Transaction Analysis: August 28-31, 1999

There are some teams for which Williams would be perfect, as a
right-handed-hitting outfielder with a broad, if not deep, set of skills.
For a few months, the Angels were even that team, but with everyone getting
healthy, there’s not even enough playing time for Todd Greene, much less
Williams.

The D’backs have been an interesting team in more ways than one. Sure, we
all know they spent money, and that’s handy if you’re one of those
money-equals-talent, small-markets-are-doomed, head-in-the-sand types.
What’s more interesting to me is that they have the right players starting,
but in the wrong batting order slots and at the wrong positions.

Andy Fox is a very useful player, but the one thing he cannot do on an
everyday basis is be a major league shortstop. But as last year, and his
entire minor league career, demonstrated, he can get on base and handle any
number of positions in a utility role. Tony Womack, by comparison, was a
shortstop most of his professional life, but he’s never been a good leadoff
hitter, never really took to converting to second base at the major league
level, and as right fielders go, he’s no asset.

So wouldn’t it make sense to have Fox lead off and play right field, and
have Womack play shortstop and bat eighth? Sure it would, although the
payoffs probably wouldn’t be that big. But Fox would be less likely to hurt
himself; now he’s hurt, and the D’backs will miss him.

Adding Lenny Harris is great, if you’re Lenny Harris and like getting those
playoff checks.

Fabregas gets to go where Jerry Willard and Francisco Cabrera have gone
before: third catcher on a team that always wants a third catcher on its
postseason roster. Unlike Willard or Cabrera, Fabregas has no value as a
pinch-hitter, so in a short series, he’s a waste of a roster spot.

Acquired LHP Jimmy Hamilton from the Indians as the PTBNL in the
Harold Baines trade. [8/31]

Placing Corsi back on the DL gets the Birds back to "only" 12
pitchers. Consider that the dozen includes the Doubly Doug Duo of Johns and
Linton sharing the fifth spot in the rotation. Ray Miller, pick your
poison. They’ve got three situational lefties. They’ve got Scott
Kamieniecki. They’ll even have Mike Fetters soon. As long as you aren’t
Rocky Coppinger or Heathcliff Slocumb, the O’s will make room for you.

Kingsale’s finally up, and while he’s had a decent offensive season as
measured on the Cuyler scale (.309/.361/.387), it’s unlikely that he’s
going to get a good shot to be much more than Brady Anderson’s Legs.

Hamilton isn’t much of a prospect yet: there’s more bad Brad Pennington
here than Arthur Rhodes. Between Akron and Buffalo, he’s given up 51 walks
in 55 2/3 innings, with 52 strikeouts and almost six runs allowed per nine
innings.

Valentin’s persistent knee problems spell trouble for the Sox. Despite a
flashly stint earlier this season, Veras is coming off of a decidedly
mediocre year at Trenton (.281/.318/.407). The other option on the roster
is Donnie Sadler, which means the Sox potentially have two gaping holes in
the lineup (third base and center field), on top of the worst-hitting
outfield int he league. That won’t help this team down the stretch, or in
the postseason if they get there.

But shouldn’t Sox fans buck up? After all, the Duke is on the case, and has
brought in somebody a lot better than… the Eck? Jeff Reardon? Al Nipper?
Never mind that Beck has had elbow woes, back woes and gut woes this year.
His fastball has no bite and less movement. The best the Sox can hope for
is that opposing batters hit the ball so hard off the Green Monster that it
ricochets back into the infield for a mere single.

Worse yet, Beck’s under contract for a lot more than chump change for next
year. No matter how desperate the Sox were, they could have helped
themselves by calling up Rafael Betancourt, counting on Rich Garces and
leaving Derek Lowe in the closer’s role.

The good news is that the Cubs are out from under Beck’s contract for next
year, freeing up even more money for a big bid for several good men. The
bad news is that the Cubs have yet another one of Andy MacPhail’s
ex-Twinkies (what is Les Straker up to these days?) to kick around.
However, the really happy news is that the PTBNL is going to be
third baseman Cole Liniak.

The more troubling concern here is that the Cubs have demonstrated how very
thin-skinned they can be. Houston had barked back at Jim Riggleman lately,
and Beck was notoriously frank and honest about the team with the local
media. WGN-TV simply doesn’t put up with that sort of thing; it might hurt
ratings on the Sammy Show.

Negrette has been god-awful and wild this year (6.13 ERA, 49 hits and 47
walks in 47 innings), but as I’m sure you could guess, he throws really
hard; some claim he can dial his fastball up to 97 mph. Maybe, just maybe,
he grows up to be John Hudek.

Rodriguez’ return is mostly to cover for Ray Durham’s strained hammy for a
couple of nights, but Eyre is really hurt, and it may be very serious for him.

John Hart’s keeping himself busy. Offensively, Houston is about as useful
as Carlos Baerga, except he can catch, which is bad news for Jesse Levis if
he was hoping to go to the postseason. Sandy Alomar’s knee is still kind of
wonky (at last report, he can only throw with pain, needs extra lubricant
injections in the joint and is talking about new procedures to re-grow the
cartilage), which probably means Houston is going to get to the postseason
again.

Gooden’s return still leaves Chris Haney in the fifth rotation slot, while
Poole’s callup to be the third situational lefty doesn’t seem all that
helpful. On the other hand, Paul Assenmacher is looking done, while Ricky
Rincon is still struggling, so Poole might be the team’s best portsider
right now.

Harris wasn’t exactly an inspired pickup in the first place, so it isn’t
such a bad thing to move him out of town. Sexton gives them everything
Lenny did and then some, save the cachet of a pursuit of the career
pinch-hits record, for those of you who just can’t let the memory of guys
like Dusty Rhodes or Thad Bosley go.

Martinez has been hitting well in High Desert, proving only that he is a
fully-functional biped, but he is 21 and playing second base regularly
while showing decent power and good speed. That’s a good deal for the Rox.

Burnett is up to be in the rotation for the remainder of the season, so the
Marlins will have about nine starts to chew over and see if the whiz kid
should get a shot at next year’s rotation. Dennis Springer is being
banished to the pen in the meantime, which is okay unless you want the Fish
to finish ahead of the Expos. If you really aspire to such lofty goals,
pulling the plug on Brian Meadows wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

With Moises Alou’s comeback already stillborn, and with Carl Everett
hurting again, you could understand why Gerry Hunsicker had to do
something. Javier can handle center field or either corner, and while he’s
been stonger against left-handed pitching this year, he’s all-around
adequate, which is about what the Astros needed.

Assuming Everett can come back and play soon, that gives them a solid
five-outfielder rotation of Everett, Javier, Lance Berkman, Matt Mieske and
Daryle Ward. Best yet, there’s no Derek Bell in there.

Bergman’s outright release wasn’t necessarily earned, but it is a
reflection of the Astros’ need for quality right-handed relief pitching,
which Cabrera is more likely to provide. Bergman won’t have to worry; he’ll
undoubtedly get recycled.

Nilsson is out for at least three weeks, or essentially the rest of the
year, since there won’t be any minor leagues still going on for him to get
any rehab work in before returning to the Brewers for a farewell
engagement. He can look forward to a lucrative winter, since it looks more
and more like his bid to play for Australia in the Olympics was simply a
successful ploy to get a year shaved off of his contract with the Brewers
and gain free agency this year.

In his absence, and with Bobby Hughes still hurting, Brian Banks should get
a month to himself, unless nostalgia for Mike Matheny gets Charlie Greene
into the lineup.

This isn’t really a demotion for Vazquez, since the New York-Penn League’s
season will end this week so he won’t have to spend ten days down. He won’t
miss a start. In the meantime, the Expos get to have Strickland in the pen
for a couple of days between Vazquez’s starts.

An early reporting of the Cardinals’ roster expansion callups. Jensen may
get a bunch of playing time behind the plate after his good showing in the
PCL and at the Pan Am Games, and even moreso because Alberto Castillo and
Eli Marrero have been pathetic.

Them’s real greenbacks, yessir. Redeemable for food or beer at any place
that specializes in food or beer. And other places, too. For Carlos Baerga,
you have to say the price was right.

With the Giants technically not out of it yet, you might think they
wouldn’t want to make a move. But Javier was basically rotting on the bench
now that Marvin Benard isn’t platooning any longer, and it isn’t likely his
absence would be the difference if the Giants do mount a bid to catch the
Snakes.

Besides, they need to see if Calvin Murray is ever going to be a useful
fourth outfielder. At Fresno this year, he finally had the sort of season
people hoped for, hitting .334/.489/.542 with 23 home runs, 63 extra-base
hits and 42 steals. Okay, so he’s old for the league, and it is the PCL.
Still, the Giants need to see if they should keep him or let him walk after
this year.

Get Cloude away from Lou Piniella, and he still looks like the top-notch
pitching prospect he is. In six starts at Tacoma, he was 5-1 with a 2.33
ERA, allowing only 34 baserunners in 38 2/3 innings, along with 33
strikeouts. Will he finally be given the opprotunity to do what he can do?

Bringing him back in conjunction with sending Jeff Fassero away gives the
M’s a rotation of Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, John Halama, Gil Meche and
Cloude. That’s four good young pitchers and one really consistent
underappreciated veteran with outstanding control. If there’s any interest
in keeping that rotation together for next year, they need Piniella in a
straightjacket or unemployed, before he can do any more damage to Garcia
and Meche.

Claimed C Pat Borders off of waivers from the Indians; recalled RHP
John Hudek from Syracuse; transferred INF Craig Grebeck and
OF Rob Butler from the 15- to the 60-day DL. [8/31]

If there’s one really good reason why the Jays shouldn’t hold their breath
waiting for Jose Cruz Jr. to turn his career around, it’s Vernon Wells.
While I’m impressed that Gord Ash is willing to give Wells his first break
in the midst of a wild-card push, I’m still a bit concerned.

Wells has played well at both Knoxville and Syracuse since opening at
Dunedin, he’s got less than 60 games above A ball to his credit, and the
track record of guys coming up out of A ball that fast isn’t good.
Nevertheless, Wells can fly on the bases and in the field, has good power,
and basically can do everything better than Brian McRae or Jacob Brumfield.

There’s still the question of why Cruz isn’t around as the team’s fourth
outfielder instead of either of those guys, but the Jays have been looking
for ways to keep themselves out of the race all year. You might have to
chalk this up as yet another element of Ash’s season-long version of
Russian Roulette…playing with five full chambers.