SAN FRANCISCO -- Reliever Salomon Torres has decided to drop his grievance against the Pirates, as well as his pursuit of a lawsuit.

He said yesterday at AT&T Park, shortly after the team's 5-0 victory against the San Francisco Giants, that he made the decision on his own and based it solely on his religion. He is a devout Jehovah's Witness.

"It is not up to me, as a Christian, to seek justice on my own. It is up to God to handle the situation, and I will let Him do that for me," Torres said. "After a long talk with myself, I've decided this is the right path to take."

Torres filed a grievance with Major League Baseball in March that Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield had deceived him in negotiating a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension signed in the spring of 2006. Torres accused Littlefield of leading him to believe the Pirates would rent one of his two baseball academies in the Dominican Republic so that he would take a discount on his contract. The team did not rent the facility and is, instead, looking to build a new one.

Torres had asked the Pirates to pay him $1.5 million to make up for that, and the team balked. That was when Torres grieved and, on top of that, spoke with two Pittsburgh law firms about suing the Pirates.

Littlefield never commented on the grievance, other than to say he conducted himself in a "professional" manner through the Torres negotiations.

"I just need to move on, to have a clear head and heart," Torres said yesterday.

First Published: August 13, 2007, 3:45 a.m.