In Baseball, It’s Time to Play Let’s Make a Deal

It happens every summer. Baseball’s trading deadline looms on July 31, and the hearts and minds of fans begin to work overtime on the possibilities. With the help of our far-flung team of correspondents, The Sporting News put together its own little series of conceivable swaps, starting with the availability of four of the biggest names in the game: Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Ivan Rodriguez and Wade Boggs. If any of those four get traded, the deal likely would set in motion a number of countermoves by other teams trying to keep pace. We’ve made our best guesses at those chain reactions.

Remember, we’re fantasizing and conjecturing along with every other fan. It’s all in fun. But every player mentioned here is available if the price is right, according to our staff of experts. We’ve applied as much logic as we can muster to these trade scenarios. You can be the judge and jury.

Hard to believe, as McGwire is as healthy and productive as he has been in years. But Oakland apparently isn’t getting enough bang (even at 31 home runs) out of McGwire’s $7.1 million salary to warrant keeping him. McGwire wants to play in Southern California, so he isn’t likely to invoke his veto rights over a deal with, say, the Dodgers. A trade to L.A. makes sense, as long as it ponies up Eric Karros and a young pitcher (Pedro Astacio?) to fill a few of Oakland’s multitude of holes.

The presence of a slugger like McGwire would be intensely attractive to the Dodgers’ likely new owner, Rupert Murdoch. Another side benefit: When McGwire is ready to retire, the Dodgers could move Mike Piazza to first. The McGwire deal, in turn, would force a reaction from ...

...Colorado. The Rockies still have a chance in the West, but if they don’t do it this year, they likely will begin a rebuilding phase. If McGwire lands in a Dodgers uniform, Colorado may make a semi-bold move to keep pace in ’97. Say, Ben McDonald (but only if his stiff shoulder of last week is no problem) and a prospect from the Brewers for outfielder Dante Bichette and second baseman Eric Young. Touted youngster Neifi Perez could play second, while Walt Weiss stays at short. Even with Bichette gone, the Rockies’ outfield would be steady enough with Larry Walker, Ellis Burks and Quinton McCracken. And that puts the onus on ...

...the Padres. Could San Diego sit back and watch its division get better? Not likely. If the Padres aren’t able to get Kenny Rogers from the Yankees (a questionable desire, anyway), they could turn to Cincinnati, which will part with John Smiley, Pete Schourek or both. Let’s say Cincinnati swaps Smiley and his $3.75 million contract to San Diego for players such as Archi Cianfrocco, Rickey Henderson and minor-leaguers Kerry Taylor and Chris Clark. The Reds save some bucks and gain some prospects. The Padres get their pitcher, and try to catch ...

...the Giants. San Francisco is the least likely team in the division to make significant moves because they’re already too thin to offer much in the way of a deal. But they will do what they can to bulk up their bench and their pitching. Mariano Duncan as a bat off the bench, and a backup to Jeff Kent makes sense. The Yankees (read: George Steinbrenner) get more desperate to move Duncan as the deadline nears, and so George should be listening again to the offer of catching prospect Marcus Jensen.

The worse the Phillies get, the more senseless it is for them to keep Schilling and his three-year, $15.45 million extension. Schilling has a no-trade clause, but he’s obviously willing to waive it, and not just for the five rumored teams (Orioles, Astros, Braves, Cardinals and Marlins). He’s being coy about darn near any team in playoff contention, including the Indians and the Rockies. The Phillies will ask for the second coming of Hank Aaron, but they probably would settle for a package from the Angels that includes outfielder Garret Anderson and a couple of prospects, maybe reliever Jeff Schmidt and first baseman Danny Buxbaum.

Anaheim would fill a couple of holes with Schilling: The Angels get the top-notch starter they need for a run at the Mariners, and Anderson’s departure clears up the four-players-into-three-positions logjam in the outfield. Schilling, along with All-Star Jason Dickson and veterans Chuck Finley, Allen Watson and (if he ever gets healthy) Mark Langston, just might put Anaheim’s rotation over the top of the Randy Johnson/Jeff Fassero/Jamie Moyer troika in Seattle. But it isn’t the Mariners who would react the strongest to Schilling’s presence in Anaheim. It would be

...Cleveland. The Indians are desperate to shore up a rotation that is barely better than adequate, and they know they will go nowhere in the playoffs if they don’t do something soon. They want Schilling. If they fail to get him, they could turn to the Red Sox and deal for Aaron Sele (or, perhaps, Tom Gordon), probably by giving up left fielder Brian Giles and prospect Damian Jackson or first baseman Richie Sexson. (But not reliever Albie Lopez, who would be part of a deal for a pitcher the caliber of Schilling.) The ball then would be in ...

...Chicago’s court. The White Sox, still hoping to catch Cleveland, may want to make their own deal for a pitcher. Say, the Blue Jays’ Woody Williams, who has pitched better than his numbers (3-8, 4.59 at the break) indicate. As long as Toronto isn’t going to catch Baltimore or New York, Williams is expendable. The Blue Jays can use a young first baseman who can hit for average and a little power, such as Chicago’s Mario Valdez. Toronto could go after Chicago outfielder Darren Lewis, too, in exchange for Williams. But watch out for ...

...Seattle. , even if the Mariners are strong enough and secure enoug But The Mariners also know they need help in the bullpen, since the Norm Charlton/Bobby Ayala closer show is playing to mixed reviews. There is help to be had in these deadline days, so Seattle might be wise to swing a deal with Boston (which soon will be cleaning house) for Heathcliff Slocumb. Who would the Red Sox get? How about Class AAA catcher Jason Varitek?

The best catcher in baseball on the trading block? It may come to that. As Rodriguez nears free agency, the Rangers become less certain they will be able to re-sign him. The market is being driven even higher by the two free-spending expansion teams, and Rodriguez is going to want something like $50 million over five years in his next contract. If the Rangers slip even further behind Seattle, they may decide to deal him, just to make sure they get something in return. Who could afford him? How about, for the sake of this argument ...

...Toronto? OK, this is a stretch, probably the biggest we’ve made so far. But it has a whisper of logic. The Blue Jays are a few hitters away from contending, and they are getting pitiful production from Benito Santiago and Charlie O’Brien behind the plate. The team is up for sale, which raises the possibility that new ownership may want to start with a big splash. The Jays could throw a number of players at Texas, including Joe Carter, Otis Nixon, Carlos Garcia, Orlando Merced and Alex Gonzalez. And that deal just might light a little fire under ...

...Baltimore, which probably is in the market for a catcher, anyway. Since Chris Hoiles has been on the D.L., the Orioles have made do with Lenny Webster and Tim Laker. Chances are, they would like to upgrade for the stretch while they also look for a fifth starter. A deal could be made with the Tigers for catcher Brian Johnson and pitcher Omar Olivares, both of whom are available. Baltimore would have to part with Tony Tarasco, Shawn Boskie and/or Pete Incaviglia, and probably a prospect, but those guys are expendable. And as long as catchers are the commodity, don’t forget ...

...Kansas City. The Royals won’t factor into the playoffs, but that doesn’t lessen their need for a veteran catcher. Say Rodriguez winds up in Toronto. The Royals then could choose between Santiago and O’Brien with the Blue Jays and Ron Karkovice with the White Sox. They would probably opt for Santiago, on the premise he can return to the .280s in a new environment. To get him, they give up one of their struggling third basemen, probably Craig Paquette. Which brings up another one. The Royals could pull the trigger on another deal with ...

...Oakland. Yes, the team likely to trade Mark McGwire is just as likely to barter away its third baseman. Scott Brosius looks better to the Royals than Scott Cooper or Paquette on the strength of his defensive potential. Brosius is having an awful year at the plate, too, and he has fallen off with the glove. But he once was considered the best defensive third baseman in the league. To get him, the Royals could part with Bip Roberts or young backup outfielder Jon Nunnally, along with Sal Fasano, who is ...you guessed it ...a backup catcher.

What’s a future Hall of Fame player to do when he has lost his starting job? Ask for a trade, of course. Boggs, 39, is at least a season-and-a-half away from 3,000 hits, so he will play somewhere until he gets there. Next season, “somewhere” might be Tampa Bay, where he grew up. But the Yankees will try to place him “somewhere” now as part of a stretch-run trade, as long as he wants out of New York and is willing to waive his no-trade clause. The likeliest taker is a contending team that wants Boggs’ veteran presence. A team like ...

...St. Louis. Why not? The Cardinals already have cornered the market on aging veterans. Boggs wouldn’t solve their long-term problem at third, but he could make a difference if he shared enough time with Gary Gaetti. The Yankees would ask for Ron Gant to solve their quandary in left field, and the Cardinals might be tempted to unload Gant’s $5 million salary. But to get Gant, New York would need to throw in more than just Boggs -- say, Kenny Rogers and minor-league pitcher Kevin Henthorne. In that case, watchers of the N.L. Central race would turn to ...

...Houston, which will have to make a move if it wants to take control of the division. The Astros need a shortstop, but they can’t afford a good one unless they dump another big salary. To that end, they may try to interest Boston in outfielder Derek Bell for John Valentin. If Bell isn’t enough, Houston could part with one of its minor league first basemen (Daryle Ward or J.R. Phillips). And should Valentin leave Boston, the floodgates for other middle infielders may open. For example, Philadelphia’s Mickey Morandini could end up in ...

...Florida, which needs help at second base and at the top of the order. Morandini is a 2-hole hitter with the Phillies, but he probably could handle the leadoff spot at least as well as Luis Castillo, Kurt Abbott and John Cangelosi have for the Marlins. If Florida misses out on McGwire, the team will look to make another significant deal. For Morandini, the Marlins could offer what Philadelphia needs: good, young arms in left-handers Felix Heredia out of the bullpen and starter Tony Saunders. And if a run on second basemen is in the works, we shouldn’t overlook ...

...Montreal, which is willing to part with another terrific player in Mike Lansing.