Mets' Randolph Agrees to $5.65M Contract

NEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Mets and manager Willie Randolph agreed in principle Wednesday to a new $5.65 million, three-year contract that runs through 2009. <br/><br/>The deal is scheduled to be announced

Thursday, January 25th 2007, 6:31 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Mets and manager Willie Randolph agreed in principle Wednesday to a new $5.65 million, three-year contract that runs through 2009.

The deal is scheduled to be announced Thursday, a baseball executive familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to confirm the deal.

Randolph, who last year led the Mets to their first division title since 1988, had been slated to earn $700,000 this year in the final season of a three-year contract worth $1,875,000.

Under his new deal, his salary this year will be doubled to $1.4 million. He will get $2 million next year and $2.25 million in 2009, and the Mets have a $2.5 million option for 2010.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya had been saying since last season that he hoped to extend Randolph's contract.

Randolph was a coach with the New York Yankees for more than a decade before Minaya hired him. The Mets finished fourth in the NL East at 71-91 under Art Howe in 2004, then contended into September in Randolph's first season before fading to 83-79 and a third-place finish.

Last year, the Mets ended the Atlanta Braves' run of consecutive division titles at 14 and went 97-65, tied with the Yankees for the best record in the major leagues. Seeking their first World Series title since 1986 and their first NL pennant since 2000, the Mets swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs and lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL championship series.

Randolph's first contract with the Mets called for base salaries of $550,000 and $625,000 last year. That agreement allowed him to earn up to $300,000 in annual bonuses.

The agreement in principle was first reported on the Web site of the Daily News.