Saturday, July 22, 2000
Bowden: Larkin trade unlikely
GM doubts Mets will offer long-term deal, says no other trade would be arranged
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
Reds general manager Jim Bowden predicted Saturday that Barry Larkin will reject a trade to the New York Mets, allowing him to finish the season in Cincinnati.
The Reds have agreed to send their captain and All-Star shortstop to the Mets for three prospects, a deal that Larkin can approve or reject.
He felt the tug-of-war Saturday, getting a brief but pleasant telephone call from the Mets before a game against Arizona and an extended standing ovation from Reds fans in his first at-bat.
Bowden told reporters during the game that the Mets don't intend to offer Larkin the multiyear contract extension that the shortstop wants before he would approve the trade.
Bowden has urged both sides to reach a decision quickly. The commissioner's office has given the Mets a 72-hour window to negotiate, ending at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The Mets are looking at Larkin as a replacement this season for Rey Ordonez, out with a broken arm. Larkin doesn't want to go to another team for this season only.
The Reds arranged the trade after rejecting Larkin's request for a three-year, $27.9 million extension. Larkin is a free agent after the season.
“As of now, the Mets have told me they are not willing to sign him for $27.9 million,” Bowden said. “Barry and his agent (Eric Goldschmidt) have informed us if they don't sign him for $27.9 million, then he's going to reject the trade. So based on what I'm hearing, I think at some point it gets rejected.”
If the trade is rejected, the Reds won't try to arrange another deal, Bowden said. That would leave him to finish the season in Cincinnati.
“If he rejects the deal, there will be no other deals,” Bowden said. “This is it.”
With a short phone conversation, the Mets began lobbying Larkin to join them Saturday. General manager Steve Phillips called Larkin, talked briefly and agreed to get into discussions after the Reds' game.
“It was just a brief conversation, pleasantries really,” Phillips said. “We committed to talking again later today.”
Larkin, who was in the starting lineup, didn't want to talk about the trade before a game because it could disrupt his concentration.
Larkin is still holding out hope that he can work out an extension with the Reds that will allow him to finish his career with his hometown team.
There were numerous pro-Larkin banners in the stadium Saturday and he got a 20-second standing ovation before his first at-bat. Larkin backed out of the box, waved to the fans, then stood motionless with head down while the cheers washed over him.
The Mets considered flying a contingent of team officials, manager Bobby Valentine and players Lenny Harris and John Franco to Cincinnati following their game Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, but couldn't get arrangements worked out.
“We wanted to get an audience with Barry and see if we could convince him this is the place to play,” Phillips said. “We hope he wants to come, make a run at the playoffs, make a run at the World Series.”
Goldschmidt said Larkin wants to learn what the Mets have in mind for him.
“We'd have to talk to the team, the general manager, the ownership, to see what they want to do, what their plans are for Barry long term as well as short term, then let Barry make the decision,” Goldschmidt said.
Larkin will be a free agent after this season, when he makes $5.3 million. He was coming off a National League MVP season when he agreed to an extension in 1996 that was well below market value.
He took less money to remain a Red then. He thinks he should get more this time around.
“I'm not sitting here telling you I'll play for below market value,” Larkin said. “I'm not selling out right now. But there are certain ways to get it done if they want to get it done.”
Larkin offered to have some of the money deferred, following the example the club set with Ken Griffey Jr. Most of Griffey's $116.5 million contract will be paid out after he retires.
Larkin said the Reds have refused to talk about deferring money because the sides are so far apart.
“You've got to talk to those people upstairs because when I brought it up, it was a non-issue because we were so far apart,” Larkin said.
Griffey, who came to Cincinnati last February hoping to play several years alongside Larkin, offered to have more of his payments deferred if it will help them reach agreement.
“Junior's not trying to tell anybody what to do,” Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg, said Friday. “All he's saying is that should the Reds and Barry compromise to the point where it's a reasonable gap, he'll help bridge the gap by deferring some money further.”
If Larkin ends up leaving, he'll be the second player claimed by the club's midseason slump, joining Denny Neagle, who was traded to the Yankees for prospects a day after the All-Star game.
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Bowden: Larkin trade unlikely
