Blue Jays Have the Rocket, White Sox May Explode

They’ve been on the move in the American League. Roger Clemens has moved to Toronto, Albert Belle to Chicago, Matt Williams and Kevin Mitchell to Cleveland, John Wetteland to Texas, Jose Canseco back to Oakland, Terry Steinbach to Minnesota, Chili Davis to Kansas City and Eddie Murray to Anaheim.

As American League teams report to spring training, you can’t tell the players without an accountant or train schedule.

Take free agents Jimmy Key and David Wells, for instance.

Key, the former New York Yankee left-hander, will be shuttling to Baltimore to pitch for the Orioles, while Wells, the former Oriole left-hander, will be shuttling to New York to pitch for the Yankees.

In similar transit: Chicago free agents Jaime Navarro and Kevin Tapani. Navarro, the former Cub, moves across town to pitch for the White Sox, while Tapani leaves the White Sox to pitch for the Cubs. “El” of a deal.

Then there’s Cal Ripken Jr., who will be making an even shorter move.

Proving that nothing is sacred, the Oriole shortstop is moving to third base to make room for free agent Mike Bordick, the former Oakland shortstop.

In the first winter of increased revenue sharing, even the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals got off the small-market map to make significant financial moves.

The Twins guaranteed $8.3 million to free agents Steinbach and Bob Tewksbury, and the Royals took advantage of the Pittsburgh clearance sales to acquire high-priced veterans Jeff King and Jay Bell, also dealing Mark Gubicza to the Angels for Davis.

The Twins and Royals figure to be more competitive, but both compete in the AL Central, where Jerry Reinsdorf’s White Sox plugged the fearsome Belle into a lineup that includes Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and Harold Baines. Belle was signed at a cost--$55 million for five years--that reignited the market and so irritated other owners that they reversed their opposition to the labor deal and approved it over Reinsdorf’s objections.

The question now is:

With the often malevolent and disruptive Belle, whose latest baggage is an acknowledged passion for high-stakes gambling on football and basketball, will the chemistry of the clubhouse match the explosiveness of the offense?

In his White Sox debut, Belle’s mandated counseling seems to have had an impact on previously strained relations.

He was on his best behavior with fans and reporters while making several marketing appearances for the club over the winter.

“It’s a great opportunity to start over and try to work things out,” the former Indian said recently. “There is definitely a happy medium out there, and I’ll work hard to meet that happy medium.”

Happy days? Time will tell for Belle and the White Sox, who are not alone. How much did American League teams improve? Here’s one man’s ranking:

1. Toronto: The Blue Jays finished 18 games behind the Yankees in the AL East but are suddenly looking at least like a wild-card team. Clemens, guaranteed $24.75 million for three years, joins Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen and AL earned-run average leader Juan Guzman in one of the division’s strongest rotations. Free agent Benito Santiago, signed for two years at $6.5 million, will do the catching. The Blue Jays also acquired second baseman Carlos Garcia, outfielder Orlando Merced and left-handed reliever Dan Plesac in a nine-player deal with Pittsburgh that didn’t dent their big league roster. Toronto’s payroll is $51 million and counting, but revitalized interest has produced a 30% increase in group ticket sales.

2. Seattle: The spring focus will be on Randy Johnson’s comeback from back surgery--he has yet to throw off a mound--but the Mariners have rebuilt their rotation by trading prospects for Montreal’s Jeff Fassero, dealing Sterling Hitchcock to San Diego for power thrower Scott Sanders and re-signing late-season acquisition Jamie Moyer. Third baseman Russ Davis returns from a broken leg to fill the one void in a powerful lineup, and the Mariners reacquired free agent Mike Blowers as an option at that position.

3. Chicago: Providing an investigation does not disclose that Belle also bet on baseball, which could result in a lifetime ban, his signing served two purposes: to strengthen the White Sox and weaken the Indians. But the White Sox suffered a significant loss when Alex Fernandez left as a free agent after his service time was restored in the labor deal. Navarro, a 15-game winner with the Cubs, will try to fill the void, with help from another free agent, Doug Drabek. Tony Phillips, a catalytic leadoff man who played the outfield most of last year and has been left without a position because of Belle’s arrival, may be traded this spring for additional pitching help. Danny Tartabull, who hit 27 homers and drove in 101 runs for the White Sox last year, paid the price for Belle’s expensive acquisition, remaining an unsigned free agent.

4. Kansas City: The Royals have been trying to rebuild from within while maintaining one of baseball’s lowest payrolls. “We put too much pressure on our kids,” General Manager Herk Robinson said. “The players we’ve brought in change our club significantly. We had to do something to rekindle fan interest--and we think we have.” One of the league’s least-productive offenses should benefit from the acquisition of designated hitter Davis, first baseman King, shortstop Bell and the return of third baseman Scott Cooper from Japan. One of the key spring questions involves closer Jeff Montgomery’s ability to recover from rotator cuff surgery. How extensive is the Royals’ search for left-handed relief help? Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams is being given a spring trial.

5. Cleveland: Gone from the team that won the American League pennant in 1995 are Belle, Murray and Carlos Baerga--considerable offense. Management might have finally had it with Belle, but replacing his production will not be easy. A sound Williams and free agent Mitchell give the Indians a chance in that regard. Williams was acquired from San Francisco for three expendables--Jeff Kent, Jose Vizcaino and Julian Tavarez--and joins shortstop Omar Vizquel to also give the Indians Gold Glove-caliber defense on the left side of the infield. Jim Thome moves from third to first, and the Indians are hoping that rookie Enrique Wilson or one of two free agents--Tony Fernandez and Robby Thompson--can fill a void at second. Brian Giles, who lost his rookie status while batting .355 in 121 at-bats with the Indians last year, gets first shot at replacing Belle in left. Rookie Bartolo Colon, the subject of many trade inquiries from other clubs, could break into the rotation.

6. Angels: Beyond the new name, uniforms, logo, manager and chemistry, the question is: Can the new players still play, the new pitchers still pitch? Nevertheless, Jim Leyritz, Eddie Murray, Dave Hollins, Allen Watson, Gubicza and Terry Collins seem to represent improvement from 70-91, and that’s not factoring in Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

7. Baltimore: There’s real congestion in the middle of the improvement ladder. Any of five clubs could be ranked from six through 10, depending on the slant. The Orioles addressed a soaring payroll by choosing not to re-sign Bobby Bonilla, Todd Zeile and Murray, but recouped some of that power by signing Eric Davis, the National League comeback player of the year. Ripken and Bordick equate to better stability on the left side of the infield, and Key provides a slight edge in consistency over Wells. Besides the payroll, the Orioles were concerned about speed and defense and should be stronger in both areas.

8. Texas: The addition of Wetteland represents big-time relief for a team that won the West title with an inconsistent closer in Mike Henneman. However, the Rangers have to fill a major power void, having lost 37 homers and 182 runs batted in without a significant addition in that area. The key departures: shortstop Kevin Elster, now with Pittsburgh, and center fielder Darryl Hamilton, now with San Francisco. Benji Gil, whose leg injury opened the door for Elster’s comeback-of-the-year caliber season, returns to shortstop. Damon Buford, who has been knocking on the door, gets a full-scale trial in center. The potential power outage was compounded when MVP Juan Gonzalez suffered a thumb injury in winter ball and is not expected to be ready until May.

9. Minnesota: The Twins remained competitive despite the loss of Kirby Puckett and could be a wild-card longshot. Catcher Steinbach, who hit a career-high 35 homers for the A’s last year, may build on that in the friendly confines of the Metrodome but was primarily signed to help educate a young pitching staff, as will Tewksbury. Greg Colbrunn, eased out in the Florida Marlins’ make-over, is a solid addition at first base. Outfielder Eric Anthony and pitchers Greg Swindell and Gregg Olson are inexpensive gambles that could provide nice payoffs.

10. Detroit: The Tigers still have miles to go, but General Manager Randy Smith continues to close the distance. A nine-player trade with Houston cost the Tigers little and brought shortstop Orlando Miller, center fielder Brian Hunter and reliever Todd Jones. If Mike Drumright and Jason Thompson are ready to start regularly, the Tigers could begin lowering that 6.38 ERA.

11. Oakland: Not much improvement in 11 through 14, but the return of Canseco at least gives the A’s something to talk about. They hit 243 homers last year and now have reunited Canseco with Bash Brother Mark McGwire. The problem is, both have a frustrating history of injuries, and no matter how the A’s align defensively--whether it’s Canseco or designated hitter Geronimo Berroa who goes to the outfield with Ernie Young and Jason Giambi--they may not have enough hard hats to go around. There are also no proven replacements for Bordick and Steinbach. Oakland’s top shortstop and catching prospects are at lower levels. Rookies Brad Rigby and Jay Witasick will make spring bids for the rotation.

12. Boston: There is much unhappiness in the clubhouse over the club’s direction. Clemens left for Toronto, Canseco for Oakland in a deal for pitcher John Wasdin, and Mike Greenwell for Japan. The Red Sox took a $4.25-million gamble on Steve Avery and gave a $500,000 minor league contract to oft-injured Bret Saberhagen, but new Manager Jimy Williams has to hope that the Orient Express brought some help. The Red Sox turned to Japan for returning outfielder Shane Mack and pitchers Takayasu Kato and Robinson Checo, a Dominican who started his professional career as an outfielder in the Angel organization. Rookie Nomar Garciaparra is expected to start at shortstop, leaving John Valentin as attractive trade fodder.

13. New York: The World Series champions, with the payroll bordering on $60 million and forced to pay the 35% luxury tax, brought in Wells to replace Key at $13.5 million for three years and signed outfielder Mark Whiten for a year at $1 million. Wetteland got a four-year, $23-million contract from the Rangers, leaving the Yankees to hope that their invaluable setup man, Mariano Rivera, can move into the closer role and someone can replace Rivera. Manager Joe Torre must also hope that he can keep everyone in the selfless mode of ’96. He has a congested outfield-designated hitter situation and not enough playing time to go around. Cecil Fielder or Paul O’Neill could still be traded, but it’s unlikely a team would deal unless the Yankees retained some of the salary.

14. Milwaukee: Bud Selig’s Brewers are virtually without change. They made their move last year, sending Greg Vaughn to San Diego for outfielder Marc Newfield and pitchers Bryce Florie and Ron Villone. Selig can use his revenue-sharing take to help defray a modest payroll of about $22 million.