Deal for Marlins Seems to Be Dead in the Water

Prospective Florida Marlin buyer John Henry says his deal with team owner Wayne Huizenga is apparently dead.

Henry reached a handshake agreement Sept. 1 to buy the Marlins for $150 million but, after weeks of contentious negotiations, the deal bogged down because of a dispute involving the team’s cable television contract.

“I thought I’ve had a deal for over two months,” Henry said. “Every time I think that, I realize that I don’t have a deal.”

The agreement was on the verge of collapse at least twice earlier. This time, Henry said, he doesn’t expect negotiations to resume.

The millionaire commodities trader from Boca Raton, Fla., said he was informed Wednesday night by an aide to Huizenga that there was no point in proceeding.

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David Cone and the New York Yankees decided to postpone the deadline for another week on whether he will exercise his $5.5-million option for 1999.

Cone, a 20-game winner for the first time since 1988, originally was to decide by Oct. 28 whether to exercise his option. He agreed last week to push back the deadline seven days and agreed Wednesday to reset it for midnight EST on Nov. 11.

Meanwhile, Bernie Williams, who has been courted by the Dodgers, Colorado, Texas, Baltimore, Detroit and other teams, remains undecided on where he will play next season.

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The Dodgers are preparing to present slugger Mo Vaughn with a contract offer when free-agent bidding begins Friday, baseball sources said. But General Manager Kevin Malone denied news reports that the ballclub already has offered the first baseman a five-year, $75-million deal.

“There’s no accuracy or validity to that,” Malone said.

In other Dodger news, Ron Roenicke, who managed the triple-A Albuquerque farm club after Glenn Hoffman was briefly promoted to the Dodgers’ helm in 1998, will return to manage double-A San Antonio next season. Chico Fernandez, who has been with the organization for 22 years, will return as the roving minor league infield instructor.

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The Texas Rangers became the latest team to talk to free-agent pitcher Randy Johnson, according to two Texas newspapers.

Ranger General Manager Doug Melvin and Manager Johnny Oates spent about two hours with Johnson, his wife, Lisa, and agents Barry Meister and Alan Nero at Johnson’s home in Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Johnson earlier had met with representatives of Arizona, Houston and the Dodgers. The Angels and Yankees also plan to meet with the pitcher who was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Houston Astros on July 31. And the St. Louis Cardinals are actively pursuing both Johnson and San Diego pitcher Kevin Brown, General Manager Walt Jocketty said.

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Paul Molitor, one of the stars of the Milwaukee Brewers’ 1982 World Series team, is considering a return to the franchise as a player or in some other capacity, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. . . . Jim Riggleman’s contract to manage the Chicago Cubs was extended by one year through the 2000 season. . . . The Colorado Rockies have signed utility infielder Kurt Abbott to a one-year contract. The Rockies acquired Abbott from Oakland last summer. . . . Mark McGwire beat out Sammy Sosa as the Associated Press Major League Baseball Player of the Year.

Staff Writer Jason Reid contributed to this story.