Mariners
Edgar Martinez re-signs with Mariners

By Larry Stone
Seattle Times staff reporter

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"I am very fortunate and grateful that I have been able to play my entire career with the Seattle Mariners and I plan on finishing my career as a Mariner,'' said Martinez. "I feel great, and I think we will have another good team in 2004. This could be my last year, and I am looking forward to another chance at a championship for the fans here in Seattle."

The signing was delayed a bit, said agent Willie Sanchez, because contract talks were "complicated a little bit" by the Mariners' concurrent search for a general manager. Pat Gillick, who in late September announced his intention to retire, is still acting as GM, however.

"We are happy that Edgar has decided to return for the 2004 season,'' Gillick said. "Edgar is an integral part of this organization on and off the field, and we are thrilled to have his bat back in our lineup.''

Martinez, 40, considered by many to be the greatest DH in baseball history, had another strong season last year. Despite being hampered down the stretch by a toe injury, he hit .294 in 145 games, with 24 home runs and 98 runs batted in. His .406 on-base percentage ranked fourth in the American League, behind All-Stars Manny Ramirez, Carlos Delgado and Jason Giambi.

At the end of the season, Martinez hadn't decided whether he would return for another year, but there were growing indications that he had opted against retirement. Sanchez, in fact, said Martinez was open to a contract longer than one year.

"We still feel he's a producing commodity," Sanchez said. "Whether it's one year, two years, it doesn't make any difference, as long as he's healthy enough and emotionally strong enough to weather the rigors of a full season.

"His competitive nature is still there. His numbers are still there. As long as that exists, I think he'll continue to play."

Martinez has been with the Mariners for 17 seasons. He has several franchise records, including batting average (.315), games played (1,914), hits (2,119), extra base hits (803), doubles (491), RBI (1,198), walks (1,225) and runs (1,174). He ranks third with 297 home runs.

He needs three home runs and nine doubles to become the sixth player in ML history to record 300 home runs, 500 doubles, 1000 walks, a .300 bating average and a .400 on-base percentage, joining Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial and Rogers Hornsby.

Martinez was originally signed by Seattle as a non-drafted free agent Dec. 19, 1982, and made his Major League debut Sept. 12, 1987 as a pinch-runner. His tenure as a Mariner is the second-longest one-club affiliation in the Majors among active players, behind Cincinnati's Barry Larkin.

GM search update

On the GM front, the Mariners have begun their second round of interviews, with the possibility of naming Gillick's replacement by the end of the week as the team's detailed search winds down.

Sources indicated Bill Bavasi, director of player development for the Dodgers, is a finalist. Bavasi, who served as the Angels' general manager for six years (1994-99), was brought back for his second interview yesterday.

Al Avila, assistant general manager of the Tigers, is reportedly among those also in line for a second interview. Avila, who worked in Florida's front office for nine seasons, is credited with playing a key role in building the Marlins' current title team.

It also appears that Benny Looper, the Mariners' vice president of player development, is emerging as a strong internal candidate. Pelekoudas is also a candidate for the job, vacated when Gillick stepped down on Sept. 30.

The Mariners are thought to be waiting to hear back from the Yankees on whether they can get permission to interview executives Mark Newman and/or Gordon Blakely. But Dan Jennings, vice president of player personnel for the Florida Marlins, is reportedly not a candidate, despite speculation.

A source said Paul DePodesta, assistant GM of the A's and another rumored candidate, had not been contacted by the Mariners. Red Sox executive Mike Port was once termed the front-runner for the job, but the Boston Herald reported last week that he would not get the position.

"At this point, there's all kinds of stories floating around," Port said. "My obligation, sensing that things are at a delicate stage, is that any comment needs to come from the club until the process plays out."

Others who have interviewed include Montreal general manager Omar Minaya, and Milwaukee special scout David Wilder.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company