Although contenders and teams on the bubble are discussing deals
to acquire help for the stretch drive, Marlins third baseman
Todd Zeile doesn't seem to be wanted anywhere, even though he
hit 31 home runs last season, yearns to be traded and plays for
a penny-pinching team desperate to get rid of him. On May 15
Zeile was completing a move into his new house just outside Los
Angeles when the Dodgers suddenly sent him and Mike Piazza to
Florida in a monumental seven-player deal. After being dealt
from a possible contender to a club that could finish with one
of the worst records ever, Zeile comforted himself with the
notion that he and Piazza were merely trade bait for the Marlins
and would soon move on. At first, Zeile thought the pair would
be moved together in a package deal to the Cubs or the Mets, but
on May 22 Piazza was dealt to the Mets by himself. Now Zeile,
who wasn't supposed to last a week in baseball purgatory, has
been there for six and counting. "I didn't hope to be here this
long," Zeile says, "but I was aware of the possibility."
Zeile has proved difficult to deal because his power numbers are
down (he had 10 homers at week's end) and his salary is high (he
will earn $3.2 million this season and again in '99). He didn't
help his cause by hitting just .182 in his first two weeks as a
Marlin. "I distracted myself to the point that my performance
suffered," Zeile says. "The only way to get through it was to
resign myself to the fact that I may be here indefinitely."
With his new and improved attitude, Zeile had hit .345 in his
last 16 games through Sunday, but Florida still hadn't been able
to deal him. Among contenders, only the Rangers and the Cubs
appear to need a third baseman. However, after hearing that a
couple of clubs had inquired about him as a catcher, Zeile has
started working out behind the plate, where he began his career
with the Cardinals in '89 before switching to third base in '91.
Zeile has recently caught Florida pitchers during some bullpen
sessions, and though he has yet to catch in a game, he is
willing to audition in one if it will seal a deal that would
send him to his seventh team in the past four seasons. Says
Zeile, "The light at the end of the tunnel is that I'll
hopefully have the chance to be with a contending team before
the year is out."
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Issue date: July 6, 1998
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