| July 31, 2001: Houston Astros trade RHP Scott Elarton and cash to Colorado Rockies for Pedro Astacio and a player to be named later. | ||||
After much hemming and hawing, the Astros finally decided not only to pick up Astacio's salary, but send a check to the Rockies to complete the deal. Astacio, 31, goes from Coors Field to Enron Field, but if he can get the ball down or get the batters to hit the ball to the big part of the yard he will be successful. He gave up nine runs in 5 2/3 innings on June 18 at Enron, but none of the seven hits was a home run. Astacio struggled after starting the season 3-1, but the Astros are gambling that the thrill of the pennant race will inspire him. Elarton, thanks to the third highest run support in the NL, went 17-9 last season but has struggled in 2001 and is currently sidelined with a strained right biceps tendon. Statistics show that he is a fly-ball pitcher, which makes one wonder why Colorado chose him for this deal, unless he is going to be sent off in another developing deal. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Astros. Long-term -- Astros. |
| July 31, 2001: Boston Red Sox trade RHP Tomo Ohka and minor-league pitcher Rich Rundles to Montreal Expos for RHP Ugueth Urbina. | ||||
If Urbina were left-handed, this would be a truly great trade for Boston, which has no southpaws of consequence on its staff. Instead, the trade means that the Red Sox have three right-handed closers: Urbina, Derek Lowe and Rod Beck, who said earlier this week that he would be displeased if the team brought Urbina aboard. Chemistry problems aside, Urbina has limited right-handed batters to a .217 average this season and made the most of the few save opportunities the Expos provided him (15 of 18). Ohka pitched well last season -- including a nine-inning perfect game at Triple-A and a near-miss on a second -- and the early part of this season before being demoted to Triple-A, then struggled after being brought back up in early July. Rundles is a 20-year-old lefty who walks no one and has fared well so far in the pros. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Red Sox. Long-term -- Expos, especially if the Sox don't keep Urbina. |
| July 31, 2001: Atlanta Braves trade minor league RHP Brad Voyles and minor league IF Alejandro Machado to Kansas City Royals for SS Rey Sanchez. | ||||
The Braves have been thrilled with rookie Mark DeRosa's play since Rafael Furcal went down with a season-ending injury, but they wanted a more experienced hand at shortstop down the stretch and for the postseason. Sanchez, who will turn 34 in October and played for the Yankees during the 1997 postseason, committed only four errors in 143 games in 2000 and is batting a career-best .303 this season. Voyles, currently at Double-A, has been a successful closer the past couple of seasons. Machado, is a speedy 19-year-old middle infielder who starred in the Appalachian League last year. Sanchez is eligible to become a free agent in November. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Braves. Long-term -- Royals, but only if one of the two makes the majors. |
| July 31, 2001: Houston Astros trade RHP Tony McKnight to Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Mike Williams. | ||||
Williams, 33, will serve as a right-handed complement to Billy Wagner, who has been dominant at times this season, but not perfect and not always healthy. Williams converted 69 of 81 save opportunities the past three seasons for Pittsburgh. McKnight, 24, was 9-5 with a 4.76 ERA at Triple-A New Orleans this season and is 5-1 in nine career major-league starts. He doesn't have overwhelming stuff, but the Pirates will be happy to have him in their rotation. Before the season, Baseball America ranked him as the club's No. 4 prospect. With the likes of Mike Jackson and Ron Villone in the bullpen, the Astros had to strengthen this area if it was serious about contending. Williams is eligible for free agency at season's end. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Astros. Long-term -- Pirates. |
| July 30, 2001: The New York Mets trade RHP Rick Reed to Minnesota Twins for OF Matt Lawton. | ||||
You have to wonder if the Twins grew a little short-sighted thanks to their slide out of first place. Lawton was thought to be an irreplaceable member of their offense until he started the second half 7-for-59. Still, this all but assures that Chad Allen, Brian Buchanan and Denny Hocking will be key members of the pennant chase for an already weak offense. In exchange, their rotation looks well near frightening with Brad Radke, Eric Milton, Joe Mays and now Reed. The Mets find the outfielder they've desperately wanted, even if he doesn't have much more power than the current bunch. Still, he can bat anywhere from the leadoff spot to somewhere surrounding the heart of the order, and he makes the Mets a much faster club. Give Mets GM Steve Phillips for trading a decent, but not spectacular, pitcher at his peak rather than waiting for age to kick in for the 35-year-old hurler. This could haunt the Twins down the road. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Twins by a hair. Long-term -- Mets. |
| July 30, 2001: The San Diego Padres trade LHP Sterling Hitchcock to New York Yankees for RHP Brett Jodie and Class A OF Darren Blakely. | ||||
Five years after the Yankees shipped Hitchcock to the Mariners in the Tino Martinez trade, he returns to the club for a relatively small price to likely take Ted Lilly's spot in the rotation. Not only does he provide veteran stability in a rotation that has trotted out more rookies than usual, but Hitchcock also becomes the second experienced left-hander in the rotation after Andy Pettitte, whose emergence in the Yankee rotation in 1995 made Hitchcock expendable in the first place. Jodie is talented, having jumped from Class A to the majors in a season and a half, but he doesn't have the track record of Lilly or Randy Keisler. Blakely has the potential to become a decent power hitter as he learns plate discipline. The Padres couldn't pry a top prospect from anyone else, so this is the best they could do. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Yankees. Long-term -- Padres, unless the Yankees re-sign Hitchcock at year's end. |
| July 30, 2001: The Pittsburgh Pirates trade RHP Jason Schmidt and OF/1B John Vander Wal to San Francisco Giants for OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong. | ||||
Every team involved in talks with the Giants wanted Vogelsong or fellow pitching prospect Kurt Ainsworth. New Pirates GM Dave Littlefield sweetened the deal in his first trade to acquire the fireballer. The way Schmidt has pitched over the past few weeks, he should be better than new Dodger James Baldwin or D-Back acquisition Albie Lopez. With Vander Wal beefing up the lineup even further, this makes the Giants a serious contender for the NL West with a lineup rivaling Arizona in balance. The Pirates had good luck a few years ago with another longtime reserve outfielder by the name of Brian Giles. Still, they must have really liked Vogelsong and wanted a power pitcher to take this deal over a strong offer from the Twins. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Giants. Long-term -- Pirates, unless Schmidt re-signs with the Giants. |
| July 30, 2001: The Milwaukee Brewers trade RHP David Weathers to Chicago Cubs for RHP Ruben Quevedo and minor-league OF Peter Zoccolillo. | ||||
David Weathers went from Milwaukee bullpen fixture to I-94 commuter in a hurry when he turned down the Brewers' contract offer late last week. In that respect, they got a great return for him. He'll provide dominant middle stuff to a bullpen that has been worked often this summer. This could very well plug the Cubs' final potential weakness. Quevedo was the Cubs' pitching hope of the future last year before being rocked around Wrigley, but he has a major-league arsenal without the power. With Ben Sheets and Jamey Wright, he should make the Brewers one of the best young rotations this side of Florida. The only potential snag is the hex of former Braves minor-league pitchers who leave the club. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Cubs. Long-term -- Brewers, whether Weathers re-signs or not. |
| July 28, 2001: The Minnesota Twins trade LHP Mark Redman to Detroit Tigers for RHP Todd Jones. | ||||
Not satisfied with having LaTroy Hawkins to finish games, the Twins sacrificed one of their top up-and-coming pitchers to get Jones, who shared the AL lead in saves last season with 42. Jones has done some great work the past five seasons with a team that rarely had postseason aspirations, but he lost his closer's job to Matt Anderson after an awful start. He has never pitched in the postseason, nor in a late-season game that had postseason implications for his team. He will also be a free agent at the end of the season. Moments after being informed of the trade, he talked about rejoining the Tigers in 2002. Redman is a 27-year-old left-hander who last year led the Twins' rotation in winning percentage in his first full season in the majors. Redman has struggled this year with a triceps injury, but he's an awfully big price to pay for someone who no longer is a sure thing and might return to his old club in November. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Slight edge to Twins. Long-term -- Tigers. If the Twins don't make the postseason, they might regret this trade for years. |
| July 27, 2001: The Philadelphia Phillies trade LHP Bruce Chen and LHP Adam Walker to New York Mets for RHP Turk Wendell and LHP Dennis Cook. The Phillies also trade RHP Wayne Gomes to San Francisco Giants for UT Felipe Crespo. | ||||
The Phillies found the help they targeted all month for a bullpen that has picked up an excessive number of losses. Wendell and Cook will make the late innings much more comfortable for manager Larry Bowa, despite their struggles at times this year. Philly offered Chen to any team with a reliever that would listen, and Walker wasn't among their prized prospects. The Mets don't believe former wonderboy Chen is washed up after a year as a major-league starter; after all, they made Royals reject Glendon Rusch a hot commodity. The Giants get the most value of all, acquiring a formerly dazzling setup man in Gomes for a pinch-hitter they had designated for assignment. Who got the best of it: Short term -- Phillies (especially Jose Mesa). Long term -- Mets. |
| July 27, 2001: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays trade 1B Fred McGriff to Chicago Cubs for RHP Manny Aybar, a player to be named later and cash. | ||||
McGriff apparently consulted Jim Harrick on how to handle a prospective career change. But the Cubs should be ecstatic he has finally decided to head north -- geographically and in the standings. McGriff will provide the big left-handed bat Matt Stairs and Todd Hundley couldn't deliver. Now with Michael Tucker and McGriff aboard, the Cubs have a more potent and balanced lineup. Aybar will join his sixth organization since an audition as the Cardinals' closer in 1999. He has been a reliever most of the past three seasons, but began his career as a starter and might wind up in the Devil Rays rotation. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Cubs. Long-term -- Cubs, especially if McGriff sticks around for 2002. |
| July 26, 2001: The Chicago White Sox trade RHP James Baldwin to Los Angeles Dodgers for minor-league pitchers Onan Masaoka, Gary Majewski and minor-league outfielder Jeff Barry. | ||||
With Darren Dreifort and Andy Ashby out for the season and Kevin Brown out until mid-August, the Dodgers had to do something to bolster their rotation. Baldwin is not a top-of-the-rotation kind of guy, but he has won at least 10 games each of the past five seasons and his 10-1 start last season helped the White Sox to build a big cushion early in the American League Central race. He has not had any shoulder problems since undergoing offseason surgery. He has a career 5.04 ERA and gave up 34 home runs each of the past two seasons, but pitching in Dodger Stadium should lower those numbers. Baldwin might become a free agent at season's end, but the best thing for the team is it didn't have to surrender any major-league personnel. Majewski, who excelled in the Midwest League last season, returns to the White Sox after being traded in March to the Dodgers organization in the Antonio Osuna deal. Barry played half of 1999 with Colorado. None of the ex-Dodgers have done anything to set the world on fire this season. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Dodgers. Long-term -- Dodgers, if they re-sign Baldwin. |
| July 25, 2001: The Arizona Diamondbacks trade LHP Nick Bierbrodt, minor-league OF Jason Conti and cash to Tampa Bay Devil Rays for RHP Albie Lopez and C Mike DiFelice. | ||||
Just as they did with Curt Schilling last year, the Diamondbacks acquired a native Arizonan pitcher before the deadline. But Lopez is no Schilling -- far from it. Lopez's best years have been with Tampa Bay, but his 5.34 ERA is easily his highest in his three-plus years as a Devil Ray, and his 1.08 ground ball to fly ball ratio matches the lowest of his career. The way the ball flies out of Bank One Ballpark, Lopez will need to regain the sink on his pitches -- fast. DiFelice has occasional pop but has never established himself as a starter. The real prize is Bierbrodt, the first draft choice in Diamondbacks history. He is a 23-year-old left-hander who throws 96 and had some success in a brief stint in the majors. Arizona should have gotten a better package for Bierbrodt and Conti, a Steve Finley type who batted .331 at Triple-A Tucson. Who got the best of it: Short-term -- Even. Long-term -- Devil Rays. |
| July 25, 2001: In a three-way deal, Oakland acquires OF Jermaine Dye from Kansas City, which acquires SS Neifi Perez from Colorado, which acquires 2B Jose Ortiz, minor-league OF Mario Encarnacion and minor-league LHP Todd Belitz from Oakland. | ||||
Oakland gets a five-tool player and gives its players a morale boost going into the stretch drive. Dye won his first Gold Glove last season and will salivate getting the chance to swing at Oakland's short fences on a more frequent basis. Already-hot Jason Giambi will get even better protection in the lineup. Kansas City gets a speedy Gold Glove shortstop who will probably replace Rey Sanchez within the next few days. He hit 49 triples with Colorado and should get plenty more hitting in spacious Kauffman Stadium, but he's not in Dye's class. Ortiz, the Pacific Coast League MVP last year, will take over at second for the departed Todd Walker. Encarnacion is a five-tool prospect who has been hampered by injuries and Belitz has averaged a strikeout per inning. Who got the best of it: Oakland, especially if it can re-sign Dye. Otherwise, slight edge to Colorado in long term. |
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