The ball had barely begun its ascent off Jason Giambi's bat, yet everyone in the Oakland Coliseum knew the A's had nuked the Yankees once again, completing a three-game sweep.

Talk about timing. Talk about drama. Talk about absolute, perfect, wild-card theater.

	Tino Martinez First Base New York Yankees Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R OBP AVG 117 26 87 70 .309 .264

It was Giambi who shattered the Yankees in the ninth inning Sunday, not only sending the Bombers to a 4-2 loss -- and perhaps setting the stage for an eventual Division Series rematch -- but illuminating a longer-range debate over who'll play first base in the Bronx next year.

Giambi has the personality to handle the big city. He obviously has the skills. The question is: Will the Bombers lure him this winter as a free agent and pay him $15-18 million a year to fatten a payroll that's already soaring toward $120 million?

Or have the Yankees been influenced by a quiet resurgence from Tino Martinez, who, like Giambi, will test free agency this winter. Martinez's credentials aren't as impressive as Giambi's, but then again, he won't cost as much to sign, either.

	Jason Giambi First Base Oakland Athletics Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R OBP AVG 114 29 91 74 .462 .330

The Yankees have one other option, too -- the most economical of all. That's to promote Triple-A prospect Nick Johnson, who at one time was the can't-miss heir at first base. But Johnson has struggled with International League pitching in 2001. Even though he has 18 home runs with 48 RBI, he's batting only .259 and has struck out 97 times in 336 at-bats.

The front office says it hasn't lost faith in Johnson, but George Steinbrenner was nevertheless ready to deal the rookie had Giambi been made available before the trade deadline. Giambi wasn't, of course, and his presence in the suddenly formidable Oakland lineup may haunt the Yankees in October.

After that, the mystery deepens.

Giambi continues to drop hints he'd like to become a Yankee in 2002. Just this past weekend, Giambi made sure to praise The Boss, telling reporters, "The man wants to win. When he thinks highly of you, you take it as a compliment. That's a man and organization that's definitely committed to winning. That's apparent when you see all of their moves."

Whether Giambi really wants the Yankees to become his next employer -- or if he's just revving the engines of free-agency rhetoric -- who really knows? But Martinez's increased production since the All-Star break has made the Yankees' decision-making process that much tougher.

Martinez has hit nine home runs in 126 at-bats in the second half, and with 26 HRs and 87 RBI, ranks in the American League's top 10 in both categories. At his current pace, Martinez could finish the season with 35-40 HRs, and close to 120 RBI.

Those numbers are good enough to create strong clubhouse support for Martinez's re-signing. In fact, Paul O'Neill goes as far as to call the first baseman "our MVP this year."

"Come on, man, how are you going to let a guy like that walk out the door?" O'Neill said, gesturing towards Martinez. "Tino doesn't get as much notoriety as Bernie (Williams) or Derek (Jeter), but we wouldn't be where we are today without him. You talk about an MVP for the season, it's Tino, no question."

O'Neill's endorsement is, to a degree, based on loyalty and friendship. The two have, after all, been teammates since 1996, and all the Yankees have done since then is qualify for the postseason five straight years and win four World Series.

But if the Yankees make their decision based purely on statistics, Martinez would have blemishes to cover. His .476 slugging percentage is only 10th among AL first basemen, and his .309 on-base percentage ranks 16th. One more thing: Martinez has been in an overall decline since 1998, when he hit 44 HR with 141 RBI. But does that necessarily mean the Yankees are finished with him?

Martinez has proven the Yankees can, indeed, win with a first baseman who doesn't hit .300 or bash 40 homers a summer. There's enough offense up and down the lineup -- not to mention starting pitching -- to carry Martinez.

His defense has also been important. Remember, Martinez's sure hands kept Chuck Knoblauch's throwing problems from becoming even uglier than they were -- which is why Roger Clemens said, "If they ever let Tino go, they're going to have to replace him with a hockey goalie."

For his part, Martinez wants to return to the Yankees next year, but says he won't sign a one-year deal as an insurance policy while Johnson is groomed for another summer.

Instead, Martinez will be looking for a three-year pact from the Yankees, or anyone else, "because they believe I can help them win. I don't want a team to sign me just because I've had a good second half, or because of loyalty or because they want more time for Nick to develop," Martinez said.

"I want to be wanted. Hopefully, it's (with the Yankees). If not, I've done my best here. I'm sure there are other teams out there who I could play for."

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey) covers baseball for ESPN.com.