Trades That Look Worse Now…The Heathcliff Slocumb Deal

July 31, 1997 – The Seattle Mariners trade pitcher Derek Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek to the Boston Red Sox for closer Heathcliff Slocumb

I know what you all are thinking.

How in the hell can you defend that trade?

Watch me.

Back when the trade was first done, the Mariners were in a dogfight for the American League West title, fighting with the Anaheim Angels for supremacy. 

Unfortunately, the team was having trouble holding leads and was leading the league in blown saves.

So the Mariners went to work, trading Jose Cruz Jr. to the Blue Jays for Paul Spoljaric and Mike Timlin and acquiring Slocumb, who was down and out with the Red Sox at the time, but it was thought that a change of scenary would allow him to be able to let him flourish eslewhere, especially in Safeco, one of the best pitchers parks in the league.

Is it easy to criticize the Mariners on this trade, resulting in the Red Sox acquring two of the the seeds that bloomed into their 2004 World Series title.  I know I did in an earlier post.

But upon further thought, there was logic to the whole thing.

Let's take a look at Varitek, arguably the best piece exchanged between both clubs.

Varitek at the time was the Mariners' best catching prospect.  However, he was doing next to nothing with the bat and in spite of his excellent catch and release skills, the bat was viewed to be pretty anemic.

In the meantime, the Mariners already had an established young catcher in the majors in Dan Wilson. who was acquired from Cincinatti in 1994.  Wilson had established himself as the Mariners' No. 1 catcher in the mid-1990s and he was young, 27 at the time of the trade I believe.  Varitek wasn't going to see much playing time had he remained in the Mariners and while many may say that it would have made sense to move him, at the time, his bat was poor and really didn't fit anywhere else in the lineup.

Lowe is much of the same.  At the time, he was a reliever, not a starter, and he was an average one at best.  There certainly weren't any signs that Lowe would become the innings eating horse that he is now, just another sign of how flukely things can be in deals such as these.

As for Slocumb, he was a servicable closer and probably helped save the Mariners' season as well.  And really, this trade looks like hell only when Slocumb imploded the next year.

Many fans, Boston fans and masocist Mariners fans the main culprits, will say that this is one of the greatest hosings in Mariners history, but the fact of the matter is that there certainly weren't any signs that Lowe and Varitek were capable of greatness.   And realistically, we wouldn't be talking about either player in the terms we do had it not been for the Red Sox's World Championship in 2004.  So, before you are ready to #### on this trade as one of the worst ever, and before Boston Fans are ready to cackle madly with how badly they made off like bandits in this trade, remember this one?

August 30, 1990 – The Boston Red Sox trade first baseman Jeff Bagwell to the Houston Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen.

I rest my case.

The End Of An Era In Houston, The Heir To Joe Torre Is Becoming Clearer, More Trouble For A Marlins Prospect and Free Agent Rumblings & Grumblings.

End Of An Era In Houston

His statue is outside of Minute Maid Park

His trade is regarded as one of the biggest mistakes ever made by an organization.

And this week, the era of Jeff Bagwell ended not with a ####, but a whisper, when the Astros were declined his $18 million option for 2007, giving him a $7 million buyout as a parting gift.   Luckily for the Astros, Bagwell, a constant team guy and one of the best ballplayers to grace the franchise, understood the business side of baseball, and had no hard feelings.

Since 1991, Bagwell and close friend and teammate Craig Biggio have worked in tandem to establish a professional tone in the Houston clubhouse, grinding from spring training to the end of the season, disdaining excuses and showing teammates the meaning of the word "accountable."   The two have always been synonymous with the Astros and for the first time in over a decade, the Astros are now facing the fact that the faces of the franchise will be gone.  Bagwell will likely retire and Biggio is entering what is likely his final season.

The Astros are at a crossroads, as they are developing a different roster and attempting to create a club with the chance of leapfrogging the Cardinals for the division.  However, you can’t help but feel that a part of the soul of that clubhouse has just left with Bagwell.

Maybe the Astros can find a new set of constants in Lance Berkman and Chris Burke? 

Or maybe Bagwell and Biggio are a case of once in a generation teammates, and there’s no duplicating what they have done for the Astros.

But one thing is for sure.

It’s a brave new world for the Astros.

Mattingly Promoted To Bench Coach

In another sign that Joe Girardi won’t get the Yankees job, Don Mattingly was promoted to bench coach by the New York Yankees on Wednesday, in a move made to make him the definite successor to Joe Torre after the 2007 season.  Mattingly, who spent the last three years as the Yankees' hitting coach, succeeds Lee Mazzilli, whose contract was not renewed.  Mattingly is reportedly favored by General Manager Brian Cashman to succeed Torre, and is a key reason why Lou Pinella was not wanted by the Yankees GM.

Jeff Allison Is In Trouble Again

Jeff Allison, the 2003 First Round Pick of the Florida Marlins’ trobuled prospect, is in trouble again.  He faces three felony charges, one count for heroin possession and two for possession of stolen vehicles, stemming from separate incidents last week in North Carolina.  Allison has also has been charged with possession of drugparaphernalia and resisting a public officer, both misdemeanors, in connection with an Oct. 25 incident.  Police said Allison was spotted driving a 2002 Dodge Ram truck that had been reported stolen when he was pulled over.  Allison also faces a Dec. 4 court date in neighboring High Point, N.C., on a separate charge of felony possession of a stolen vehicle. That alleged incident took place a day earlier, police said, and involved a 2001 Chevrolet Astro van reported stolen from the parking lot of a lighting company.Under North Carolina law, Allison could serve more than four years in jail if convicted on all charges. However, his lack of a prior felony conviction makes him eligible to enter a court-ordered drug-treatment program; if he completes it the charges could be dismissed.   The pitcher suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose in July 2004 and reportedly was found unconscious by Medford, Mass., police in August.  Allison, a former high school star in the Boston area, has failed at least one drug test for marijuana and has sought treatment for OxyContin dependency.   He has not pitched professionally since August 2005, and was recently placed on the restricted list by the Marlins. Allison has made just 20 starts over the past four years. He spent the 2005 season at Class A Greensboro, going 5-4, 4.18.

This is just another twist in the sad story of Jeff Allison, who was thought to be the next Josh Beckett for the Marlins, as he was easily the best high school pitcher in 2003.  However, his problems has destroyed his future in Major League Baseball and, if he’s remains free, he’ll likely have to spend years in the indy leagues to even get another shot.  The Marlisn retain his rights, but the organization is extremely doubtful on whether or not he’ll ever pitch for them again.  When ased if the Marlins have given up hope on him, they had only this to say:

"You could probably say that."

Free Agency Rumblings And Grumblings

·          Daisuke Matsuzaka is going to have a lot less teams chasing after him.  The Mariners, as reported, are dropping out of the running and both Los Angeles clubs are going to bail as well.  That just leaves the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Cubs, and possibly the Red Sox to make a pitch for the young talent.  If I had to make a predication, I would say the Rangers, not out of bias, but because Rangers owner Tom Hicks is crazy enough to go over the top in terms of a bid (Alex Rodriguez anyone?)

·          Look for the White Sox to be active this winter.  The Sox want to move one of their five starters to allow Brandon McCarthy to enter the rotation, with Freddy Garcia or Javier Vasquez being the likely victims, as Jon Garland was their ace down the stretch last year.  Garcia has said he wouldn’t mind going to New York and the Mets could offer Aaron Heilman in return to help bridge the gap to Bobby Jenks.  One problem:  Heilman wants to start and dislikes coming out of the bullpen.

·          The White Sox could also deal McCarthy as well.  Left field (and centerfield for that matter) were offensive wastelands for the White Sox.  Kenny Williams loves Devil Rays slugger Carl Crawford, one of the most desirable players in baseball, thanks to his extremely club friendly contract.  Offering McCarthy in return for Crawford would be just the thing to pry the talented young slugger from the D-Rays.

·          Alfonso Soriano apparently wants Carlos Beltran money, $119 million over 7 years.  However, it doesn’t look like it will be with any of the New York Teams, as the Yankees have a surplus of outfielders and the Mets need starting pitching.  The White Sox could get involved, as Soriano can function as a leadoff man and play a solid left field.  The Cubs are strongly considering pursing Soriano to play centerfield, while the Orioles, desperate to make a splash, are reportedly using Miguel Tejada to try and get Soriano’s ear.  Soriano will get his money, it just depends where.

·          As mentioned in The Rangers Report, Gary Matthews Jr. is rapidly beginning to price himself out of the Texas Rangers’ reach, as he’s attracting interest from the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, and the Chicago Cubs, to name a few.

·          As expected, Aramis Ramirez opted out of his contract and, despite news that the Cubs are close to re-singing the talented third baseman, all three teams in Southern California, the Dodgers, Angels and Padres, are reportedly in pursuit as well.  Ramirez is reportedly the Angels’ number one off-season priority.

Friday Morning Closer

Here’s my six pitch outing for the day.

Roy Oswalt Is Pissed

The Astros have managed tick off ace righthander Roy Oswalt when it came out that his name was being shopped around at the trade deadline.  According to sources in the industry, Oswalt had been offered to Baltimore in a package along with Adam Everett and Willy Taveras for Miguel Tejada.  The Orioles, in typical Orioles fashion, further #### up the situation by offering Oswalt to the Texas Rangers and the New York Mets.  Despite being somewhat diplomatic, it’s obvious that Oswalt was miffed at the fact that he was even considered being moved.  

Short term, the Astros now have to deal with a fractured clubhouse with Oswalt now angry, Lidge wondering about his future and Morgan Ensberg, despite being glad at remaining an Astro, wondering at his future.  Oswalt is under contract until the end of the 2007 season and has stated that he would like to test free agency.  What this means is that the Astros can no longer expect a discount on Oswalt to remain in Houston long term.  And despite the fact that Oswalt hoped to remain an Astro for his career, he may now be more open to pitching elsewhere in the future.  There are a lot of egos to sooth for the Astros in a season that’s beginning to look lost.

Are The Red Sox Becoming The Angels?

Two things that the Red Sox have in common with the Angels this season.

One – They both highly value their prospects .

Two – They both are reluctant to get rid of them.

With the Yankees bringing in both Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle, plus getting Craig Wilson to platoon at first base, the Red Sox needed to make a move to keep pace.

And all they did was trade for Brian Corey.

The Red Sox could have used Julio Lugo to play at shortstop, giving them a much more potent bat without sacrificing much of the defense.  They also could have traded for another pitcher that wouldn’t have cost too much, perhaps Mark Redman from the Royals or someone else.

Instead, the Red Sox are now faced with having to contend with their available roster, which is talented, but flawed.  Outside of Schilling and Beckett, the Red Sox are faced with having to put out young Jon Lester (who can’t last more than six), David Wells (not sure if he can make it past five), and Jason Johnson (who is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA since he arrived at Fenway.)  This is where Tim Wakefield was so valuable.  He was able to eat innings and take some pressure off the bullpen.  He was also able to push the weaker pitchers to the back, thus keeping Boston’s rotation weaknesses safe.  This is no longer an option now.

Do I think it was worth holding onto Craig Hansen and Jon Lester?  Yes.  But the Red Sox had needs that they had to fill and were they willing to dip into the system and make a trade, they would have a better change of fending off the Yankees.  Instead, they’re having to hold onto their post-season hopes and pray that the staff doesn’t fracture any worse that it already is. 

Now Closing, Brett Tomko?

Brett Tomko, who is now finishing his first week as a reliever, has said that his goal is to eventually be a closer.  Tomko was quick to add he isn't targeting anyone else's job, with Danys Baez gone, Eric Gagne likely not returning, and Takashi Saito not a long-term replacement, Tomko could have a crack at the job in spring training if he returns.

So far, that hasn't been a problem. In three one-inning relief appearances, Tomko has yet to allow a run and has given up just one hit.  I’m not sure if Tomko can close, he really doesn’t fit the profile of most closers, but with the market on closers steadily increasing, the Dodgers couldn’t do any worse than to give him a shot.  At the very least, if Tomko succeeds, they could slowly integrate rookie Jonathan Broxton into the closers role as a setup man, just as the Yankees did with Mariano Rivera when he setup for John Wetteland.

Kenny Rogers Possibly To Lose His Rotation Spot

Two weeks after the All-Star break, there is talk that Kenny Rogers is in danger of losing his roster spot.

Before the break, Rogers was 11-3 with a 3.85 ERA.  Since the break, he’s 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA.  And while the Tigers are still enjoying a 7 ½ game lead in their division, they aren’t taking any chances. 

I could have told the Tigers about that.

The fact is, Kenny has always fallen off in the second inning.  Part of it is age, but part of it is that Kenny has long put in so much effort into his games that he pays for it later in the season.  Hence, Detroit should not complain about Kenny’s slump.  It’s natural and, had they done their due diligence, was going to happen no matter what.

Sheffield To Play First Base?

In one of the most astounding moves I’ve seen, Gary Sheffield is reportedly agreeing to switch to first base in order to accommodate Bobby Abreu.  This move would give the Yankees a platoon of Sheffield and Giambi, both of whom can switch positions on the list according to the needs of the other.  Sheffield is reportedly already working on first base drills with Don Mattingly and has already ordered a first base fielding glove.

If Sheff were to play first, he’d probably play very well there.  Sheffield is a pretty good defender if he gives it the effort.  Say if Sheffield plays first once he returns in September and fares well in that month and possibly the post-season if the Yankees make it. The Yankees would have to pick up his option on his contract.

And can you imagine a lineup that looks like this:

CF – Johnny Damon

SS – Derek Jeter

1B – Gary Sheffield

DH – Jason Giambi

LF – Hideki Matsui

RF – Bobby Abreu

3B – Alex Rodriguez

C – Jorge Posada

2B – Robinson Cano

That would be hell on pitchers.

Also, it would allow the Yankees to pursue solid pitching, such as Barry Zito.  Because, speaking frankly, next year is likely the last year the Yankees can squeeze out of their staff.  In fact, there is a column idea in that.  Look for it next week.

Where In The World Is…Jeff Bagwell!

Where have you gone, Jeff Bagwell?

Oh.  Italy.

Jeff Bagwell is currently vacationing around several places, most notably San Diego.  And while Bagwell hasn’t had another surgery to repair his shoulder, he’s probably not going to do so, officially ending his career.  Apparently, for the first time in four or five years, Bagwell is not in excruciating pain. And while Bagwell could undergo the surgery and try to come back with another team, he does not want to.  Plus, with the Astros still contesting the court judgment about his salary, he’s not going to ever play for the Astros again.  Thus, GM Tim Purpura is contemplating bringing Bagwell onto the staff with a personal services contract, bringing him to the same capacity as Nolan Ryan.

Should that happen?  Yes, it should.  That fact is, this is the first time I’ve ever seen the Astros go through as many PR flops as I’ve ever seen.  The whole ugly mess with Bagwell, the fallout with the trade deadline with Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt, plus the team’s terrible performance has given the organization a black eye in several ways.  If the Astros were to bring back one of the two men who had long stayed a part of the franchise through thick and thin, it would bring back some goodwill to the organization.

Ah, the All-Star Game.  Where the players, voted in by the fans, honor them by taking the…hey, where’s Manny?

Sorry, couldn’t resist…

Because of the All-Star Week, I’m doing a set of special features for you guys.  If you all miss On The Block, have no fear, it will return next week with a vengeance.  In the meantime, here is a fun feature I decided to do.  If I were to make an All-Star team made up of All-Stars from every generation, what would I get? 

Let’s see what I came up with.  As always, disagreements, agreements, or hate mail can be commented on below or fired away privately at morisatos_blog@yahoodotcom.

American League

Catcher – Ivan Rodriguez.  Pudge is probably the greatest American League catcher of his time.  Not only is he a solid defender at team leader, but his offense will add depth to my line up.

First Base – Lou Gehrig.  Another solid defender that could Mash, Gehrig almost certainly would have joined Ruth in the 500 club had it not been for the unfortunate illness that claimed his life.  Still, if I could have him on my team for this one game, I’d totally take him as he was a hell of a cleanup hitter.  Although, on this team, he’d probably be hitting 7^th or so.

Second Base – Napoleon Lajoie.  I could have gone with a shortstop to take his spot, but Nap Lajoie was the greatest second baseman in baseball history.  While he didn’t have a lot of power, Lajoie got on base a lot, which in turns gives me the opportunity to score more runs.

Shortstop – Alex Rodriguez.  I could have gone with either Jeter or Ripkin, but the fact is that had A-Rod remained at shortstop, he would have gone down as one of the greatest shortstops of all time.  Plus, with A-Rod’s glove out at shortstop, I have a great infield defense that should help save some runs.

Third Base – Wade Boggs.  Boggsy, another high OBP guy and smart hitter, gives me further depth on the team while minimizing the amount of outs I’ll get.  He was also a solid defender and a great team player.  I can’t go wrong here.

Left Field – Ted Williams.  The highest OBP of All Time in the American League, Williams also had excellent plate discipline and a drive to perform at the highest level.

Center Field – Mickey Mantle.  Could have gone with Joe D here, but DiMaggio never had Mantle’s power.  Plus, Mantle is a switch hitter. And a solid defender.

Right Field – Babe Ruth.  Would form the heart of my lineup with hitting behind Mantle, Ruth would not only give me an offensive power threat, but also a lot of walks, boosting my On Base Percentage.

Starter – Roger Clemens.  No DH rule is allowed, so I have to go with Clemens.  I could have gone with Walter Johnson and his 417 career wins, but Clemens throws more strikes than Johnson, which in turn gives me more outs.  

National League

Catcher – Johnny Bench.  The greatest catcher in the history of the game, Bench could do it all: hit, field, you name it, he could do it. 

First Base – Jeff Bagwell.  I could have gone with Willie McCovey, but Bagwell has a higher slugging percentage than McCovey and hit more homers per season than McCovey was every able to do.

Second Base – Joe Morgan.  A tough call between Morgan and Jeff Kent.  Ultimately, I chose Morgan because he strikes out less often and got on base more.  But Kent’s numbers are awfully tempting…

Shortstop – Honus Wagner.  Not only does The Flying Dutchman give me a outstanding glove at shortstop, but his high contact rates and decent power numbers help give my lineup depth.

Third Base – Mike Schmidt.  The top home run hitter among third baseman, Schmidt also gives me another power threat in the lineup, in order to try and counter Mantle, Ruth, and Williams in the AL. 

Left Field – Pete Rose.  The greatest lead-off man of all time, and a personal favorite of mine, I gotta have Charlie Hustle out there in left.  On a side note, I have one of his home run balls from 1969. 

Center Field – Willie Mays.  Any National League All-Star lineup would be incomplete without the Say Hey Kid. 

Right Field – Hank Aaron.  Hammering Hank gives my lineup a further power threat.

Starter – Cy Young.  Though Young is mostly remembered for his time with the Boston Red Sox, he spent most of his time (11.5 seasons vs. 10.5 seasons) in the National League.  With him as an option, you’d better believe I’d start him.