LaMar works phones as Rays ring O's bell

RAYS 10, ORIOLES 3: Deal unlikely for Tampa Bay, which hits 4 HRs to back Joe Kennedy.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published July 31, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- Who needs to make a trade?

As general manager Chuck LaMar continues conversations with teams in advance of today's 4 p.m. deadline for nonwaiver deals, the Rays took care of their own business Tuesday night, clubbing the Orioles 10-3.

The Rays hit a season high-matching four home runs, including a grand slam by Jared Sandberg in a six-run first inning and two homers by Aubrey Huff, and got a strong pitching performance from Joe Kennedy, who threw his American League-leading fifth complete game.

Quietly, the Rays seem to have put things back together, winning two straight, three of four and six of 10 for the first time since mid May.

"It's encouraging," manager Hal McRae said. "It's too early to tell, but I hope we're on to something."

LaMar won't know until this afternoon if he's on to anything. While All-Star centerfielder Randy Winn remains the primary topic of conversations, LaMar continues to say it is more likely the Rays won't make a deal.

Because the Rays don't have to trade Winn for financial or other reasons and now say they can afford to keep him next year (when his salary is likely to jump from $960,000 to around $3-million), LaMar said he has made it clear to other teams he wants value in return. But he insisted not so much to be criticized, as he has in some media reports, for making excessive demands.

"He's a coveted player at this point and I think that warrants asking for that type of return," LaMar said. "What happens is the contending clubs get frustrated because they want him and may not want to give up truly what his value is. So you start to hear little snipes at me and the organization about how 'You're asking too much,' and the media, as they have a tendency to do, pick up on that and all of a sudden we asked too much for Randy Winn. No. We're trying to be fair to this organization and Randy Winn, if we do trade him, warrants considerable consideration back. ...

"So a team is either going to pay for him or he's going to be a Tampa Bay Devil Ray come 4 o'clock (today), and if that's the case we'll be proud to have him."

LaMar would not specify what he is seeking. But based on other comments, a good guess would be a package that includes two young players, preferably a middle infielder and a pitcher, who are close to or already in the majors.

The Rays have had talks with teams involving pitchers Esteban Yan and Paul Wilson, as well as some three-way discussions, though none sounded significant.

"Right now, very candidly, we have not been offered a good enough baseball trade to help this organization," LaMar said. "I'll be the first one to tell you as GM I'm responsible for trying to make this club better, and when you look at our won-loss record we need to get better, so it's frustrating on one hand."

But though LaMar said it was important to show the players, the organization and the fans that he is doing "everything to make this club better," he said he refuses to make a trade just for show.

"It might come to pass that at 4 o'clock (today) that by holding pat, by not trading Randy Winn let's say, actually is going to make the club better in the future," he said.

The Rays made sure it wasn't a good day for Baltimore's John Stephens, a 22-year-old Australian making his major-league debut.

They loaded the bases to start a six-run first, getting one on Toby Hall's single, four on Sandberg's first career grand slam and another on a single by 20-year-old rookie Carl Crawford, who hiked his average to .349 with a three-hit night.

Huff homered in the second and seventh and just missed another in the eighth. Even slumping Ben Grieve went deep, his first homer since July 3.

"The hits just kept coming tonight," Sandberg said.

Kennedy, who was bad in a four-inning start July 19 at Toronto and worse in three innings July 24 at Boston, rebounded. He retired the first 11 and allowed five hits (including two home runs)

"It was just nice to get past the fourth," Kennedy said. "I basically pitched. The last two starts I really wasn't all there mechanically, arm-wise, conditioning, preparation. I was ready to go tonight."