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Signs say McGriff will remain a Ray

Slugger flies with team to Montreal, which may mean he's nixing deal or may be negotiating ploy.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 12, 2001

MONTREAL -- Maybe appearances really can be deceiving. But Fred McGriff is sure making it look as if he is staying with the Rays.

McGriff unexpectedly joined the Rays on their charter flight to Montreal on Wednesday night, generating considerable speculation he won't approve a trade to the Cubs and will be in a Tampa Bay uniform for tonight's game against the Expos.

The Rays and Cubs struck a deal Tuesday, subject to McGriff waiving his no-trade clause. The Cubs are believed to have offered a significant inducement Wednesday by agreeing to guarantee McGriff's $6.75-million option for next season.

[AP photo] It's up to Fred McGriff whether he wants to jump ship in Tampa Bay.

But apparently that wasn't enough to get McGriff to Chicago, and he instead showed up at Tampa International Airport in a suit and sunglasses and boarded the Rays' flight to Canada.

McGriff wouldn't say if he had made a decision, and top officials with both teams said they had not been notified of one and didn't expect to be until today.

But McGriff made it sound as if it would be tough to leave his native Tampa. Either that, or he is making a calculated push for additional compensation from the Cubs.

"I control the situation," he told the Times. "I've got a wife and two kids to think about. And I'm tired of traveling. ... I'm going to be all right."

Upon arriving in Montreal late Wednesday, McGriff again refused to say if he had made a decision: "I've got no story. ... I love Tampa."

Despite McGriff's presence on the flight, officials with both teams said the deal was still pending.

"Obviously Fred McGriff is having to weigh his options," Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said, "and I'm sure everyone concerned will find out (today) which direction he is leaning."

Earlier Wednesday, Cubs general manager Andy MacPhail -- perhaps prophetically -- told the Chicago Tribune, "Fred has to get on a plane ... to Montreal or to Chicago. Actions will speak louder than words."

Told that McGriff went to Montreal with the Rays, MacPhail still expressed some hope the deal could go through. "There's no magic deadline here," he said.

McGriff may have traveled with the Rays to enhance his negotiating position with the Cubs. Or it may have been a matter of practicality.

The Rays have a 2 p.m. mandatory workout at Olympic Stadium today, and if McGriff decided this morning to veto the trade he would have a hard time getting there on time. If he were to approve the deal, he is no farther from Chicago, where the Cubs open the second half with a 2:20 game against the White Sox, than if he were in Tampa.

Though he didn't participate in an optional workout Wednesday at Tropicana Field, McGriff was the topic of conversation.

Rays manager Hal McRae reiterated several times that he wasn't aware of any decision and McGriff's teammates were reluctant to come to any conclusions.

"You can't talk about it until it does (happen)," said catcher John Flaherty. "Fred's got a tough decision to make. You've got to juggle your family and being at home or going and trying to win another World Series.

"It'll be interesting to see which way he decides to go."

Any trade involving McGriff means Steve Cox would take over as the everyday first baseman.

Thus far, Cox, 26, has made occasional starts at first, in the outfield and at DH.

"It's been kind of a roller-coaster this year with playing and then not playing at all and then getting the chance to play again," Cox said. "I've never had a set job where someone said, 'Here it is. Go do it.'

"Uncertainty doesn't matter to me one bit. I can handle it."

But when McGriff began experiencing soreness in his left hamstring toward the end of the first half, Cox filled in nicely.

He raised his batting average from a season-low .194 on June 17 to .243 by July 8, hitting .361 with three home runs and 15 RBI during the span.

"It's one of those things that people have said, 'Are you excited about it?' I'm not excited about it," Cox said. "Freddy's a huge part of this team and he's doing the best on the team right now. If his bat's out of the lineup, that's a big knock to your team and it's tough to recover from."

What Cox would gain in consistent playing time, he and teammates realize, the locker room would lose in the departure of another veteran presence.

"Fred takes a lot of pressure off a young player from the fact he's been there before," infielder Damian Rolls said. "He jokes with us. He doesn't have that attitude that he's over you if I messed up.

"It's impossible to replace him."

The Rays are looking to reduce payroll and create opportunities for their younger players, and the proposed trade seemed to accomplish both. The Rays would save about $2.91-million this year, plus the potential $6.75-million salary next season, and would be able to get Cox in the lineup on an everyday basis. Plus, the Rays were to receive minor-league shortstop Jason Smith and right-handed reliever Manny Aybar in the deal.

- Staff writers Darrell Fry and Kevin Kelly contributed to this report.

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