amag
12-16-2002, 06:57 PM
12/15/2002 7:36 pm ET
Cards deal for Padres' Tomko
St. Louis gives up Hackman and player to be named
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It wasn't quite a magic trick on the order of making the Empire State Building disappear, but Walt Jocketty pulled a nice little rabbit out of a hat Sunday.
The Cardinals general manager did something that seemed nearly impossible -- he bolstered his starting rotation without breaking up St. Louis' strong core of position players. The Cardinals acquired right-hander Brett Tomko, 29, from San Diego in exchange for right-handed reliever Luther Hackman and a player to be named later. For the time being, the move ends the Cardinals' search for starting pitching.
"I said all along, we wanted to try to improve our pitching staff without having to disrupt our everyday lineup," Jocketty said. "And that's exactly what we did in Tomko. Unless something falls in our lap here in the next few days or weeks, I don't see that changing."
Jocketty had been trying to re-sign left-hander Chuck Finley, but there was no progress in those talks in recent days. Now, with Tomko -- who is arbitration-eligible -- in the fold, the team no longer has any interest in Finley.
"We had to make a decision whether we thought we could sign Chuck or not," Jocketty said, "and weigh this against that, and we just felt that this was a very strong possibility for us. ... There was a possibility of it going away and we didn't want it to go away. So we had to make the deal today."
Finley still could accept arbitration, which would put the Redbirds in a tight spot, but it has been reported that he and the team had an agreement that he would decline if they could not come to a deal. Tomko reportedly made $1.1 million in 2002, so even with an arbitration raise he will likely cost quite a bit less than Finley.
It also can't hurt that Tomko is thrilled to be coming to St. Louis. A frequent subject of trade talk, he had been considering the possibilities, and the thought of wearing Cardinal red was an appealing one.
"I'm pretty excited," he said. "I caught wind of it a couple of days ago from (Padres general manager Kevin) Towers. When I heard it could be St. Louis, I got my hopes up. I always liked pitching there and if I had to pick three or four teams to go to, St. Louis would always be up there.
"They're rich in tradition. Their fans are among the best in baseball. They're always in contention. Being with Seattle, I got a taste of the postseason. This past season, San Diego was out of it (quickly). It's nice to have a chance to win, and St. Louis is always in it."
Tomko is known for having excellent stuff, but he hasn't always had the opportunity or the results to show for it. However, given a full-time chance in 2002, he came through with a strong, if not spectacular, season. He topped 200 innings, going 10-10 with a 4.49 ERA for a team that lost 96 games.
But the Cardinals believe that he can do much more with them. Given the skills of pitching coach Dave Duncan and St. Louis' superb infield defense, Jocketty expects feels Tomko can return to the form he showed in 1997 and '98.
"Absolutely," Jocketty said. "Dave Duncan prepares for each game, he and (bullpen coach) Marty Mason view a lot of videotape on other pitchers. They saw a lot of Tomko's games last year because we were facing the same clubs late in the year, and he was very very impressed with what he saw. He thought that there was great upside to Tomko."
This marks the second straight year that Tomko has been dealt during the Winter Meetings. In 2001, San Diego acquired him from Seattle in a deal that also included catcher Ben Davis. He was also part of the 2000 trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. from Seattle to Cincinnati.
"I do have some mixed emotions," Tomko said. "I'm excited to go to St. Louis, but I am sad leaving home. But the excitement outweighs the disappointment of leaving San Diego. You know how once the season ends, it's just waiting for Spring Training to start. I'm ready to go now. You could send me to Florida today."
Hackman went 5-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 2002. He made six starts, five in the summer when the Cardinals rotation was decimated by injuries. He is not yet arbitration-eligible, which fits in with the Padres' relatively tight budget. The move makes room for another of the Padres assortment of talented young pitchers.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. He can be reached at Matthew_H_Leach@yahoo.com. Jonathan Mayo contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Cards deal for Padres' Tomko
St. Louis gives up Hackman and player to be named
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It wasn't quite a magic trick on the order of making the Empire State Building disappear, but Walt Jocketty pulled a nice little rabbit out of a hat Sunday.
The Cardinals general manager did something that seemed nearly impossible -- he bolstered his starting rotation without breaking up St. Louis' strong core of position players. The Cardinals acquired right-hander Brett Tomko, 29, from San Diego in exchange for right-handed reliever Luther Hackman and a player to be named later. For the time being, the move ends the Cardinals' search for starting pitching.
"I said all along, we wanted to try to improve our pitching staff without having to disrupt our everyday lineup," Jocketty said. "And that's exactly what we did in Tomko. Unless something falls in our lap here in the next few days or weeks, I don't see that changing."
Jocketty had been trying to re-sign left-hander Chuck Finley, but there was no progress in those talks in recent days. Now, with Tomko -- who is arbitration-eligible -- in the fold, the team no longer has any interest in Finley.
"We had to make a decision whether we thought we could sign Chuck or not," Jocketty said, "and weigh this against that, and we just felt that this was a very strong possibility for us. ... There was a possibility of it going away and we didn't want it to go away. So we had to make the deal today."
Finley still could accept arbitration, which would put the Redbirds in a tight spot, but it has been reported that he and the team had an agreement that he would decline if they could not come to a deal. Tomko reportedly made $1.1 million in 2002, so even with an arbitration raise he will likely cost quite a bit less than Finley.
It also can't hurt that Tomko is thrilled to be coming to St. Louis. A frequent subject of trade talk, he had been considering the possibilities, and the thought of wearing Cardinal red was an appealing one.
"I'm pretty excited," he said. "I caught wind of it a couple of days ago from (Padres general manager Kevin) Towers. When I heard it could be St. Louis, I got my hopes up. I always liked pitching there and if I had to pick three or four teams to go to, St. Louis would always be up there.
"They're rich in tradition. Their fans are among the best in baseball. They're always in contention. Being with Seattle, I got a taste of the postseason. This past season, San Diego was out of it (quickly). It's nice to have a chance to win, and St. Louis is always in it."
Tomko is known for having excellent stuff, but he hasn't always had the opportunity or the results to show for it. However, given a full-time chance in 2002, he came through with a strong, if not spectacular, season. He topped 200 innings, going 10-10 with a 4.49 ERA for a team that lost 96 games.
But the Cardinals believe that he can do much more with them. Given the skills of pitching coach Dave Duncan and St. Louis' superb infield defense, Jocketty expects feels Tomko can return to the form he showed in 1997 and '98.
"Absolutely," Jocketty said. "Dave Duncan prepares for each game, he and (bullpen coach) Marty Mason view a lot of videotape on other pitchers. They saw a lot of Tomko's games last year because we were facing the same clubs late in the year, and he was very very impressed with what he saw. He thought that there was great upside to Tomko."
This marks the second straight year that Tomko has been dealt during the Winter Meetings. In 2001, San Diego acquired him from Seattle in a deal that also included catcher Ben Davis. He was also part of the 2000 trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. from Seattle to Cincinnati.
"I do have some mixed emotions," Tomko said. "I'm excited to go to St. Louis, but I am sad leaving home. But the excitement outweighs the disappointment of leaving San Diego. You know how once the season ends, it's just waiting for Spring Training to start. I'm ready to go now. You could send me to Florida today."
Hackman went 5-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 2002. He made six starts, five in the summer when the Cardinals rotation was decimated by injuries. He is not yet arbitration-eligible, which fits in with the Padres' relatively tight budget. The move makes room for another of the Padres assortment of talented young pitchers.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. He can be reached at Matthew_H_Leach@yahoo.com. Jonathan Mayo contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.