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Alomar signs with Mets

Aggressive pursuit by New York general manager Steve Phillips yields the 12-time All-Star second baseman.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 12, 2001

BOSTON -- Rookie Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro said Roberto Alomar is "a Hall of Fame-caliber player." He said he is "a player of historical magnitude." He said he is "a very, very special impact player."

Then he said goodbye.

The Indians shook up the winter meetings and baseball Tuesday by sending the 12-time All-Star second baseman to the Mets as the centerpiece of an eight-player trade.

The Indians got an athletic rightfielder in Matt Lawton, a potential future star in outfield prospect Alex Escobar, a middle reliever in Jerrod Riggan and two minor-leaguers.

The Mets got one of the elite players in baseball.

"When you're talking about the best and the smartest players in the game, tied for first is Robbie Alomar," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "He's a real smart guy and a real talented guy."

The deal topped a half-dozen transactions Tuesday, including a six-player deal between the Mariners and Padres that featured catcher Ben Davis and shortstop Ramon Vazquez. Bigger news could come today in New York with the official completion of Jason Giambi's seven-year deal with the Yankees.

Mets general manager Steve Phillips targeted Alomar during the World Series, admittedly as a longshot, then began a relentless pursuit in which he never went two days without talking with Shapiro.

"You don't get that sort of opportunity very often," Phillips said. "When you smell the opportunity that it could happen, you keep going after it to make it happen."

The Mets, who also received pitcher Mike Bacsik and outfielder-first baseman Danny Peoples, feel they helped themselves in many ways.

With Alomar joining shortstop Rey Ordonez, first baseman Todd Zeile and Edgardo Alfonzo, who will move back to third base, they have what Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said was "probably going to be the best infield defense in baseball."

With Alomar expected to slide into the No. 3 slot ahead of Mike Piazza, they added speed, on-base percentage and power to their oft-anemic lineup. "We added a whole element to the offense we were missing," Phillips said. "We feel like this will have a major impact on our club."

The deal also has a major impact on the Indians, and Shapiro is savvy enough to know the trade of his most popular player won't be received well in Cleveland.

"I think I'll need a flak jacket when I get off the plane," Shapiro said. "The initial burst of perception is important, but I'm more concerned with the perception two months, six months, a year or two years down the road."

This clearly is a time of transition for the Indians, who are trying to trim about $15-million in payroll. They previously parted ways with free agents Kenny Lofton and Marty Cordova, and Shapiro said it would be "virtually impossible" to retain outfielder Juan Gonzalez, whom they signed last year to replace Manny Ramirez, without making another trade.

While the Indians might open the season with Jolbert Cabrera at second base, Milton Bradley in centerfield and Brady Anderson (who was released by Baltimore) in leftfield, Shapiro said they still feel they can be competitive.

"We feel like this is a small step back to hopefully take a big step forward for the long haul," Shapiro said.

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