SEATTLE – A little grunge is headed toward the business-like world of the Seattle Mariners.
The team announced Wednesday it had finalized the signing of free-agent Scott Spiezio, a baseball player in the spring and summer and rock musician the rest of the year.
The three-year, $9 million deal had been all but sealed for several days, but it didn’t become official until Wednesday after the results of Spiezio’s physical exam were approved by the Mariners.
In addition to his real job, Spiezio is the lead singer for “Sandfrog,” a band out of his hometown of Morris, Ill., that plays, according to its Web site, “one half hard rock, 29 percent grunge and two-fifths metal.”
Ozzy Osbourne couldn’t have added it up better.
The Mariners just hope they’ve finally found the right equation at third to replace Jeff Cirillo, the unhappy Mariner who the team will either trade or release.
Spiezio is a seven-year major league veteran who came up as a third baseman but played extensively at first and second with his previous team, the Anaheim Angels.
“There will be a couple of things I need to focus on in the spring … things I haven’t done repeatedly, like bare-handing the bunt and making the throw on the run,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The Mariners hope Spiezio, the son of former major leaguer Ed Spiezio, will provide the offensive boost that Cirillo never managed in two seasons. Spiezio is a career .261 hitter who hit 16 homers and drove in 83 runs last season with the Angels. It was the best RBI year of his career.
“He plays the game hard and he plays it with a lot of intensity,” said Lee Pelekoudas, the Mariners’ assistant general manager. “The way he swings the bat was attractive to us; we have been looking for some offense on this club.”
Spiezio is Phase I in the Mariners’ attempt to rebuild the left side of the infield.
The team has tried to replace Carlos Guillen at shortstop but was out-bid by the Orioles for Miguel Tejada and called off a trade for the Indians’ Omar Vizquel when his surgically repaired right knee didn’t pass their physical.
“Carlos Guillen right now is our shortstop and we’d be happy to open the season with him,” Pelekoudas said. “At the same time, if we could improve that position or another position, we’d be open to that.”
The most pressing issue facing the Mariners is the 9 p.m. Saturday deadline for teams to decide whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players.
The Mariners have five on that list – outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, catcher Ben Davis, and pitchers Freddy Garcia, Joel Pineiro and Gil Meche.
Garcia, who beat the Mariners in arbitration last February and made $6.875 million in 2003, is the club’s biggest tender-deadline dilemma. They could take their chances again in arbitration, try to trade him or release him by not offering a contract.
“Everything’s definitely up in the air,” Pelekoudas said. “We’re still considering a lot of options there.”
Pelekoudas said the team continues to work on new contract with Suzuki. The Mariners reportedly made an original offer of $8-$10 million per year while Suzuki asked for about $15 million.
“We’re still in the middle of discussions on that,” Pelekoudas said. “We don’t comment on progress or the lack of (progress).”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
