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Salary squabbles Deferred payments cause snags in negotiations
When Ken Griffey Jr. took a hometown discount from the Reds this winter, many clubs hoped the concept of deferred compensation would take off. Instead, as the stalled negotiations with Manny Ramirez and Jason Kendall have shown, asking players to defer income is like asking them to confiscate their nutritional supplements. Ramirez turned down $75 million from the Indians this week, while Kendall, with a career best 12 home runs, is refusing a reported $60 million offer from the Pirates. In both cases the sticking point is deferred salary. "It only makes sense with a player you knew would be very likely to blow the money," one prominent agent told me. "If there are any pros beyond that, I'd like you to tell me about them."
D'backs face Giant challengeDon't go handing the NL West title to the Diamondbacks just yet. Adding Curt Schilling was a coup, but the Giants aren't likely to cower in his presence. Schilling has a career 3-6 record against Dusty Baker's club, which faces Arizona eight times in the season's last 11 days.Padres GM Kevin Towers expressed admiration for the Giants' front office, versatility and professionalism, and says the bullpen combo of Robb Nen and Felix Rodriguez, both throwing 97 mph, shortens games. And Towers couldn't resist yet another dig at his rivals up the road. "I think it's a two-team race," Towers told me. "I don't know if the Dodgers have enough to compete with both of them."
Viva VidroTim Raines is the last Expo to win a batting title, but Jose Vidro seems intent on ending that 14-year drought.The switch-hitting second baseman leads the league in hits and was not far off Todd Helton's pace in the batting race. Vidro wore down last season, hitting just .225 in the final month, but he has shown no signs of fatigue in this breakout year. Expos manager Felipe Alou marvels at the way Vidro avoids slumps of any length, saying that's unusual for a switch-hitter. Alou says Vidro reminds him of a young Carlos Baerga -- before the weight problems. "Baerga was an incredible player and hitter," Alou told me. "That's what Vidro has become." If Vidro can overtake Helton, he could join Andres Galarraga as the only NL batting champs from Latin America in the last 30 years. Mike Berardino covers baseball for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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