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When the time to make a final decision about Jay Payton neared, the Colorado Rockies ownership felt a need to make a solid effort to keep the outfielder.
Now, it's a matter of seeing if the proposal can be massaged enough to satisfy
both sides, Rockies managing general partner Charlie Monfort said.
"Both sides need to feel wanted," Monfort said Thursday. "He needs to feel wanted, and we need to feel he wants to be part of what we are trying to do. Jay did a good job for us, but we also gave him a chance to establish his career."
The Rockies face a major decision with Payton if he doesn't sign before Saturday,
the deadline for teams to offer a player a contract for 2004 or release them.
With Payton having the leverage of arbitration, the Rockies must decide if they
want to gamble with arbitration if they can't sign him in advance.
But they have two more days to try to work out a deal with their left fielder.
Meanwhile, the Rockies' options at shortstop were reduced by one Thursday with
word out of Boston that Pokey Reese had accepted a one-year, $1 million deal
to play second base for the Red Sox, an indication he wasn't as interested in
returning to shortstop, his natural position, as the Rockies were led to believe.
The Rockies still are talking with the agents for Deivi Cruz, who played with
Baltimore last season, and Royce Clayton, who played with Milwaukee, and remain
on the outside with Rich Aurilia, who played in San Francisco. Aurilia has offers
from Detroit and Toronto and has been approached by Texas in case it deals Alex
Rodriguez. Cruz is considered the No. 1 target but so far has balked at the
Rockies' financial offer.
The Rockies' focus now is on negotiations with Payton. The Rockies on Tuesday
gave him a one-year offer worth more than $3 million, but his agents responded
with a multiple-year proposal. The two sides have been exchanging ideas ever
since.
"I think my agent (Craig Landis) and (Rockies general manager) Dan (O'Dowd)
will probably take it up to the deadline on Saturday to try and work something
out," Payton said. "A multiyear deal would be ideal for anyone. It
would be great if I could get a two- or three-year deal from the Rockies. That
would be my preference."
The Rockies, though, were pressed to make even a one-year offer. Until a week
ago, they were resigned to the fact that if they didn't work out a trade for
Payton, they would have to release him. But ownership decided to extend the
payroll budget if it meant signing Payton. And, considering a number of veteran
free-agent outfielders have signed deals in the past week worth $3 million to
$3.5 million, the Rockies felt they might have an opportunity to sign Payton.
There also is a sentiment that if the Rockies fail to sign Payton, they could
afford to risk arbitration because of how the recent signings affected the market
for outfielders.
"There needs to be some give and take," Monfort said. "We will
give some, and he has to give some, too. He says he wants to be around. We're
trying to give him that opportunity."
Payton comes off a season in which he set career bests for games (157), at-bats
(600), runs (93), hits (181), doubles (32), home runs (28), RBI (89) and walks
(43) while hitting .302.
The Rockies do have two solid alternatives if the talks with Payton fall through
- Jeromy Burnitz, a left-handed hitter, or Brian Jordan, a right-handed hitter.
Burnitz and Jordan finished the 2003 season with Los Angeles.
Burnitz would give manager Clint Hurdle a third left-handed bat, along with
Todd Helton and Larry Walker, to balance the lineup.
Burnitz could complement switch-
hitting outfield prospect Rene Reyes, a better hitter from the right side.
Jordan is one of the top competitors in the game and a true athlete, but the
former NFL defensive back does have a history of missing time because of injuries.