Sources in Miami said the Marlins tried to package both Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile for the Cubs, but the Cubs had no interest in reacquiring Zeile with his $3.2 million salary, even with Kevin Orie struggling at third.
Though they were very interested in Piazza, the Cubs were looking only to “rent” him for the ‘98 season and didn’t believe they could re-sign him beyond this year because he wants a six-to-seven-year deal worth around $16 million a season.
Because Piazza would have been a quick-fix solution, they were reluctant to part with their top catching prospect, Pat Cline, and their top pitching prospect, Todd Noel.
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