The Reds must act quickly if they want to hire Lou Piniella as their manager.

        Piniella received permission Monday from his current employer, the Seattle Mariners, to talk with the Reds. The Mariners gave the Reds and their manager until midnight Wednesday to negotiate.

        Piniella's agent, Alan Nero, said he has asked the Mariners to submit their final proposal on a contract extension for his client by that same Wednesday mid night deadline. Lee Pelekoudas, the Mariners' vice president of baseball administration, said he knew nothing about that deadline.

        Nero indicated that Reds general manager Bowden has accelerated his efforts to land Piniella, who led Cincinnati to its last world championship in 1990. Nero related that Bowden said “he'll do what he can do” to construct a competitive offer.

        To accomplish that, Bow den must consult chief operating officer John Allen and chief executive officer Carl Lindner.

        Except for an update on Oct.12, Reds management has remained silent about its managerial search since Jack McKeon was fired Oct. 2. Bowden did not return a telephone inquiry about the situation Monday.

        Piniella probably will want a deal similar to the one San Francisco manager Dusty Baker recently received. Baker signed a two-year extension worth $2.4 million annually, along with a $500,000 signing bonus that pushed the contract's average annual value to $2.65 million.

        Seattle offered Piniella a reported three-year, $7 million deal late last week — an average of $2.33 million per season — though a source familiar with the negotiations said that the total pack age actually was worth $6.3 million, or $2.1 million annually. “We're hoping (Wednesday) is adequate time for ownership, Jim and John to get together, make a solid offer and see if there's something there for Lou,” Nero said.

        Nero added that Piniella considered the prospect of returning to Cincinnati “an exciting possibility.” Piniella,

        47, compiled a 255-231 record with the Reds from 1990-92. His overall regular-season mark is 1,110-1,020 with the New York Yankees (1986-88), Reds and Seattle (1993-2000). This year, Piniella led the Mariners to the American League West title and a three-game Division Series sweep of the Chicago White Sox. The Mariners' season ended when the Yankees, who ultimately won the World Series, outlasted them in six games in the American League Championship Series.

        During that ALCS, Piniella spoke in fond but somewhat final terms about his Seattle tenure. Piniella also has stated his desire to spend more time closer to his home in Tampa, Fla. Seattle, which is separated from Tampa by almost the entire continent, trains in Peoria, Ariz. Cincinnati, which is a two-hour flight from Tampa, trains in Sarasota, Fla.

        “The most perfect situation for Lou would be to move the Mariners to Tampa,” Nero said. “He loves the fans and the organization ... If it weren't for (wanting to move closer to Tampa), Lou wouldn't be considering anywhere else. We would have negotiated and gotten it done (with Seattle).”

        Pelekoudas said that the Mariners allowed Piniella to talk to the Reds because “we don't want to stand in Lou's way.” But, Pelekoudas added, “Our intention is to get him signed here. We would like to have him back and we feel we can get him back.”

        Nero said that Piniella's list of potential employers includes only Seattle and Cincinnati: “At this point there's not any other suitable place for Lou to consider.” Toronto is close to hiring either Buck Martinez or Ken Macha; Los Angeles is essentially as far from Tampa as Seattle; and Philadelphia never was a factor.

Reds have until Wednesday to woo Piniella Reds to pay $1.8M for Taubensee

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