Okay, Lou, it's all up to you

The Rays and Mariners strike a deal that allows the pursuit of Piniella to begin in earnest. All the manager has to do is forget the Mets and come back home.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published October 19, 2002

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- If Lou Piniella really wants to come home, all he has to do is say so.

[AP photo] Lou Piniella is still interested in the Mets.

The Devil Rays moved into position Friday to hire Piniella as their next manager by agreeing to the Mariners' demands for compensation. The bold move made them the first and, thus far, only team with permission to negotiate directly with Piniella.

"We're absolutely delighted they have permission, and we're anxious to begin talking, hopefully first thing (this) morning," Piniella's agent, Alan Nero, said.

Rays general manager Chuck LaMar sounded even more eager and worked late Friday night to schedule the first meeting.

"Very seldom does any organization get the opportunity to talk to and possibly hire someone with the expertise and qualities of Lou Piniella," LaMar said. "He obviously not only jumps to the forefront (of candidates) but I don't think there's any question we'll do everything we possibly can to make him our next manager."

There is a strong possibility the Mets or one supposedly remaining mystery team also will get permission to talk to Piniella -- Nero said he expects it -- but the Rays think they have made their intentions clear.

"I don't know how people don't think we're serious," Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli said. "We've been working at this very diligently."

The Rays have a geographical edge and the favor of the Mariners, who say they want to keep Piniella in the American League. Now the Rays would seem to have another advantage in the competition for the 59-year-old Tampa native by being the first to talk with him.

"You get a head start on whoever else steps up," Seattle general manager Pat Gillick said. "There could be an advantage to being first in. I think there is. ...

"They have sole negotiating rights to Lou and they're really in charge of the timetable."

The Mariners insisted teams first agree what they would give up for signing Piniella, who was under contract with the Mariners, before negotiating with him.

Those talks stretched for days with as many as four teams, but the Rays made their deal Friday afternoon, the culmination of more than 50 phone calls between Naimoli and Mariners president Chuck Armstrong.

Tampa Bay and Seattle officials agreed to keep the compensation terms confidential until a deal is finished, so there was only rampant speculation on who the Rays agreed to give the Mariners.

While names such as Joe Kennedy, Aubrey Huff and top prospect Rocco Baldelli were tossed out in various reports, a more educated guess would be All-Star centerfielder Randy Winn.

The Mariners need outfield help and expressed strong interest in Winn before last season's July 31 trading deadline. While Winn was the Rays' best player, they already have shown a willingness to trade him and have top-notch outfield prospects such as Baldelli, Carl Crawford and Josh Hamilton on the way. And Winn is due for a huge raise, from $960,000 to around $3.5-million.

The difference, coincidentally or conveniently, would be about what they'd have to pay Piniella. LaMar and Naimoli said they will get together to discuss the financial aspects of a potential deal, but it is believed they are prepared to make a competitive multiyear offer, likely at an annual salary at or in excess of the $2.5-million Piniella was to make in 2003.

Assuming they do, and that this effort is not merely a public relations gesture, the ultimate decision belongs to Piniella. Does he want to be close to home, where his elderly parents, children and grandchildren live and where he could add to his legacy, or merely closer, taking a potentially more lucrative offer to manage a more competitive team in New York.

Is he serious about the Rays?

"That's a stupid question," Nero said. "What's he been saying? He's been saying he wants to be closer to home. How much closer can you get than Tampa?"

As promising as that sounds, Nero is not going to give away any negotiating leverage. He said Piniella also wants to talk to the Mets and that he may want to wait to find out if they are going to get permission to talk. But he also left open the possibility of a quick deal with the Rays. "My assumption is that we'd talk to (the Mets) unless we get a suitable deal with Tampa," Nero said.

A key, Nero said, will be Piniella's comfort level with the Tampa Bay organization and its officials.

"It's like all the appropriate things you'd want to know if you were entering a marriage," Nero said. "This is probably going to be Lou's last contract. There's a lot of things you'd want to know from Vince and Chuck: the direction of the club, how they plan to distribute responsibility. All those things would have to be worked out before we address finances. My guess is that this will take a while, and I'd think that's what Vince and Chuck would want too."

LaMar said he very much wants to have that type of "baseball" talk with Piniella.

"When I have the opportunity to sit down with Lou, I think he'll know the enthusiasm I have for this organization, I think he knows the bumpy road we've had and he also knows first-hand the talent we have.

"I haven't mapped it out, but I truly believe he needs to hear from me not only why I think he's the candidate for this job and why it's a tremendous fit for us, but why it's a tremendous fit for him as well. It's not just the circumstances, because everyone knows he's from this area and the benefits it would bring. I'm the general manager and I'm concerned with bringing a championship club to this organization. I think in my discussions from a baseball standpoint I'll try to explain what I see over the next 2-3 years to make sure he's comfortable with it.

"It's not going to be a sales job. Obviously there will be negotiations from a monetary standpoint, but I truly believe in my heart it's the right fit not only for the Devil Rays but for Lou Piniella."

The Mariners cleverly have retained control of the situation despite the huge expectations and loud protestations of the New York media. By agreeing to a deal with the Rays, the Mariners could either force the Mets to agree to more significant compensation so they can stay in the race, or they could continue to stonewall the Mets and allow the Rays time to make a deal.

Gillick said their primary motives are to get reasonable compensation and to provide Piniella with some choices.

"We want to be even-handed with everyone, we want to try to give Lou as many options as we can," Gillick said. "He wants to be closer to home and closer to his family because it's a long distance from Seattle. I don't think anyone disagrees we got him as close as possible. We got him back to where he lives in Tampa Bay. We're hoping these other clubs come forward and also provide Lou an option somewhere else than Tampa Bay."

LaMar said he is concerned only with the Rays' efforts and not with any competition. But whether the Mets are in or out is a huge issue. Whether they were strategically waiting or truly upset over the Mariners' compensation demands, they went more than 24 hours without speaking with Seattle officials, calling back Friday after the Rays made their deal. Mets owner Fred Wilpon is expected to talk with the Mariners today, though reportedly the Mets are offering two minor leaguers who are not among their top prospects.

"Tampa Bay stepped up and was very aggressive," Gillick said. "We're satisfied with what they put on the table and that's why they're first out of the chute with Lou."

Neither the Mariners nor the commissioner's office placed any time restraints on the Rays to make a deal with Piniella. Teams are prohibited from making any major announcements during the World Series, but negotiations can continue.

It is possible a team could get permission to make an announcement on Monday or Friday, which are scheduled off days.

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