Dodgers Join Swap Meet

Upsetting the high-rolling New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, the Houston Astros won the Randy Johnson sweepstakes Friday night, acquiring the Seattle Mariners’ disenchanted left-hander for two minor leaguers and a player to be named. The Big Unit was the big prize on the night of baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline, and the Astros, leading the National League Central but lacking a dominant figure in their rotation, seemed to pay a modest price to fill that void.

“We identified all along our primary need was a No. 1 starter, and we got one of the dominating starters in the game,” Houston General Manager Gerry Hunsicker said. “It’s been a long night [of negotiating], and I didn’t think we had much of a chance, but we were able to pull it off.”

Capping a wild day and night that saw 13 trades involving 45 players, including 23 major leaguers, the Astros pulled it off by giving up two of their top prospects--infielder Carlos Guillen and pitcher Freddy Garcia.

With no major leaguers in return, the Mariners seemed to be capitulating on their American League West and wild-card hopes, something of a moral victory to Bill Bavasi, the Angels’ general manager.

While his division rival Texas Rangers were one of the most active teams, Bavasi did not participate in Friday’s trade frenzy.

Of Johnson’s departure from the division, he said:

“A two-team race is easier than a three-team race. I’d like to think losing Randy Johnson weakens them a bit and helps the Angels and Rangers.”

Johnson, 9-10 with a 4.33 earned-run average and a league-leading 213 strikeouts, has been unable to maintain a consistency and focus since the Mariners announced last winter they would not re-sign him. Whether the Astros ultimately pay the price or Johnson goes elsewhere as a free agent isn’t an immediate concern, Hunsicker said. With a rotation that has included Mike Hampton, Shane Reynolds Jose Lima, Sean Bergman and Pete Schourek, they are willing to rent Johnson and see what develops.

“We heard before our game we were in the running for Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens, but you can’t get too excited about it because of the teams that were in it,” Astro first baseman Jeff Bagwell said, referring to the Yankees and Indians. “You know we’re the low market, and our chances of getting either one were probably slim.”

The Houston package didn’t seem to compare to the reported deals involving those two American League teams, but it is believed that Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman, who was left to make the decision by owner Gorge Steinbrenner, according to a source, ultimately decided not to tamper with clubhouse chemistry or disturb the nucleus of a team that may set a major league record for wins. The Indians, it is believed, ultimately refused to part with either pitcher Dave Burba or outfielder Brian Giles, and the Mariners wanted a heftier price if they were going to trade Johnson within the league.

The Johnson trade, completed before the midnight (EDT) deadline but not announced until about 45 minutes after it, was not the only highlight:

* The Rangers, putting it to the idle Angels, acquired Todd Stottlemyre and Royce Clayton from the St. Louis Cardinals and former Dodger Todd Zeile from the Florida Marlins;

* The Baltimore Orioles solidified their rotation for a wild-card stretch run by dealing for Juan Guzman of the Toronto Blue Jays;

* The San Francisco Giants, trying to sustain their wild-card hopes, added power by acquiring Ellis Burks from the Colorado Rockies;

* The New York Mets, also in the National League wild-card hunt, received Willie Blair and Jorge Fabregas from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Bernard Gilkey and also traded with the Blue Jays for ex-Angel Tony Phillips;

* The Chicago Cubs, chasing the Astros in the Central Division and leading in the wild-card race, continued to improve their bullpen by acquiring Felix Heredia from the Marlins for one-time third-base phenom Kevin Orie;

* The Boston Red Sox, leading the AL wild-card race, obtained first baseman Orlando Merced and pitcher Greg Swindell from the Minnesota Twins for three minor league pitchers;

* The Oakland Athletics acquired third baseman Ed Sprague from the salary-purging Blue Jays, who put a high price on Clemens and retained the renowned right-hander despite Clemens’ apparent attempt to promote a trade to either the Rangers or Astros in his home state of Texas.

Clemens reportedly had a verbal agreement with former club president Paul Beeston that he could demand a trade if the Blue Jays adopted a rebuilding mode, which is what seems to have occurred in the last two days with the departures of Guzman, Sprague, Phillips and Mike Stanley.

“Roger is happy in Toronto, but it’s all about winning,” agent Alan Hendricks said, refusing to confirm or deny the Beeston agreement. “He’s made no demands nor laid out any threats. He’ll be happy if he stays in Toronto, but there’s definitely been some conversation.”

He referred to conversation between Clemens and the Blue Jays, with ensuing trade conversations that led nowhere.

The Angels reportedly phoned about Clemens and were told any deal would have to include a starting outfielder, starting pitcher and premium prospect. End of conversation.

The Rangers asked and were told any deal would have to include Rusty Greer. End of conversation, but only the start of some aggressive dealing by the Angels’ principal rival in the AL West.

The acquisition of Stottlemyre, who had drawn interest from the Angels, Dodgers and Yankees, figures to benefit a rotation that had posted an ERA of almost 6.00 since the all-star break, but General Manager Doug Melvin felt it was equally important that the Rangers rebuilt the left side of their infield. The Rangers were ninth in the league in team defense and now will employ the veteran Zeile at third base, replacing Fernando Tatis, who was in his first full season, and Clayton at shortstop, replacing Kevin Elster, who was released.

Clayton had hit a cumulative .271 in his first two seasons as Ozzie Smith’s successor, but he slipped to .234 this year. However, the Rangers are among the league leaders in offense and were more interested in Clayton’s glove and maneuverability.

“Part of the reason our pitching wasn’t up to par is that our defense wasn’t up to par,” Melvin said. “Kevin Elster did a great job for us in 1996, but Clayton simply has more range.”

To get Clayton in the Stottlemyre deal, the Rangers had to package the promising but offensively overmatched Tatis--his three homers and 32 runs batted were the lowest among regular American League third baseman--with pitcher Darren Oliver, which also meant they had to acquire a third baseman, sending two class-A prospects--pitcher Dan DeYoung and third baseman Jose Santo--to the Marlins for Zeile. The latter had gone to Florida in the Mike Piazza trade and was batting .276 with 13 homers and 66 RBIs overall.

Zeile has now been with seven teams since midseason of 1995, three this year. The Marlins had told him he would be traded before the deadline.

“It’s been quite a year,” he said. “My head has been spinning. The last month or so it’s been better because I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The Marlins kept their word to me. I can’t think of [joining] a better situation.”

Stottlemyre, 33, is 3-3 with a 3.51 ERA. He had been scratched from a Thursday night start because of a sore back, but the Rangers said they have no concerns about his physical status and were privately exultant to have kept him out of the Angels’ hands. He replaces Oliver, who was 6-7 in 19 starts and had the highest ERA (6.53) in the Texas rotation.

Although the Rangers had recently acquired pitcher Esteban Loaiza from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Friday’s moves were the first evidence of new owner Tom Hicks’ financial impact. The Rangers added about $2.7 million in salary, not including the $480,000 still owed Elster or the $3.2 million they will pay Zeile next year, when they have already committed $38.8 million for 10 players. The Rangers are probably only renting Stottlemyre, who is eligible for free agency, but will likely try to re-sign Clayton, who is also eligible for free agency.

In seemingly conceding on their wild-card hopes, the Cardinals got younger. Tatis, 23, replaces Gary Gaetti; Oliver, 27, replaces Stottlemyre, and Luis Ordaz, 23, recalled from Louisville on Friday, replaces Clayton.

The Giants, who recently tried to bolster their wild card hopes by trading for Joe Carter and Jose Mesa, acquired Burks for center fielder and leadoff man Darryl Hamilton, minor league pitcher James Stoops and a player to be named.

Burks, who is eligible for free agency and much more of a power threat than Hamilton, was batting .286 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs.

“Hopefully I can help them get back in the hunt,” he said of the Giants. “I was hearing things about going to the Giants, but I didn’t think it would happen after they got Joe Carter.”

Said Manager Dusty Baker, referring to Burks: “He can run, he can play center field and he has some sock. Everybody has been hollering that we need more sock. Well, we’ve got more sock now, but you have to give up something to get something.”

The second-half resurgence of the Orioles, who had cut Boston’s wild-card lead from 15 games to eight through Thursday, led to their acquisition of Guzman for pitcher Nerio Rodriguez, 25, and minor league outfielder Shannon Carter. Guzman, 31, is 6-12 with a 4.41 ERA but has been a hot pitcher since the break, posting a 1.91 ERA and 2-2 record, including a 1-0 victory over the Rangers on Thursday night. Rodriguez was 1-3 with an 8.05 ERA in six games with the Orioles.

Guzman, whose 1999 contract vests at $5.2 million if he pitches 200 innings this year, said he was surprised to be going to the Orioles, thinking he was headed to the Dodgers.

“I’m happy,” he said. “I’m going to see my buddy Robbie [Alomar] there.”

Said Toronto General Manager Gord Ash, who traded Guzman and Stanley to two of the three clubs ahead of him in the American League East: “I took the best offers.”

The Mets’ decision to move catcher Todd Hundley to left field left the struggling Gilkey expendable. He was in the second year of a four-year, $20.4-million contract but was batting only .227.

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BASEBALL’S MOVING DAY

WHAT THE LOCALS DID

THE DODGERS: They continued their changing ways by getting pitcher Carlos Perez, shortstop Mark Grudzielanek and a prospect from Montreal for second baseman Wilton Guerrero and three minor leaguers.

*

THE ANGELS: The West leaders might have difficulty staying there as the trading deadline passed without the team addressing its pitching needs, while Texas made a series of moves to bolster its chances for the stretch drive.

THE OTHER MAJOR DEALS

HOUSTON: The Astros were the surprise winners of the Randy Johnson sweepstakes, acquiring the former Cy Young Award winner from the Seattle Mariners for two minor leaguers and a player to be named.

*

TEXAS: In separate deals, the Rangers acquired shortstop Royce Clayton and pitcher Todd Stottlemyre from St. Louis and third baseman Todd Zeile from the Florida Marlins.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Giants made a push to overtake Chicago in the wild-card race by acquiring outfielder Ellis Burks from Colorado for outfielder Darryl Hamilton, a minor leaguer and a player to be named.

NEW YORK METS: They made two deals, acquiring outfielder Tony Phillips from Toronto and sending slumping outfielder Bernard Gilkey to Arizona for pitcher Willie Blair and catcher Jorge Fabregas.

BALTIMORE: With no chance of catching the Yankees in the AL East but an outside shot in the wild-card race, the Orioles got pitcher Juan Guzman from Toronto for pitcher Nerio Rodriguez and a minor leaguer.

RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS

Days Remaining In the Season: 58