Sunday, December 12, 1999
Bowden pursuing other deals
Reds get OF Bartee from Tigers
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jim Bowden couldn't resist having a little fun.
“We have a much better chance of bringing Goofy back than Griffey,” the Reds general manager said Saturday, playfully twisting his widely circulated pre-winter meetings remarks.
Actually, there's nothing goofy about the Reds' efforts to secure useful players at these meetings, which are being held less than a mile from Disneyland. A cartoon of Bowden and his assistants might show them wearing Mickey Mouse ears, reflecting their eagerness to listen to numerous proposals.
The Reds did more than just meet with the Seattle Mariners and mutually agree that pursuing a trade involving Ken Griffey Jr. was fruitless. Reds officials also met face-to-face with counterparts from Arizona, Anaheim, Kansas City, Toronto and the New York Mets. They also conducted talks by telephone and in the hotel lobby with several other teams.
Among those clubs was the New York Yankees, from whom Cincinnati would like to pry right-hander Hideki Irabu. The Reds also remain interested in Tampa Bay right-hander Rolando Arrojo, though they have plenty of competition.
The Chicago Cubs asked Cincinnati about right-hander Brett Tomko. In return, they'd be willing to deal reliever Terry Adams, who could bolster the Reds bullpen. Adams was 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA last season.
“I hope we leave here with a deal or two,” Bowden said. “We didn't put all our eggs in one basket. We never do.”
Most of these talks seemed destined to meet with the same result as the Griffey negotiations.
For example, Arizona inquired about Reds relievers Danny Graves, Scott Williamson and Scott Sullivan, hoping to strengthen its bullpen. The Reds wouldn't mind obtaining first baseman Travis Lee, who also can play the outfield, or Andy Fox, a utility infielder who specializes in defense. But Arizona General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. doubted that a deal could be completed.
Cincinnati did fill one need by obtaining outfielder Kimera Bartee from the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named or cash considerations.
The Reds have long coveted Bartee, who has excellent speed but a weak bat (lifetime batting average: .227 with four homers and 32 RBI in 220 games). Though Bartee has lost his luster of potential, he became a candidate to win a reserve spot with Cincinnati. Jeffrey Hammonds' departure to Colorado in the Dante Bichette trade left the Reds without a backup for center fielder Mike Cameron.
Bartee, 27, hit .195 in 41 games this year for Detroit and .286 in 104 games with Triple-A Toledo.
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