Right-hander Esteban Loaiza (10-10, 3.79 ERA) has a mutual option on his contract for next season at $2.9 million, one that either side could decline. Loaiza said yesterday he would like to remain in Washington next season, but he would prefer to sign a multiyear deal. "I'm always traded and moving," said Loaiza, who hasn't spent two full seasons with the same franchise since his days with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1995 to '98. "I'd like to stay in one place, and I'd like to stay here." "We'd like for him to return," his agent, John Boggs, said in a phone interview yesterday. "But we think he's proven he's worth a multiyear deal. It's really up to the Nationals." General Manager Jim Bowden said that he would like Loaiza to return as well, but any negotiations are likely to take place after the season.