WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12, 2001
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
Cleveland trades its All-Star
The Associated Press
BOSTON — The Mets and Indians completed a blockbuster deal yesterday, with Cleveland sending All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar to New York in an eight-player trade.
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Cleveland acquired outfielder Matt Lawton, outfield prospect Alex Escobar, pitcher Jerrid Riggan and two players to be named in exchange for Alomar, pitcher Mike Bacsik and outfielder-first baseman Danny Peoples in the first big deal of the winter meetings.
"I have to admit that I thought this was a long shot." Phillips said. "Even as late as mid-afternoon yesterday I thought it was a long shot. I didn't know if we would be able to come up with the right configuration."
The New York Yankees moved closer to finalizing a seven-year deal with Giambi, the Oakland A's first baseman, that would be worth between $118 and $120 million, a baseball official and a lawyer familiar with the talks said on the condition of anonymity.
There was little news on the first two days of the meetings as two hurdles that have slowed baseball's offseason moves were getting closer to being resolved: the signing of Jason Giambi and contraction.
The deal between Mets general manager Steve Phillips and new Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro was completed between midnight and 12:30 a.m.
Owners and players also spent Monday trying to negotiate an agreement that would delay contraction until at least 2005. The sides were close to a deal, and resumed talks yesterday.
Many teams and agents appeared to be waiting for those issues to be resolved before making their moves.
Only two deals were announced in the opening two days at the meetings. The Toronto Blue Jays traded shortstop Alex Gonzalez to the Chicago Cubs for lefty Felix Heredia and a player to be named, and the St. Louis Cardinals announced their $27 million, four-year deal with closer Jason Isringhausen.
The Mets made their second major move in the past week. They dealt third baseman Robin Ventura to the Yankees last Friday for outfielder David Justice. It means New York most likely will move Edgardo Alfonzo from second base to third next season.
After winning the NL pennant in 2000, the Mets failed to make the playoffs this year, finishing with the fewest runs and lowest
batting average in the major leagues and the second fewest k
The 33-year-old Alomar, who played three seasons in Cleveland, is a 12-time All-Star who hit a team-high .336 this year with 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 30 steals.
The deal, which was first reported by Newsday on its Web site, will help create payroll flexibility for the Indians. Cleveland owner Larry Dolan told Shapiro to trim $15 million off last season's $91 million payroll.
fewest homers in the NL
"I think I'll need a flak jacket when I get off the plane, proba-
by, Shapiro said, recognizing the deal will not be popular back in Cleveland. "Anytime you trade away a
The Giambi deal is getting closer to being completed. While the contract wasn't finalized, the Yankees began making arrangements for Giambi to take a physical. When a player takes a physical, it's usually a sign that a deal is imminent.
Hall of Fame-caliber talent, it's something you don't do lightly.
At $120 million, the contract would have an average annual value of $17.14 million. That would be the fifth-highest in baseball behind Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez ($25.2 million), Boston outfielder Manny Ramirez ($20 million), Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter ($18.9 million) and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa ($18 million).
Giambi's agent, Arn Tellem, did not return a telephone message. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has not commented on the Giambi talks. If there are no problems with the physical, the contract could be finalized later this week, the sources said.
New York also moved closer to resigning pitcher Sterling Hitchcock, and the Yankees talked with the agent for outfielder Rondell White.
Oakland did lose a player Monday, when Isringhausen finalized a $27 million, four-year contract with the Cardinals. The A's already had replaced him, acquiring Billy Koch from Toronto on Friday for a pair of minor leaguers.
The Cubs acquired Gonzalez to replace free agent Ricky Gutierrez, who was not offered salary arbitration by Chicago before last Friday's deadline.
"My main goal is to win, and I think they have the right group of guys here to win for a very long time," Isringhausen said of the Cardinals.
Isrishhausen was 4-3 with 34 saves in 43 chances and 2.65 ERA last season. He chose the Cardinals even though Texas offered more money, in part because he grew up in Brighton, Ill., a short drive from St. Louis.
"He will be an outstanding defensive player for us." Cubs general manager Andy MacPhail said. "He's quicker and runs better than Gutierrez, and he has good power for a shortstop."
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