Gone Shoppin'

Jason Michael Barker

I love the July 31 trading deadline.

As we approach deadline day, there are more rumors and more speculation than any other time during the year. Everybody knows Cleveland (along with nearly every other contending team) wants pitching, but who will it be -- Kevin Appier, Darryl Kile, Chuck Finley, or even Curt Schilling?

With the deadline in mind, here's a quick look around the majors at what the contending teams need and who might be available in the next few days.

We begin in Cleveland, where the Tribe have been looking for another starter for what seems like years. Unfortunately for them, this year's crop doesn't stack up to last year's Randy Johnson and Todd Stottlemyre, but Kevin Appier (9-9, 4.87 ERA in 22 starts) is definitely available, and his $4.8M salary is quite reasonable. Expect competition from Boston, who were rumored to be hot on Appier at the start of the season and would still like to pick up another pitcher, and possibly Texas, who would love to shore up their rotation for the post-season.

Two other names which have been floated are Chuck Finley of the Angels and Juan Guzman of the Orioles. Finley has said he'd only accept a trade to either Cleveland or the Yankees, which he can do as a "five-and-ten" man (ten years in baseball, five with the same team). He hasn't pitched particularly well this season, however (5-9, 5.68 ERA in 21 starts), so Anaheim may have to take whatever they can get for him.

Guzman is having his typical season -- ERA around four with a ton of walks -- and would be a good pick-up for either Cleveland or Texas. His wildness wouldn't be a huge problem with the Rangers, who have defensive whiz Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate. Baltimore might also be willing to trade Scott Erickson or even Mike Mussina if the right deal comes along.

Contending on the pitching front, the Reds might be in the market for a pitcher if they feel they can compete with Houston in the NL Central. A guy like Appier, with his relatively small contract, would make sense, and Cincy has a glut of OF/1B types to give up in return including Dimitri Young and Mike Cameron, although that might not fit with what Kansas City currently needs.

Colorado's Darryl Kile is probably only still in Denver because of his contract, which guarantees him over $8M next season. The Rockies might have to pay a portion of that to get a deal done, but if they will, you know Cleveland and Texas will be interested. However, Kile's numbers (5-10, 6.34 ERA in 22 starts) look horrible, even taking park effects into account -- he's 3-7 with an ERA over five on the road this season -- so buyer beware. Perhaps the Astros would be willing to give Kile another shot?

On to Boston, where the Sox can't be satisfied with Tim Wakefield closing games. Tampa Bay's Roberto Hernandez (27 saves, 3.35 ERA) is reportedly on the block, and has only blown three save chances all season. Of all the contending teams this season Boston is really the only one in need of a closer, which is to their advantage because there won't be a bidding war for his services. Of course, the Braves might panic (as they nearly did last season with Kerry Ligtenberg) and decide they need a veteran closer rather than the unproven John Rocker.

If Boston can't acquire Hernandez, there's always Mike Trombley of the Twins, or maybe even Ugueth Urbina of the Expos, who was on the block earlier this season. Trombley would command much less in trade but isn't nearly the pitcher Hernandez or Urbina are, while nabbing Urbina would no doubt require a king's ransom since the Expos aren't forced to deal him.

Even if the Braves don't go after Hernandez, they certainly have their eyes set on another player in a Devil Rays uniform, Fred McGriff. Atlanta would love to acquire a power-hitting first baseman even though rookie Randall Simon has played well this season in limited time, and the Braves have a deep farm system with which to deal. Another possibility is Eric Karros, if the Dodgers decide to start cutting payroll, or Detroit's Tony Clark, who has been mentioned in all sorts of trade talk this season.

Meanwhile, Toronto is supposedly in the market for a right-handed hitter in a designated hitter mold to bolster their line-up. Seattle's Butch Huskey would have been a good choice, but he was dealt to Boston last week, leaving Glenallen Hill of the Cubs as a possible target. Hill doesn't run well or play good outfield defense, but he can do one thing well: pound left-handed pitching.

Toronto was supposedly in the market for a right-handed hitter in a designated hitter mold to bolster their lineup, but it looks like they've solved that problem by acquiring Seattle 1B David Segui on Wednesday. Segui will take over at first, while slugger Carlos Delgado, a better hitter but not as good in the field, will move to DH.

Another scenario had the Blue Jays acquiring a third baseman (Vinny Castilla?), which would have allowed them to move veteran Tony Fernandez to full-time DH. Looks like Fernandez will continue at third for the rest of the year, though.

Tune in next time, when we'll analyze all the trades that went down up to and at the Saturday night deadline.

about the author

Realizing his fantasy season is toast, Jason Michael Barker dealt Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire and Albert Belle for an entire farm team. Tell him he could've got the Expos cheaper at jmb@strikethree.com.