Baseball Turns to Business

The only thing the Milwaukee Brewers should have on their minds these days is getting back to .500 and making the playoffs. And they still have a good shot at both.

But the Brewers cannot fully focus on those objectives until they get past Wednesday’s trading deadline, particularly Kevin Seitzer and Greg Vaughn.

There is league-wide interest in them, which will force the Brewers to make some tough business decisions.

Seitzer, 34, would be the easiest to move. His $1-million salary would fit well within the budgets of Cleveland and even San Diego; both are rumored to be in hot pursuit.

In the Brewers’ 4-3, 13-inning victory Sunday, Seitzer demonstrated the kind of hitting that makes him attractive. His two singles and home run in six at-bats raised his average to .336, which places him among the top 10 in the American League. His home run in the sixth off Angel starter Mark Langston, his 11th on the year, gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead, which they kept until Jim Edmonds tied it with a home run in the ninth.

“I’ve learned not to worry about things out of my control,” said Seitzer, who also has played in Kansas City and Oakland in his 10 major league seasons. “I’m not concerned. God only knows where I’ll be playing tomorrow, so I don’t have to worry about it.

“I just prepare for today, and worry about things as they come.”

If there are going to be key moves before the July 31 trading deadline, Seitzer thinks they will come in a flurry.

“I believe [the general managers] are waiting for someone to make a move, and then they will do things to counter,” Seitzer said. “That’s sort of the way it shakes down every year.”

Vaughn, 31, hitless in six at-bats, has 28 home runs this season. His 93 runs batted in were the league’s third-highest total before Sunday’s games.

Vaughn collects a $5.7-million salary, and becomes a free agent after the season. He might want more than Milwaukee can--or is willing to--spend, meaning the Brewers might try to get what they can instead of watching Vaughn walk away without compensation this winter.

There might also be some lingering hard feelings. Vaughn got the impression there were many people, including some in the Brewers’ organization, who gave up on him after he struggled in 1995 following rotator cuff surgery.

But he said Sunday the Milwaukee management should seriously think about keeping the lineup they have now, and allow the team to chase Seattle, Oakland, Chicago, Baltimore and Minnesota for the wild card.

“It’s hard not to think about [the deadline] and keep your focus,” Vaughn said. “I believe [management] should be trying to keep us together, and if they can add a couple of people we would be right there. They should not think about dismantling the team.”

John Jaha, who also homered Sunday and whose locker is next to Vaughn’s, agreed.

“We can make a run,” Jaha said. “You know other teams that are in the hunt are going to add somebody. There are still nearly 60 games left. We can be there. And I want to be playing for ‘now,’ not trying to do something in the future.”

Brewer Manager Phil Garner, who’s doing his best to stay above the potential fire sale fray, said it won’t matter unless his team, which goes back to Milwaukee for a short home stand against Oakland before going on the road, starts playing better.

“Yes they’re going to have to come to some decisions,” Garner said. “But we can’t even think about a pennant race until we play better ball.”