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Making sense of all the deadline deals
Every year baseball begins to more closely resemble its fantasy version, rotisserie ball. This July saw a ridiculous amount of rumors and trades. The trading period does generate short-term publicity, but is all this carpetbagging good for the game? The jury is still out. Trying to figure out where Mark Guthrie is playing these days is an assignment worthy of Interpol. Well, we're here to help you sort through the barrage of moves. What follows is the Cliff's Notes version of what blew through baseball over the past two weeks, whittled down to lists of who won and who lost. Winners Baltimore Orioles: They finally backed up the truck in Baltimore, unloading Harold Baines, Mike Bordick, Will Clark, Charles Johnson, B.J. Surhoff and Mike Timlin (though Bordick could be back this winter as a free agent). The change in the franchise's iron-poor blood was long overdue. They did get younger and more athletic, though be careful not to equate this to what the White Sox did in 1997. Melvin Mora is a glorified journeyman who'll be 29 next year. Brook Fordyce is older than Johnson, the catcher he replaces. But keep an eye on hard-throwing Luis Rivera, a true power arm out of the Braves' system. And the Orioles have some payroll flexibility to pay Mike Mussina (though he must wonder about how quickly this team can rebuild) and other free agents, especially if they can get someone to take Albert Belle on a waiver claim. Atlanta Braves: The worst leftfield production in the NL just got a whole lot better with B.J. Surhoff, a professional hitter who hits lefties (.295 through July 31) just as well as he does righties (.290). Surhoff also can catch in an emergency, which means Bobby Cox can carry an extra bench player in October rather than making his annual flawed decision to carry a third catcher who never plays. Florida Marlins: O.K., maybe the acquisition of Henry Rodriguez was just window dressing, the first veteran-for-prospects trade for the Fish since Darren Daulton arrived in 1997. After all, the Marlins gave up two non-prospects, received enough money from the Cubs to cover a good chunk of the $1.5 million owed H-Rod, and have no intention of picking up his option year. But the Marlins will take moral victories whenever they can. Rodriguez does provide a legit bat to replace Cliff Floyd, who might be lost for the season with a left knee injury. Chicago Cubs: Rondell White is no sure thing, not by a longshot. He has played in 140 games only once in his career, and even then put up ordinary numbers (.316, 28 homers, 82 RBIs). Fittingly, he was hurt at the time of the trade. The Cubs think his knees and legs will rejuvenate on the Wrigley Field grass. But for the price of Scott Downs, a decent lefthander, the Cubs made a smart gamble. An outfield of Corey Patterson, Sammy Sosa and White could be an exciting one -- at least for one season, anyway. St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals filled their needs, getting catching help (Carlos Hernandez), lefthanded relief (Jason Christiansen) and insurance against Mark McGwire's knee (Will Clark). Like the Mets, they feel a need to win it all immediately. But keep in mind that none of the players they acquired have been tearing it up this year. Perhaps a change in scenery and the excitement of a pennant race will recharge all of them. But the Cardinals' scouts had better be right about that, or else this is merely a case of filling needs with the wrong people. Also, reliever Mike Timlin could be a dangerous replacement for Heathcliff Slocumb, St. Louis' most-used reliever. Timlin has been tattooed for a .322 average with runners on through July 31, while he's been a bully with no one on base (.231). New York Mets: They weren't winning anything with Mora at shortstop. Bordick is a championship-quality shortstop, while Rick White gives them needed depth in the bullpen. They're still not quite in Atlanta's class (especially after the B.J. Surhoff trade), but the Mets improved themselves immensely while holding on to super-prospect Alex Escobar. New York Yankees: Don't forget, Denny Neagle already has won two games for them -- and they still have Alfonso Soriano. Surhoff would have looked good wearing pinstripes in left field, a position that remains a problem for the Yankees. David Justice must play there four times a week (oh, the demands they put on players these days!) with assistance from Ryan Thompson. Maybe the Yankees can get Chad Curtis in an August waiver deal. Oakland Athletics: They addressed their biggest need --the bullpen -- with one of this season's most reliable set-up men, Jim Mecir. Arizona Diamondbacks: Curt Schilling for four players, none of whom figured prominently in Arizona's season this year. No player traded has more potential impact on the races and the postseason than Schilling. Losers Toronto Blue Jays: Esteban Loaiza and Steve Trachsel are the answers for closing the gap on the Yankees? I think not. Neither has been known as a winner throughout his career, though each has the stuff to throw an occasional gem. They'd better post more than a win here and there for this to work out. The best acquisition might be getting Dave Stewart back in the dugout to light a fire under Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay. Los Angeles Dodgers: Let's see, they dumped Ismael Valdes (for Orel Hershiser) and Eric Young (without a leadoff hitter to replace him) in the off-season. Hershiser retired; Devon White and Todd Hollandsworth have been busts at the top of the order -- so the Dodgers trade to get Valdes back (though his underachiever reputation has only grown) and trade to get Tom Goodwin to solve their leadoff problems. Goodwin's on-base percentage, batting average and runs scored as a leadoff hitter are all worse than Young's numbers. And check out Goodwin's mild stats closely: he batted only .208 outside of Denver, with a miserable .313 on-base percentage. Philadelphia Phillies: It's inexcusable that they still have Rico Brogna. They also have Travis Lee playing left and Pat Burrell playing first base, the exact opposite of where they should be playing (and probably will be playing next year). They traded an ace (Curt Schilling) and got four questions in return. None of the players they obtained from Arizona are can't-miss impact players. Boston Red Sox: It's inexcusable that they still don't have Rico Brogna. A team that desperately needed a bat couldn't even keep Rondell White from going to the Cubs, a non-contender. Even Henry Rodriguez would have helped as a rental. Rolando Arrojo is 26-34 lifetime, not the kind of pitcher who will make a difference in a pennant race. Sure, the Sox have made deals in August before, but none of them could be considered impact trades. Seattle Mariners: After they whiffed on getting Juan Gonzalez from the Tigers, the Mariners took a huge step down to Al Martin, a platoon player who can't play defense. Martin's only redeeming quality is that he hits righthanders (.348 this year). But someone has to hit for him against lefties (.158) and he should be taken out in the late innings when his team has a lead. For this they'll be paying $5 million next year? Anaheim Angels: Think of Ron Gant as a righthanded Al Martin. He does offer some counterbalance to a lefthanded-heavy lineup, but the dumping of Kent Bottenfield further proves how bad was the Jim Edmonds trade. San Francisco Giants: You are measured against your competition. Arizona gets Schilling. San Francisco gets Doug Henry. Any questions? Cleveland Indians: Mike Hargrove once compared Richie Sexson's power potential to Mark McGwire's. So why did the Indians dump him for three Brewers pitchers, only one of whom (Bob Wickman) is likely to have a big impact on the pennant race? Cleveland apparently has erased from its brain the memory of trading Brian Giles for Ricardo Rincon. And the Indians didn't take long to find out that trading for Rickey Ledee was a mistake. And why take on the contract and iron glove of Wil Cordero? Clubhouse chemistry? Can rookie manager Charlie Manuel turn an overhauled team into a championship one on the fly? The Indians' frantic moves smack of desperation at a time when a world championship vision is only a mirage. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers the baseball beat for
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