Trade Deadline: Appetizers

Jason Michael Barker

I have to be honest -- as a transactions junkie, I was starting to wonder if we'd see any big trades before Wednesday's non-waiver trading deadline. Then suddenly things perked up this weekend with reliever Paul Shuey going from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and then the trade market really got going Monday with Scott Rolen finally leaving Philly.

Hopefully this isn't the end of the trading season, particularly if you feel your team still needs to acquire that final veteran starting pitcher or right-handed bat with power. That in mind, here's a quick rundown of the recent deals in MLB, beginning with the biggest. (Click on the names of minor leaguers to view their stats at BaseballAmerica.com.)

To St. Louis: 3B Scott Rolen, RHP Doug Nickle
To Philadelphia: 3B Placido Polanco, LHP Bud Smith, RHP Mike Timlin

Since the end of last season it hasn't been so much a question of if Scott Rolen would be traded, but rather when general manager Ed Wade would finally see a package he liked. Wade demanded quite a bit at the winter meetings, only to see other clubs balk at his asking price. For his part, Rolen didn't do his GM any favors by hitting .260/.358/.472 this year, well below his .285/.375/.508 career line.

With Rolen's trade value decreasing by the day and Wade unable to pry Adrian Beltre from the Dodgers or Shea Hillenbrand from the Red Sox, he was finally forced to settle for a package of players not considerably better than what Colorado got for Jeff Cirillo this winter, with Cirillo considered more valuable at the time because of his contract status.

Polanco is miscast as a starter at third base, because while he is defensively sound, his offensive game consists of an empty .300 batting average and little else. By "empty" I mean that he doesn't draw walks or hit for power, meaning his overall contribution leaves quite a bit to be desired. He would make a very good utility infielder because of his ability to play three positions and hit a little, but at third his bat his lacking.

The key to this deal for the Phillies will be Smith, who tossed a no-hitter as a 21-year old rookie last season but has yet to build on last year's performance. Snubbed for a starting job out of spring training, he began the year at AAA but was quickly recalled in early April and was hit very hard. He sports an ugly 6.94 ERA on the season, though he did toss seven shutout innings on July 14 before getting roughed up in his last start.

A soft-tosser, Smith relies on having command of his pitches rather than overpowering hitters. In 84.2 innings last season he walked just 24 hitters; so far this season he has already walked 22 in just 48 innings. If he can find his control again, he can pitch effectively like he did last season, and it's this upside the Phillies are counting on.

Timlin, a solid but expensive reliever (2002 salary: $5.25M) was included in this deal largely for financial reasons, as he'll be a free agent at the end of the season. It sounds strange, but the way teams are operating these days, baseball is sounding more and more like the NBA, where trades must match under the salary cap.

Reliever Doug Nickle is an interesting throw-in for the Cardinals, because he's an effective pitcher who works cheap. He's a much better deal at the major league minimum than Timlin is at over $5M, for example, but at 27 he'll need to hope the Cards can get past his "career minor leaguer" label to give him a shot. Nickle had a 2.97 ERA at AAA Scranton before the trade, and had walked just 16 hitters in 60.2 innings of work.

All of which is to say the Cardinals got a pretty good deal for an All-Star caliber third baseman who also plays Gold Glove defense. Rolen's presence pushes Albert Pujols to the outfield for good, where he'll team with Jim Edmonds and J.D. Drew to comprise perhaps the best trio in the National League. There's also a very good chance Rolen will sign a new contract with the Cardinals this winter, as he was looking to play in the Midwest.

Overall, a very nice deal for St. Louis, which should bolster their attack for this season and beyond (assuming they are able to work out a contract with Rolen). The Phillies were up against the trade deadline and probably did the best they could, though this particular deal hinges quite a bit on Smith returning to, and building on, his 2001 form.

To San Francisco: OF Kenny Lofton
To Chicago: RHP Felix Diaz, LHP Ryan Meaux

Monday's first minor deal saw the Giants pick up some much-needed outfield help, as their three regulars (Barry Bonds, Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Reggie Sanders) have all come down with nagging injuries in the past several weeks. It has gotten so bad for the Giants that Dusty Baker actually started an outfield of Shawon Dunston, Tom Goodwin and Ramon E. Martinez last week. Ick.

I like this move for both clubs. Lofton is a decent gamble for the Giants, who could use some speed and a platoon partner for Shinjo in center. It would be a very nice platoon, with Lofton's .818 OPS against righties and Shinjo's .846 mark against lefties. Lofton is also getting up there in age and could use the rest afforded by a platoon situation, while pinch-hitting and running on his off days.

As for the White Sox, they certainly weren't going anywhere with Lofton this season and did well to land two young pitchers in return for his services. Diaz had a 2.70 ERA in 12 AA starts at the time of the deal, and throws his fastball in the mid-90s. He may wind up in relief if he's unable to develop his breaking pitches, but he adds a good arm to the system regardless. Meaux, a diminutive lefty with better control that stuff, is several years from the majors but could wind up a situational reliever like Ricky Rincon or Mike Myers.

To Colorado: C Sandy Alomar Jr.
To Chicago: RHP Enemencio Pacheco

Monday's second minor move had the White Sox again dealing away veteran talent, though with Sandy Alomar Jr. you have to use the word loosely. That's not quite fair; when healthy, Alomar has been a productive player. The problem is that he's been hurt more often than not over the past several seasons, and his last good year came way back in 1997. Teams love veteran catchers, though, so Alomar is still in demand.

As with Lofton -- and Ray Durham, who they traded last week -- this was a case of the White Sox getting an early jump on 2003 by dumping players who don't fit into their long range plans. It doesn't really matter than Pacheco is a marginal relief prospect, what matters is that Mark Johnson and Josh Paul now have two months to show the club who should be the frontrunner for the catching job in spring training next year.

As long as we're on the subject, I've liked Johnson ever since he drew 100 walks at AA back in 1998. Of course, he has almost no power to speak of and hasn't shown the ability to hit even .250 in the majors, though his defense and plate discipline remain good. I'll keep rooting for him, though at this point it's hard to be optimistic.

To Los Angeles: RHP Paul Shuey
To Cleveland: RHP Ricardo Rodriguez, RHP Francisco Cruceta, LHP Terry Mulholland

The final deal is leftover from this weekend, and it's a very good one for the Indians. General manager Mark Shapiro has taken some heat this season for the rebuilding process going on in Cleveland, but for the most part I think he's done a good job. First he traded Russ Branyan to the Reds for Ben Broussard, a younger and cheaper version of the original. He next swindled the Expos out of three of their top five prospects for Bartolo Colon, and now he's swapped an oft-injured reliever for two good young arms.

Don't get me wrong -- Shuey is a good reliever. He sports a 2.41 ERA this season, and for his career he has a 3.60 mark with 450 strikeouts in just over 400 innings. But he has also been on the disabled list 11 times since 1994, including once this year with a strained groin. Last season he missed nearly two months with an elbow injury that nearly required Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers have to hope he isn't just an injury waiting to happen, as Shuey also has two years and more than $6M left on his current contract.

Give Shapiro credit for turning a replaceable, expensive and relatively questionable commodity into something useful. Rodriguez had his age revised up one year this off-season to 24, but he's still a solid prospect after posting a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts at AA, with just 13 walks in 68 innings. He was recently promoted to AAA, where he had a 3.86 ERA in two starts before the trade. The righty throws his fastball in the mid-90s, and his off-speed pitches are said to be developing nicely. He could see Cleveland as soon as this September, as well as being in the mix for a rotation spot next spring.

Cruceta, 21, started showing up on prospect lists this April when he threw a no-hitter in the South Atlantic League (low-A ball). He had a 2.80 ERA in 20 starts at the time of the trade, with 111 strikeouts against just 34 walks in 113 innings. He too throws in the mid90s, though his velocity is said to vary between 90 and 95 depending on the day. Cruceta is young and still several years from the majors, but he has fared quite well this season in his first exposure to baseball in North America after spending three years in the Dominican Summer League.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker has yet to meet a meet a baseball book he didn't like. Suggest that could all change with Selig: My Life in Baseball when you write to jmb@strikethree.com.

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