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Rays deal closer, get Grieve

Slugger comes over from A's, Roberto Hernandez goes to Royals in three-team trade.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001

The Devil Rays added to their offense and lowered their payroll in one move Monday, but it could cost them in the end.

[AP photo] Left-hander Ben Grieve should fit nicely into the middle of the Rays lineup and has three years left on his contract. They team would like him to play rightfield.

The Rays acquired talented young outfielder Ben Grieve from Oakland but had to surrender All-Star closer Roberto Hernandez to get him.

The moves were part of a three-team, nine-player trade highlighted by Oakland's acquisition of star outfielder Johnny Damon. Hernandez ends up going to Kansas City, and the Rays also gave up pitcher Cory Lidle and will get either a minor-leaguer or cash from Oakland.

Grieve, 24, gives the Rays a powerful left-handed hitter who could fill a spot in the middle of their lineup for years. The 1998 American League Rookie of the Year, Grieve has averaged 24 homers and 93 homers over three full major-league seasons.

"He's got a chance to be a special player offensively," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "He's truly one of the fine young hitters in the American League. In our opinion, the sky's the limit for him offensively."

Replacing Hernandez, whom LaMar said "was arguably our MVP since the franchise started," will not be as easy.

With the bullpen already stripped of obvious replacements by last season's trades of Jim Mecir, Rick White and Mark Guthrie, the Rays likely will turn first to Esteban Yan, the 26-year-old right-hander who has one career save.

"Obviously it leaves a void and we'll have to fill it different ways," manager Larry Rothschild said. "We'll have to search and find somebody. If we have to do it by committee, we'll do it."

Other possibilities would include signing a low-salaried free agent, such as Rick Aguilera or Doug Jones; using one of the starting pitchers who doesn't make the rotation, such as Tanyon Sturtze or Bryan Rekar; or giving touted prospect Jesus Colome a shot.

Under orders not to increase payroll from the $55-million to $57-million range, LaMar had been exploring ways to gain flexibility by making a reduction. Monday's moves appear to put the Rays about $4-million ahead.

Hernandez was due to make $6-million this season, plus the Rays would have either paid him a $500,000 buyout or picked up a $6-million option for 2002. Lidle, arbitration eligible, was in line to make in excess of $500,000.

Grieve will make $2.75-million this season and is signed for two more years at reasonable salaries of around $4-million and $5-million.

While acknowledging the financial benefit of the deal and attractiveness of Grieve's contract, LaMar said the trade was "a baseball decision," driven by the desire to improve an offense that was last in the league in almost every major category and the opportunity to add a player as young and as talented as Grieve.

"At his age with the numbers he's already put up and the numbers we think he'll put up in the future, he helps us get younger and he helps us continue to build," LaMar said.

Hernandez did not necessarily agree.

"Does this make them better?, I don't know. I hope so," Hernandez said. "They've got to look inside internally to find out the solution. There's a lot of things they have to address. They have to find out who wants to stay and who wants to go. This is a sport where you've got to give everything you've got and leave it on the field. And I thought I've done that, good and bad. But from the way it looks now it was just a money issue. ... I was probably the easiest guy to deal."

Hernandez did not want to leave and was understandably upset when he got the official word from team officials.

"It seems like they're on the defensive right now," Hernandez said. "I just had a phone call from Vince (Naimoli) after talking with Chuck LaMar. They said I've been pretty good in the community and all that and basically gave me praise for what I've done.

"My part of the deal was that I wanted to start something here and finish it here, but it looks like I'll have to go somewhere else, not happily, but it's part of the business. ... I'm very frustrated and disappointed. My wife doesn't like it, my kids don't like it, and I don't like it."

Grieve, Oakland's first pick in the 1994 draft, said he sensed he was falling out of favor toward the end of last season and, after a winter of rumors, was not all that surprised at the news. Nor was he totally disappointed. "Sometimes a change of scenery sparks something," he said.

The Rays are not sure exactly what they'll do with Grieve. He played rightfield for the A's in 1998, but he struggled and was moved to leftfield in 1999. The Rays would like him to be their everyday rightfielder, but they realize there are some questions, especially about his throwing ability. "We hope to get him back to working on that side of the game," LaMar said.

If Grieve doesn't work out in rightfield, he could end up sharing time in leftfield with Greg Vaughn and taking turns with Vaughn and others at designated hitter. Rothschild said he will wait until spring training opens in 38 days to start sorting it out.

"We got his bat; that's the biggest thing right now," Rothschild said.

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