Rivals Leave a Trade Mark

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Aug. 1, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Mark McGwire became a St. Louis Cardinal as baseball’s trading deadline passed Thursday, and the Dodgers and Angels looked on as their rivals in the standings strengthened themselves for the race to the finish.

The San Francisco Giants, desperate for experienced pitching as the Dodgers caught up to them in the National League West, got starters Wilson Alvarez and Danny Darwin and closer Roberto Hernandez from the Chicago White Sox for six minor leaguers.

The Angels are half a game behind the Seattle Mariners, a team considered capable of reaching the World Series if not for a weak bullpen. But before the deadline, the Mariners shored up that weakness. To do it, they had to let go of prized rookie Jose Cruz Jr. and two other young prospects, but they got closer Heathcliff Slocumb from the Boston Red Sox and relievers Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric from the Toronto Blue Jays in return.

San Francisco General Manager Brian Sabean believes Thursday’s deal solidifies the Giants’ postseason hopes, giving them a bullpen--with closer Rod Beck, Hernandez and Julian Tavarez--that might be comparable to the New York Yankee bullpen last season.

“This absolutely sends the message to our organization that we’re committed to winning a championship this year,” Sabean said. “We have players who have worked very hard to get in this position. Whether in life or professionally, you don’t walk this way too many times. It’s the kind of deal that should excite our players and fans.”

The Dodgers greeted news of the trade with a mixture of confidence and resignation. Confidence because they have caught a team that once had an eight-game lead on them; resignation because it now figures to be tougher to stay even with that club.

“They got three pitchers who can do nothing but help them,” Manager Bill Russell said. “That’s why they got them. They’ve had to use Rod Beck a lot, and that does wear on you. But if we continue to play consistently well, we don’t have to worry about anybody.”

Outfielder Brett Butler was glad the Dodgers did not respond with a big trade merely to play tit-for-tat with the Giants.

“You hear people say we need to make changes,” Butler said. “I don’t see where. I believe we have a chance to win with what we’ve got. Don’t mess with our club.”

Seattle was reluctant to trade Cruz, 23, but Manager Lou Piniella had been begging General Manager Woody Woodward for some quality relief help, and the Mariners pulled the trigger on the deal to send Cruz to Toronto for Timlin and Spoljaric, announcing it during the fifth inning of their game at Milwaukee.

“We hated to trade a fine young talent in Jose Cruz Jr., but in order to give us the best shot at an American League pennant, we had to trade quality to get quality.” Woodward said. “We need to bolster our bullpen and were able to go out and get proven relievers.”

The Mariners took a 7-2 lead into the eighth inning at Boston on Wednesday and lost, 8-7, in 10 innings, the sixth time they’ve lost a game they led going into the ninth inning and their 15th blown save. Their relievers have a 6.40 earned-run average, worst in the majors.

Norm Charlton and Bobby Ayala weren’t getting the job done, and tension had been high in the Mariner clubhouse.

“You’re not supposed to say anything because people see it as dissension on the team,” Seattle right fielder Jay Buhner said after Wednesday’s game. “This isn’t dissension. It’s fact. This team needs some kind of change.

“We need to go get a guy who comes into a game and says the buck stops here. This is nothing new, we’ve needed this for some time. But more and more it’s become evident how badly we need it.”

The Mariners might have gotten that guy in a last-minute trade when they sent catcher Jason Varitek and pitcher Derek Lowe to the Red Sox for Slocumb.

Slocumb, 31, is 0-5 with 17 saves in 22 chances and a 5.79 ERA. He got off to a poor start this season, going 0-3 with six saves and an 8.04 ERA in his first 29 games, but in 20 appearances since June 14, he has a 2.41 ERA and 11 saves.

Lowe, 24, is 2-4 with a 6.96 ERA for the Mariners. Varitek, 25, was batting .257 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs at triple-A Tacoma. In 1994, he won the Golden Spikes award at Georgia Tech as the nation’s top collegiate player.

In another deadline deal, the Cleveland Indians helped their ailing starting pitching by acquiring left-hander John Smiley from Cincinnati in a six-player deal that should help the Reds rebuild. A few hours later, the Indians added another quality starting pitcher, acquiring Jeff Juden from the Montreal Expos for rookie left-hander Steve Kline and a player to be named.

But the biggest deal of the day was for McGwire, the Oakland slugger the Angels considered trading for before rejecting the idea.

McGwire, 33, led the majors last season with 52 homers, and has homered more times per at-bat than any player in history other than Babe Ruth. The deal will reunite McGwire with St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa, who was with the A’s from 1986-95.

“It’s not an easy decision to make, but I think you come to a crossroads in your life, where change is good,” said McGwire, who had the right to reject any trade because he is a 10-and-5 player--10 years in the majors, the last five with the same team.

In return for McGwire, the A’s got right-handed pitchers T.J. Mathews, Eric Ludwick and Blake Stein.

The A’s feared they wouldn’t be able to re-sign McGwire, eligible for free agency at the end of the season. St. Louis isn’t worried about re-signing the first baseman just yet, but needs to make up seven games on the first-place Houston Astros in the NL Central.

Back on the West Coast, all that was missing in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse at Anaheim Stadium was a white flag.

Chicago owner Jerry Reinsdorf shattered the game’s salary structure by making Albert Belle the first $10-million-a-year player last winter, and Thursday he bailed out, dumping Alvarez, Hernandez and their $4.6-million contracts with the White Sox only 3 1/2 games behind sagging Cleveland in the AL Central.

Chicago sent veteran designated hitter Harold Baines and his $1.15-million salary to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday for a player to be named.

“I thought we had a good chance [of winning the division],” said Chicago third baseman Robin Ventura, who returned from a spring-training leg injury last week. “Our lineup was good. Our pitching was solid. . . . I didn’t realize Aug. 1 was the end of the season.”

Even with a lineup featuring Belle and Frank Thomas, the White Sox have averaged only 23,596 at home and face substantial financial losses.

After the Baines deal Tuesday, Reinsdorf said, “We’re not ready to concede anything.” By Wednesday, Reinsdorf changed his tune.

“Anyone who thinks this White Sox team will catch Cleveland is crazy,” he said. “We’re not even in second place, so we have to prepare for next year and the future.”

Those preparations began Thursday when Chicago sent its top starter--Alvarez is 9-8 with a 3.03 ERA--and one of the league’s best closers--Hernandez is 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA and 27 saves, for a six-pack of players that includes just one with major league experience, pitcher Keith Foulke.

White Sox General Manager Ron Schueler, who lost ace Alex Fernandez to free agency last winter, defended the deal on grounds that all three pitchers would be free agents after this season.

“I wasn’t going to get into a situation like we did with Alex, where we don’t get anything back,” Schueler said. “I wasn’t going to go through that again.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BASEBALL’S MOVING DAY

NL WEST

*--*

TEAM W L GB DODGERS 59 49 -- GIANTS 59 49 -- PADRES 52 56 7 ROCKIES 51 58 8 1/2

*--*

AL WEST

*--*

TEAM W L GB MARINERS 60 47 -- ANGELS 60 48 1/2 RANGERS 50 56 9 1/2 ATHLETICS 42 68 19 1/2

*--*

WHAT THE GIANTS DID

San Francisco acquires pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernandez from the Chicago White Sox for six players, five of whom have no major league experience. Alvarez was the ace of the White Sox staff with a 9-8 record and 3.03 earned-run average. Hernandez was Chicago’s stopper, leading the team with 27 saves. In San Francisco, he joins Rod Beck, who leads the majors with 32 saves. Darwin, 41, was 4-8 with a 4.13 ERA and started 17 games for the White Sox.

WHAT THE MARINERS DID

Seattle acquired much-needed pitching help, but the cost was steep. They got relievers Paul Spoljaric and Mike Timlin from Toronto, but had to give up promising rookie Jose Cruz Jr., who batted .269 with 12 home runs since becoming Seattle’s left fielder. The Mariners then added reliever Heathcliff Slocumb from Boston for two prospects. Spoljaric was 0-3 with a 3.19 ERA for Toronto and Timlin was 3-2 with 9 saves and a 2.87 ERA. Slocumb was 0-5 with 17 saves and a 5.79 ERA for Boston.

OTHER MAJOR MOVES

Cardinals Land McGwire From A’s

Slugger Mark McGwire is reunited with his former manager Tony La Russa in St. Louis.

Indians Acquire Pitching Help

Cleveland gets two starters--Jeff Juden from Montreal and John Smiley from Cincinnati.

Rangers Invest in Rodriguez

Texas locks up catcher Ivan Rodriguez with a five-year, $42-million contract extension.

No Deal Is a Big Deal to Anderson

Angel left fielder Garret Anderson is staying put, and he couldn’t be happier.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Stretch Moves

A look at major acquisitions division contenders made before the trade deadline: