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| Thursday, July 25 Big deadline deals may not materialize By Jayson Stark ESPN.com |
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The clock is ticking toward another trade deadline. The swapmasters are getting restless. "I look at the names," said a club official of one contender, "and there's not a whole lot of intrigue in them. There's almost nobody out there who makes me say, 'If I get this guy, we've really got a chance to do something.' There's almost nobody who can make much of a difference." So what are the chances of a truly major deal happening before the deadline? Let's take a look at some of the big names out there:
Scott Rolen It's been a tough enough year in Philadelphia, and Wade worries it might be even more self-destructive to trade a bunch of veterans for prospects and "get our brains beat out for two months, just because I had a chance to get a couple of Double-A prospects." Wade also says he still thinks Rolen is "the best third baseman in the game. And there have to be some clubs saying, 'If a ball gets hit down the third-base line in the seventh game of the World Series, I'd sure like Scott Rolen to be the guy who makes the backhand play -- versus the name of the guy I'm unwilling to put in a deal to get him.' I can't believe there's a general manager out there who would want to see a ball go under someone's glove and say, 'I can't believe I didn't give up 'X' to get Scott Rolen, because I had other things to do besides ride in a parade tomorrow.' " It's a convincing argument. But so far, it hasn't been convincing enough for the Reds to give up Aaron Boone, or the Dodgers to give up Adrian Beltre, or the Red Sox to give up Shea Hillenbrand. And clubs that have talked with the Phillies say Wade is still asking for a big-league third baseman back. He's believed to have turned down Brandon Larson and Scott Williamson from the Reds. And a Cardinals package of Placido Polanco and Bud Smith reportedly didn't entice him, either. With the growing possibility that many players will make it through waivers, Wade may be willing to keep Rolen into August and take his chances. But we had three clubs predict, unsolicited, that Rolen would be one player who would get claimed. So the drama mounts.
Kenny Rogers
So he could easily turn into this year's Fred McGriff -- a guy who winds up with almost as many requests to waive his no-trade as wins. The Mariners, Cardinals, Giants, Diamondbacks and Astros are still believed to have varying degrees of interest. But it's clear the Rangers won't get as good a package from those teams as the one they would have gotten from the Reds. So Rangers GM John Hart -- who was said by a source to be less than ecstatic when Rogers vetoed his best deal -- has some tough choices to make in the next few days. And Rogers' decisions might not be over, either.
Paul Byrd So a bunch of teams remain interested -- the Cardinals, Red Sox, Diamondbacks and Braves among them. But Royals GM Allard Baird told Rumblings he would trade Byrd -- who would be owed another $1.5 million after the deadline in salary and incentives (if he stays healthy) -- only if "we get back a player who addresses a long-term need, at second or third base." That doesn't leave many options. Baird flatly denies that an oft-rumored Byrd-for-Marcus Giles swap was "ever discussed." And the Cardinals and Red Sox are nearly bereft of position-player prospects. But one AL executive who recently scouted Byrd in person says: "His stuff isn't as good as a lot of guys out there, but I'd bet he'd win the most games of anybody you could get. He's an amazing guy. He just knows how to pitch." "He's going to end up with 18 or 19 wins," Baird said. "So if I'm not going to get anything of quality, it doesn't make sense to deal him."
Jim Thome and Ellis Burks The Red Sox and A's continue to check in on both. And one AL scout predicts, "If the A's got Thome, they'd win the World Series." But it's also clear Thome has next to no desire to leave Cleveland and that the Indians would like to keep him, as a bridge to the next generation for both their young players and their fans. But to clear the money to keep him, they probably need to move Burks, who has $2 million remaining in this year's salary and another $6.5 million next year. That makes him a tough economic fit for the A's, but it's very close to what Oakland's current DH, David Justice, makes ($6.5 million, plus $500,000 deferred). So an official of one AL team that has talked to the A's says he could see Oakland trading for him to address offensive concerns for this year and to "lock him up as the DH for next year." A friend of Burks says the Indians still haven't approached him about waiving his no-trade in anything other than "very casual conversations." And Burks continues to tell them, in that setting, that he's happy where he is. What he'd tell them if a specific deal was presented will depend strictly on the destination.
Brian Giles
Of those teams, indications are that the A's have been the most aggressive. But reports that the Pirates asked for Mark Mulder and/or Eric Chavez are "not accurate," Littlefield said. "In the position we're in," Littlefield said, "it's important to stay open-minded. So I'm willing to talk about anybody." But to deal Giles, he would have to get back young, impact players who could fill multiple needs. And that's the kind of trade that's easier to make in the offseason than in July.
Miscellaneous Rumblings So it's tough to see them doing anything significant, considering the salaries of the players they've been shopping -- Marcus Giles ($210,000) and Wes Helms ($250,000). But Derrek Lee (who would have $900,000 coming after the deadline) and Kevin Millar (who would be owed $300,000) might still fit. "I'll tell you one thing," says one GM. "A lot of clubs have no compassion for some of these higher-revenue clubs saying they can't take on payroll."
"For where we want to be long-range, we might be better off sitting still," says GM J.P. Ricciardi. "We've already done so much and moved so many guys, we're in good shape financially. And I like our team on the field. So to move (Escobar and Cruz) now, I would have to be knocked over." If Ricciardi trades either Escobar or Cruz, he has no one to replace them. So he sees no point in creating a hole at a key position just for the sake of making a deal. On the other hand, Esteban Loaiza, Steve Parris and Darrin Fletcher -- all of whom will be free agents in two months -- are eminently available. Parris, who is throwing 92 mph and has had only one bad start since coming off the DL in mid-June, might be a cheap pickup for a bottom-feeder at the deadline.
So even though other clubs love their top pitching prospects (Jesse Foppert, Boof Bonser, Jerome Williams, Kurt Ainsworth), the Giants have been reluctant to deal any of those guys for a rent-a-player they can't re-sign. Winn, on the other hand, would seem like a perfect fit, and the Giants' prospects would seem to match up with the Devil Rays' needs. But there have been no signs those clubs are getting any closer.
"These last two months remain important for the players we've got here," Wade said. "And he's been a great fit in our clubhouse with our young guys. Now we've got Brett Myers here, and that's one more reason he'd be great to have around here. So unless a deal really makes sense for us, I'm inclined to keep him."
"We're not just dumping salaries here," said Baird. "We have to listen. But we've brought some young guys up here, and I think it's good for their development that we've been winning. I think it's important they understand there's a difference between winning and losing. There's a difference in how you feel coming to the park. Players are getting here earlier. They're staying later. There's a cultural difference that I think these guys understand."
"Then we had each pitching coach show it," Baird said, "and talk to his pitchers about his command, about his ability to pitch inside, how he changes bat speeds by going back and forth. We created a lot of dialogue about pitching just by showing that tape. It just gives you an idea of what a guy like Paul Byrd brings to the table here, and why there's value in keeping him."
"In the next six days," said one NL exec, "we'll find out who's bluffing -- and who's not." Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com. |
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