Likely addition of Baldwin makes starting staff even more experienced

By Kirby Arnold

Herald Writer

SEATTLE – Officially, the Seattle Mariners’ pitching rotation contains the same gaping hole it had the moment Aaron Sele peeled off his uniform last October.

Soon, however, James Baldwin could become a vital member of the staff.

Final details on a contract were being worked out Tuesday after the 30-year-old right-hander apparently passed a physical exam administered by the Mariners on Monday. Dr. Larry Pededgana, the team’s medical director, handled the physical.

“I saw him here Monday before he went over to be checked out by Dr. Pedegana,” Mariners trainer Rick Griffin said. “I think they were pleased. As far as I know, everything went well.”

That was the last major prerequisite to a deal for Baldwin, who is 15 months removed from major shoulder surgery.

“I haven’t heard (results of the exam) but if he passes his physical, he’s as good as signed,” manager Lou Piniella said.

Both sides say there hasn’t been a hangup in the negotiations; only contract language to be agreed upon.

“They are awaiting final blood results, or whatever, and everything should be in order,” said Rex Garey, Baldwin’s agent. “I do not anticipate any problems. It is not completely done yet, but we’re heading hopefully toward a deal very quickly.”

The fact that the sides continue to talk indicates Baldwin passed the physical.

“We’re still working out some details,” said Lee Pelekoudas, the Mariners’ assistant general manager. “He completed the physical and we’re still working toward getting something completed on the contract. I would expect something to get done shortly.”

That is what the Mariners have been angling for all winter.

Without Sele, who was 15-5 last year, or a veteran like Baldwin to replace him, the Mariners would head into the 2002 season with a starting staff of Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Paul Abbott and a lot of fingers crossed for the final two spots in the rotation.

Joel Pineiro, a 22-year-old right-hander who is 6-2 in 12 career major league starts, had been anointed the fourth starter. The fifth spot was to be a spring training battle between left-hander John Halama and right-hander Ryan Franklin, both with experience in the rotation and bullpen.

By adding Baldwin, the rotation will be four-fifths filled with playoff-tested veterans, with the losers of the fifth spot headed back to the bullpen.

“We’ll let Halama, Pineiro and Franklin have a go at it (for the fifth spot),” Piniella said.

Piniella said Gil Meche, who had two operations on his shoulder since he last pitched in the 2000 season, also will be in the fifth-starter pool at spring training, but chances of him making the team seem remote. Meche and left-hander Ryan Anderson, who also spent 2001 recovering from shoulder surgery, are expected to start the season in the minor leagues.

“We’ll try to get Meche as much work as possible in the spring and see if he’s ready,” Piniella said.

With four off days in April, the Mariners may be able to skip their fifth starter at least three times. Piniella, in fact, doesn’t necessarily rank his starters in a 1-5 order. Garcia obviously is No. 1, but the Mariners tend to juggle the rotation to match each starter’s strengths against opponents’ weaknesses.

“We match up more than anything else,” Piniella said. “We did that all last year and I would anticipate we will match up again this year.”

For example, the Mariners open with a three-game home series against Chicago, but Moyer may not get his first start of the season until the fourth game, April 5 against Oakland.

“We didn’t pitch Moyer at all against the White Sox last year and it could be that we will go with the three right-handers this time,” Piniella said.

Baldwin, who went 14-7 in 2000 and was the winning pitcher in the All-Star Game that year, underwent surgery to repair his rotator cuff just days after he limited the Mariners to three hits and a run in six innings in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, which the Mariners won in the ninth inning.

He started last season on the disabled list and pitched with mediocre results (7-5, 4.61 ERA) before the White Sox traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was 3-6, 4.20. Still, Baldwin’s final two starts in L.A. were solid and he became a target by the Mariners to replace Sele.

“It’s a nice addition,” Piniella said. “He has experience and at the same time he’s a guy who has won. He competes well and he’s a pretty good guy in the clubhouse from what I understand. We’ve needed one more pitcher and if we can get Baldwin in the fold, I feel good about going to spring training with the team we have and letting these guys compete.”