Expos Go to the Pen

The Montreal Expos are making this up as they go along--witness the signing of Jose Canseco on Tuesday--trying to rebuild an organization frozen by major league baseball’s contraction plan, decimated by an unprecedented ownership situation and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Baseball’s 29 other teams combined to purchase the Expos last week after politicians and the courts prevented the elimination of clubs this season, providing another stay of execution for a franchise that has been on life support since the mid-1990s.

All but six baseball operations employees--minor league coaches, a couple of roving instructors and the farm director--bolted the seemingly sinking ship, with many joining former owner Jeffrey Loria, who bought the Florida Marlins for $158.5 million after selling the Expos for $120 million.

The players and remaining skeleton staff are now operating under newcomers in the Expos’ top positions, including President Tony Tavares, who resigned as president of Disney’s Anaheim Sports subsidiary in January, General Manager Omar Minaya and Manager Frank Robinson. However, no one is sure where this is going or how long the ride will continue.

Commissioner Bud Selig remains committed to eliminating at least two teams before the 2003 season, and baseball’s lowest-revenue club is expected to be first to go. If contraction is postponed again, the Expos, who were last in the majors in attendance last season, are among the teams that might move to Washington, D.C.

On their second day of spring workouts here earlier this week, the Expos tried to get back to baseball after what was an unsettling winter even by their depressing standards. The day was sunny and cloudless, but the mood was darkened by the haze of resignation. This contraction stuff is just the latest in a long line of bloopers.

“Around here, it’s been difficult for a bunch of years, but this is ... it’s been hard,” said pitcher Javier Vazquez, the Expos’ representative to the players’ union. “All the great players in Montreal left [in previous fire sales] because they [management] traded them. But this is different.

“This has been crazy and frustrating. Baseball just forgot about us, but we’re here right now. Hopefully, we can forget about the winter and concentrate on baseball.”

That’s all Minaya and Robinson would like to do, too.

Baseball’s first Hispanic general manager, Minaya, 43, was formerly a senior assistant general manager with the New York Mets. A native of the Dominican Republic, he is considered a top talent evaluator. He eagerly accepted Selig’s offer to run the Expos despite the uncertainty surrounding the franchise.

Minaya does not consider himself a caretaker for a dying club, saying he is working to bolster the roster and operating as if the Expos will be playing beyond this season. But he also has a safety net, moving to a position in the commissioner’s office if the Expos are out of business in 2003.

“We have to hire a minor league staff, a scouting staff and a player development staff. And we have to get some [more] players,” said Minaya, who has been denied permission to interview officials from some organizations because of the unusual timing of the search process. “There are some big challenges in front of me, but our goal here is to win. I feel comfortable, with me having the authority to do things, that we’re going to get it done.”

Minaya wants to hire many of the 60 Marlin employees dismissed when Loria brought his staff with him. That should help the Expos fill positions in their farm system, where only two of last season’s 29 coaches and instructors remain. Fortunately, the club’s minor league camp doesn’t have to be fully operational until March 8.

Even with all the uncertainty surrounding the Expos, Minaya considers his appointment a big break. For Robinson, it’s just another way to punch the clock for a year.

At Selig’s request, the 66-year-old Hall of Famer left his position as baseball’s vice president of on-field discipline to return to the dugout.

The only player to be selected most valuable player in both leagues, Robinson became the first African American manager in major league history when the Cleveland Indians hired him toward the end of the 1974 season. He also guided the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles--being selected the American League manager of the year with the Orioles in 1989--and has a career record of 680-751.

He was not pining to be a manager again. Robinson acknowledges he knew little about Montreal’s players before pitchers and catchers had their first workout Sunday, and his coaching staff was hastily arranged. But he said that shouldn’t stop the Expos from competing.

“The way I look at it, it’s a baseball season that has to be played,” said Robinson, who stressed he is not interested in managing past this season. “We’re not going to worry ourselves about the off-field stuff; the political stuff. The only thing we have control of is what’s happening on the field.

“We’re going to focus on baseball and play it as usual. We’re going to go out there and try to win every possible game. At the end of the year, we’ll hope that’s enough to get us into the playoffs. It’s as simple as that.”

Improving the roster would help.

While awaiting a decision on contraction, Loria’s staff did nothing to upgrade a club that finished 68-94, 20 games behind the National League East champion Atlanta Braves. The Expos have four of the game’s rising young stars in Vazquez, outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, shortstop Orlando Cabrera and second baseman Jose Vidro. But they need more help, and Minaya said he has the authority to do what is necessary--just as long as it’s within the Expos’ $35-million budget.

“You just have to be creative,” Minaya said.

Minaya proved it in signing Canseco to a minor league contract. The 37-year-old slugger has never played in the National League and hasn’t played 100 games in the outfield during a season since 1991.

That was Minaya’s first major personnel move, and he seems confident that he can reshape the Expos to be competitive. “The fact that I have experience in so many areas, I’ve been involved in professional scouting, amateur scouting, international scouting, I feel comfortable that we are going to be OK,” Minaya said.

“We have some great young players, and those guys are a big part of winning games. If somebody wants to make me an offer on any of our players, I’ll listen. But I’m not shopping our players.”