Tigers#1
08-31-2002, 08:43 PM
CINCINNATI -- Third baseman Mark Loretta, whose seven seasons in a Milwaukee uniform gave him more tenure with the team than any other current Brewer, was traded Saturday by Milwaukee to the Houston Astros shortly before the Brewers' game against the Reds at Cinergy Field.
Loretta was in manager Jerry Royster's starting lineup, but he had to be scratched after the deal was consummated.
"Jerry told him, but I was there," David Wilder, Milwaukee's vice president of player personnel, said during the second inning of Saturday's game. "He was a little shocked, but he's a pro. He took it as well as you can take it. He's getting the chance to play for a winning team."
The Brewers went into Saturday's game with a 47-87 record and in last place in the National League Central, 27 1/2 games behind division-leading St. Louis. The Astros were in second place, 2 1/2 behind the Cardinals.
The Brewers, who also sent cash to the Astros, are expected to receive a pitcher and a position player from Houston.
"We're getting two players we can control," Wilder said. "Mark was going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and it was questionable as to whether we could sign him for next year."
Loretta, 31, was hitting .267 with two home runs and 19 RBIs for the Brewers in 86 games this season. His fourth-inning homer in Milwaukee's 9-4 win over the Reds on Friday was the 750th hit of his Major League career.
Loretta is a member of the Major League Baseball Players Association executive council, which helped negotiate the association's landmark agreement that avoided a strike Friday.
Loretta was in manager Jerry Royster's starting lineup, but he had to be scratched after the deal was consummated.
"Jerry told him, but I was there," David Wilder, Milwaukee's vice president of player personnel, said during the second inning of Saturday's game. "He was a little shocked, but he's a pro. He took it as well as you can take it. He's getting the chance to play for a winning team."
The Brewers went into Saturday's game with a 47-87 record and in last place in the National League Central, 27 1/2 games behind division-leading St. Louis. The Astros were in second place, 2 1/2 behind the Cardinals.
The Brewers, who also sent cash to the Astros, are expected to receive a pitcher and a position player from Houston.
"We're getting two players we can control," Wilder said. "Mark was going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and it was questionable as to whether we could sign him for next year."
Loretta, 31, was hitting .267 with two home runs and 19 RBIs for the Brewers in 86 games this season. His fourth-inning homer in Milwaukee's 9-4 win over the Reds on Friday was the 750th hit of his Major League career.
Loretta is a member of the Major League Baseball Players Association executive council, which helped negotiate the association's landmark agreement that avoided a strike Friday.