Ahem! The Yankees are not evil

Sporting News, The, March 1, 2004 by Ken Rosenthal

If the Yankees want to keep spending, make them keep paying. But don't say they're bad for baseball. Championships can't be bought. And someone tell John Envy: Few things in life are more satisfying than outfoxing a bully.

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SPEED READS

* Look for Expos second baseman Jose Vidro to be the hottest trade commodity this summer, with the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers all showing interest. Vidro, 29, will be paid $9 million this season, then become a free agent. The MLB-owned Expos also might dump his double-play partner, shortstop Orlando Cabrera, another potential free agent.

* Rather than sign Albert Pujols for $100 million, the Cardinals could have traded him at the end of the season, creating greater flexibility to re-sign shortstop Edgar Renteria and pitcher Matt Morris. Pujols, however, might be the game's best hitter for the next decade. Such players are impossible to replace.

* The Reds' tightfisted approach is inexcusable, considering the wealth of owner Carl Lindner. The team will be awful--pitcher Cory Lidle was its big off-season addition--but the good news is Ken Griffey has recovered from two offseason surgeries. A healthy Griffey would make the team interesting and create intriguing trade possibilities.

M@AIL BONDING

KEN ROSENTHAL ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

How close did Greg Maddux come to signing with the Giants? Will the team use the money it didn't spend for reinforcements at the trade deadline?

Bob Rifkin, Boston

Bob: The Giants made a serious push for Maddux, offering him more guaranteed money than the Cubs in a three-year deal worth at least $20 million. Maddux would have been a perfect fit for SBC Park--the stadium formerly known as Pac Bell Park--but he opted for the Cubs' two-year, $15 million offer, with a $9 million option for a third season.

He will realize the full value of the Cubs' deal if he pitches 400 innings during the next two seasons. That figure should be attainable, considering Maddux has pitched 199 or more innings in each of the past 16 seasons.

The Giants, meanwhile, remain under a tight budget, operating with a projected opening day payroll of $78 million. The money they set aside for Maddux--perhaps $6 million this season--will not necessarily be directed toward the acquisition of other players at the trade deadline. Owner Peter Magowan apparently viewed Maddux as a special case.

E-mail: kenrosenthal@sportingnews.com

INSIDE DISH

By KEN ROSENTHAL

Reds LF Adam Dunn, 24, would be a logical trade acquisition for the Dodgers, given new G.M. Paul DePodesta's preference for hitters with a high on-base percentage. The Reds, however, have sought a potential top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher in return, and former Dodgers G.M. Dan Evans was unwilling to move RHP Edwin Jackson for Dunn, who sports a .379 career OBP but strikes out once every 3.1 at-bats.... The Yankees offered 2B Alfonso Soriano for Jackson and LHP Greg Miller early in the offseason, and DePodesta could try to pry Soriano from the Rangers for one of those pitchers. Possible low-budget targets for DePodesta include A's 1B Graham Koonce, who is buried behind Eric Karros and Scott Hattebero, and one of the Indians' first basemen, Ben Broussard or Travis Hafner. The Dodgers most in jeopardy are 2B Alex Cora, SS Cesar Izturis and 3B Adrian Deltte, all of whom had sub.-300 OBPs last season. DePodesta's former colleague in Oakland, J.P. Ricciardi, traded Izturis to L.A. less than a month after becoming the Blue Jays' G.M.... The Rangers will gauge Soriano's interest in returning to shortstop, but it seems more likely he will remain at second. Soriano says he doesn't want to play center field, a demanding position in Texas because of the huge outfield gaps. 2B Michael Young possesses a powerful arm and experience at short; he probably would make the switch more easily than Soriano. "There's no comparison" one G.M. says. "Young is far superior at shortstop." .... Derek Jeter remains the Yankees' shortstop, but it would not be out of the question for a player of his height--6-3--to play second base. Ryne Sandberg and Bobby Grich were 6-2 and Soriano is 6-1."I don't think there's any question Jeter could play second base," one scout says.... One rival executive says he was "floored" that Giants C A.J. Pierzynski won his arbitration case, getting $3.5 million instead of the club's offer of $2.25 million. Pierzynski, a .301 lifetime hitter, will be the highest-paid fourth-year catcher ever. Rockies C Charles Johnson received $3.3 million in 1998 after making the All-Star team, winning a Gold Glove and helping the Marlins win the World Series. The Mets' Mike Piazza was paid $2.7 million as a fourth-year player, the Red Sox's Jason Varitek $1.8 million and the Yankees' Jorge Posada $1.25 million.... If the Brewers are going to sign potential free-agent LF Geoff Jenkins, they likely will need to exceed the three-year, $19.5 million deal the Red Sex gave RF Trot Nixon, whose career .862 on-base/slugging percentage is nearly identical to Jenkins' .865. Such an investment would not be without risk: Jenkins, 29, has been injured in each of the past three seasons.... Piazza is embracing the challenge of learning first base. "Attaboy, Michael!" Mets utility man Joe McEwing shouts to Piazza during drills, adding, "Like a cat!" when Piazza makes an athletic play. Piazza and Jason Phillips are expected to alternate between catcher and first, with Piazza eventually getting the bulk of the time at first, perhaps even this season.... The Orioles' Brian Roberts and Jerry Hairston, the Brewers' Junior Spivey, the Blue Jays' Orlando Hudson, the Twins' Luis Rivas and the Reds' D'Angelo Jimenez are among the second basemen who could attract the Yankees' interest. The Yankees might have bigger problems, however. "The private airport at Teterboro (N.J.) is going to get crowded;" one scout says. "You've heard of 25 players, 25 cabs. This will be 15 players, 15 corporate jets."