American League

Sporting News, The, Feb 28, 2000

Anaheim

EDMONDS GONE SOON: Almost since the day the Angels used their No. 1 pick in the 1995 draft on Darin Erstad, there has been speculation the dub, with four top-flight outfielders-Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson and Erstad--would trade Edmonds. He almost went to Oakland for Mark McGwire in 1997. He nearly went to Cincinnati for a package of players including Brett Tomko before the 1998 season. There have been numerous rumors involving the Mets and Blue Jays. The Rockies inquired about Edmonds this winter. And Edmonds thought for sure he was gone last week when reports surfaced that the Angels, as part of the Ken Griffey Jr. trade, would send Edmonds to Seattle for Tomko and prospects. Still nothing has happened, but don't count on Edmonds remaining with the Angels for long. Edmonds, a two-lime Gold Glove Award winner, will be a free agent after 2000, and all indications point to his departure. ... G.M. Bill Stoneman said last November his primary offseason objective was to acquire a high-caliber starting pitcher. So far, mission unaccomplished. And if Edmonds opens the season with the dub and Stoneman can't trade him by July 31, the Angels risk losing Edmonds for only a draft pick or two.

SALMON MIFFED: Salmon was so upset after the team let free-agent LHP Chuck Finley go without offering him a contract in December that he spoke openly about his desire to play out the remaining two years of his contract and sign with his hometown Arizona Diamondbacks. He's now more optimistic: "I know there's a ton of questions with our pitching, but we've won before with no pitching," Salmon says. --Mike DiGiovanna

Baltimore

PULLING HIS WEIGHT: RHP Sidney Ponson arrived at spring training looking trim, the result of an offseason workout program that kept him in Baltimore for a large chunk of the winter. His newfound dedication to taking off some extra pounds has the front office buzzing. Although many observers are touting Ponson for a breakout season in 2000, the Orioles were worried about the extra weight he carried last season, which may have contributed to an awful September, in which he posted an 8.44 ERA. Ponson, 23, heads into the spring firmly entrenched as the No. 3 starter, and he is expected to develop into a No. 1 eventually. Aside from Ponson's high-90s fastball, the Orioles love his ability to learn. Last season, he picked up two new pitches--a wicked cut fastball and a changeup.

PITCH AND CATCH? For the first time in his career, RHP Jason Johnson enters spring with a good idea of what his role will be. The Orioles have Johnson, 26, penciled in as theft fourth starter. Still, Johnson arrived at spring training 2 1/2 weeks early to begin throwing, calling on C Charles Johnson (whose house is just 15 minutes from the Orioles' spring complex in Fort Lauderdale) to catch for him. Most mornings, Johnson and Johnson were the only people in the stadium. Jason Johnson is trying to improve on an 8-7 season in which he showed flashes of huge promise but struggled with mechanics at times, especially a tendency to fall away from the plate as he finished his delivery. Johnson likely will be one of the chief beneficiaries of the presence of new pitching coach Sammy Ellis, who is considered a mechanics guru. --Dave Sheinin

Boston

NUCLEUS IS SET: The team avoided a potential spring training distraction by signing CF Carl Everett to a multiyear contract With Everett signed, the Red Sox have a strong core signed long term. RHP Pedro Martinez and SS Nomar Garciaparra--two of the top 10 players in the game--are signed to multiyear deals. The team thinks Everett is on the cusp of stardom after his breakout season with Houston in 1999. Everett is an above-average defender with a strong arm and adds speed to the lineup. And with his power and run-production (25 homers, 108 RBIs in '99), Everett will provide another middle-of-the-lineup bat for the next few years.

BULLPEN RELIEF? The team's search for pitching has led to another reclamation project--RHP Hipolito Pichardo, who missed all of '99 with an elbow injury. With RHP Torn Gordon injured and RHP Derek Lowe moving into the closer role, the team needs a setup man. Appearing in 74 games, Lowe was strong in a seventh--and eighth-inning role. The team is confident in Lowe's ability to dose. But the move leaves a huge hole, one that could be filled by RHPs Rod Beck or Rich Garces. And Pichardo could add depth there. ... The team will have Hall of Famer Phil Niekro tutoring RHP Tim Wakefield this spring. Niekro's knuckleball sessions helped save Wakefield's career in '95. With RHP Bret Saberhagen out after having shoulder surgery last winter, Wakefield has re-emerged as an important member of the rotation. If Wakefield is throwing his knuckleball with confidence, he could be a surprising contributor. He was 17-8 two years ago. --Paul Doyle

Chicago

NEW MAN: DH Frank Thomas, coming off back-to-back sluggish seasons at the plate, hired former hitting coach Walt Hriniak over the winter. Hriniak has been out of the majors since being fired by the White-Sox at the end of the 1995 season. Thomas won both of his MVP awards under the watchful eye of Hriniak, which is why he's paying for the reunion. Thomas is happy with the results so far, and he also is happy with his physical condition. He spent much of the offseason working out with a personal trainer in California and says he's as strong as he has ever been.