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By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 21, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- The agent for Gerald Williams said if the Rays want to trade the slumping outfielder, the two would help facilitate a deal, perhaps by restructuring terms of his contract. But if the Rays choose to release Williams, agent Seth Levinson said he is prepared to fight them.
The Rays are believed to be on the verge of parting ways with Williams, who lost his starting job after lengthy struggles and is 66 plate appearances shy of guaranteeing a $4-million option for next season.
Levinson spoke with general manager Chuck LaMar on Wednesday and said he thinks LaMar is receiving direction from new chief operating officer John McHale Jr. to move Williams in order to reduce financial obligations for next season.
"This is about 2002," Levinson said. "That's become painfully obvious."
Levinson said Williams, the team MVP last season, wants to stay. But if the Rays don't want to keep him, Levinson said, the two would help meld a deal, including restructuring terms of the 2002 contract.
"We will enable, not impede, any trade," he said. "We'll do whatever we can to serve the best interests of Gerald, the team interested and the Devil Rays."
Though Levinson's offer is newsy, it also is an obvious strategic move. If Williams is traded, he retains the same contract terms for this season, with the chance to vest the option and guarantee his money for 2002. If he is released, the Rays pay him for the rest of this season, about $1.65-million plus a $250,000 contract buyout, but have no obligation for next season.
Williams is hitting .207 with a .261 on-base percentage, but Levinson said he does not deserve to be released based on his performance. He said other players on the Rays and other teams are struggling and haven't been released.
Further, Levinson said that because in his view a player can't be released for financial reasons, a grievance would be filed with Major League Baseball's arbitrator if Williams were released. And Levinson expects he would win. "(LaMar) recognizes the grievance they're going to face," Levinson said.
The Rays, though, could have a valid defense. Among the reasons a team can release a player, as listed in Paragraph 7B of a uniform contract, is if the player should "fail in the opinion of the club management to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability to qualify or continue as a member of the club's team."
LaMar would not discuss Williams specifically, saying he was exploring trades involving veterans to make the team younger and less expensive.
Levinson said he hopes the Rays stick with Williams and that it would send a bad message to their young players if they don't. "I hope for the organization's sake, for Gerald's sake, for the sake of the players we represent in the organization, they do the right, fair and just thing," he said.
- Staff writer John Romano contributed to this report.