SEATTLE – As the Seattle Mariners looked at Freddy Garcia’s puzzling inconsistency the last two seasons and tried to decide whether they should bring him back in 2004, one image kept flashing in their minds.
They couldn’t envision a pitching staff without Garcia.
That, along with the realization that no other team was willing to trade for Garcia before Saturday night’s non-tender deadline, helped make the Mariners’ difficult decision a little easier.
The Mariners and Garcia, their opening-day starter the last three years, agreed to a one-year contract worth $6.875 million. It’s the same amount he made in 2003.
“By our signing him, it signals that this guy is pretty darned important,” Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said.
Bavasi said Garcia and his agent, Peter Greenberg, preferred a one-year contract that would send Garcia into free agency after the 2004 season.
The Mariners also offered contracts to their three remaining arbitration-eligible players, pitchers Joel Pineiro and Gil Meche, and catcher Ben Davis. None of those players made big salaries in 2003 and the club expects to get them signed.
The Mariners had plenty of alternatives with Garcia, none of them easy because of his problems in 2002 and 2003. Their choices were to try and re-sign him, trade him or not offer – or tender – a contract, which would make him a free agent.
The team had to determine if Garcia still is one of baseball’s best young starters or if the last two seasons – when he went a combined 28-24, including 12-14 in 2003 – were more indicative of his value.
It became clear to Bavasi that teams had no interest in trading for Garcia. They were willing to try and sign him as a free agent if the Mariners didn’t offer him a contract before Saturday’s 9 p.m. deadline.
“The ability to trade him was destroyed by that, but that’s OK,” Bavasi said. “I don’t say that with a complaint.”
The prospect of losing Garcia and the 200-plus innings he has delivered each of the last three seasons, plus the thought of bringing up a minor-league pitcher to replace him in the rotation, helped clear the Mariners’ thought process.
“We were coming up with all possible options,” Bavasi said. “We kept coming back to the same spot, that we’re better off letting these kids develop and keeping the horse.”
Bavasi wouldn’t, however, rule out a trade.
The Mariners are still hoping to improve the offense by acquiring a shortstop with power potential, and Bavasi said Garcia’s signing leaves the club with little payroll flexibility.
Garcia’s name has been linked in trade speculation with the Chicago White Sox, who would send shortstop Jose Valentin to the Mariners. Such a deal would depend on Alex Rodriguez being traded to the Boston Red Sox, who would trade shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the White Sox.
“We’re not afraid to move anybody within reason to improve the club,” Bavasi said.
For now, however, the Mariners feel secure with their starting rotation.
“It’s tremendous,” pitching coach Bryan Price said. “We have another 225 innings in the rotation. It would be nice to see (Garcia) turn things around and pitch next year like he did in June.”
Garcia, after going 4-6 the first two months of last season, was 5-0 in June. However, he went 0-4 in July.
“We’re going to bet that this kid will bounce back and do what he’s capable of doing,” Bavasi said.
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