Backstories aplenty at trading deadline
The only thing more fun than sifting through all the rumors in the days leading up to the trading deadline is trying to analyze which teams bettered themselves for a stretch run and which teams came up empty.
The American League East, as always, was fascinating to watch as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox tried to one-up each other. This time around, the Yanks clearly came out on top. They got Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle from Philadelphia for peanuts because they have the ability to take on salary.
So does Boston. But the Red Sox couldn’t get a deal done with Houston that would have brought Roy Oswalt to a rotation that already includes Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling.
“There was some excitement around here for a few hours,” one Red Sox official said. “There was a lot of disappointment when it fell through.”
The Red Sox wanted Oswalt so much that they were willing to part with at least two of their “untouchables” from a list that included pitchers Jon Lester, Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen plus an everyday player.
The Astros, meanwhile, didn’t distinguish themselves. They also shopped Oswalt to Baltimore, asking only that they not turn around and flip him to St. Louis or the New York Mets. Then they denied he had been available in the first place.
The Tigers couldn’t get Abreu, in part because he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to go to Detroit. They couldn’t get Alfonso Soriano from Washington because they were unwilling to part with minor league outfielder Cameron Maybin. But they nicely addressed their need for a left-handed bat by getting Sean Casey from Pittsburgh.
The Milwaukee Brewers are an intriguing wild-card long shot after sending slugger Carlos Lee to Texas for outfielder Kevin Mench and reliever Francisco Cordero. Mench is an upgrade on defense and should put up good offensive numbers as well. Cordero replaces struggling Derrek Turnbow as manager Ned Yost’s closer. The most important acquisitions, though, are pitchers Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka, who came off the disabled list.
The Nationals, on the other hand, wouldn’t back off their demands for Soriano and ended up getting stuck with a player they probably won’t be able to re-sign at the end of the year.
Clearing the bases
Yankees second baseman Miguel Cairo left the game against Baltimore because of a strained left hamstring. … Chicago White Sox third baseman Joe Crede left the game against Toronto with back stiffness. …Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets left his start after one inning because of pectoral muscle tightness.