SARASOTA, Fla. — Money isn't going to spoil Sean Casey and his wife, Mandi. They were doing some emergency shopping Thursday night to buy a suit for the press conference announcing Sean's new three-year deal worth$20.2 million with the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sean Casey holds his four month old son, Andrew, during Friday's press conference. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        Sean picked out a shirt and was all set to buy it until Mandi saw the $120 price tag.

        “She said, "No way, that's too much!'” Sean said. “We ended up going to Structure and getting one for $30. She said, "See, we saved $90.'”

        Middle-class sensibility like that was the key to getting the deal done. The Reds and Casey's agent, Ron Shapiro, have been talking for 2 1/2 years. Negotiations broke off Feb.16 after the Reds heard Casey's counterproposal to a deal the Reds proposed Feb.12.

        “We kept going around and around,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said. “We had a timetable that when our first spring training game began, we didn't want to continue. We'd wait until the year was over.”

        But Casey stepped in and got the deal done. He will make $5.6 million in 2003, $6.8 million in 2004 and $7.8 million in 2005.

        The club has a $8.5 million option for 2006 that can bring the contract's maximum value to $28.7 million.

        “I really wanted to stay in Cincinnati,” Casey said. “I love it there. ... I wouldn't have signed if this wasn't a fair deal.”

        A fair deal, not every dollar he could get — i.e. he was willing take a little less. “They made significant changes in their view at that point,” Bowden said. “At that point, dollars were the biggest thing, and we still had the issue of length. The last year was an issue. It's a good deal for the club. It's a good deal for the player.”

        Casey realizes how the other half lives. He grew up in middle-class Pittsburgh. When he asked his dad, Jim, for advice during the contract talks, Jim asked him: “Are you making a livable wage?”

        Casey laughed at that. “I know I'm making way more than a livable wage,” Casey said. “My dad had a good point. If you're happy, why not stay?”

        And Casey has been very happy in Cincinnati.

        “It's really felt like my home for the last four years,” he said. “It's really the only place I want to be. Hopefully, I'm just one piece of the puzzle and we can go out and get some other pieces to be a championship-caliber ballclub.”

        Casey was the first piece of the puzzle, because he is next up for free agency. By doing the deal, the Reds avoid arbitration for the next two years and have Casey for the first two years he could have been eligible for free agency.

        The Reds proposed similar deals to Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young. Neither accepted and each subsequently was traded.

        “We had certain criteria we're trying to meet,” Bowden said. “... We need a deal that we feel is better than going through the arbitration process, and we need a deal that's going to give us free agent years.”

        Casey could be the first of a series of young players to sign. Next on the list: Danny Graves, who becomes a free agent after the 2003 season, and Aaron Boone, who becomes a free agent after the '04 season.

        Boone's agent, Tim Reich, was at the Ed Smith complex here Thursday. “We've been talking on and off,” Reich said.

        “All I can tell you is for 2 1/2 years, we've tried to sign our core of young players to long-term contract,” Bowden said. “We've made significant offers. Our criteria is the same: If we're going to give the players security, which they want, we want to buy out the free agent years.”

        The Casey signing is part of building for Great American Ball Park. Both Casey and Bowden mentioned GABP Friday.

        “We want to have a good left-handed hitter in the lineup with our new stadium, and not just for the first few years. We have (Ken) Griffey (Jr.), (Adam) Dunn and Casey through 2006,” Bowden said.

        Casey will complement the power of Griffey and Dunn. Casey's career batting average (.311) ranks 10th among all active players, and he has averaged .319 with 19 home runs and 91 RBI during the last three seasons.

        Casey had no plans to buy anything extravagant with his new fortune. He talked to his sister, Beth, who has a son about the same age as Casey's 4-month-old son, Andrew.

        “I told her not to worry about college,” he said. “I'm going to start a college fund for little Marty and Andrew.”

        That sounds like a better investment than a $120 shirt.

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