Gains must come from Rays on hand
By DAMIAN CHRISTODERO
Published May 3, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - No trade is imminent. And when callups are made from the minors, they likely will not include players such as B.J. Upton , Delmon Young , Joey Gathright and Jeff Niemann .
We have heard this before from general manager Chuck LaMar . But with Monday's highly publicized meeting with manager Lou Piniella coming after a six-game road trip that ended with Tampa Bay's losing streak at seven, there was anticipation something might give - or not.
"It wasn't an earth-shattering meeting by any stretch of the imagination," Piniella said.
"It was a normal meeting that we have after any road trip that I was not on," LaMar said. "It gave me a chance to tell Lou what I saw from a distance."
And that was?
"We need to get better in all phases."
LaMar said that must generally be done with the players in place. He said not to seriously think about trades until June, when such talk usually heats up. And he is steadfast against rushing young talent to the majors.
"I'd love to see them come up here and see them play," LaMar said. "You might lose with them, but everybody in the league and everybody in these stands would know, truly, this is the next wave of players that are going to help us win here. But it's either the right time to call them up or it's not.
"I have to protect the development of those players."
As for a deal, LaMar said, "It's not to say we won't make a trade, but the deadline stuff won't start happening until June or July. So we have to get this club that we have right now better."
The team has nowhere to go but up. Entering Monday, it was second in the American League with a .284 batting average and sixth with a .339 on-base percentage but 12th with 18 home runs and tied for ninth with 105 RBIs. It also was 29th of 30 major-league teams with a 6.21 ERA.
Piniella said, "It will get better," but admitted, "There aren't any easy answers."
Bottom line, he said, "There are not too many ways to go, so we're going to have to do it with what we have here and get better with what we're doing."
IS BAEZ TRADE BAIT?: Danys Baez has heard the rumors that teams such as the Cubs, Rangers, Giants and perhaps Cardinals are interested. The Rays closer said it is not a distraction, but with with homes in Bradenton and Miami and his parents here from Cuba, he is in no hurry to leave.
"I would love to re-sign here for three or four years," he said. "I know we're going to be fine. I know we're going to have a good team."
"I hope Danys Baez is here for years," LaMar said. "For the money we're paying him, he's as good a closer as there is in major-league baseball."
LaMar said he is not shopping Baez. Speaking generally, he said, "We're not in a situation to have an untouchable player. If a team wants to come to us and make an offer on that type of player, we'd listen."
LEE ON DISABLED LIST: As expected, first baseman Travis Lee , who strained his right groin Sunday against the Orioles, was put on the 15-day disabled list. Lee said the groin does not feel nearly as bad as the injury he sustained in 1998, when he said he could not walk for two days and sat out for 20.
MISCELLANY: Yankees first baseman Andy Phillips struck out five times to tie a major-league record for nine innings. It was done 43 previous times. ... The game had 18 strikeouts. Baez and Yankees relievers Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera combined to get the last seven outs on strikes. ... Piniella moved Carl Crawford to third in the order for the first time to try to get some pop into the middle of the lineup. ... The Rays were 0-for-1 with the bases loaded and are 1-for-13 this season. ... Piniella returned after a three-game suspension stemming from last week's brawl with the Red Sox. ... Yankees first baseman and Tampa native Tino Martinez did not play because of the flu.