Danny re-signs

After batting a career-best .295 in 2002, the veteran Mariners catcher re-signed with the club for two years, Gillick announced Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Bringing Dan back was a high priority for the Mariners," said Gillick. "His veteran leadership and the way he handles the pitching staff are integral parts of our ballclub. He and his family are also very active in the Seattle community and we are happy to have him back for the next two seasons."

After reaching the Majors with the Reds, Wilson, 33, has played with Seattle since 1994. He has a career .266 batting average and is the Mariners' all-time leader in games caught with 1,027.

"I am glad we got this worked out to remain in Seattle for another two seasons," said Wilson. "This is where my family and I have called home for the last nine years and I am looking forward to continuing our team's success on the field."

The Price is right

Gillick said pitching coach Bryan Price will return to the team next season, regardless who the manager is. "We'll let the manager pick a couple of guys," Gillick said.

Price has been with the organization since 1987 and is regarded as one of the best pitching coaches in the big leagues. He was the only pitching coach to last as many as three years during the Lou Piniella regime. The Seattle pitching staff ranked first in the AL in 2001 and finished fifth this past season.

Gillick is so high on Price that the coach was one of the 12 original candidates to replace Piniella despite having no managerial experience at any level.

The new manager will select a hitting coach. Gerald Perry, the Mariners' hitting coach the past three years, accepted a job offer from the Pirates. Bench coach John McLaren is expected to rejoin Piniella at Tampa Bay. The Devil Rays have permission to discuss jobs with McLaren and Seattle bullpen coach Matt Sinatro. The Rays also interviewed minor league special assignment coach Chris Bosio for the Tampa Bay pitching coach position.

Edgar re-signs

Players like Edgar Martinez helped ensure the Mariners' popularity in the Northwest and keeping him in Seattle was a must.

"We just had to get it done," said Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln at a press conference announcing the one-year, $4 million deal with Martinez. "We're delighted. He is so beloved, all you have to do is say his first name and everyone knows who you're talking about.

"Edgar is such a fan favorite, not just in the Puget Sound area but throughout the Pacific Northwest," Lincoln added. "We just had to put this deal together."

Martinez, who turns 40 on Jan. 2, signed with the Mariners as a non-drafted free agent in 1982 and it took him five years to reach the Majors. But he has been a hit machine for more than a decade, winning two AL batting championships, and will enter what figures to be his final season with a .317 batting average.

He epitomizes the word "mainstay." He is to the Mariners what Cal Ripken was to the Orioles, Tony Gwynn to the Padres, Ted Williams to the Red Sox, Mickey Mantle to the Yankees, Stan Musial to the Cardinals -- players who spent their entire careers with one organization.

"I never thought I would play this long in the Major Leagues, in Seattle," Martinez said. "I can hardly believe I've done it. It's like a dream."