Baseball Guru
07-09-2002, 10:10 AM
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
July 8, 2002, 7:08 PM EDT
MILWAUKEE -- Cries of unfairness once again are ringing throughout in baseball.
The New York Yankees are adding big contracts and star players as usual, and the Montreal Expos are in the center of lots of big trade talks.
The Expos? Yes, the Expos.
The team that barely survived contraction in the offseason and is owned by the other 29 clubs has already traded for Cleveland ace Bartolo Colon and is discussing deals for Florida's Cliff Floyd and Ryan Dempster, and Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernandez.
"It looks like they are trying to make the team attractive for a buyer," Florida third baseman Mike Lowell said. "They're in our division and they're adding players and we're rebuilding a rebuilt team. A team that was supposed to be contracted has picked up Bartolo Colon. You have to question it."
Commissioner Bud Selig says there's nothing wrong with the unusual relationship between major league baseball and the Expos front office, despite the fact that he put Montreal's management team of GM Omar Minaya, president Tony Tavares and manager Frank Robinson in place.
Minaya said he's just doing whatever he can to win.
"I owe it to the players on this team and the city of Montreal to put the best team possible out there," said Minaya, who added that he hasn't consulted the commissioner's office about any of his player moves this season.
Atlanta, which is aiming for its 11th straight division title, has a 9-game lead over Montreal in the NL East. But the Braves are paying attention to the moves the Expos have made.
"It's an odd situation," Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine said. "It's certainly not what you expected in spring training. If you asked people then, they'd say the Expos would be getting rid of everybody not adding people."
Instead, with an uncertain future, Minaya has shown a willingness to trade prospects for players that could help his team's postseason run. The Expos are five games behind Arizona in the wild card chase.
That's a big change from recent years when the Expos unloaded players like Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, John Wetteland and Moises Alou to save money.
"It's always fun to add players," Expos second baseman Jose Vidro said. "It had been the other way for so many years. It's a surprise."
If Montreal does find a way to pass Atlanta, the Braves say they won't use the midseason additions as an excuse.
"If they win it, they deserve it," outfielder Andruw Jones said. "They've put a good team together, but they still have to play the games."
The Yankees are also causing jealousy after trading a Double-A reliever to Toronto for former All-Star Raul Mondesi -- and paying $11.5 million of his salary the next two years. New York also acquired Detroit ace Jeff Weaver over the weekend.
"I didn't see anyone holding a gun to the Detroit Tigers forcing them to trade him to the Yankees," Boston's Nomar Garciaparra said. "I didn't know the Yankees were the only team you could trade players to. Maybe it's a rule."
Well, not quite, but it's easy to see why someone would think that after owner George Steinbrenner has added Jason Giambi, Robin Ventura, David Wells, Steve Karsay, Rondell White, Mondesi and Weaver since losing Game 7 of the World Series to Arizona last season.
"Why should Mr. Steinbrenner be persecuted because he wants to win?" Giambi asked.
Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office and a frequent critic of big-spending teams, blames baseball's economic system not the Yankees for these latest trades.
"The Yankees are perfectly within their rights to make these deals. There's nothing wrong with them trying to win the pennant or the World Series," Alderson said. "On the other hand, there's something wrong with the system that allows these kinds of deals to the general exclusion of all other teams."
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has a message for all the complainers: "If any players are jealous, they can come to the Yankees, too."
That just might happen.
"At least half the guys here probably want to play for them," White Sox ace Mark Buehrle said. "They're in the playoffs and World Series every year."
AP Sports Writer
July 8, 2002, 7:08 PM EDT
MILWAUKEE -- Cries of unfairness once again are ringing throughout in baseball.
The New York Yankees are adding big contracts and star players as usual, and the Montreal Expos are in the center of lots of big trade talks.
The Expos? Yes, the Expos.
The team that barely survived contraction in the offseason and is owned by the other 29 clubs has already traded for Cleveland ace Bartolo Colon and is discussing deals for Florida's Cliff Floyd and Ryan Dempster, and Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernandez.
"It looks like they are trying to make the team attractive for a buyer," Florida third baseman Mike Lowell said. "They're in our division and they're adding players and we're rebuilding a rebuilt team. A team that was supposed to be contracted has picked up Bartolo Colon. You have to question it."
Commissioner Bud Selig says there's nothing wrong with the unusual relationship between major league baseball and the Expos front office, despite the fact that he put Montreal's management team of GM Omar Minaya, president Tony Tavares and manager Frank Robinson in place.
Minaya said he's just doing whatever he can to win.
"I owe it to the players on this team and the city of Montreal to put the best team possible out there," said Minaya, who added that he hasn't consulted the commissioner's office about any of his player moves this season.
Atlanta, which is aiming for its 11th straight division title, has a 9-game lead over Montreal in the NL East. But the Braves are paying attention to the moves the Expos have made.
"It's an odd situation," Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine said. "It's certainly not what you expected in spring training. If you asked people then, they'd say the Expos would be getting rid of everybody not adding people."
Instead, with an uncertain future, Minaya has shown a willingness to trade prospects for players that could help his team's postseason run. The Expos are five games behind Arizona in the wild card chase.
That's a big change from recent years when the Expos unloaded players like Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, John Wetteland and Moises Alou to save money.
"It's always fun to add players," Expos second baseman Jose Vidro said. "It had been the other way for so many years. It's a surprise."
If Montreal does find a way to pass Atlanta, the Braves say they won't use the midseason additions as an excuse.
"If they win it, they deserve it," outfielder Andruw Jones said. "They've put a good team together, but they still have to play the games."
The Yankees are also causing jealousy after trading a Double-A reliever to Toronto for former All-Star Raul Mondesi -- and paying $11.5 million of his salary the next two years. New York also acquired Detroit ace Jeff Weaver over the weekend.
"I didn't see anyone holding a gun to the Detroit Tigers forcing them to trade him to the Yankees," Boston's Nomar Garciaparra said. "I didn't know the Yankees were the only team you could trade players to. Maybe it's a rule."
Well, not quite, but it's easy to see why someone would think that after owner George Steinbrenner has added Jason Giambi, Robin Ventura, David Wells, Steve Karsay, Rondell White, Mondesi and Weaver since losing Game 7 of the World Series to Arizona last season.
"Why should Mr. Steinbrenner be persecuted because he wants to win?" Giambi asked.
Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office and a frequent critic of big-spending teams, blames baseball's economic system not the Yankees for these latest trades.
"The Yankees are perfectly within their rights to make these deals. There's nothing wrong with them trying to win the pennant or the World Series," Alderson said. "On the other hand, there's something wrong with the system that allows these kinds of deals to the general exclusion of all other teams."
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has a message for all the complainers: "If any players are jealous, they can come to the Yankees, too."
That just might happen.
"At least half the guys here probably want to play for them," White Sox ace Mark Buehrle said. "They're in the playoffs and World Series every year."