Seattle, WA (My Sportsbook) - Lou Piniella's days of managing the Seattle Mariners are apparently over.

Piniella is entering the final year of a three-year, $6.8 million contract with the Mariners, but recently discussed his future at a meeting with team CEO Howard Lincoln, president Chuck Armstrong and general manager Pat Gillick.

The Mariners noted that they still have the rights to Piniella's services and will try to work out a deal with another team looking for a manager. If compensation is agreed upon by the Mariners and Piniella agrees to a deal to manage another major league club, he will be released from his current employment contract from Seattle.

"Following a full and friendly discussion, Lou indicated that for personal and family reasons, he needed to reside and work closer to his family home in Tampa Bay," according to a statement released by the Mariners on Monday. "For these reasons, he had made the decision not to return to Seattle as the Mariners field manager for the 2003 baseball season."

"Lou said that his decision was motivated solely by personal and family reasons, including the distance between Seattle and Tampa Bay, and had 'nothing to do with baseball'."

"While the Mariners regret Lou's decision, we understand his family situation and his need to reside and work closer to home. To respect Lou's privacy, the Mariners will not comment further on the matters discussed at the Tampa Bay meeting."

Monday's statement also noted that the club has not been contacted by any major league club seeking permission to interview Piniella. The Mariners, however, are aware of four clubs who are presently looking for a new manager, including the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Twice the AL Manager of the Year, Piniella owns an 840-711 record in 10 seasons with Seattle, which he led to four playoff appearances. Last season, Seattle tied the major league record with 116 wins and made it to the AL Championship Series for a second straight season. Piniella managed the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series title in 1990.

The Mariners finished third with a record of 93-69 in a very strong AL West this season, behind Oakland and Anaheim, and missed the playoffs.

Piniella, who managed the Reds for three seasons, also was the skipper for the New York Yankees for two-plus seasons. After managing the Yankees in 1986 and '87, he was named general manager in October 1987. He returned to the dugout in June of 1988 for the remainder of the season after manager Billy Martin was fired.

In 18 seasons as a player, Piniella hit .291 with 102 home runs and 766 RBI. The 59-year-old played for Baltimore, Cleveland, and Kansas City, but spent most of his career with the Yankees.

Piniella was born in Tampa and went to high school there before attending the University of Tampa, where he was an All-America baseball player.