Lou Piniella's rocky tenure in Tampa Bay appears to be over.
Two sources speaking on condition of anonymity told The Tampa Tribune that Piniella will not return as the Devil Rays manager next season.
According to the Tribune, the Devil Rays will buy out the remaining year of Piniella's four-year deal. Piniella will receive $2.2 million of the $4.4 million he was to have received in 2006. The Rays will also pay $1.25 million in salary deferred from Piniella's first season in 2003.
Piniella, 62, will be free to take another managerial job next season, but has hinted he may take the season off, the Tribune reported.
When asked about his future by the Tribune, Piniella said only, "I can't talk about it."
Rumors of Piniella's departure began earlier this season, when the manager confronted the front office in June over the direction of the team. Piniella criticized the new owners of the last-place team for what he perceives as a lack of a commitment to do everything possible to win. The Devil Rays have the lowest payroll in the majors, just under $30 million when the season began.
"When I came here three years ago, we talked about a situation where we wanted to win now and we were interested in winning now," Piniella told reporters in June. "And you know what? With a small payroll we [improved] from 55 [victories] to 63 and then to 70. This was supposed to be a breakout year. The problem is we've got a new ownership group here that's changed the direction of where we're headed."
The Tribune reported that both sides have been negotiating the details of a buyout since mid-June. Piniella's agent, Alan Nero, did not comment on the deal in a voice message he left Wednesday for the Tribune.
"I just wish everybody would leave it alone," Nero told the Tribune. "Just honor his privacy a bit and let him finish the season up the way he wants. ... Any decisions that have been made will be made public at the appropriate time."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:38 pm Posts: 2055 Location: lurking
they kinda misled Lou into thinking they were going to spend and be more competitive. his "the mirror doesn't lie" speech (if you have heard it) from last season was awesome. i will miss him blowing a gasket, kicking dirt and throwing his hat. Maybe he'll replace Torre in NY?
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:02 pm Posts: 1777 Location: Naperville, IL, USA Ten Club: 230xxx Gender: Male
It's really too bad, because they have the talent to compete, if they'd pay them. Their payroll as it stands is absolutely ridiculous, I'm surprised MLB doesn't blow a gasket and say "WTF are you doing???"
_________________ Saw you at: 4/23/03, 6/13/03, 6/18/03, 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 10/5/04, 5/16/06, 5/17/06, EV 8/22/08, 8/23/09, 8/24/09, 10/31/09, 5/7/10, EV 6/28/11, 9/3/11, 9/4/11!
It's really too bad, because they have the talent to compete, if they'd pay them. Their payroll as it stands is absolutely ridiculous, I'm surprised MLB doesn't blow a gasket and say "WTF are you doing???"
their GM is a jackass. They have a huge surplus of young hitters - they just need to make some smart trades for pitching. They're only 2-3 good moves away from being a solid contender.
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
So if the Yankees miss the playoffs does Torre have something to worry about?
if the Yanks don't make the playoffs, he will probably get fired. Should he be fired? that's a different question...
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:41 pm Posts: 23014 Location: NOT FLO-RIDIN Gender: Male
Ricardo Tubbs wrote:
twoheadedboy wrote:
It's really too bad, because they have the talent to compete, if they'd pay them. Their payroll as it stands is absolutely ridiculous, I'm surprised MLB doesn't blow a gasket and say "WTF are you doing???"
their GM is a jackass. They have a huge surplus of young hitters - they just need to make some smart trades for pitching. They're only 2-3 good moves away from being a solid contender.
You're are absolutley correct, and I don't think that getting rid of Lou is the problem. Once they got their crap together, they had one of the best second half records in all of the AL. I don't think Lou was the problem, and they certainly have a ton of talent. Crawford, Scott Kazmir the young pitcher that the Mets gave us last year, Baez who recently got his 40th save, not to mention that we played the whole year without who many would consider our top player, Rocco Baldelli.
Chuck Lamar, the GM, is just an asshole though. The rumor is that once this new owner takes over, Lamar is first to go. Then, just some solid pitching and we could easily contend. I saw how much they improved just with the addition of a middle reliever, something we didn't have in the beginning of the season.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 44 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
