A's, Grieve Agree To Terms

Outfielder Ben Grieve wanted some long-term financial security. The Oakland Athletics sought to lock up the 1998 AL Rookie of the Year in 1998 and gain a measure of cost certainty.

Both sides said they got what they were looking for Friday, when Grieve agreed to a $13 million, four-year contract.

Grieve, 23, who would have been eligible for arbitration after this season, said he didn't want to worry about negotiating his contract on a yearly basis. He also said he's unconcerned about the possibility the market for baseball talent could take off again in the coming years, leaving him with an undervalued deal.

"It's always better to have some securitym and you just go out and play and not worry about hitting 30 home runs or hitting .300 to get X-amount of dollars," he said. "If I go out and play better than the money I'm getting, that's just a bonus. I'll be happy I'm playing better. And if I'm playing worse, I'll be happy I'm making that much money. So, I'm happy either way."

Grieve, the fifth Oakland rookie to be picked for an AL All-Star team, hit .288 with 18 home runs and 89 RBIs in 1998, tying an Oakland record with 41 doubles and setting an Oakland team rookie record for hits, 168.

After a slow start last year, Grieve came back to hit 28 home runs and drove in 86 runs, helping the Athletics stay in the pennant chase until the last couple of weeks of the season.

The former first-round draft pick hit .265 overall last year, but batted .303 over his final 115 games. He had hit just .131 over the first three months.

General manager Billy Beane said Grieve deserved the long-term contract and the signing was central to Oakland's desire to keep its core of rising stars together. But it also had to be at a price the A's could afford.

"The last thing I wanted to do in my tenure here is to have drafted Ben with the (1994) second overall pick and see him walk in three years," Beane said. "So it's not just cost predictability but what it represents. This is a sign that ownership is committed to keeping the corps of young players here that we've drafted and developed.

"We didn't want to be in a situation where we're dealing with a player of Ben's caliber on a year-to-year basis because we're then subject to the volatility that exists in arbitration and eventually free agency. So it is of the utmost importance that we have planning, and this signing represents that."

With the long-term commitment to Grieve, the A's have seven players with contracts that go beyond this season, including first baseman Jason Giambi, second basemen Randy Velrde, designated hitter John Jaha and pitchers Mike Magnante, T.J. Mathews and Omar Olivares.

In addition the club holds an option for 2001 on pitcher Gil Heredia and outfielder Matt Stairs.

"The thing that was important is that Ben wanted to be here," A's president Mike Crowley said. "He kind of validated what we're trying to do here. The deal doesn't get done unless both sides want it to get done and signing Ben sends a strong message to our players our front office and staff and to our fans."

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