CHICAGO -- If Dusty Baker needs an enormous challenge after his successful 10-year run with the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs appear willing to provide it.

M's: Baker not 'the right fit'

SEATTLE -- It's not that Dusty Baker isn't an outstanding manager. It's just that he's not ''the right fit'' for the Seattle Mariners, general manager Pat Gillick explained Thursday. ''We think Dusty is a fine manager, but we've been through our interview process,'' Gillick said. ''We've narrowed it down to four finalists and we feel very comfortable with them.'' After Lou Piniella left, there was speculation Seattle would pursue Baker as his successor. When the San Francisco Giants said Wednesday that Baker wouldn't return next season, it seemed the race was on. Gillick shot it down fast, though, saying Wednesday night the Mariners weren't interested. He expanded on it Thursday after a news conference for Edgar Martinez, who signed a one-year contract extension. ''We're looking for someone we feel is a good baseball person, a good communicator and a good motivator,'' Gillick said. Piniella was set to earn $2.5 million next season, and reports have suggested Baker could be worth up to $4 million for whichever club lands him. But Gillick has said all along money wouldn't be an issue. ''I don't feel Dusty is the right fit for this club,'' Gillick said. ''I'm not saying that he isn't a fine manager.'' The finalists in Seattle include former Chicago Cubs manager Jim Riggleman, former Colorado manager Buddy Bell, Arizona bench coach Bob Melvin and Baltimore bench coach Sam Perlozzo. Gillick said the front office plans to re-interview the four finalists Monday and Tuesday, and they'll each meet with Mariners chairman Howard Lincoln and team president Chuck Armstrong. There's no timetable, but Gillick said the job should be filled within a week. The vacancy opened when Piniella asked to be released from his contract after 10 seasons, citing a desire to be closer to his family in Florida. He was introduced as Tampa Bay's new manager last month. -- The Associated Press

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry called Baker on Thursday, one day after the Giants announced Baker, who led them to the World Series, wouldn't be returning as manager.

Hendry said he and Baker will talk early next week. The Chicago Tribune reported that the meeting will be Monday in San Francisco, and that Cubs president Andy MacPhail will attend.

"We had a nice conversation for 10-to-15 minutes. He's getting ready to go out of town on a hunting trip,'' Hendry said Thursday night from Arizona.

Hendry said there was no timetable, but it's obvious the Cubs are zeroing in on the man they want to run their team.

"We want to get the right guy. We certainly expressed our interest to Dusty and he seems interested in us. Hopefully we'll move forward at a good rate,'' Hendry said.

Among those Hendry has already interviewed are Bob Melvin, Ken Macha, Buck Showalter and Fredi Gonzalez. Macha will manage the Oakland and Showalter will guide Texas next season.

Baker hasn't interviewed for a job in 10 years, and he said he'll have a lot of questions for Hendry.

"I want to talk to them about the minor leagues, the day games, the city, the prospects, the expectations,'' Baker was quoted as saying. "I haven't really thought about what I'm looking for in terms of (contract length). Two is too short. Three is about the time you should start showing some results. Four is probably about right.''

The Cubs were in no hurry to fill the vacancy because they wanted to see what would happen once Baker's contract with the Giants ran out.

"I think my actions have spoken. We wanted to wait. He did a great job in San Francisco,'' Hendry said. "He's a winner, a proven winner and a very positive guy. He would be a quality manager.''

A three-time NL Manager of the Year, the 53-year-old Baker would be an instant presence with his familiar toothpick and ability to relate to players and maximize their talents.

He would be Chicago's sixth manager since 1992 and the fourth since Jim Riggleman -- now a candidate for the Seattle vacancy -- was fired after the 1999 season.

Don Baylor was fired last July and interim manager Bruce Kimm was let go at the end of a dismal 67-95 season -- Chicago's third 90-loss campaign in the last four years.

Despite their long legacy of losing, the Cubs could be attractive for several reasons.

The Tribune Co. that owns the team could afford and be willing to give Baker a significant salary boost, and the Cubs have a strong young pitching staff that includes Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Matt Clement.

There's also a superstar who puts up big statistics in Sammy Sosa, and Baker's got plenty of experience handling egos after dealing with Barry Bonds for a decade.

"It's his town and his team, and I wouldn't come in to change that,'' Baker said of Sosa. "We can work it out. We'll just have to talk.

"Sammy is to Chicago what Barry is to San Francisco -- the poster boy for the team,'' Baker added. "Only with Barry, there's more guys on the poster.''

And Chicago plays in one of baseball's best parks. Wrigley Field, surrounded by a neighborhood, features ivy-covered brick walls and a rabid fandom that likes to party. There's no McCovey's Cove, but Lake Michigan with its icy April wind is just down the street about a mile.

Plus, Baker could still manage the NL team in the All-Star game next summer, in Chicago at Comiskey Park.

"No manager in baseball is more popular than Dusty,'' Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. "That's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be engaged with somebody like that.''

Baker's task would include developing young players like Corey Patterson, Bobby Hill and Hee Seop Choi and being competitive in a division that includes the St. Louis Cardinals and NL Manager of the Year Tony La Russa, whom the Giants beat this year in the NLCS.

Baker's Giants averaged 91 wins the last six years. But despite his success, he left San Francisco in part because of differences with owner Peter Magowan. Some of the sparring was over who deserved credit for the franchise's success.

Chicagoans can appreciate that, having watched Phil Jackson roar away on his Harley after the Bulls won their sixth NBA title because of his squabbles with general manager Jerry Krause.

Baker's agent, Jeff Moorad, says his client would rather keep managing than take some time off. And he knows the Cubs are a potential suitor.

"To the extent they have serious interest, we're ready to listen,'' Moorad said.