By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Bret Boone answered one huge question about the makeup of the 2002 Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
By accepting the Mariners’ offer of salary arbitration before the 9 p.m. (PST) deadline, Boone remains under contract with the team for one more year. Had he not accepted arbitration, Boone would have continued as a free agent.
So we know who’ll be playing second base next season. Now another can of questions opens up.
One of the biggest questions concerns David Bell. The free agent third baseman, who lost that job just days ago when the Mariners traded for Jeff Cirillo, also accepted arbitration, and thus created a logjam on the infield.
How much will Boone make in 2002? And how will that salary affect what the Mariners spend on the remaining holes in the lineup, left field and a No. 3 starting pitcher?
The Mariners and Boone won’t exchange salary figures until Jan. 8, and an arbitrator will conduct a hearing in February and award one of the two figures to Boone. The M’s certainly won’t wait until then to pursue their other needs.
“We can’t afford to do that,” assistant general manager Lee Pelekoudas said. “If you sit for a month, things are going to pass you by.”
As they wait for arbitration procedures to take place, Pelekoudas said the Mariners hope to continue negotiations with Boone. He has turned down two offers from the team, the latest believed to be worth $25 million over three years.
Boone, who has repeatedly said he wants to remain with the Mariners, would like a four-year contract.
“There’s always a prospect of still settling on a multi-year deal,” Pelekoudas said. “But if we don’t, an arbitration hearing isn’t until February and his salary will be an unknown until that time. We know it’ll be one or the other if we don’t reach an agreement, and you can’t assume he’s going to win (in arbitration).”
Adding a pitcher is the Mariners’ No. 1 priority because the rotation now consists of Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer and Paul Abbott. Joel Pineiro and John Halama, both of whom started and pitched out of the bullpen last season, are possibilities but also have been mentioned heavily in trade talks.
It’s obvious the Mariners want a starter who not only can help them make a third straight appearance in the playoffs, but one who’s as close to a guaranteed winner in the postseason as there can be.
“We have to get there first,” Pelekoudas said. “Certainly we’d like a guy who has the potential to win us a few games in the postseason. We’ve got Moyer and Garcia in the rotation and if we can fill the third spot, that’s what we’d like to do. We’d like a quality guy who can give us some innings.”
In left field, it’s almost certain the Mariners won’t spend big bucks to fill that need.
“We’ve got some feelers out, but I wouldn’t say anything is imminent,” Pelekoudas said. “There aren’t a lot of front-line left field types left and we’ve already stated that we’re not in the (Juan) Gonzalez picture at all. We may be going for a different type of left fielder.”
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