Mariners Face The Unknown Makeup Of ‘98 Team Will Depend In Large Part On What League Seattle Is In

As opening night ceremonies go, it could be the strangest in major league history next April if the Seattle Mariners hoist a banner symbolizing the A.L. West division title - and then play their first game as a National League team.

As the franchise begins winding down from one of the most grueling seasons in Mariners history, the front office finds itself confronted with the usual off-season decisions and a few that it’s never had to deal with.

“A year ago when the season ended, we had a plan in place and we got a lot of things done early,” general manager Woody Woodward said. “We signed Jamie Moyer, we traded for Jeff Fassero - things we actually talked about on the last day of the season.

“This year, it’s been quite a bit different. Not only did we have the playoffs, but we won’t know for a while yet what league we’re going to be playing in or how much money we’ll have for next season.”

Both factors could make a huge difference in how the 1998 Seattle Mariners are put together.

Though the nucleus of the team is expected to remain intact - 10 players are under contract for next season, another six are arbitration eligible and five more are young players tied to the Mariners - there are changes afoot that could be significant.

Players eligible for free agency include starters Paul Sorrento, Roberto Kelly and Joey Cora, pitchers Omar Olivares and Norm Charlton, reserves Mike Blowers, John Marzano and Rick Wilkins.

Change would be nothing new for the Mariners, who had seven players on their 25-man postseason roster who didn’t begin the year with the team.

One of the first priorities will be signing ace Randy Johnson to a contract extension beyond 1998.

“If we hadn’t been in the postseason, we’d have been talking about it already,” Woodward said.

Hashing out an extension with Johnson will largely be a debate over how many years the team and player can agree upon - Johnson wants at least three years, the team feels more secure offering the 34-year-old two years beyond next season.

For the moment, Johnson falls into the “known quantity” category for Seattle, who begins the off-season with the following players signed at least through 1998:

Pitchers: Johnson, Fassero, Moyer and Mike Timlin.

Infielders: Edgar Martinez, Alex Rodriguez.

Outfielders: Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Rich Amaral.

Catcher: Dan Wilson.

In addition, there are six players arbitration eligible - which means Seattle can offer them arbitration or let them become free agents: Bobby Ayala, Heathcliff Slocumb, Bob Wells, Brent Gates, Rob Ducey and Lee Tinsley.

And there are the younger players without options, those who belong in the Seattle system: Russ Davis, Ken Cloud, Andy Sheets, Paul Spoljaric, Raul Ibanez, Rafael Carmona.

But not everyone under contract or arbitration eligible will be back, and the immediate future of the organization may largely depend on the decisions scheduled by baseball owners Oct. 15 regarding realignment.

Seattle’s owners favor realignment that would make the Mariners an N.L. team. The front office and manager Lou Piniella would prefer to stay in the A.L. - but they have no vote.

“Take one situation, first base,” Woodward said. “If we’re in the American League, Edgar Martinez is our designated hitter and we’d want Sorrento back. He hit 31 home runs, did a great job in the field. But if we’re in the N.L., we have decisions to make with Edgar. Can he play first base full time? If so, Sorrento probably wouldn’t want to come back. Do we keep Edgar or try to trade him to an A.L. team?”

Martinez has made it clear he wants to play in the A.L. next season.

“You’re talking about tough decisions that can’t be made now because one, we don’t know which league we’re in, and two, we need to digest what’s just happened to us,” manager Lou Piniella said.

Broken down simply, these are the known factors for ‘98:

Pitching: The starting rotation might not need much tampering. Beyond Johnson, Moyer and Fassero, who won 53 games, are candidates like Cloude, Spoljaric and Bob Wolcott.

The bullpen will require the tougher decisions. Ayala, Timlin and Slocumb are all back if the Mariners want them, but if Spoljaric is a starter and Charlton leaves for free agency, there are no proven left-handers in the group.

“What we do may depend upon our budget,” Woodward said. “Without knowing what it is, it’s hard to talk about what we can or cannot do.”

The starting lineup: A team with Griffey, Buhner, Rodriguez, Martinez and Wilson coming back is assured five men who have recently been All-Stars.

The question marks are at first and second base and left field, where more than 50 players have spent time since Griffey broke into the lineup in 1989.

The bench: With veterans like Blowers, Marzano, Gates, Tinsley, Ducey and Wilkins facing uncertain futures in Seattle, the Mariners almost certainly will have to restock their reserves.

How the Mariners go about filling the needs among regulars and reserves depends on which league they will play in.

“In the National League, there’s more a premium on speed,” Piniella said. “Speed and pitching and defense win more often in the National League than the American League, because in this league most teams have boppers. It’s tough to build in the American League with speed and pitching and defense because you’re going to be facing teams that can score six, seven, eight runs.”