MVN Giants Cove

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Burning the Midnight Oil

After a much anticipated wait on my part, I have an announcement to make. Very soon I will be shifting my blogging activities to the Most Valuable Network Giants Cove, where I will be partnered with two other writers (link to the page can be found by clicking the above logo). By making this move, I hope to gain a slightly larger following than I have here at Croix De Candlestick. I'd like to thank everyone (all three of you) that faithfully read my work on a regular basis, and while I'll miss running my own blog, this is a leap into a much larger pool of readers. Unless something falls through, this will be my last post here so enjoy.


Talk About Good Timing

Right after I bash the Giant's starting rotation and stress about how much we need a solid starter, the starting pitchers start shutting opposing hitters down, and now our bullpen has become shaky. It's a tradeoff, but I'd rather have six to eight innings of scoreless baseball and one or two rocky innings than the other way around. Since losing two straight to the road warrior Rockies (14-42 away from Coors), this is what the starting rotation has done:

Brad Hennessey: 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 4 K's *surrendered 2 solo home runs

Kevin Correia: 6 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 6 K's, *after surrendering two 1st inning runs, Correia pitched 5 innings of scoreless ball

Jason Schmidt: 8 innings, 3 hits, no runs, 3 walks, 5 K's *77 of 121 pitchers thrown for strikes

Noah Lowry: 7 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 3 walks, 8 K's *left in 7th inning with tightness in his elbow

Brian Cooper: 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 K's *started in place of Brett Tomko


Altogether, 35 innings, 18 hits, 5 runs. Thats a 1.29 ERA spanning over 5 starts, and 5 different pitchers, thankfully none of which are named Kirk Rueter. It's like I always say, good pitching wins games...and covers up the fact that the Giants haven't scored more than 6 runs in a game during that period. What's good is that the Giants don't need to score runs when the starting pitchers isn't giving any up. What's ironic is that during those 5 games, they're 3-2, and fell back 2 games in the NL West.

The culprits responsible reside in the relief corps. In those 5 games, the bullpen has pitched 9 total innings, and surrendered, 17 hits, and 13 runs, 12 earned. That puts them at an ERA of 12.00 flat. Funny...all this talk of the Giants bullpen is giving me the sudden urge to egg Tyler Walkers house. Missing Armando Benitez yet? According to the latest report, Benitez is set to come off the disabled list at earliest next weekend in Florida, which will move Walker into a considerably less high stress job as a middle relief/setup man, and allow us Giants fans to breathe a huge sigh of relief (no pun intended) once he's gone from the closer role.


Once again, thanks to everyone who read Croix De Candlestick on a regular basis. It's been a fun ride and I hope that everyone will continue to read my work at the Giants Cove. In case you missed it, links to the my soon to be home can be found on the sidebar for those of you using Mozilla, or by clicking on the logo at the top of this post.

No Dice on the Trade Front

Well the 1pm deadline passed without much consequence today. I was watching ESPN starting at 12 waiting for something to happen, and much to my disappointment, I was left without any major trades to speak of.

The Randy Winn deal is a moot point if there's no follow up to it. The Giants roster is overstuffed right now, namely in the outfield, and Winn is not the solution to the Giants problems. When it was said that San Francisco wanted a "solid left-handed bat", I did not have this in mind. As pointed out here, Winn's stats bare an eery resemblance to those of outfielder Michael Tucker

Winn: .275 BA/.342 OBP/.391 SLG
Tucker: .260 BA/.338 OBP/.399 SLG

So now we have two Michael Tuckers. Hooray? I'm only hoping that Sabean made this trade with another move in mind. I'm still hopelessly clinging to the fact that Sabes claimed that it would "take a series of moves to improve, and that may not happen by the 31st". If a post-deadline waiver deal doesn't happen, then that renders this trade pretty obsolete. The Giants are likely to place someone on waivers when they make a roster move when Winn joins the team. What exactly does being on waivers mean you ask?

After the July 31 deadline, any player on a 40-man roster must clear Major
League waivers before being traded. That is, the player must be offered to the
other teams in reverse order of the standings, and if he is claimed by one of
the teams he cannot be traded. The club that made the waiver request can either
withdraw the request and keep the player or let the player go to the claiming
team, which would then have the rights to the player and be obligated to that
player's current contract.

A Giant Pitching Problem

San Francisco is still is in desperate need of a starting pitcher, with our current rotation in shambles. Jerome Williams' 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA is looking awfully attractive right now. I never thought I'd say this, but it would be nice to have Livan Hernandez back. He decided to be a consistent pitcher right when the Giants traded him. He's 39-29 since the Giants traded him, and hasn't sported an ERA above 3.60 in the last three seasons with the Expos/Nationals. He continues to have us Giants fans pulling our hair out even when he doesn't pitch for us anymore, with him emerging as the staff ace of freefalling Washington. Our rotation is looking like this right now:

Jason Schmidt: 7-6/4.56/ 58 walks in 120.1 innings
Noah Lowry: 6-11/4.59/17 HR surrendered
Brett Tomko: 7-10/4.90/140 hits in 128.2 innings
Kirk Rueter: 2-7/5.95/131 hits in 107.1 innings

Fun Facts About the Rotation:

• Kirk Rueter hasn't made it past the 5th inning since June 23rd
• Jason Schmidt is 1-3 in the month of July with a 4.03 ERA with 2 no decisions
• No Giants pitcher has gone thrown a complete game since May 9th
• A Giants starter has made it into the 8th inning only 3 times

Point in case, without a solid addition to the starting rotation, the Giants aren't going to make much noise in the NL West. It seems as though Sabean views Randy Winn as the second coming of Kenny Lofton. The key difference this year compared to 2002 though, is that Lofton was the final piece of the puzzle for the Giants; Winn doesn't shore up all too many holes in our struggling offense. What harrows me the most, is that even if the Giants do win the West, they're still going to get annihilated by a team like the Cardinals. Right now, we can barely beat the Brewers, much less a perennial World Series victor, especially without Barry Bonds.

Giants take on the Rockies tomorrow, so that should be a good pick-me-up. Or a total confidence destroyer if we get swept. Whichever.

Hot Off the Press

Just found out a few minutes ago off of a Giants threads, but San Francisco has made its first, and certainly not last, deal of the deadline with the Seattle Mariners.

Mariners Get:

-RHP Jesse Foppert: 8-9 in career with 5.00 ERA
-C Yorvit Torrealba: .226-1-7, .301 OBP

Giants Get:

-OF Randy Winn: .275-6-37, 12 SB, .342 OBP
-Giants recall C Yamid Haad from AAA to replace Torrealba

This trade also hints of things to come for the Giants, who are now overloaded in the outfield. Assistant GM Ned Colletti has given centerfielder and leadoff hitter Jason Ellison the dubious title of the "4th outfielder". This makes Michael Tucker and Marquis Grissom expendable, and the most likely to be unloaded, and with Tucker's potential as a spark plug at the top of the lineup, this hints of a bigger trade to come. If Ellison was to start, that would put Winn in right, Alou in left, and shift Feliz to back to 3rd where he would replace Edgardo Alfonzo. A more realistic combination would put Winn in center field leading off, Alou in right, and Feliz in left, leaving Edgardo back at 3rd base. What it's looking like right now though is that Tucker and Alfonzo could possibly be packaged, but to whom is unclear right now. Fonzie and Tucker would be an attractive pair to the Twins at this point, with All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter down with an injury for 4-6 weeks, and their need for a 3rd baseman.

The Twins have shown their willingness to deal young starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, and left-handed reliever J.C. Romero. The Giants could also possibly be shipping out Marquis Grissom in place of Tucker, with Alex Sanchez likely to be released when he returns from the DL. At this point this is all speculation, but one thing's for sure and that's that the Giants are not done wheeling and dealing, as they now turn their attention to acquiring a solid starting pitcher.

This trade was not meant to be deal breaker for the Giants. Winn is a quality player. Nothing sensational, but quality. He's not what I would call a huge presence in the leadoff spot, but he's basically Ellison, only 31 years old and a switch hitter. No, what this deal is for, is to be a precursor to another, possibly bigger deal. Sabean knows that he has an overloaded outfield, and if and when Barry Bonds returns, it's going to get a lot more crowded. Look for another deal to come, but it might not happen before the deadline. According to Sabean,

"A post-deadline deal probably is more likely, everyone is jockeying for the right deal and waiting for the right time to act. We have to see where we are at the deadline. Nobody [in the NL West] has played well since June 1. Tight races prevent you from doing what you want to do. You have to be careful. To me, it would take a series of moves to improve, and that may not happen by the 31st."

More Action on the Trade Front:

-Red Sox have acquired former Giant outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. and cash from the Diamondbacks for minor league infielder Kenny Perez, and minor league pitcher Kyle Bono. The Red Sox get a power hitting outfielder in Cruz Jr., and Arizona couldn't care less that he's gone so everybody wins.

-Padres deal 1B/3B/C Phil Nevin to the Rangers for underachieving starting pitcher Chan Ho Park. Both players haven't lived up to potential shown earlier in their careers, and both are hoping a change of scenery will help them. Nevin moves to the homer-happy Ballpark in Arlington, while Park moves to the pitcher-friendly Petco Park. Whoo...say that five times fast.

-The Manny Ramirez trade to the Mets deal has been on, and off, and on and off again so it's not clear to whether or not it's going to happen. The Red Sox want more in return for their RBI machine, Ramirez. Manny was scratched from the lineup in today's game minutes before gametime, which raised speculation and brought the rumors back from the grave.


More deadline coverage to come so sit tight


Special thanks go out to the person who got that thread up about the Winn trade. The official press release didn't come out until about 9 pm PCT, and the thread was posted at 7:17 pm. I was going back and forth between MLB.com and ESPN.com frantically looking for the trade before I put this post up but thanks to that person I was able to get this up and running before it became common knowledge. Thanks again

The NL West

The NL West has a reputation for being one of the more competetive divisions year in and year out and this season is no exception; except for the fact that only one team has a record above .500, and that team had just come off of a 8 game losing streak, during which no one gained a large amount of ground. So now I'm going to analyze all the teams contending in this division (basically everyone but the Rockies) and talk about their chances of winning it.


1. Padres (51-50, .505): The Padres are 30-19 at home, and practically the polar opposite on the road, going 21-31. On top of their sub-par road record, they've suffered through injuries to important everyday players.

Key Injuries to the Padres:

• Coming off of a stellar rookie campaign, shortstop Khalil Greene has been injured for a good part of the season.
• After a career year last season, second-baseman Mark Loretta went down with an injury early and although he's back now, the Padres suffered greatly without him.
• Catcher Ramon Hernandez was having a fine year offensively; that is until he made a trip to the DL, where he currently is now. Hernandez is a team leader, and handles the pitching staff well, so not having that sort of presence behind the plate --oh and his 18 home runs are nice to have too-- has severely hurt the Friars.
• Starting pitcher Adam Eaton was finally starting to live up to his potential, going 9-2 with a 3.42 ERA, until he hurt his finger, and now he could be out for the season. This comes as a huge blow to the Padres, who currently are doing bad enough as it is.

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: The Padres took a blow when Nevin nixed the trade that would have brought starting pitcher Sidney Ponson over. The Pads need a quality starting pitcher right now. When healthy, they are a very good team with a solid starting rotation and bullpen, and a good offense. For them to win this division they need to acquire a starting pitcher to replace Eaton, and they need Ramon Hernandez back.


2. Diamondbacks (49-54, .476):The D-Backs problems haven't laid in an abundance of injuries, with their team staying relatively healthy. Their main issue is their underachieving pitching staff. They thought they were set before the season began, with Javier Vazquez and Russ Ortiz topping their rotation, but Ortiz has been terrible, and is currently in the DL, while Vazquez has proved to everyone that he really is just an average pitcher with good stuff, and that his underachieving in New York wasn't because of the pressure of being a Yankee. Their bullpen is a mess, with no closer presence at the end of a game, and no quality middle relief to speak of. The only thing that's kept them afloat up until now is their offense.

Diamondbacks Pitching Staff: How it ranks in the National League

• 4th to Last in ERA (13th): 4.73
• 4th in Home Runs Surrendered: 119
• 5th in Hit Batsmen: 39
• 3rd in Highest Opponents Batting Average: .282
• 2nd in Hits Surrendered: 1020
• 3rd in Runs Allowed: 537

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: The Diamondbacks pitching staff is a train wreck, so it'll take more than a simple trade to fix their staff. For them to contend, their starting pitchers need to stop underachieving. They all have qualifty stuff, and have the potential to shut down teams on a regular basis but their bullpen needs to improve. At the deadline they need to get a quality relief pitcher.


3. Dodgers (46-55, .455): Nothing has gone right for the Boys in Blue this season. There have been injuries to key players, and a terrible starting rotation. So, basically their a combination of the the D-Backs and Padres problems in one package.

Overall Issues With the Dodgers:

• Season-ending injury to All-Star closer, Eric Gagne. His replacement closer, Yhency Brazoban, has an ERA of 5.66 and 4 blown saves.
• The Dodgers have only 2 starters with 20 or more games started, due to various injuries and inconsistent performances
• Injury to power-hitting outfielder, J.D. Drew. Signing Drew is always a liability, as he has only 2 injury-free seasons in his career. He had 15 homers when he went down, so the Dodgers lost a big part of their offense when he went down
• Injury to outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley was having a career year before he went to the DL. He recently returned from the disabled list, but not having him in the lineup for a good 2 months hurt the Dodgers

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: The Dodgers aren't exactly a terrible team with lots of problems, rather they're a good team with 3-4 very serious problems. Their GM Paul De Podesta seems to have a knack for making big trades, so expect some fireworks on the trade front at the deadline. They need to straighten out their starting staff, but their bullpen is pretty solid, even without Gagne finishing games. Brazoban has the potential to be a dominating closer, but right now getting tossed to the lions right out of the minor leagues isn't a good way to develop him as a pitcher. They could try out Duaner Sanchez in the closer roll for a while Brazoban straightens himself out.


4. Giants (43-57, .430): The Giants have had a myriad of problems this season. The issue hasn't been lots of injuries to a few roll-players; instead its been one injury to one huge presence in the lineup. The Giants as a team are 3rd in the NL in batting average, but have had issues getting runners in lately. They set the table like no other, but then can't bring runners in clutch situations. In past seasons they have used the home run to bring runners in, but this year they are in the bottom half of the NL in round-trippers. The Giants have felt the loss of not having Bonds in the lineup this season

What the Giants Lost With the Injury to Barry Bonds

• 53 Win Shares
• 45 Home Runs *Projected Giants Leader: Feliz, 21
  
• .609 On Base-Percentage *Projected Giants Leader: Alou, .376
• 101 RBI's *Projected Giants Leader: Feliz, 90
  
• 129 Runs *Projected Giants Leader: Feliz, 74
  
• .812 Slugging Percentage *Project Giants Leader: Alou, .496
  
• 303 Total Bases *Project Giants Leader: Feliz, 248
  
• 232 Walks *Projected Giants Leader: Alou, 61

What Needs to Happen for Them to Contend: As I've said before, the Giants need another bat in their lineup and a possibly another starting pitcher. The bullpen has been shaky as of late, recording 4 blown saves in the last series against the Cubs, but they have quality arms in the bullpen so expect them to rebound. The X-Factor in the Giants contending for the NL West lies almost entirely on the return of Barry Bonds, assuming he returns this season at all. If the Giants do win the West without Bonds, they will be eaten alive in the playoffs up against a team like the Cardinals without his bat in the lineup. Closer Armando Benitez is supposed to return at some point this season, at earliest in mid-August. Tyler Walker has been an adequate replacement, but his time in the closer role will be up when Benitez comes back. I'm sure I'm not alone in this regard, but I'm still looking forward to a lineup featuring Bonds with Alou batting behind him.


The race in the NL West is going down to the wire and as of now there's no clear cut winner so buckle your seatbelts.


Projected Stats from Baseball Prospectus

Time for Speculation

With the trade deadline almost upon us, I'll give a brief overview of the Giant's deadline deals in previous seasons, and highlight some of Brian Sabean's more productive July moves.


2004: Giants trade RHP Felix Rodriguez to the Phillies for OF Ricky Ledee and Minor Leaguer Alfredo Simon

Analysis: Not one of Sabean's better deadline deals. There were a number of deals that he tried to swing that fell through, preventing him from doing much more than acquiring Ledee, who was not at all productive as a Giant. Ledee now plays for the Dodgers, and Simon is still in the Giant's farm system.


2003: Giants trade LHP Damian Moss, RHP Kurt Ainsworth, and Minor Leaguer Kurt Hannaman to the Orioles for RHP Sidney Ponson

Analysis: I remember, I was watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN when this deal went through, and to this day, I still think it was a good deal, even with Ponson going 3-6 for the Giants. At the time of the trade, his record was 14-7. The Giants unloaded an oft injured prospect in Ainsworth, and an inconsistent starter in Moss. Moss was busted for steroid use, and no one's heard from Ainsworth since his last arm surgery. Ponson signed a 3 year deal with the Orioles after the 2003 season, but he was meant to be strictly a rental anyways.


2002: Giants trade Minor Leaguers Felix Diaz and Ryan Meaux to the White Sox for OF Kenny Lofton

Analysis: Lofton proved to be one of the key pieces to getting the Giants to the World Series, with the game winning hit in game 6 of the NLCS. He too was a rental player, but he served his purpose in San Francisco. In his first at-bat as a Giant he homered against the Phillies, and was always a consistent producer from the leadoff spot from the day we got him to game 7 of the World Series.


2001: Giants trade OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong to the Pirates for OF John Vander Wal and RHP Jason Schmidt

Analysis: Possibly the best trade of the Sabean era, and also quite possibly the biggest rip off in the last few years, with the Giants receiving what would prove to be one of the most dominating pitchers in all of baseball, although he didn't start pitching like an ace until he got to the San Francisco, where he went 7-1. Ironically, his first start as a Giant came against Pittsburgh, his former team. I still laugh when I see Vogelsong get shelled in an occasional relief appearance for the Pirates, while Armando Rios came up testing positive for steroids.


2000: Giants trade RHP Scott Linebrink to Astros for RHP Doug Henry

Analysis: This is a trade where repercussions weren't really felt until the 2004 season. Linebrink later went to the Padres and became a key cog in their bullpen last season, developed into a premier setup man, and had Giants fans everywhere kicking themselves with the San Francisco bullpen suffering the way it was. The bullpen problems proved to be the ultimate demise of the Giants in '04.


1999: Giants trade RHP Nate Bump and RHP Jason Grilli to Marlins for RHP Livan Hernandez

Analysis: Livan definitely has his moments as a Giant. He'd pitch a complete game shutout one day, and the next he'd get shelled for 8 runs in 2 innings. One of the more frustrating pitchers to watch on a regular basis, but he did win 17 games, and on a good day was lights out. He was the losing pitcher in game 7 of the World Series in 2002, so when he exited we all knew his time was most definitely up with the Giants.


1998: Giants trade OF Daryl Hamilton, Jim Stoops and Jason Brester to Rockies for OF Ellis Burks

Analysis: Burks was always a class act, and a great Giant. He was productive in the clutch, and was one of their more consistent hitters. His time with San Francisco was up when problems with his knees forced him to exit stage left.


Sabean's deadline trades have always made some sort of impact, whether it's small or large. Last season, it was the lack of trading that made the biggest impact, with the Giant's bullpen implosion against the Dodgers, where with no other options, they turned to none other than Wayne Franklin to shut the door. Bad idea. So now, we'll address the current problems the Giants have, and discuss ways in which they can be remedied.

Starting Pitching:This has been a problem that has plagued the Giants since April. Schmidt hasn't really been himself all season, 2 starters have made moves to the bullpen due to ineffectiveness, and Brad Hennessey and Kevin Correia have been rotated in and out of the Majors more times than I can count. The Giant's team ERA is 3rd to last in the NL so something needs to happen. There have been trade rumors swirling around Jason Schmidt, but the Giants aren't likely to trade away an ace starter and make their problems with their rotation worse. Sabean was working on acquiring Jason Jennings from the Rockies, but Jennings went out with a season-ending injury, so in all likeliness his best and most affordable option right now is Mark Redman of the Pirates.

Bullpen: Once again the Giant's problem this year is a lack of closer. They thought they had this fixed by bringing in Armando Benitez, but he's out till September, while interim closer Tyler Walkers confidence has been shattered ever since surrendering the winning run in a rough outting against the Dodgers. He has yet to register a save since that game. There are no available closers on the market right now, and Sabean is not going to waste time and resources on finding a temporary replacement with the iminent return of Benitez.

Offense: The Giants rank next to last in the National League in home runs, but are 3rd in batting average. Their current lineup pails in comparison to the ones of past years, where every spot, 1 through 8, was a threat to drive in runs. A Ray Durham for Kaz Matsui of the Mets deal was nixed when the Mets rejected the offer, but Matsui isn't much of an upgrade at 2nd base as it is. There have been whispered rumors of a deal that would send Giant's pitching prospect Matt Cain to the Reds in exchange for Adam Dunn. Whether or not Sabean would go through with that deal remains to be seen, but he does have a reputation for dealing young phenoms for proven players. Other than Dunn, there aren't a lot of other options on the market right now so the Giants will have to settle for what they get.


According to the Giant's GM, the Giants are currently in "acquisition mode", even though they have not yet disclosed to the public whether or not they are going to be buyers or sellers come July 31st. If the Giants are sellers, then that will mean that they have given up on this season and are looking towards 2006. But with the weak NL West, there is always a chance to contend, with the first place Padres slumping. If the Giants can string some wins together, and acquire a starter and a big bat at the deadline, then they can challenge for the first place spot currently in the hands of team on life support right now. Think about it.


Special Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for providing the trade records

Players on the Block: Fact or Fiction?

Ok so as a part of a 2-part trading deadline feature, we'll play "Fact or Fiction" with players that could be trading in their uniform soon.


Jason Schmidt, Giants: A beat writer visiting Angel's manager Mike Scioscia's office said that Schmidt's profile was on Scioscia's computer screen. This recent report has opened up the floodgates for possible trade rumors once again, while the Giants continually assure the public that Schmidt will not be traded.

Fact or Fiction? Most definitely Fiction, in this case, the main giveaway being the fact the Giants are telling us that it won't happen. Schmidt is not particularly old and is still the staff ace. The Giants have demanded at least 2 major league ready starters and top prospects in trade offers and have been turned down, so unless a lucrative trade offer comes in at the last second, Schmidt is going to stay a Giant.

A.J. Burnett, Marlins: His name has been in trade rumors for almost a month now with nothing happening. Teams right and left have been mentioned, the most recent being the Twins and White Sox in a possible three team deal. The Marlins want to throw in struggling third baseman Mike Lowell in any deal to shed his $21 million salary, but so far no one has shown interest.

Fact or Fiction? Fact. He's the big fish of the deadline right now, and the Marlins want him gone. The three way trade between the Twins and White Sox would make sense. The Twins need a third baseman, and the White Sox could use a starter to complement staff aces Jon Garland and Mark Buerhle. Both teams have the minor league depth available to swing a deal so look for Burnett to be gone by July 31st.

Jeff Weaver, Dodgers: His name hasn't appeared in the rumor mill until recently, but apparently the Orioles would love to insert him into their rotation. If he was to be dealt, it would likely be for prospects, and would indicate that the Dodgers have given up on this year and are looking towards the 2006 season.

Fact or Fiction? Most likely Fiction, but there's still a slight possibility of a trade. The Dodger's season is now on the upswing with a recent hotstreak and the return of long-injured slugger Milton Bradley today. Unless the Dodger's get major league ready impact players in return, Weaver is going to stay in Los Angeles. Meaning, they won't trade him for prospects that are going to be ready in 2-3 years. If they're going to make an sort of run for the division title the Dodgers are going to need Weaver, or some pretty decent players in return for him.


Alfonso Soriano, Rangers: His name has come up in deals with teams from the Giants, to the Yankees. There have been rumors that he would accept a move to center field if he was traded to the Yankees, as well as rumors of him being dealt to the Giants for Jason Schmidt.

Fact or Fiction? Once again, Fiction. He has denied all rumors that he would want to go the Yankees. He wants to stay on the Rangers, and considering they traded Alex Rodriguez to get him, they likely won't move him.


J.C. Romero, Twins: Romero is a hard throwing lefty capable of setting up for any team seeking bullpen help. His name has come up in trade rumors to the Red Sox, who are in desparate need of a presence to fill injured closer Keith Foulke's shoes. He's not sensational, so he won't cost too much in return, and he won't cost much salary-wise so he would be a smart pickup for anyone who might get him.

Fact or Fiction? Fact. Every year around the deadline theres one or two average not so sensational players that are dealt and Romero falls under that category this season. He would be an ideal pickup for the Red Sox, who have just cut loose left handed pitcher Alan Embree.


Shawn Chacon, Rockies: He started his career as a starter, and was moved into the closer's role last season. The disasterous results of that experiment have shifted back into his role as a starting pitcher. This season he has been a result of being a pretty decent pitcher on a terrible team. He's 1-7 with a 4.11 ERA. On a contending team he could just as easily be 10-2 but he's unfortunate enough to be in the situation he's in now. His stock has dropped, and the teams that have been previously interested in him (Giants, Rangers, Padres, Yankees) have looked towards bigger prizes recently though.

Fact or Fiction? This one's not so clear cut as the others, but I have to say Fact. The Giants want Jason Jennings, not Chacon, the Rangers want more of an ace pitcher, the Yankees have Al Leiter so their need for an extra starter has diminished, but I could see Chacon going to the Padres. If it goes down to the wire, the Rangers might settle for him and another player, possibly Brian Fuentes in exchange for first base prospect Adrian Rodriguez.


Randy Winn, Mariners: The Yankees currently are in desparate need of a center fielder, with the Bubba Crosby experience having yet to produce much of anything. This would also solve their lack of a leadoff hitter problem, and allow them to shift the slumping Derek Jeter into the number 2 spot in the lineup, a spot he's much more comfortable hitting in. Even with all this hype, one general manage is quoted as saying Winn "can't play centerfield".

Fact or Fiction? Fact. Even with rumors of his lack or prowess in center field, I don't see how he could be much worse than Bernie Williams defensively. The Yankees need someone who can play center and hit and Randy Winn fills this need. He hits for average, with some power and a good amount of speed. He would be an ideal fit in New York. The Mariners don't want him anymore and Winn wants to play for a contender so everyone's happy.


Ken Griffey Jr., Reds: His name hasn't appeared on the rumor mill until about a week ago with many team's growing need for center fielders. Griffey wants to be traded to a contender, but apparently he hasn't been in contact with management and they have not discussed with him any possibility of being traded. He's been in the majors for 10 years and 5 seasons with one team, which gives him the right to veto any trade.

Fact or Fiction? Fiction. Griffey has said that "I don't remember the last time I saw [Reds GM] Dan O'Brien." There simply hasn't been enough effort on the part of the Reds to arrange a deal with a big name like his. There's the issue of getting enough in return for Griffey, and the problem of having to eat the rest of his fairly large salary ($12.5 million through 2008) if they do deal him. This isn't the sort of deal that can be thrown together at the last second with all the variables involved with moving a big name and a big salary.