There are strong indications John Olerud will return to the Mets next season, provided the Mets agree to make only a small adjustment in their offer to the free-agent first baseman.
Olerud’s agent Joe McIntosh has asked Mets GM Steve Phillips to raise his offer in order to offset certain built-in advantages Olerud would have playing for the Mariners in Washington state. If Phillips complies with the request for an increase that is probably less than a half a million dollars, Olerud would be obliged to accept it or else appear not to be negotiating in good faith.
The Mets have vowed to match any reasonable offer the Mariners make and Phillips and McIntosh have spoken about ways to make sure the Mets’ offer is comparable in real value, taking into account differences in cost of living and state taxes. That could mean the final figure may include a fraction of a million when it is completed.
It is believed the Mets have generally matched the Mariners’ most recent offer of about three years at $21 million, but McIntosh wants the Mets’ offer to be slightly higher. Phillips would only say yesterday that he considered the process “dynamic.”
If he does work out this little discrepancy with McIntosh, Olerud would probably come back to play for the Mets, agreeing to a three-year contract. The fact that McIntosh is trying to get the Mets to make what he thinks is a comparable offer to the Mariners’ offer suggests Olerud wants to return to New York.
Would McIntosh ask the Mets to make marginal adjustments only to tell them his client is going to Seattle after all, especially after Olerud stressed prior to the negotiations that the final decision would not be about money?
If Olerud agrees to the Mets’ contract offer, then Phillips can finally turn his attention to upgrading other areas of the team. The GM has made the re-signing of Olerud the top off-season priority and has said he doesn’t intend to resolve other matters until that one is settled.
That would seem to mean making trades. Although nothing appears to be close, Phillips has been working hard talking with other teams in order to upgrade the pitching and getting more power in the outfield.
Talks with the Pirates regarding one of their starters have not progressed.
Phillips seems to have cooled on Japanese lefthanded starter Kimiyasu Kudo because of the likelihood that the free-agent pitcher will sign with a Japanese team, but there is still interest in reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki.