Baseball Notes : Yankees, Mets Should Consider Trading Righetti and Strawberry

It is time for the Yankees and Mets to consider moving two longtime New York fixtures.

Dave Righetti and Darryl Strawberry have been marquee attractions and remain marketable. Their value would likely improve in other markets. Talking about trading Righetti may be considered heresy in the Bronx these days, at least in the front office now that George Steinbrenner is on a loyalty kick. The principal owner extended Bucky Dent’s contract and is surrounding the boy manager with favored Yankees figures of the past, including pitching coach Mark Connor, who recently resigned as the University of Tennessee’s baseball coach.

Righetti, the senior Yankee in terms of consecutive service, is a Steinbrenner favorite, but the reliever is also the only Yankee booed more regularly at the Stadium than Steinbrenner.

Fans no longer view Rags as a legitimate closer. With nine blown saves in 32 opportunities, Righetti has done little to alter that view. Last Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif., his fastball did not hit 85 mph on the gun, which may explain why the California Angels’ Brian Downing hit it so hard and so far. Had it occurred at the Stadium, Righetti would have never heard the end of it.

In another setting, perhaps St. Louis or Kansas City, where he could share the closer job with a Todd Worrell or a Jeff Montgomery, Righetti might return to the form that once produced 46 saves.

The Cardinals and Royals have expressed interest in Righetti, and the Yankees would be wise to keep listening if they could get a starting pitcher in return.

With the San Diego Padres’ Mark Davis possibly available as a free agent and the Cincinnati Reds’ John Franco likely available in a trade, the Yankees might have an easier time replacing a No. 1 relief pitcher than obtaining a front-line starter without offering Righetti.

Strawberry has simply worn out his welcome in New York. With the possible exception of the Cleveland Indians’ Joe Carter, no player in baseball needs a change of scenery more than Strawberry, who has little regard for the Apple.

Strawberry is still young enough (27) that fears his skills are eroding are unwarranted. In a less hectic setting, the brooding right fielder may have the monster year he has long promised. Even his average season before ’89 (.266, 31 home runs, 92 RBI) would satisfy many a club.

The Mets learned this year exceptional starting pitching alone may be insufficient to win a division title. They have many holes and could use Strawberry as bait to fill them. The time is now.

Now that Fay Vincent is commissioner, Steinbrenner may have to tone down his act. Vincent is a lifelong Yankees fan and graduate of Williams College, Steinbrenner’s alma mater. How the Yankees handle their affairs, which in this decade has been laughable, will surely be an important concern to the new man on Park Avenue. A. Bartlett Giamatti was said to be disturbed by Yankees doings, or undoings, and he was a Boston Red Sox fan. Red Sox fans love it when the Yankees go crazy. Imagine how much more annoyed a Yankees fan like Vincent will become if the Yankees keep up their counter-productive behavior. ... The major fallout from the Frank Viola and Juan Samuel trades, otherwise smart ones for the Mets, was the surrendering of Rick Aguilera and Roger McDowell left them with has-been Don Aase and never-was Jeff Innis as right-handed closers. They have combined to go 1-6 with two saves and a 3.76 ERA and have together yielded three of the seven game-winning home runs the bullpen has given up. Randy Myers has allowed the other four, but at least he has a 6-4 record, 23 saves and a 2.05 ERA. If the Mets are going to challenge next year, they must find or develop a comparable companion for Myers.

It was generally thought the Cardinals took a big risk last year by trading a proven winning pitcher in John Tudor to the Dodgers for Pedro Guerrero, whose offensive talents were offset by poor defensive play and a tendency to keep a summer home on the disabled list. So what happens? Tudor spends most of the season on the DL while Guerrero makes enough noise to challenge the San Francisco Giants’ Kevin Mitchell and Will Clark and the Mets’ Howard Johnson for Most Valuable Player. Guerrero has fit perfectly into the cleanup-RBI role previously filled by Jack Clark and George Hendrick that is so essential for Cardinals success. They rely on their rabbits to get on base but need a hitter in the middle to move them around. Guerrero has batted better than .300, driven in more than 100 runs and been better than adequate at first base. He has only one error since July 18 and had a 53-game errorless string ended this past week. If the Cardinals can overtake the Chicago Cubs, Guerrero might overtake the other candidates for MVP.

The Cleveland Indians have won a newcomer’s first game the past six times they’ve changed managers during a season. The Tribe’s 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers last Tuesday for John Hart put him on the list with predecessor Doc Edwards (1987) as well as Pat Corrales (‘83), Dave Garcia (‘79), Jeff Torborg (‘77) and Johnny Lipon (‘71). The last Indians manager who took over in midseason not to win his first game was George Strickland in 1966. ... Bud Black became the first Indian in eight years to post successive shutouts. John Denny had three straight in 1981. ... Mitch Williams has more saves in one season with the Cubs than in his three previous seasons with the Texas Rangers.

Among Don Mattingly’s natural gifts, which include smoking line drives and playing first base with stylish efficiency, is a knack for impressions. Mattingly is more Marcel Marceau than Rich Little. Pantomime is his forte. One of Mattingly’s best is Jack Clark, accentuating the former Yankee’s habit of dropping his bat and helmet at the plate and walking away with a look of disgust after striking out. Clark, who went to the Padres last winter, left a vivid impression on Mattingly, not the least of which was how to handle the role of designated hitter. “It never appealed to me much, but after watching Jack last year, I can see myself doing that a few years down the road,” Mattingly said. “It doesn’t make sense now because I’m needed at first base, but eventually I’d like to do it. It’d be great to come to the park and not have to worry about anything but hitting. I could add a few years to my career and take a lot of pressure off my back.”