Report: Martinez To Yanks Monday

The Yankees’ much-negotiated deal for Mariners’ slugging first baseman Tino Martinez has all but been completed, the New York Daily News has learned.

According to sources familiar with the talks between the two clubs, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Mariners manager Lou Piniella hammered out the final details in Tampa on Saturday on what is believed to be a six-player swap that will send lefty Sterling Hitchcock and third-base prodigy Russell Davis to Seattle.

The deal is expected to be announced Monday, pending Wade Boggs’ signing status.

As reported Thursday, Yankees management, after looking over the free-agent market and finding Fred McGriff and Mark Grace too expensive, stepped up efforts to trade for Martinez, who is only available because the Mariners are under orders to shed some $4 million off their payroll. Until then, the Yankees had been adamant in offering the M’s only Hitchcock for Martinez, who hit .293 with 31 home runs and 111 RBIs last year.

However, when the M’s shipped Mike Blowers to the Dodgers in the first step of their payroll purge, it left them with a void at third base. According to the sources, Piniella informed Steinbrenner that if the Yankees wouldn’t include Davis in the deal, the M’s were going to have to trade Martinez elsewhere.

From the Yankees’ standpoint, there were two other factors that needed to be addressed before making the deal. One was severing ties to Darryl Strawberry, freeing up the $1.8 million he would have earned next year had they picked up his option. That money is being used to re-sign Boggs. The Yankees made Boggs an offer Saturday and were waiting to get him into the fold before parting with Davis.

Apparently, there will be two other players in the deal.