"Paul didn't get off to the start we have come to expect from him," Ash said.

"The position of the player and the representative is they want to talk about one year," Ash said.

"We'll be looking for players who could help us at the major league level now," Ash said.

"I think the thing we have is that we've done it before," Ash said.

"People in this league know how to work him," Ash said.

But the talks between them became serious only last week, Ash said.

"It was just my feeling from our conversation and the way his career has gone," Ash said.

"We're looking at it clearly as a chance to get better," Ash said.

"Buck has been involved with the club since 1981," Ash said.

"Ash says he had a couple of scrapes with the law back then."