Lou Piniella is mulling over a $7 million, 3-year offer from the Seattle Mariners, an offer he says he is pleased with. But that doesn't mean the Reds are out of the running to hire him as manager.

        “I think we will talk to Cincinnati,” Piniella told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Friday.“But I just got the (Mariners') offer this morning, and I haven't even talked to my agent about it. I'll do that first, then see where we go from there. It only makes sense to see what the lay of the land is.”

        Piniella was unavailable for comment Friday night, but he told the PI that things will move quickly. “I told (the Mariners) I wouldn't drag it out very long,” Piniella said. “That's not good for me or for them. It was a very good meeting and a very nice offer.”

        Seattle's offer would give Piniella a raise of about $1 million a season over the $1.3 million the Mariners paid him this year and would make him the third-highest paid manager in the game behind the Yankees' Joe Torre ($3 million) and San Francisco's Dusty Baker ($2.65 million).

        “I've seen Dusty's contract, and this is in the same neighborhood,” Piniella said.“I would think that within the next week I should know something.”

        Piniella and agent Alan Nero probably will talk with the Reds in the meantime. Piniella won a World Series with the Reds in 1990.

        The Reds have interviewed nine candidates. But it has been speculated Piniella is at the top of their list — if they can afford him.

        The $2.3 million a year the Mariners offered Piniella is $1.6 million more than the Reds paid Jack McKeon this season.

Piniella will listen to Reds 1975 World Series: Game 6

Repeat of 1970 miracle unlikely
Dillon spends week in spotlight
UC, Miami playing for similar stakes
Happy homecoming for Martin
UC-St. Louis game rescheduled
XU has choices at shooting guard
Williams took back road to NBA career
Would real Miami please stand up?
Miami's Shorts out with sprained ankle
Complete prep football coverage at Enquirer.com/prepfootball
Victories should put West Hi, Fairfield in playoffs
Western Hills 35, Walnut Hills 12
Fairfield 24, Winton Woods 7
Boone County 10, Simon Kenton 7
N.Ky. teams advance in state volleyball
N.Ky. soccer all-stars
Mighty Ducks 5, Rochester 3
Cyclones 3, Orlando 2
Mount St. Joe volleyball team at pivotal point

• Return to Reds front page...