New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - The
Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Lou Piniella have agreed on a four-year contract that will bring the
Seattle Mariners skipper closer to his family, according to a published report.
According to Thursday's Newsday, the deal is worth $13 million. The deal cannot be officially announced until after the World Series, as ordered by commissioner Bud Selig.
Tampa Bay, which was granted permission by the Mariners to talk with Piniella regarding the Devil Rays' managerial opening, had agreed on compensation for Piniella, which allowed the two sides to go into negotiations. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Hal McRae left his managerial position following the 2002 season, but will remain with the Devil Rays' organization as an assistant to the general manager.
Piniella, a Tampa native, asked the Mariners for permission last week to get out of the final year of a three-year, $6.8 million contract.
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. He still has a house in the area.
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.
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.
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.
