Baseball

The New Deal

In April, when the Royals dealt David Cone to the Blue Jays for three minor leaguers, Cone became the first Cy Young Award winner to be traded before the start of the season following his honor. Last Friday, Cy Cone was moved again, this time to the Yankees—for three minor leaguers.

Welcome to the '90s. When else has a pitcher as good as Cone been traded twice in four months for six players nobody has ever heard of? The Cone deal is typical of deals made now: A top, high-priced player is rented for a couple of months to help win a pennant, then moves on after the season.

Cone was not the only big-name player traded last week. The Cardinals dealt pitcher Ken Hill to the Indians for three minor leaguers; the White Sox sent pitcher Jim Abbott to the Angels for four minor leaguers; and the Mets packed off out-fielder-third baseman Bobby Bonilla to the Orioles for two minor leaguers and pitcher Bret Saberhagen to the Rockies for two more minor leaguers.

Dumping salaries and draining farm systems isn't good for the future of the game, but the trading of big names might be what baseball needs this year to spark enthusiasm among fans down the stretch. "The deals are real good for the game," says Indian general manager John Hart. "They create interest, they grab attention."

They also brought out the competitiveness in teams in the American League East, where the Red Sox held a 4�-game lead over the Yankees and the Orioles at week's end. The Yankees outbid the Red Sox, the Reds and the Mariners for Cone, who made his Yankee debut Saturday night by pitching eight strong innings in a 4-2 win over the Twins. The Cone deal pushed the Orioles to make a move of their own. Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, informed of New York's acquisition on Friday at 6:40 p.m., became worried that the Yankees might win the division. Indeed, after dealing Cone to New York, Blue Jay general manager Gord Ash said the Yankees had become the favorites to win the East. So by 7 p.m., the Orioles traded minor league outfielders Alex Ochoa and Damon Buford for Bonilla.

That day the Yankees also obtained outfielder Ruben Sierra from the As for DH-outfielder Danny Tartabull. With teams behind them making significant moves, the pressure was on the Red Sox—who remain concerned about pitcher Roger Clemens's elbow injury—to add a top-notch starter before the July 31 trading deadline. The Red Sox, however, were stymied in their attempts to land another good starter.

While the AL East race is far from settled, the Indians and the Angels, who are running away with the American League Central and West, respectively, both strengthened themselves for the playoffs. Hill, who finished second in the National League Cy Young voting last year, gives the Indians another quality arm in their rotation. And the Angels bagged a solid starter in Abbott, who should have made the All-Star team this year. California gave up some highly touted young players, but the Angels smell a pennant. After last week's trades, so do several teams.

And that, at least in the short run, is good for the game.

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