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Let's make a deal July trades prevent October fades
Updated: Thursday July 26, 2001 5:27 PM
Sports Illustrated's Stephen Cannella checks in with his baseball thoughts every week throughout the season on CNNSI.com. Think trade mania is a relatively new phenomenon? In 1939, Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith proposed a new rule to his American League counterparts: The previous season's pennant winner should be banned from making any intraleague trades the following year. Griffith's obvious intention was to incapacitate the Yankees, who had been to four World Series in a row, and the rest of the AL readily signed on. The Yankees made no trades during the 1940 season -- though they did manage by the end of the year to dress four future Hall of Famers and 14 other All-Stars -- and wound up losing the pennant by two games to the Tigers. With its anti-Yankees mission accomplished, the league rescinded the rule following the season. Compared to that bit of silliness, the current craziness surrounding the trade deadline almost seems sane. Still, the week leading up to July 31 is the dizziest of the season, and separating fact from fiction when trying to figure out who's going where is nearly impossible. This rule does apply, however: If you want to play in October, you'd better deal in July. Last year, the Giants were the only playoff team not to make a significant acquisition before the trade deadline, and it's a safe bet that the other seven teams wouldn't have reached the postseason without midseason reinforcements. The A's, for example, grabbed setup man Jim Mecir, who had a 2.80 ERA down the stretch and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the Division Series. With slugger Mark McGwire on the injured list,the Cardinals likely would have sunk had they not added Will Clark in July. And then there were the Yankees, who were relatively quiet in the days just before the deadline, but only because they had already picked up David Justice and Denny Neagle. In fact, the rest of the league should have reconsidered Griffith's 1939 rule after last season -- seven of the 22 players who wore pinstripes in the World Series had been in different organizations on Opening Day. Seattle still lacking?The Athletics' acquisition of Jermaine Dye in a three-way trade with the Rockies and Royals this week was huge, and not just because it demonstrated that Oakland is ready to make a run for the wild-card spot and isn't preparing to dump Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen. The deal also kept Dye from going to the Mariners, who have a glaring need for a right-handed hitter. Seattle had talked to the Royals about a trade for the outfielder, but Kansas City's insistence on getting a shortstop in return killed any chance for a deal. For all the Mariners' success so far this season, there are still questions about how well-equipped the team is for October. "They're built for the regular season, not the postseason," says one AL advance scout. "They wouldn't scare me in a short series as much as the Yankees, the A's or even the Red Sox." The Mariners could use another bat to augment the production of Bret Boone, Edgar Martinez and John Olerud; general manager Pat Gillick has been hunting since spring training for an outfielder with power. Even Seattle's rotation, which has the league's fourth-best starters' ERA, could be a cause of concern. Veterans Aaron Sele and Jamie Moyer are solid and dependable, but neither is a dominating ace who strikes fear in the hearts of opposing hitters like a Pedro Martinez or Randy Johnson. Righthander Freddy Garcia has the potential to be such an ace, but even Seattle pitching coach Bryan Price admits Gracia isn't yet in the category "where you can put him down for two automatic wins in a playoff series." Contrast that group of starters with Oakland's Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, a trio that could be lethal in a short series, and the Yankees' ace-riddled rotation. Just one reason the Mariners, who wrapped up their division by the end of May, may still have a lot of work to do this season. Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella covers the baseball beat for
the magazine. Touching Base appears every week on CNNSI.com.
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