Mariners Offer Baylor A Job
The Seattle Mariners have offered former Colorado Rockies manager Don Baylor a coaching position, The Seattle Times reported.
Mariner general manager Woody Woodward would not confirm the offer but did not deny it had been made.
The Times reported in its Saturday editions if Baylor joined the coaching staff he would replace John McLaren as bench coach and Jesse Barfield as hitting instructor.
McLaren possibly would return to coach third base and Steve Smith, the infield coach who worked third base last year, could return to the bench, the newspaper said.
Baylor was recently fired after five years as manager of the Rockies. The Times said he is believed to be deciding among Seattle's offer, one from San Francisco and one from Denver to stay as a vice president.
Mariners manager Lou Piniella, who was unavailable for comment, and Baylor were teammates with the Yankees in 1983-84 and have remained friends. The Times said the club might be planning to have Baylor succeed Piniella as manager after Piniella's contract expires in 2000.
The Mariners still have not named Piniella's coaching staff for next season. Woodward said he expected to have the staff settled by the end of next week.
"We could wind up with the same group as last year," Woodward told The Times.
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