Talk leads to more talk for Mariners, other teams at GM meetings

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – At the major league general manager meetings, Bill Bavasi and his Seattle front office team continued to do what all other GMs have been doing this week: talk.

The conversations all seem to begin the same way.

“What’s funny is that you’ll run into a general manager in the elevator and he’ll say, ‘What are you looking for?’ ” Bavasi said. “You’ll say, ‘An arm and a bat,’ and he’ll say, ‘Me, too.’

“That’s probably the most repeated phrase here this week: ‘Me too.’

“We talked to clubs, we talked to agents, we talked among ourselves,” Bavasi said. “There’s a lot of talk here, and a lot of nothing done, yet.”

Even advances on the trade or free agent front at these meetings are measured in inches, not feet.

“We’re talking for the second time to some teams, but it could be the second of 10 meetings or calls,” Bavasi said. “Maybe they’re interested in one player and we’re not. Can we offer them someone else and get a deal done? There’s a lot of that going on.”

Seattle was also in contact with the representatives of their free agents, catcher Dan Wilson and left-handed pitcher Ron Villone.

The Mariners want both back, but if a deal isn’t done by Friday each will begin entertaining offers from other teams.

“If we get past Friday with those guys, they have more options,” Bavasi said. “But so will we. That said, we want our guys back.”