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Baseball briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 3, 2000

Jays want Gonzalez but have backup plan

DUNEDIN -- The Toronto Blue Jays' negotiations with free-agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez are proceeding with no end in sight and new manager Buck Martinez has to think about a backup solution.

"Obviously we've talked to Alex again this week and we're continuing to negotiate with him," Martinez said Saturday. "And we'd like to have Alex back but until it's a done deal, Cesar Izturis is the guy we're looking at at shortstop."

Izturis, a 20-year-old from Venezuela, batted .218 at Triple-A Syracuse.

The Blue Jays have reportedly offered Gonzalez a four-year deal for slightly less than $20-million. Gonzalez, who made $3.025-million last season, is seeking a four-year deal worth about $25-million.

YANKEES: About a week before he committed $88.5-million to Mike Mussina, George Steinbrenner fired at least eight employees in the name of cutting costs, The Record in Hackensack, N.J., reported. Three days before Thanksgiving, five New York-based team employees received notices that they were being terminated. They have been allowed to work until Dec. 31. Three workers at Legends Field were notified of their dismissals around the same time. The Yankees project their opening-day payroll at below $113.4-million, its record level on Aug. 31. "The Mike Mussina signing would be neutral, or in fact might even save money in the overall budget," Yankees president Randy Levine said. ... The team insists it will be spending less, not more, next season. Clearly sensitive to criticism after their signing of pitcher Mike Mussina to an $88.5-million, six-year contract, the three-time defending World Series champions project their opening-day payroll at below $113.4-million, its record level on Aug. 31. "The Mike Mussina signing would be neutral, or in fact might even save money in the overall budget," Yankees president Randy Levine said. ... Roger Clemens expects his appeal of a $50,000 fine for tossing the broken barrel of a bat toward Mike Piazza during the World Series to be addressed in early January. The pitcher was not ejected for throwing the bat, which some interpreted as a continuation of tensions between the two that began earlier in the season when Piazza was struck in the head by a Clemens pitch. "As far as I'm concerned this has been done and over with since he was struck in the head and we called to apologize and he didn't want to accept it," Clemens said Saturday.

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