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Finally, McGriff deal is done

After realizing his career will not end with the Rays, the Tampa native accepts his trade to the Chicago Cubs.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 28, 2001

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Simply put, Fred McGriff decided it was time for him to go.

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] "You hear they traded Albie and those guys and they're trying to cut payroll and it probably would have ended up being ugly, with them not playing me here and there (to keep from vesting his 2002 option). I didn't want to go out that way," Fred McGriff said of decision to play for the Cubs.

That's what he told selected Rays players and manager Hal McRae on the field before Thursday's game in Anaheim. That's what he told his agent, Jim Krivacs, during their lengthy discussions.

And that's what he told the world on Friday, explaining why 11 days after refusing to waive his no-trade clause for a trade to the Cubs, he now is headed to Chicago in exchange for two marginal minor-leaguers.

"I just had to think about everything as far as, "Do I want to continue to play? Where? How long?"' McGriff said. "The situation in Tampa is not a very pretty situation. Now more or less I can control my future a little bit better than leaving it up to (chief operating officer John) McHale and the rest of them to control it."

When McGriff, who still lives in his native Tampa, declined the first deal, he said he did so for family reasons, talking about the advantages of getting to spend additional time with his wife and children and giving his widowed mother the opportunity to see him play.

But, Krivacs said, McGriff, 37, essentially came to realize he was not going to finish his career with the Rays, who are determined to dump salary and use younger players, and eventually was going to have to go to another team anyway.

"The main issue was that if he was going to make a move, to pretty much have one more move to end his career, as opposed to a move, a move, and possible a third move," Krivacs said. "That didn't make a lot of sense."

The Cubs were aware of McGriff's feelings and, desperate for a left-handed bat to put behind Sammy Sosa in their lineup, were willing to wait. They did what they could to make the deal more appealing.

With the Rays, McGriff had a team option for next season at $6.75-million that would vest if he made 550 plate appearances.

The Cubs agreed to guarantee the contract, and gave him a raise to $7.25-million, a no-trade clause, the opportunity to receive at least some of his previously deferred salary now, and the chance to leave at the end of the season if he didn't like playing in Chicago.

Plus, they agreed on a mutual option for 2003 with an $8.5-million salary and another year of no-trade protection, or a $500,000 buyout.

Otherwise, the deal announced Friday wasn't much different from the agreement the teams first made on July 8.

The Rays send McGriff and about $1-million in "cash considerations" to the Cubs and get well-traveled right-handed pitcher Manny Aybar and a player to be named that is expected to be shortstop prospect Jason Smith, who is on the Triple-A disabled list with a hamstring injury.

The Rays' primary reason for the deal didn't change either -- the chance to save about $9-million in salary this season and the next.

"This trade, now and in the future, will never be measured by what we got back," Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said. "It's giving a young player, Steve Cox, an opportunity to be a regular big-leaguer, and it clears a significant amount of payroll. That's how it should be looked upon today and forever."

It was obvious from what he said, and even more so how he said it, that LaMar was pained by having to make the deal for financial reasons.

"We have just traded not only our most productive player in our 3 1/2 years, but our marquee player, the player that gave us major-league credibility, the player you knew would be there on a day-in and day-out basis," LaMar said. "Through all the ups and downs of this organization, he was sort of a shining light of consistency, as he has been throughout his career. ... And I truly feel he is on his way to the Hall of Fame."

Said McHale: "It was done regretfully to be consistent with our goals of creating opportunities for our young players to play positions to which they're suited, and to balance what we pay out with what we take in."

In trading Albie Lopez, Mike DiFelice and McGriff this week, LaMar has accumulated a potential net savings of about $11-million. McHale said the Rays would continue talks, but did not have to move any additional money by Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.

The most significant savings could come in trading Greg Vaughn, who makes $8.25-million this season and $19-million over the next two, and there have been at least rumors of interest from Minnesota.

Aybar, a 26-year-old right-hander who has been with five organizations, will go into the Triple-A Durham rotation. Smith, who had a .233 average through 70 games for the Iowa Cubs with four home runs, 15 RBI and 20 errors, also is headed to the minors once he becomes healthy.

The biggest on-field benefit for the Rays is creating playing time for Cox, who has showed the potential to be a steady hitter and run producer, though without the power McGriff provided.

"I understood what was going on," said Cox, 26. "I didn't like it, but I understood my situation. I figured at some time it would happen. But I didn't know when."

The Rays players weren't surprised at Friday's news because most of them knew it Thursday night. McGriff told several players what he was doing, though some didn't believe him.

For McGriff, an original Ray who was acquired from Atlanta for $20,000 the night of the November 1997 expansion draft, the trade brought a premature end to what he thought would be a happy homecoming and a potential storybook ending to his storied career, which likely will be capped when he hits 64 more home runs to get to 500.

"You hear they traded Albie and those guys and they're trying to cut payroll and it probably would have ended up being ugly, with them not playing me here and there (to keep from vesting his 2002 option). I didn't want to go out that way," McGriff said.

"When we first started with a new expansion team you figured things would have progressed to a point now where this team would be a lot more competitive and ready to take the next step.

"But things didn't quite work out. Either they gave up on players too soon or they didn't evaluate them properly. ... Financially I don't know their situation but McHale has come in and I guess his job is to keep down or whatever. Things never really materialized. I guess the five-year plan they had didn't quite work out.

"Now I guess they're rebuilding, but you can't really say they're rebuilding because they never really built anything."

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