Mariners Pleased To Be Playing In Peoria Again

Opening a box of new bats, then a package of new batting gloves, Mike Blowers wore a smile that lit up the Seattle clubhouse Wednesday.

“It’s like being a kid at Christmas,” he said.

More like a kid at summer camp - as the temperatures climbed into the 80s, Seattle’s major-league players climbed back into uniforms and got back to the basics for the first time since Aug. 11. A little stretching, a little throwing, a little light pitching off the mound and some batting practice.

Lou Piniella, beaming most of the morning, couldn’t help himself when Ken Griffey Jr. exploded into the manager’s office. Piniella leaped up from behind his desk and embraced his center fielder.

“Hug me,” Piniella said. “I’ve missed you.”

Griffey hugged.

After eight months away, most of the 21 Mariners on hand for the first voluntary workout of spring seemed to be enjoying themselves. The tension Wednesday was off the field.

In what Piniella hinted was one of the most important meetings of his Seattle career, Mariners brass met Wednesday night to discuss the 1995 player payroll, the team budget and what moves might be made in the weeks remaining before opening day.

The dilemma for Seattle is both clear and familiar: After losing nearly $20 million last season, Mariners ownership would like to cut its losses and payroll. Chairman John Ellis would love to bring in a payroll of $30 million or less.

The problem is that five Mariners - Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Jay Buhner, Chris Bosio and Edgar Martinez - are owed a total of $25 million this season.

That would mean the Mariners would have to fill out their 25-man roster, which will be a 28-man roster for the first month of ‘95, with $5 million or less.

The baseball staff would love to add a freeagent starting pitcher - a journeyman like Scott Sanderson, Kevin Gross, Tim Belcher, Kevin Tapani. Erik Hanson’s name even camp up - and was met without enthusiasm.

“I’d like to keep this team intact and add a pitcher,” Piniella said, “but it’s not my call and it’s not my money.”

There are others within the organization who think the only way to keep a sane budget this season is to dump or trade away salary. That’s why there’s been an in-house debate over whether to tender both Tino Martinez and Dave Fleming - both arbitration eligible - 1995 contracts.

Combined, they earned just over $1 million last year. Arbitration losses, should both cases go to arbitration, could more than double that.

“I haven’t heard a word,” Tino said after the workout Wednesday. “If you hear something, let me know.”

Among the 21 Mariners in camp were two Griffeys: Ken Jr. and younger brother Craig, an outfielder on Seattle’s 40-man major league roster.

“We’ve never been in the same camp before,” Junior said.

“We played together on the same team when we were kids, and we played one game together last spring,” Craig said. “I’m just looking at the next three weeks as the chance to do something positive.”

In a morning of batting practice, it was easy to see which players had done the most offseason swinging - and which hadn’t. Junior hadn’t, and complained that he couldn’t get loose.

Jay Buhner, Blowers and the streamlined Greg Pirkl put on a power display that awed onlookers.

“You guys hit more balls out today than the replacements did in six weeks,” trainer Rick Griffin.

“We do what we want now,” Buhner said, laughing. “Junior does what he wants when the games count.”

Everyone in camp on Day 1 looked in shape, though it was Pirkl who drew the most attention. The right-handed hitting first baseman weighed 265 last season, but came to camp this time with 245 pounds spread over his 6-foot-5 frame.

“‘Big Pirk’ lost a lot of baseballs today,” Piniella said. “He wanted to make sure we noticed him - and we did.”

There will be another voluntary workout this morning before all players are expected in camp Friday. Asked if Wednesday felt like the real beginning of spring training even though he’d been here six weeks, Piniella nodded.

“This is the real beginning,” he said. “I’m glad to have ‘em back.”

Notes

The exhibition schedule was released and Seattle will play 13 games - the last two in St. Louis, against the Cardinals, on April 24-25. Seven of the 11 exhibition games in Arizona will be played in Peoria.

With only three catchers in camp - Dan Wilson, Chris Howard and Chris Widger - the Mariners called a pair of minor leaguers over from their extended spring to catch some of the pitchers who threw in the bullpen.

In 13 exhibition games, Mariners pitchers - barring extra innings - would pitch a maximum of 117 innings. About 50 of those will go to five starting pitchers, which means relievers will do the bulk of the work.