BASEBALL ROUNDUP

In a move partly dictated by money, the Seattle Mariners traded pitcher Erik Hanson and second baseman Bret Boone to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Bobby Ayala and catcher Dan Wilson.

Hanson, a 28-year-old right-hander who is eligible for free agency after next season, was 11-12 with a 3.47 earned-run average in 1993 and made $1.25 million.

“Our main reasoning is we were looking for a catcher,” Mariner General Manager Woody Woodward said. “It was a chance to move some dollars and pick up a couple of young players.”

Seattle is attempting to sign a multiyear deal with left-hander Randy Johnson, who made $2,625,000 and is also eligible for free agency following the 1994 season. Johnson led the major leagues in strikeouts with 308 last season and was 19-8.

“Right now our main thrust is to try to sign Randy,” Woodward said. “We’ll know better where that stands hopefully by the end of the week or next week.”

Boone, 24, split the 1993 season between Seattle and its triple-A team at Calgary in the Pacific Coast League. He hit .251 with 12 home runs, 12 doubles and 38 runs batted in in 76 games for the Mariners and .332 with eight homers, 18 doubles and 56 RBIs in 71 games at Calgary.

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he New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Assn. of America voted to donate Bret Saberhagen’s $15,384 fine for spraying bleach at reporters to the Eye Research Foundation of Central New York.