1988 Most Valuable Player, as well as becoming the first player ever to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

In 53 games this season going into Tuesday night's game, Canseco has hit 20 home runs with 50 RBI and a .313 batting average. He missed 14 games with a back injury and two more with a sore wrist.