I'll Take Door #3, Monty

Jason Michael Barker

Just last week I was complaining that there was no baseball news to speak of, and POW! -- deals start coming out of the woodwork like some sort of pesky termite. All apologies if your home actually has a termite problem, but that aside, let's look at the deals of the past week.

Mets re-sign Edgardo Alfonzo. The Mets continued their productive off-season and avoided salary arbitration with Alfonzo, who inked a four-year, $18.4M deal on Friday. At just $4.6M per season, the deal is a bargain for a good young infielder. Alfonzo spent last season at 3B, but the signing of Robin Ventura will push him across the diamond to 2B, where the former SS becomes even more valuable. Ventura is a superior defensive player at the hot corner, and Alfonzo goes from being average for his position to above average both at the plate and in the field.

After a stellar 1997 in which he posted a .391 OBP, Alfonzo slipped slightly last season but improved after the All-Star break. After hitting .348/.396 (OBP/SLG) before the break, he rebounded to post a .361/.454 second half which included 11 of his career-high 17 home runs. If he can continue to put up similar offensive numbers (particularly the power), he'll be among the best second basemen in the league. He'd be even further above average if the Mets discarded Rey Ordonez and put Alfonzo at SS, but then who would fill the highlight reels at Shea?

Padres deal Vaughn for Sanders, et al. You almost had to have seen this one coming. Vaughn was coming off of a career year, and is eligible for free agency following the 1999 season. The team might be saying otherwise, but the Padres don't really expect to win the division next season, and in their defense, this deal makes sense for a couple of reasons.

First, Vaughn is coming off of a career year. At 33 years of age he isn't likely to put up another similar season again. If the Padres had waited until the end of the season and lost him to free agency, they would have gotten nothing in return. Second, he hasn't exactly been a picture of health in recent years -- since 1993, he's topped 120 games only twice (1996, 1998). Finally, the Pads acquired some decent talent. Reggie Sanders, when healthy, is capable of a .350/.500-type season, a reasonable projection for Vaughn next season.

Infielder Damion Jackson, 25, isn't regarded for his offense, but he drew 62 walks and stole 25 bases at AAA last season. He's no star, but he could provide insurance in case 2B Quilvio Veras (off-season shoulder surgery) isn't ready to start the season. Lastly they added Josh Harris, 21, who started 27 games at single-A Burlington last season. Harris had a good 169 to 45 K:BB ratio in 177 innings last year, a 3.05 ERA, and a very nice 1.19 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched).

The deal leaves the Reds with yet another outfielder, adding to the speculation that another deal is in the works. They might be better off trading Vaughn for a few youngsters while his value is high, seeing as they don't really plan on competing for another year or two.

Marlins net Mike Lowell for three arms. While it should come as no surprise that the Yankees traded 3B prospect Mike Lowell, it is a minor upset that he was dealt to the Fish, who already have Kevin Orie at the hot corner.

After a solid (.350/.431) rookie season in 1997 with the Cubs, Orie struggled mightily last season before being traded to Florida, where he was much improved at the plate and played good defense. He figured to be the opening day starter in 1999, but the addition of Lowell clouds his future significantly. A stellar defensive player, he isn't really suited to a bench role. He's probably without a job now, but we'll have to wait and see. I wouldn't mind seeing him traded to the Mariners.

The Marlins gave up quite a bit to get Lowell, in the form of three minor-league pitchers. Two are former first-round picks (Mark Johnson and Todd Noel), and the third is a highly regarded prospect (Eddie Yarnall). You may remember Yarnall, the former Met farmhand who was sent to Florida in exchange for Mike Piazza. He was dominant at double-A last season, but struggled when promoted. His outlook improves significantly upon being dealt to the Yankees, since he won't be rushed to the majors as he probably would have been in Florida. Instead, he'll get in a full year of work at AAA.

Johnson, 24, allowed over 13 baserunners per nine innings at AA Portland last year, but has three quality pitches and is considered a decent prospect due to his groundball-inducing nature. Noel, 20, is a raw flame-thrower, but he really doesn't have the strikeout rates you'd like to see.

I've always said the Yankees would have been better off giving Lowell the starting job instead of re-signing World Series hero Scott Brosius, but they did a good job with this deal considering other teams had to know that they were dealing an expendable player. New York added three quality arms who could help the team in years to come, and even if only one of them pans out they'll be better off than if they had let Lowell rot in Columbus.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker would like the Anaheim Angels' uniforms much better if they added a racing stripe. Vote for Chim-Chim as mascot at jmb@strikethree.com.