Signing Boone is M’s No. 1 priority

  • Kirby Arnold / Herald Writer
  • Thursday, November 8, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

By Kirby Arnold

Herald Writer

The Seattle Mariners had hoped to strike a quick deal with free agent second baseman Bret Boone, then move on to other areas to strengthen the team for next year.

Instead, baseball’s problems with the contraction of two franchises, plus the labor agreement with players that expired this week, has muddied things to the point that the Mariners aren’t sure when a deal with Boone can be approached.

General manager Pat Gillick met Wednesday in Los Angeles with Adam Katz, the agent for Boone, and said neither side was prepared to move forward given the climate in baseball.

"A lot of things are going on now with contraction and the labor agreement," Gillick said Thursday from Chicago, where the general manager meetings are being held. "It puts a new twist into the situation. It puts some doubt in people’s minds on both the players’ side and the clubs’ side. If there isn’t a clear path, there’s reluctance on both sides to strike a deal because we’re kind of going in choppy waters right now."

Reports have said Boone is seeking a contract of up to five years worth about $10 million per year while the Mariners were willing to make an initial offer of three years, plus an option year, worth $20-$24 million.

Katz did not return several phone calls from The Herald.

Boone, who batted .331 with a league-high 141 RBI, is the foundation of the Mariners’ postseason work.

"Once a decision is made on Boone, then we can go forward," manager Lou Piniella said from his home in Tampa. "That’s our main focus from an offensive standpoint: to get Boone signed and then go from there and look at the rest of the ballclub."

Gillick said the club has no plans to talk soon with its other free agents, including utility star Mark McLemore, third baseman David Bell and starting pitcher Aaron Sele.

"We’ll be addressing those in next couple of weeks, probably," Gillick said.

Teams are allowed to sign their own free agents through Nov. 19. After that date, they can make offers to any free agent.

Left field definitely will need attention.

Jay Buhner is expected to retire, Stan Javier already has retired and Al Martin is a free agent who probably won’t be re-signed.

"We need some outfielders," Piniella said. "We need to get a left fielder who can hit."

The versatile McLemore, who played three outfield and three infield positions and is expected to get a strong pull from his hometown Texas Rangers, also would create a big vacancy if he doesn’t return.

"Depending on what happens with McLemore, we might need a utility infielder/outfielder," Piniella said.

"We will stress pitching and defense again," he said. "That’s been a good combination for us. But I think to take it to the last hurdle (and reach the World Series), we need to improve our offense some more. You’ve got to score runs. When you get deeper into the postseason, you’re facing better pitching, and guys who hit .250-.260 in the regular season don’t hit that."

The Mariners probably will address most of their needs through trades — "If you look at the free agent market, the guys who are there probably will cost more than the organization wants to pay," Piniella said — and they could deal a couple of front-line pitchers.

Relievers John Halama and Ryan Franklin already have been mentioned in trade rumors, and starter Paul Abbott and reliever Jose Paniagua are two who the Mariners seem willing to shop.

Starters Freddy Garcia and Jamie Moyer, and promising starter Gil Meche, who spent the year recovering from two operations on his right shoulder, currently are on the team’s untouchable list.

Piniella is hopeful that Meche can slide into the rotation if the team loses a starter in a trade or if Sele signs elsewhere.

"Meche, specifically, I think is a big key for us," Piniella said. "Meche is a kid who’s already proven he can win at the big-league level, and now we just have to get him healthy."

Meche worked with pitching coach Bryan Price the final weeks of the season and has gone home to Louisiana to continue strengthening his shoulder. He’ll report to the Mariners’ training facility in Peoria, Ariz., in January and start throwing off a mound, and the team expects him to be at full strength when spring training begins in February.

The Mariners see Meche as a pitcher who can make a big impact if he stays healthy.

"If this guy pitches to his potential and is healthy, he doesn’t just fill the back of the rotation, he can pitch his way to the top of the rotation," Price said.

Left-hander Ryan Anderson, who also had shoulder surgery and missed most of last season, also should be at full strength for spring training but probably will start next season at the Class AAA level, Piniella said.

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