Lou free, 'interested'

Rays, other teams can pursue Piniella but Mariners want compensation first.

[AP photo] The Rays' primary competition for Lou Piniella looks to be the Mets, who already have called the Mariners to discuss compensation.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published October 15, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Mariners agreed Monday to set Lou Piniella free.

Now the Rays, and other interested teams, will find out what it will cost to get the chance to hire him as their manager.

The Mariners agreed to let Piniella out of his $2.5-million contract to manage their team next season because of his desire to "reside and work closer" to his Tampa home. But they will not allow him to talk to other teams until they negotiate what the Mariners termed "reasonable compensation."

The definition of "reasonable" could be the biggest issue confronting the Rays. Agent Alan Nero said late Monday that Piniella was "very interested" in taking over his hometown team and that his financial demands should not be "a problem."

Nero, however, also said the Mets could be an attractive option, and the Mets expressed that interest immediately by calling the Mariners. The Rays did not but are likely to do so today.

Mariners general manager Pat Gillick said he could not define "reasonable," or whether it meant cash, players or both, because the negotiations would be held on the ownership level.

But he did say that the Mariners are not necessarily viewing the compensation issue as a bidding war and that the Rays might be able to get what amounts to a hometown discount.

"What's reasonable for one club -- put it this way, the Mets have the ability to pay cash more than the Devil Rays, so what might be reasonable for the Mets might be unreasonable for the Devil Rays," Gillick said. "We're going to be flexible. I think that certainly will be part of it."

Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli was in Mexico on Monday and not available for comment. General manager Chuck LaMar, who spent the evening interviewing Yankees third-base coach Willie Randolph for the open position, said, "We will discuss the situation (today) internally and decide on a course of action at that time."

Gillick suggested the Mariners want to resolve the situation quickly, certainly by the end of the World Series, and said the Rays should not dawdle.

"They better move," he said. "We've already heard from the Mets and we're going to talk in the morning. I left Chuck a message and told him if the Devil Rays were interested to have Vince give (Mariners president) Chuck Armstrong a call."

Piniella, reached Monday at his Tampa home, wasn't sure what to think. In essence, he had just walked away from a $2.5-million contract amid plenty of speculation but no guarantee that he will have a job next season, raising the possibility he could end up sitting out the year.

"Basically what it amounts to is that teams looking for a manager have a chance to talk to me, and that's basically it," Piniella told the Times. "I'm not free to talk about anything. Teams have to call and get permission."

Nero, though, presented a strong case for Piniella joining the Rays, allowing him to be near his elderly parents, children and grandchildren.

"If you read the Mariners release it said he made the decision purely on a personal basis for his family," Nero said. "His family has grown, he has three grandchildren now. He's been on the West Coast for 10 years and it's really started to wear on him. He just wants to be closer to home.

"If you listen to that and understand that, what's closer to home? There's nothing closer to home. I would say he's very interested in Tampa Bay. What could be closer? And the timing is right."

But Nero also said Piniella would be comfortable with the Mets because he has a long history in New York, because he would be in the East and because he would have spring training in Florida.

Piniella was working under a three-year, $6.8-million contract, and some reports in New York have speculated he could be seeking as much as $5-million a year.

But Nero said Piniella's demands would not be prohibitive as long as the Rays were competitive in their offer. The Rays, who were to pay Hal McRae $700,000 to manage next season, are believed to be willing to make a substantially larger offer to Piniella.

"It's my guess the economics should not be a problem," Nero said. "Considering what's at stake, I don't see how the economics could be a problem. You don't take a veteran, veteran manager and ask him to serve for something significantly less than what his value is. I think Tampa Bay from time to time has been able to spend a very significant amount on players. I don't see any reason they can't afford to offer Lou a contract that would be acceptable. As long as Vince and Chuck and Lou agree they are in this together I think the finances probably can be worked out."

And though Nero spoke at length at how appealing Piniella would find the Rays' job, he said if "there was a huge financial difference, say for example, 300 percent more, than logic would overcome emotion."

By requiring interested teams to first negotiate compensation, rather than allowing Piniella to strike a deal first, the Mariners seized control of the situation as they can dictate what team, or teams, he can talk to.

Gillick said it was a difficult decision to let Piniella go after a wildly successful 10-year run. This way the Mariners at least can make sure they get something to show for losing him.

"There's no use of Lou negotiating a deal and then us not being satisfied. We want to be satisfied in advance," Gillick said. "Basically in our minds, maybe not in the other clubs' minds, we're trying to be somewhat flexible and reasonable in what we're looking for. We have a manager who has won 300 games in the last three years, has been in Seattle a long period of time, has been to the playoffs four different times in Seattle. He's an asset, he's got another year on his contract, and we think we should be compensated."

The talk in Seattle is that the Mariners may be more interested in players than cash. Their primary needs are for a starting pitcher and a leftfielder, and it could be a difficult conversation for Naimoli if they were to ask for Joe Kennedy and/or Carl Crawford, two of the Rays' prized young players.

Piniella said he could not discuss specific situations but is hoping for a quick resolution. "I don't think this needs to drag out," he said. "It could be resolved in a day from my standpoint."

Also Monday, Randolph said his three-hour interview with LaMar and player personnel director Cam Bonifay went "great." Randolph also has interviewed with the Mets and the Brewers and is considered by some the favorite in Milwaukee.

"I view it as who wants me," he said. "Who really wants me to be part of their organization, who trusts me to teach and motivate and work with their players. To me they are all big challenges."

Randolph is the fourth candidate to interview, following Rays coaches Billy Hatcher and Tom Foley and Yankees coach Lee Mazzilli. Rays Triple-A manager Bill Evers interviews today. Also, the Rays said catcher Paul Hoover refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham and became a free agent.

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