Headed for a new pad, The Rocket in a bargain

Sporting News, The, Dec 14, 1998 by Peter Schmuck

The free-agent talent pool is drying up, but one of the best pitchers in baseball can still be had for the bargain price of $8 million per year--and a few quality major league players.

Five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens has put himself back on the market, requesting last week that the Blue Jays deal him to a contender It was in accordance with the terms of his contract with Toronto: When Clemens signed in December 1996, the Blue Jays agreed they would trade him if he ever became convinced that the club wouldn't contend.

Clemens isn't a free agent. He won't come cheap. But he will be the name on everyone's lips when the winter meetings begin this weekend in Nashville--if someone doesn't grab him sooner

And why not? Most of the marquee free agents have signed. Kevin Brown has priced himself out of all but a couple of markets. Clemens is a terrific alternative for a team that needs a No. 1 starter and doesn't want to commit to a $75 million contract.

The Astros are just such a team. They were willing to sign Randy Johnson for three years at nearly $40 million but pulled out of the bidding when it became apparent that the Big Unit was posturing for a four-year deal at $50 million-plus.

If Houston can put together the fight package of players, the Astros can have Clemens for about $16 million for the next two seasons, which seems far more judicious when you're talking about two aging pitchers. Clemens turns 37 next season and Johnson will be 36.

Clemens has shaken off the doubts about his durability that had developed in Boston. The Blue Jays gambled on him two years ago, luring him from the Red Sox by giving him what was-at the time--the highest annual salary ever paid to a pitcher Considering that he hadn't won more than 11 games in any of the previous four seasons, that was quite a show of confidence by Toronto, but that didn't prevent Clemens from getting restless this year when the Jays decided to trade several veteran players at midseason.

He made it official last week. He wants out. Maybe Clemens should have shown a little more gratitude, but he knows that he doesn't have time to wait around for the Blue Jays to grow into World Series contenders. Can't blame him for wanting a ring to go with all those records and awards.

Clemens, a Texan, also wants to play near home, which is why the Astros and Rangers always seem to come up in the conversation. Regardless, the Blue Jays figure to go for the best deal, which could come from some other direction.

The team with the talent to burn is the Yankees, of course. They could send the Blue Jays a couple of talented major league pitchers without making a real dent in the team that won 114 regular-season games. But general manager Brian Cashman has been downplaying the possibility.

"I'm sure we'll look into it," he told Newsday, "but is it realistic? Probably not. We've got a truckload of players. We have the ammunition to do what we want to do, but our payroll is at a point where we don't want to take on more payroll."

That may be true, but owner George Steinbrenner loves to pack his clubhouse with top-name talent, and Clemens would look pretty good in a starting rotation also featuring David Cone, David Wells, Andy Pettitte and--if he wasn't included in the deal--Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. That clearly would afford him his best chance of getting that championship ring.

The Indians also are believed to be extremely interested, and money apparently is no object. They tried to acquire Johnson at midseason and also made inquiries about Clemens, but the Indians weren't willing to part with power-hitting outfielder Manny Ramirez. Presumably, Cleveland still wouldn't give up that much, but the Indians might be willing to put together a package that includes one of their top young pitchers. Clemens, despite his age, still could make the difference between a perfunctory playoff appearance and a World Series championship.

There was room to wonder if he had anything left when the Blue Jays signed him. He was 40-39 from 1993 through 1996 and had spent nearly seven weeks on the disabled list in 1995 with a shoulder injury. But he quickly re-emerged as one of baseball's most dominant pitchers, winning 21 games in '97 and 20 more this year.

If age is creeping up on him, he has a funny way of showing it. In '98, he started 5-6 but didn't lose after May 29. Winning 15 consecutive decisions, he wound up with what amounts to the Triple Crown of pitching by leading the league in ERA (2.65) and strikeouts (271) and tying for the lead in victories (20).

He could represent salvation for the Astros or the Rangers, both playoff-caliber teams that didn't compete well in the playoffs. The Astros need Clemens just to stay even after the loss of Johnson to free agency. The Rangers need Clemens to counter the growing A.L. West threat from fire Angels.

The Rocket might be better off in Arlington, where he could remain in the A.L. and be close to home, but he lives in Houston and might benefit from the league change. Johnson went 10-1 for the Astros after jumping leagues last year. The only thing certain is that Roger Clemens won't be happy until he gets out of Toronto, which could happen any day now.