Lou Piniella met with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for several hours Saturday, beginning discussions about becoming the last-place team's next manager.

The Devil Rays, in a statement, characterized the meeting as "positive and constructive'' and said talks would resume after Piniella returns from a trip to Arizona, where he will attend the funeral of a friend this weekend.

The Devil Rays were given permission to talk to Piniella, a native of Tampa, Fla., after they agreed to provide compensation to the Mariners in the event they sign the manager.

The New York Mets, without a manager after firing Bobby Valentine, are also interested in interviewing Piniella. But Mets officials have been unable to agree with the Mariners on compensation.

"We're still at point A,'' Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Saturday.

Piniella and his agent, Alan Nero, met Saturday morning in Tampa with Devil Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli and general manager Chuck LaMar.

The parties will meet again early next week, the Devil Rays said, adding that Piniella boarded a flight for Phoenix after the discussions.

LaMar said Friday night that the team will do everything it can to land Piniella, who has expressed a desire to work closer to home.

"When I have the opportunity to sit down with Lou, I think he'll know the enthusiasm I have for this organization,'' LaMar said. "I think he knows the bumpy road we've had and also knows first-hand the talent we have.''

Piniella is the seventh candidate to speak with the Devil Rays about becoming the replacement for Hal McRae, who was fired after a 55-106 finish.

LaMar has also interviewed Tampa Bay coaches Billy Hatcher and Tom Foley, Devil Rays minor league manager Billy Evers, New York Yankees coaches Lee Mazzilli and Willie Randolph, and Oakland Athletics bench coach Ken Macha.

"Very seldom does any organization get an opportunity to talk to and possibly hire someone with the expertise and qualities of Lou Piniella,'' LaMar said. "I don't think there's any question we'll do everything we possibly can to make him our next manager.''

Commissioner Bud Selig has asked teams to refrain from making major announcements during the World Series, which begins Saturday.

Piniella guided the Mariners to an American League-record 116 wins in 2001 and was rewarded with AL manager of the year honors. But Seattle fell six games shy of the playoffs this season and Piniella reportedly was upset that the team did not make more midseason moves.

Unquestionably the most successful manager in team history, Piniella guided the Mariners to three straight playoff appearances and four in the last eight years.

Under Piniella, Seattle went 840-711 and reached the ALCS in 1995, 2000 and 2001. Piniella has a career managerial mark of 1,319-1,135 and guided the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series title in 1990.

Only Atlanta's Bobby Cox, St. Louis' Tony La Russa and the New York Yankees' Joe Torre have more wins than Piniella among active managers.

SportsTicker contributed to this report.