Wednesday, December 08, 1999
Reds set for next Junior bid
M's sign Olerud; Winter meetings forum for talks
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds' removal of their most recent trade proposal for Ken Griffey Jr. may have chilled anticipation as baseball's winter meetings approach. But the Seattle Mariners' signing of free agent first baseman John Olerud on Tuesday could prompt a thaw.
Acquiring Olerud eliminated the Mariners' need for first baseman Sean Casey, one of the Reds they had insisted upon in exchange for Griffey. Though the Reds have no intention of giving up second baseman Pokey Reese, the other player Seattle most covets, Olerud's arrival could begin to dissolve the impasse.
“It's like a domino effect,” said Brian Goldberg, Griffey's Cincinnati-based agent. “So many things hinge on other things.”
Other factors that might spur Seattle into action:
• The prospect of also losing shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who can join Griffey in free agency after the 2000 season. “How comfortable would the Mariners be going into the season with two lame-duck stars?” Goldberg said.
• The difficulty of trading Griffey during the season. Typically, top performers traded in midsummer fetch close to their market value only if they're pitchers.
“If he starts the season with them, he'll in all likelihood end the season with them,” Goldberg said. “And they'll in all likelihood get only a couple of draft picks (as free-agency compensation).”
Reds General Manager Jim Bowden emphasized withdrawing his last bid for Griffey did not scuttle efforts to bring the center fielder to his hometown team. “We're open to continue dialogue,” he said.
Though Olerud's signing alters the trading landscape, it still will take a monumental effort to revive prospects for a Reds-Mariners deal once the meetings begin Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
“It's going to take a tremendous amount of compromise to get this thing done,” Bowden said. “We're going to regroup, meet with our staff in Anaheim and move forward from there.”
Bowden said he removed Cincinnati's latest offer at 5 p.m. Monday to give the Reds more flexibility in trade talks.
“We did not want an open-ended offer (for Griffey) which might restrict us in other deals,” Bowden said.
Bowden would not reveal which players he offered to Seattle, though the latest proposal was believed to include a four-player combination from a group consisting of Rookie of the Year reliever Scott Williamson, center fielder Mike Cameron, outfielder Dmitri Young, pitchers Denny Neagle or Brett Tomko and top prospects such as shortstop Travis Dawkins or outfielder Adam Dunn.
Time becomes more of a factor as spring training approaches. Each day without Griffey represents a lost chance to market his crowd-pleasing presence and replace the players traded for him.
“The earlier you can make the deal, the better,” Bowden said. “You want to have it impact season-ticket sales. And (a trade) would open holes on your roster. The more time you have to fill them, the better chance you have of filling them adequately.”
Any perception that face-to-face meetings with Mariners officials in Anaheim will offer more fertile ground for a trade is wrong.
“We have a good relationship. It doesn't matter whether we're talking to them on the phone or in person,” Bowden said. “We just haven't made any progress. We continue to have an open mind, but if things don't change, it won't happen. ... I'm certainly not optimistic, because we're too far apart.”
Bowden won't establish a deadline for an agreement, despite the advantages of making a deal sooner than later.
“I never like setting time frames,” Bowden said. “It restricts your flexibility and your chances.”
Goldberg viewed the meetings as a potentially crucial period.
“If (Griffey) doesn't get traded by the end of the winter meetings, it probably gets harder for the Mariners to deal him,” Goldberg said. “It doesn't impact upon Kenny's outlook for the season. We've assured the Mariners many times he'll bust his butt and hit his 50 home runs like always.”
Seattle GM Pat Gillick has repeated that he won't be rushed into a deal. And it has been obvious that none of the other teams to which Griffey would approve a trade — believed to be Atlanta, Houston and the New York Mets — were bidding as seriously as the Reds. Atlanta, for instance, had absolutely no interest.
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