Henderson Might Be a Real Steal for Mariners

It is doubtful that any member of the Hall of Fame, present or future, will have changed uniforms as often as Rickey Henderson, who may have a tough time deciding which cap to be wearing when bronzed.

Henderson has played for seven teams on his way to Cooperstown--four times switching teams during a season.

Of course, he has played for his hometown Oakland Athletics four times, which makes the A’s the likely uniform favorite when he’s inducted.

The question for the Seattle Mariners, with whom Henderson signed after being released on waivers by the New York Mets, is this:

How many, if any, of his Hall of Fame skills does Henderson, at 41, retain?

The answer is uncertain, but there’s minimal risk--financial and otherwise--and considerable upside.

Given a purpose, in the right environment, Henderson has almost always responded, and he should have the purpose and environment in Seattle. He’s a potentially catalytic addition to a team that was already the one to beat in the tight American League West.

“To be frank, I don’t know how much life Rickey has left,” Mariner General Manager Pat Gillick said by phone.

“But people thought he was done a couple years ago when he was with the Angels and there were times that even I thought he was done, as far back as ’93 when we acquired him in Toronto and he helped us win the World Series.

“He wants to play, and that’s the important thing. I mean, he could have taken his money and gone home, so I have to believe he’s obviously motivated.”

Already baseball’s all-time stolen base leader, Henderson has a chance this season to eclipse Babe Ruth’s record for walks, and by next season could break Ty Cobb’s record for runs.

In an interview last year, Henderson said, “I want to be like Nolan Ryan and play until I’m 50 [46, actually]. I’d like to catch Cobb, that’s the record I want.”

Henderson joins the Mariners with dual motivation.

He wants those records and he wants to prove to the Mets that he is neither finished nor a problem.

Besides, if he plays well, the Mariners--who are obligated for only $155,480 of his $1.9-million salary this year--have given him the opportunity to make $3 million--or a $250,000 buyout--in a 2001 option, a key reason he chose Seattle over the Montreal Expos.

Henderson will get that option if he plays back to 1999, when he had 37 stolen bases, batted .315 and had a remarkable on-base percentage of .423 in 121 games with the Mets.

His season ended in tumult, however, during the championship series with the Atlanta Braves. First, he complained about his unceremonious removal for defensive purposes in Game 4, then he was found playing cards with Bobby Bonilla in the clubhouse as his team battled to hold off elimination in Game 6.

The new season then picked up where ’99 left off. Henderson expressed bitterness over the Mets’ refusal to rewrite his contract, complained about his playing time and, on more than one occasion, failed to hustle while batting .219 with a still-solid on-base percentage in the .380s.

Despite all that, Omar Minaya, the Mets’ assistant general manager, said he believes Henderson “has the potential for a great upside.”

“The one thing he definitely gives you is on-base percentage,” Minaya said. “He’s done that his whole career. He gives the hitters behind him the chance to see a lot of pitches, and to hit with a gap between first and second. It just wasn’t happening for him here like it did last year and it was becoming a distraction every day with the fans and media.

“However, I think the players in the clubhouse liked Rickey, and I personally have a lot of respect for him. He’s going to a division and league he knows, which should help. I wouldn’t be surprised by whatever he does.”

Much of what Henderson did with the Mets-- both good and bad--has characterized his career.

Seattle Manager Lou Piniella managed Henderson with the New York Yankees and was at the center of a 1987 incident in which owner George Steinbrenner said Piniella had privately accused Henderson of “jaking it.” Still, Piniella gave his approval to the signing after talking with Henderson, an obvious sign of dissatisfaction with leadoff hitters Mike Cameron and Mark McLemore.

Gillick also talked with several players, among them Henderson’s former Blue Jay and Met teammate John Olerud, who told Seattle reporters that Henderson’s attitude was a definite concern but added, “He’s got a lot to shoot for and a lot of reasons to want to play. I always thought he was a good guy to have around.”

Henderson can definitely be a disruptive influence on the opposition, when motivated, and a menacing figure at the head of a lineup that also includes Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner.

However, Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman, saying what he has to say, suggested that Henderson doesn’t alter the division.

“I still believe everybody has a shot,” he said. “As for Henderson, he’s of interest to me only when we’re playing the Mariners.”

Of course, baseball’s all-time best leadoff hitter could be pivotal in those games, although the real difference in the West may ultimately be the strength of Seattle’s pitching. The Mariners have survived the absence of injured starters Jamie Moyer and Freddy Garcia--Moyer will be back in about 10 days and Garcia in three weeks--and Gillick said, “Pitching-wise, we have more depth than anybody in the division. If we stay healthy, we’ll be fine.”

With the potential, of course, to be that much finer if Henderson can knock off enough rust and mustard to reach those other milestones.