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Patience needed in assessing trades
Updated: Sunday August 05, 2001 12:05 PM
Keep this in mind as the judging goes on around the game: It takes time to evaluate any deal, sometimes a year or more. Consider last year's July blockbuster that sent Curt Schilling from Philadelphia to Arizona. Both clubs wound up firing their managers at season's end, but a year later both teams are at or near the top of their respective divisions. "When Philadelphia made the Schilling trade, I think everybody in baseball said, 'Wow, who did they get?'" one club official said. "Well, now Travis Lee looks like he's turned the corner. He's more the player we all thought he was going to be. Omar Daal has his mirrors working. Nelson Figueroa and Vicente Padilla have been pretty good. You look at it now, and that's not such a bad deal for the Phillies." And that's with Schilling perhaps headed for his first Cy Young Award. One GM from a rebuilding club laughed this week when someone congratulated him on his deadline work. "Come back and talk to me in two years," he said. "That's when we'll know how we did."
Rocky Mountain lowAt least one National League club official wasn't impressed with the deadline dealing of Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd."They're a couple of moves from ruining the whole deal over there," the official said. "I don't see where they're getting better. To me they're getting worse." There's still a player to be named in the Pedro Astacio deal, possibly one of two right-handers ( Chad Qualls or Anthony Pluta) taken in the second and third round, respectively, last year. But Scott Elarton has been a mess all year, and Jose Ortiz and Mario Encarnacion -- the key parts of the deal that sent shortstop Neifi Perez to Kansas City -- have their detractors. "Neither of those guys is a sure thing," the same official said. "Encarnacion has some tools, but he plays so hard and out of control, he's hurt all the time. Ortiz has some power, but he plays when he wants to play. Who knows, they might get the chance to play and really show something. But they have no patience over there [in Colorado] for anything. They want to win. They're used to winning." With each passing year, the '95 Rockies look more impressive. Somehow, Don Baylor led that team to the wild card in the first year at Coors Field. The Rockies haven't come close since, and another club official thinks he knows why. "Coors Field is not an easy place to play and win," he said. "The games are just wearing. They're all long games. Your bullpen is up and down. It's hard to stay mentally tough through all that. I've had people tell me nobody will ever win in Denver. Some people say it's impossible. I don't think it is. I just think you have to be a really good baseball team to win there. You have to be deep and you have to play good defense." This year's Rockies don't qualify on any of those counts.
Red Sox gamble with UrbinaThe Red Sox didn't make a flurry of deals at the deadline, but the acquisition of right-hander Ugueth Urbina from the Expos could wind up being among the more significant moves made by any of the playoff contenders.Urbina appears strong again after undergoing two surgeries last season to remove bone chips in his throwing elbow. He reportedly failed a physical with the Yankees in June, killing a deal for prospects, but observers doubt there's anything wrong with him now. "Sure, he's not what he used to be, but he pitched well when I saw him last weekend," one scout said of the Boston's new setup man. "He touched 95, pitched at 93-94. He doesn't use the split anymore, but he throws a hard slider, throws a change. He'll help them. Remember, this is a guy who's closed out a bunch of games." Urbina has gone 125 for 149 (.839) in save chances since moving into the role in 1997. Having him around is a nice insurance policy in case erratic closer Derek Lowe goes on the fritz again. The best part about Urbina: The Venezuelan is listed as being just 27. The worst part? He's making $4.2 million and is eligible again for salary arbitration this winter. Mike Berardino covers the baseball beat for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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