Piniella said interested in returning to M’s

According to a friend of Lou Piniella, the former Mariners manager is open to returning to Seattle, which he led from 1993 to 2002, guiding them to the first four playoff appearances in their history and essentially preserving the club’s existence by generating the public funding for Safeco Field.

The M’s appear headed toward a third straight last-place finish in the American League West and look likely to fire Mike Hargrove.

Piniella left Seattle partly because he was unhappy with ownership’s refusal to make significant in-season acquisitions in 2002. Those rifts have reportedly been mended. Piniella’s need to be near Tampa, Fla., has diminished because of his father’s death.

Newsday