ANAHEIM – The Mariners emerged as the most powerful hand at the bargaining table yesterday, calling out both Lou Piniella and the Mets to determine if they are dealing with bluffers.
By accepting Tampa Bay’s compensation offer and, thus, allowing Piniella to negotiate with the Devil Rays, Seattle forced Piniella to show if he is really interested in managing in his hometown and whether the Mets are willing to hand over a return significant enough to get their man or face an embarrassment far greater than Marv Throneberry: losing out to terrible Tampa.
The Mets still hadn’t blinked last night, believing Piniella favored them over the Rays, and that they would reach a compensation deal with the Mariners and a contract with Piniella, perhaps by the end of this weekend.
Nevertheless, these negotiations – filled with gamesmanship, multiple parties with diverse needs, and an antsy commissioner who does not want this issue overwhelming the World Series – have had more intrigue and deceptions than international pairs figure skating.
Just look:
* THE PINIELLA CONUNDRUM: He has invoked family – wife, children, grandchildren and father – to explain why he needed out of the last year of his Mariners contract to get closer to home. Piniella lives in a gated, North Tampa community a half-hour from Tropicana Field.
But does he really want to risk soiling a potential Hall of Fame managing career with the awful Rays? The Mariners now dislike their former manager and will make Piniella look dishonest if he gets a good offer from Tampa Bay and rejects it.
* THE DEVIL RAY CONUNDRUM: Do they really want Piniella? Or do they want to save face in Tampa by making a bid they know will fail then blame their loss on a big, bad, deep-pocketed team from New York?
This is an organization that needs a face and a savior. Piniella could be both. Vince Naimoli’s ownership has been inept and embarrassing, and you wonder if he can make a professional presentation to land Piniella. But word is the minority partners who founded the Outback Steakhouse – Bob Basham and Chris Sullivan – have gotten involved (read: will spend what it takes) to lure their golfing pal Piniella.
At this point, it will be hard for Tampa Bay to go to a fallback position of Tom Foley or Lee Mazzilli after teasing a potential fan base with Piniella.
* THE METS CONUNDRUM: How about this disenchanted fan base? Can the Mets really tease with Piniella and wind up with Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss or Ken Macha and satisfy followers still irate about 2002? The Mets can wait on Dusty Baker, but the hunch is he is a West Coast guy.
The Mets know they need Piniella and they were working to get him. Their main prospects – Jose Reyes, Aaron Heilman, Justin Huber and David Wright – were off the table, and the Mariners were said to be close to agreeing to a compensation package of two lesser prospects.
Matters seemed to be moving toward a resolution as the Mariners had challenged Piniella, the Devil Rays and the Mets to show their hands. Bluffing time was over.