| | The Seattle Mariners got the short end of the Ken Griffey Junior trade, says ESPN.com columnist Rob Neyer.
Shortly after the trade was finalized, Neyer jumped into chat to tackle user questions and took the M's to task for not getting more for one of the best players in the game. He also talked about what impact the trade will have on Seattle's attempts to sign their other superstar, Alex Rodriquez ,and offered his opinion on where the Reds go from here.
An edited transcript from Neyer's Feb. 10 chat follows:
|  | | Neyer says Tomko needs a big year for this to be a good deal for the M's. |
RM: Bravo on bringing Randy Smith out to dry. What are your thoughts on (Thursday's) big deal?
Rob Neyer: My thoughts are not fully formed yet, because we still don't have the final player in the deal. As it
stands right now, things aren't looking good for the Mariners. But that could change.
Airick: If any man is worth $100 million dollars, who in baseball deserves that honor the most?
Rob Neyer:
As I wrote in my column last week, I believe that Mark McGwire "deserves" more money than
anybody, because he adds an incredible amount of revenue every time he plays a game.
Long-term, I think Alex Rodriguez will be the best player in the game over the next decade or so.
Jesse: Where does Brett Tomko fit into the Mariners rotation?
Rob Neyer:
I don't know that Tomko fits into the rotation at all. They've already got Jamie Moyer, Aaron Sele,
Freddy Garcia, John Halama and Gil Meche. Tomko probably has some good years ahead of him,
but after last season, he'll have to prove it. The Mariners now have a surplus of good young
starters, which is a nice place to be.
REW: If you were running the Mariners, (and I think you'd do a damn fine job) who would you want as
that last player in the deal?
Rob Neyer:
No question about it, I'd want shortstop Travis Dawkins, who is widely considered the best
prospect in the Reds' system. Rob Bell is also a top prospect, but young pitchers are so
unpredictable that I'd take the position player every time.
Shaun: What's going to happen to Senior now that Junior is in Cincinnati? Will he be the manager next season?
Rob Neyer:
Not sure which "next season" you mean, but I'd say the chances are excellent that Senior is
managing the Reds in 2001. By signing Junior to a nine-year deal, the Reds are, in some ways,
turning the team over to him. If Junior wants his dad to manage the club, is Jim Bowden going to
say no?
Phil Oye: Do you think that the Griffey deal may curb salaries some? (GMs saying, "Griffey is getting this much,
are you better than Griffey?") Do you think that the Players' Association is going to be a little
peeved?
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NEYER'S FILE
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Neyer has been writing a daily baseball column for ESPN.com since
1996. His book "Baseball Dynasties," co-authored with Eddie Epstein,
will be published this spring by W.W. Norton.
Neyer spent his formative baseball years at the feet of author Bill James, then apprenticed for two years with STATS, Inc. before graduating to his own daily ESPN.com column. |
Rob Neyer:
This deal will have very little effect on future salaries. It's a special situation, and Juan Gonzalez
and Derek Jeter won't settle for $12 million -- or even $15 million -- just because Griffey signed
for $13 million. Trust me.
Daryl Allison: I just read about "How will Junior hit in Cincinnati?" The article did not take into account what impact
having his dad around all year long will, or will, not have on Jr.'s production. Your thoughts?
Rob Neyer: My thoughts are that we have absolutely no way of knowing. But if I have to guess, I'll say that
he'll be his typical self, and hit between 50 and 60 home runs.
Tommy Boy: Does this make the Reds the front runners in the Central?
Rob Neyer:
Ah, THE BIG QUESTION.
No, I don't this it does. I figured the Reds for roughly 85 wins B.G. (before Griffey). He gives them another
five or seven, which still doesn't quite put them over the top. I like the Reds' chances for a wild
card, though.
SCW: Won't Jr. have the same kind of economic impact on Cincy that McGwire has in St. Louis?
Rob Neyer:
Yes ... but only this season. From 2001 through 2002, they're ripping 14,000 seats out of Cinergy
Field, which is a shame because with Griffey in town they might well have sold a lot of those
seats. And the new ballpark would likely have been full anyway, Junior or no Junior.
JustinQ: The Reds new stadium, which opens in 2003, heavily favors lefties with what will be the shortest
RF of all existing stadiums. How much of that played a factor into Griffey's decision, assuming
one of his goals is to break Aaron's record?
Rob Neyer:
People seem to think Griffey sits around his house all day, weighing all these different factors and
concoctting various schemes ... Well, I just don't see it. He's still a kid in many ways, and kids just
do things, often without considering the ramifications.
Josh: This is a joke. I'm listening on the radio to the press conference the Mariners are having! Who is
Jake Meyer? Once again Seattle sports fans live in infamy as the fans that get screwed once
again. No Scott Williamson, no Travis Dawkins, what a farce! It's a sad day. Remember
it ... February 10, 2000 ... The day baseball died in Seattle!!
Rob Neyer:
Yes, Jake Meyer is the final piece of the puzzle, so I'm ready to pronounce this trade a poor one
for the Mariners. Meyer is a 25-year-old relief pitcher, rated by "Baseball America" as the Reds'
No. 15 prospect.
I think that for this trade to work for the Mariners, they had to get one very good major leaguer
OR one Grade A prospect. Unless Tomko develops, it looks like they won't get either.
Smoman: I'm sure you're going to have a column on "The Trade" so I will ask something else. The Giants
only signed one player (so far) this offseason, Russ Davis, formerly of Seattle. Do you think he
will help the team or will he do much better than Bill Mueller who is already at third for the
Giants?
Rob Neyer: Unless Davis benefits from escaping the wrath of Lou Piniella, he doesn't do much at all for the
Giants. He's Charlie Hayes without the glove.
John: Now that the Mariners are, as you noted, stocked with young pitching, are there any other moves
on the horizon for them? What do they need most now?
Rob Neyer:
Well, let's see ... at this moment, the Mariners outfield is composed of Mark McLemore, Stan Javier, Brian
Hunter, Mike Cameron and Jay Buhner. A team with this outfield cannot win a division title.
Robb: Who do you think will be the third starting outfielder for the Reds now that Cameron is gone?
Dante Bichette and Griffey are givens in my opinion.
Rob Neyer:
Dmitri Young seems like the obvious choice. He may be rough with the glove, but given the lack
of production that comes with Dante Bichette, the Reds will need Young's bat in the lineup.
KennyA: Does trading Griffey free up any room to help sign Alex Rodriguez?
Rob Neyer:
Not really. They save around $8 million this year, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to
Alex's next contract. I think they'll use the money on another outfielder, whether Jim Edmonds or
somebody else.
Thanks for all the questions on short notice, I'll be chatting again next week! | |
ALSO SEE
How will Griffey hit in Cincinnati?
Griffey accepts offer, will join Reds
When superstars get traded
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