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**BettorsChat** · 08-01-2003, 07:26 AM

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The New York Yankees added an All-Star third baseman and yet another reliever, getting Aaron Boone and left-hander Gabe White on Thursday in a pair of trades with the payroll-slashing Cincinnati Reds.

The Yankees gave up left-hander Brandon Claussen -- their top pitching prospect -- another minor leaguer and cash for Boone, who was traded three days after his father was fired as manager.

New York then turned around and traded third baseman Robin Ventura to Los Angeles for two minor leaguers, clearing the way for Boone to settle in at third.

A few minutes later, the Yankees got White for a player to be agreed upon. All the deals were announced in the final half-hour before the non-waiver trading deadline.

"It's flattering and humbling," Boone said. "Hopefully, I can be one of those pieces that kind of does the trick."

The Reds' about-face -- firing their general manager and manager on Monday, then offering players for the best deal -- significantly changed the last days before the trading deadline.

"They've had a change of direction," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "All of baseball reacted to that. When the Reds' situation changed, it created a whole new market."

New York and the Boston Red Sox have been locked in an arms race as they fight for the AL East title, and both benefited from the Reds' sudden change of heart.

While the first-place Yankees have recently added relievers Armando Benitez, Jesse Orosco and White, the Red Sox have traded for pitchers Scott Williamson, Byung-Hyun Kim, Scott Sauerbeck and Jeff Suppan.

The struggling Reds started their payroll trim by shipping Williamson, their closer, to the Red Sox for prospects and money on Tuesday, one day after they fired general manager Jim Bowden and manager Bob Boone. They sent outfielder Jose Guillen to Oakland a day later.

The Boone trade signified that the Reds are starting over midway through their first season at Great American Ball Park.

Boone, 30, was hitting .273 with 18 home runs and a team-high 65 RBIs this season. He also led the Reds with 15 stolen bases.

He takes over for Ventura, who was stuck in a prolonged slump. He is batting .251 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs this season.

Boone expects to join the Yankees for their game Friday night at Oakland. There had been rumors he might get traded to Seattle -- where brother Bret plays -- or the Dodgers.

"The fact that it's the Yankees is awesome," he said.

Boone was smiling when he met with reporters shortly after the trade was announced. Asked about a report that he had demanded a trade after his father was fired, Boone got only four words into his reply before he stopped, looked down and started to cry.

He turned his back, walked away from the podium and sobbed as media relations director Rob Butcher hugged him.

Boone left the interview room to compose himself for a few minutes, then returned with a bottle of water and tissues. He said he met with owner Carl Lindner on Wednesday to clear the air.

"Absolutely I did not demand a trade," Boone said, sniffling between sentences. "That's ridiculous.

"It was important that I talked to him and cleared up all kinds of things that you hear out there. I wanted to talk to him face-to-face. My biggest concern was I didn't want to be here out of popularity or PR or being a poster boy or anything like that. I wanted to be here for all the right reasons. I want what's best not only for myself but the Reds."

White, 31, was 3-0 with 3.93 ERA in 34 relief appearances. He has been on the disabled list since June 25 because of a strained left groin.

Brad Kullman, one of Bowden's assistants who was ordered to make deals, disagreed with the assessment of several players that the club was starting over.

"How can you take a team that has Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Ken Griffey Jr., Sean Casey and call it starting from scratch?" Kullman said. "This team is not as bad as a lot of people think. Overall the drop-off is not as drastic for tonight's game as people might think."

The trade also could affect Drew Henson, the former Michigan quarterback who passed on the NFL to play third base for the Yankees. Cashman said Henson "hasn't developed," and the organization will talk to him about his future.

Claussen, 24, was considered the Yankees' top minor league prospect. He beat the New York Mets in his major league debut on June 28, his only game for the Yankees.

With Class AAA Columbus this year, he was 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 11 starts. He began the season at Class A Tampa, going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA.

"We think he is the real deal," Cashman said.

The Reds also got left-hander Charlie Manning, 24, who split time this season with Class A Tampa and Class AA Trenton. He was 2-6 overall.

For Ventura, the Yankees got outfielder Bubba Crosby and right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor.

Crosby was batting a Pacific Coast-leading .361 with 12 homers and 57 RBIs for Class AAA Las Vegas. Proctor was 5-4 with a 2.58 ERA in 41 relief appearances with Class AA Jacksonville and Las Vegas.

**BettorsChat** · 08-01-2003, 07:27 AM

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics bulked up their outfield by getting Jose Guillen from the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday for right-hander Aaron Harang and two minor league pitchers.

Guillen was the Reds' top hitter, filling in during Ken Griffey Jr.'s two serious injuries. He was hitting .337 -- third in the National League -- with 23 homers and 63 RBIs in 91 games.

The A's felt they needed a more productive outfield to pull off another one of their second-half surges and overtake Seattle in the AL West. Oakland is second-to-last in the league in batting average.

Eric Byrnes was the only consistent outfielder in the first half, but he started to tail off after the All-Star break. Chris Singleton, signed to a one-year contract in the offseason, lost his job and has been on the bench.

Manager Ken Macha plans to start Guillen in right field.

"We needed a big bat," manager Billy Beane said. "I think you'd be hard-pressed to find another guy that's better than him right now."

The 27-year-old Guillen is going to his fifth team in seven years. He finally started living up to expectations in Cincinnati, but bristled at his backup role when Griffey was healthy enough to play.

"I appreciate the Reds giving me a new life, so I could show people I can still play every day," Guillen said. "I would just love to stay here. I haven't felt so comfortable in a long time."

He was comfortable, but not always happy. When Griffey returned from a dislocated shoulder in May, Guillen demanded a trade rather than returning to a backup role. Guillen also threw three bats against a clubhouse wall in June after learning he wasn't in the starting lineup that day.

Guillen couldn't move ahead of Griffey, Adam Dunn or Austin Kearns. He was interested in staying in Cincinnati next season, but not as a backup. The Reds decided to trade him rather than letting him leave as a free agent and getting nothing in return.

The A's also sent the Reds right-handers Joe Valentine and Jeff Bruksch.

"Several clubs were interested in him," scouting director Leland Maddox said. "It was a matter of getting the best package we could put together of guys who are ready for the major leagues. The theme is pitching, pitching, pitching."

It was the Reds' second trade in two days since they fired general manager Jim Bowden and manager Bob Boone. The Reds sent closer Scott Williamson to Boston late Tuesday night for prospects.

The trade of Williamson stunned the clubhouse. Guillen's trade was no surprise -- he had packed up belongings in the clubhouse this week, hoping to leave.

As the rest of the players put on their game uniforms for the annual team photo on Wednesday, Guillen stayed in T-shirt and shorts.

"What do you think?" he said. "It makes no sense to go outside and take a picture."

He eventually suited up and was the last one to join the team photo. Afterward, he sat in front of the dugout and did a television interview while the rest of the team did the mandatory pregame stretch. Several teammates called for him to join them, but he ignored them.

Five minutes into the interview, a teammate hit him in the face with a paper plate slathered with shaving cream. Guillen wiped it away and kept on doing the interview while his teammates worked out.

An hour after he had his picture taken as part of the 2003 Reds, he got word that he was traded.

The Reds activated outfielder Wily Mo Pena off the 15-day disabled list to take Guillen's spot. Pena went only 3-for-35 (.068) with 15 strikeouts and started only two games before the injury.

Pena, 21, was on the roster solely because Bowden didn't want to risk losing him if they put him on waivers to send him to the minors.

Harang opened the season at Class AAA Sacramento, went 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA, then was called up. He was 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA in seven games before he was sent back to the minors. He was assigned to Class AAA Louisville.

Valentine was 1-3 with a 4.82 ERA and four saves for Sacramento, and might have been in line to be a closer with the A's someday. Bruksch was 10-8 with a 5.13 ERA in 23 starts for Class-A Modesto.

"This year, we really have guys that are untouchable, and we weren't going to trade guys just to trade," Beane said. "This wasn't a painless trade, but it was pretty easy."

**BettorsChat** · 08-01-2003, 07:28 AM

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox acquired Cincinnati Reds closer Scott Williamson on Tuesday for a minor league pitcher, another player and cash.

The trade bolsters the Red Sox' bullpen as they try to overtake the New York Yankees in the AL East. Williamson, the NL Rookie of the Year in 1999, had converted 21 of 26 save opportunities.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said Williamson has a fastball in the mid- to high-90s, along with a good slider and split-finger fastball.

"He's got three well-above-average pitches and it's really a potent combination coming out of the bullpen," Epstein said.

Williamson could used as a setup man for closer Byung-Hyun Kim, acquired in a May 29 trade with Arizona. Williamson was a setup man for Reds closer Danny Graves until he was moved into the rotation this season.

"We're extraordinarily happy with the job that Byung-Hyun Kim has done as a closer," Epstein said.

Kim made five starts for the Red Sox before manager Grady Little shifted him the closer in late June, but Epstein said the possibility of Kim returning to the rotation and Williamson becoming the closer is "remote."

"We'll talk to the players before we start talking about their roles and how we think they're going to be used," Little said. "I'm sure we can find plenty of places for him to work."

It was the Reds' first trade since they fired general manager Jim Bowden on Monday, leaving it to his aides to come up with deals.

"We've been talking to the Reds on and off for a week or two," Epstein said. "Once they made their move in the front office, things really accelerated. ... We got down to business very quickly."

Williamson was the most attractive Reds player available in a trade. He avoided arbitration in the offseason by agreeing to a $1.6 million, one-year deal.

He had figured the club might deal another player who makes more money.

"I'm very surprised, to be honest with you," Williamson said. "I'm just trying to figure out why they traded me. I'm not making as much compared to the other guys."

The Reds got left-hander Phillip Dumatrait, a player to be named later and an undisclosed amount of cash. Dumatrait, 22, was 7-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 21 games at Class A Sarasota, but was not considered one of Boston's front-line prospects, Epstein said.

Boston is still looking to acquire another starter before Thursday's deadline for trades without waivers.

"A great opportunity came along and we feel that we made our team a lot better," he said. "We're not done."

Reds players feared their front office wasn't done trading, either. They figured that once Bowden was fired, the franchise might move quickly to deal players before Thursday's deadline.

Williamson learned of the trade in the bullpen during a 5-3 loss to Colorado.

"There's a lot of frustration going on in here right now, but hopefully we can right the ship," first baseman Sean Casey said. "Until the trading deadline is over, I think everyone is kind of on edge."

Assistant general manager Brad Kullman said the Reds began contacting clubs again after Bowden's firing to see if they could work a deal.

"To say there's no financial considerations here is not accurate," Kullman said. "But we're not under any orders to dump 'X' amount of money or certain players. We're under orders to explore what we can do. We're not going to stand pat."

Pitcher Ryan Dempster hoped the club doesn't get rid of a lot more players.

"I think we know where we're headed. We're trying to get rid of some payroll and slim some things down," Dempster said. "It's nothing new to me. I've been through this before, playing in Florida. Hopefully it's not too extreme. It's unfortunate."

**BettorsChat** · 08-01-2003, 07:28 AM

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Two days after angrily leaving the New York Yankees' clubhouse, Raul Mondesi was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night for outfielder David Dellucci and two minor leaguers.

Mondesi was furious when Yankees manager Joe Torre had Ruben Sierra pinch hit for him in the eighth inning of Sunday night's 6-4 loss at Boston. The right fielder was not on the team's charter flight to California, and traveled on his own.

"After he was pinch hit for by Joe Torre, he decided he was going to shut it down, shower up and leave," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "That's what made Joe Torre and I decide on another venue for Raul. At that point, we were pointing in two different directions and weren't on the same page.

"He plays hard when he's between the white lines, no one questions that. But he also has to respect the manager's decisions, even though he disagrees with them."

Earlier Tuesday, the Yankees traded right-hander Dan Miceli to the Houston Astros for a player to be named or cash.

New York wanted to act quickly to rid itself of Mondesi.

"To me, discipline is a big part of being a good team," Torre said. "And a lot of the discipline has to come from within yourself. I know he was frustrated, ... He's not a bad person, and I want to make sure everybody knows that. I just think he got emotional about it, and it's not good for the club."

Yankees captain Derek Jeter thought it was a good move.

"It gives Mondi a fresh start somewhere else," Jeter said. "You want everybody to be on the same page. That's what a team is about. I guess he had some problems with some decisions that were made, and now he doesn't have to worry about it."

Mondesi, 32, is joining his fourth team in five seasons. He returns to the National League, where he was the rookie of the year with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994.

"We're very pleased that we were able to make this deal," Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Raul Mondesi is a terrific offensive player, and we needed a terrific offensive player because we are struggling to score runs. I think that's a fair assessment."

Arizona (56-51) trails first-place San Francisco by 11 1/2 games in the NL West.

"To get Raul Mondesi back to the National League competing against the Giants and Dodgers and teams he competed against when he was with the Dodgers, I have a hunch that will get him fired up," Garagiola said.

New York is paying Arizona about $2 million as part of the trade, which was announced as the Yankees played at Anaheim. The Yankees also received right-hander Bret Prinz and catcher John Sprowl.

Mondesi batted .258 with 16 homers and 49 RBIs in 98 games this season, but had only five hits in his last 27 at-bats.

He was acquired by the Yankees from Toronto on July 1, 2002 for right-hander Scott Wiggins, and hit .241 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 71 games with New York.

New York had been scheduled to pay $7 million of Mondesi's $13 million salary this season, with Toronto paying the rest. Mondesi is owed $4,333,333 for the rest of the season and Dellucci is owed $300,000 from his $900,000 salary. The money the Yankees are sending Arizona means the teams split the remainder of the salaries for both players.

Arizona, which recently got pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling back from the disabled list, has been outscored 10-8 while playing six consecutive one-run games, a club record. The Diamondbacks have lost four of the six.

"We've very consistently had good pitching really throughout the season, even with Randy and Curt hurt," Garagiola said. "Since the All-Star break, we have just struggled to score runs. It's been no secret that our focus was on offensive players. Nothing that's happened the last few days has swayed us in our view. I don't want to put it all on Raul Mondesi to hit a five-run home run his first at-bat for us or he'll let the team down. But he has been a big offensive player throughout his career."

Dellucci, 29, has appeared in 70 games with Arizona this season, batting .242 with 11 doubles, three triples, two homers and 19 RBIs. He was a member of the Diamondbacks' team that beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series two years ago.

"David Dellucci is a player who plays extremely hard and has a great deal of pride in what he does," Cashman said. "Hopefully, he'll be on the same page with us on what we're trying to accomplish."

New York assigned Prinz to Class AAA Columbus of the International League and Sprowl to Class-A Battle Creek of the Midwest League.

**BettorsChat** · 08-01-2003, 07:29 AM

SEATTLE (AP) -- Jeff Nelson couldn't hold himself back after the Seattle Mariners chose to let the trade deadline pass without doing anything major.

"It's very disappointing," the outspoken reliever said Thursday after the Mariners completed a three-game sweep over the Detroit Tigers with a 4-0 victory. "The guys in this clubhouse are very disappointed.

"It's difficult year after year here to watch this team never make moves to better themselves," he said. "It's a shame the front office didn't take that extra step to maybe get further in the playoffs."

The Mariners have been to the AL championship series in 1995, 2000 and 2001 but never have made it to the World Series.

Nelson, an offseason resident of the Seattle area, is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season.

"I've never seen an impact player come to this team nor have they ever seemed to go out and try to get one," Nelson said. "The fans deserve a winner, the guys in this clubhouse expect a winner and it's frustrating when you don't get it."

The Mariners are projected to draw more than 3 million fans to Safeco Field for the fourth year. They've led the majors in attendance at 3.5 million fans for the past two seasons.

"This is not a small market," Nelson said. "You see Oakland doing it, and they have a much smaller market than the Mariners. It's frustrating for everybody in here, and it should be frustrating for the people who pay for the tickets and these outrageous prices for these concession stands."

General manager Pat Gillick and manager Bob Melvin said the team tried to make a move.

"I don't believe that," Nelson said. "It's always the same story every year. This is the best facility in baseball. The fans are awesome here. They support their team unbelievably."

In Thursday's game, Joel Pineiro won his eighth consecutive decision, and Mike Cameron homered for the Mariners.

Seattle pitched its major league-leading 13th shutout of the season, The Tigers were blanked for the 12th time, also the most in the majors.

Pineiro (13-5) is 8-0 in nine starts since a June 11 loss to Montreal and stretched his scoreless innings streak to 20 innings, retiring his last 10 batters. He allowed two hits in seven innings, tied a season high with six walks and struck out six.

Pineiro said he was happy the Mariners didn't trade two-time All-Star Freddy Garcia, the Mariners' opening night pitcher who will try to end a four-game losing streak Friday night against the White Sox.

The Mariners reportedly were trying to put together a three-team trade that would have brought them All-Star third baseman Aaron Boone, younger brother of Mariners All-Star second baseman Bret Boone, from Cincinnati and would have sent Garcia to Boston. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner reportedly stymied the trade so Garcia wouldn't go to the Red Sox by acquiring Aaron Boone in a trade with the Reds.

"I'm glad he's still here, that's all I've got to say," Pineiro said. "He's going to come back, he's going to find his groove. Then they'll be like, 'Thank God, I'm glad we didn't him.'"

Wilfredo Ledezma (3-5) made his fifth career start and lost his third in a row. He gave up four runs, six hits and six walks in four-plus innings.

Detroit, a major league-worst 28-78, went 1-8 against the Mariners this year, losing the last seven games. In the series, Seattle outscored the Tigers 28-8 in the series and outhit them 34-16.

The Tigers were limited to three singles without Dmitri Young, who was given the day off. Young leads Detroit's offense with a career-high 22 homers and 59 RBIs.

"You look at our offense without him, and it certainly hurts us," manager Alan Trammell said.

The Tigers expect third baseman Eric Munson, who sprained his left ankle Saturday night, to be able to play Friday night at Minnesota.

"We're hoping," Trammell said. "I'm not 100 percent, but I'm hoping."

Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Bret Boone's two-out triple, an intentional walk to Edgar Martinez and RBI singles by John Olerud and Cameron. Randy Winn, who had six RBIs Wednesday, hit a run-scoring double in the second, and Cameron homered in the third.

Notes: Pineiro is 3-0 against the Tigers this season and 5-0 in his career. ... Rey Sanchez, who will play SS for the Mariners while Carlos Guillen is on the disabled list recovering from an inflammation of the pelvis, played his first game for Seattle. He was 0-for-2 with a walk. Sanchez, acquired in a trade with the New York Mets on Tuesday, will wear No. 1 for the Mariners.

**BettorsChat** · 08-01-2003, 07:30 AM

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Despite missing Thursday's deadline, the San Diego Padres are still actively pursuing Pittsburgh outfielder Brian Giles and would like to finalize a deal within the next two weeks.

Giles, who grew up in San Diego, would provide a lift to the last-place Padres' offense and give them a high-profile hometown player to market as they move into PETCO Park next season.

Padres general manager Kevin Towers talked with Pirates GM Dave Littlefield throughout the teams' three-game series this week, but they couldn't reach an agreement by Thursday's 4 p.m. deadline for trading without waivers.

"We've had a lot of discussions the last 48 hours, and you never know how close you've gotten," Towers said. "We will continue to have discussions. We still have a lot of interest in [Giles]."

The Pirates don't especially want to trade Giles, their most popular player and one of the NL's most reliable run producers since joining them in 1999. He also has a fairly affordable $17 remaining on his contract.

But the only way for the Pirates to trade the high-priced Jason Kendall, lower their payroll and give them more flexibility in adding lower-priced free agents may be to package Giles with the catcher.

Kendall is a three-time All-Star, but doesn't hit for power and isn't a big run producer; he is batting .304 with four homers and 38 RBIs. He also has $42 million remaining on his six-year, $60 million contract after this season, an onerous amount for a franchise that is trying to substantially lower its payroll.

The Pirates have offered to pick up at least $10 million-to-$12 million of Kendall's contract, but the Padres are believed to want more than twice that.

"The tough thing is the dollars," Towers said. "This isn't something you can do in a couple of hours. But we're not rushing it, and we'll continue to talk. In the last 48 hours, we've made a lot of progress with it, and we will continue to talk."

Littlefield wouldn't speculate how close the two sides are, saying, "It's no different now than it was before. We'll look at things and be open minded. Brian Giles is a heck of a player ... but we will continue to be open minded."

Giles and Kendall must clear waivers to leave Pittsburgh, but the Padres, because of their record, can claim a player before any other NL team.

The Pirates initially wanted third baseman Sean Burroughs in the deal, but the Padres apparently won't trade him. They are believed to be offering left-handed starter Oliver Perez and minor league outfielder Xavier Nady.

Kendall has talked repeatedly of wanting to play his entire career but, like Giles, appears to be tiring of the nonstop losing in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are on track for an 11th consecutive losing season.

Just as Giles, Kendall is a Southern California native and spends his offseasons there. He likely would welcome a trade to the Padres, who are pushing to upgrade their roster and become more competitive in their new ballpark.

The Pirates once hoped Kendall would do the same thing when they opened PNC Park in 2001. Trying to show their fans they would retain their top players once the ballpark opened, the Pirates gave Kendall a huge contract that was well above market value for a singles-hitting catcher.

But, with the Pirates playing worse in PNC Park than they did in their final seasons in Three Rivers Stadium, the contract has become an enormous burden to a team that claims to have lost millions in its new ballpark.

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