Doug Padilla Article

[RockRaines]

Trade rumors just part of the job

 

July 29, 2005

 

BY DOUG PADILLA Staff Reporter

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It's a cruel place to be even if you only are on the fringes of baseball trade rumors.

 

Forget that a trade means you have to say goodbye to the friends you have made, the home you probably purchased and the school your kids are attending. No, there are other problems with having your name linked to a potential deal by your club.

 

Take Joe Crede's situation. The White Sox organization is the only one Crede has known, he is playing with fellow Missouri natives Mark Buehrle and Cliff Politte and he has one of his closest friends in baseball on the team in Aaron Rowand.

 

Crede has been linked to some deals, such as one to the Florida Marlins and another that would have brought Joe Randa from the Cincinnati Reds before he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

 

So when teammate Chris Widger told Crede he had been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, it sounded plausible. It wasn't until Widger said that the Sox were getting Jim Thome, Billy Wagner and another starter from the Phillies, for Crede alone, did the Sox third baseman know he had been had.

 

Humor might be the only way to diffuse what can be a distracting and emotional time. With the non-waiver trade deadline two days away, there had better be a lot of one-liners, or at least plenty of antacids on hand.

 

''That trade stuff is out of your control, and it's something you don't need to be worrying about,'' Crede said. ''When stuff is brought up, you do think about it, but it's something you try to keep out of your mind because it's not going to really do you any good, only harm. You think about 'what if,' and it's not even in your control.''

 

Jermaine Dye follows one simple rule when it comes to the trade deadline. If your name is being thrown around in rumors, you probably have nothing to worry about. If your name is not being mentioned, watch out.

 

Dye was moved just before the trade deadline in 2001, when he went from the Kansas City Royals to the Oakland Athletics.

 

''I talked to the GM, and he said nobody was going anywhere,'' Dye said. ''I think handling it depends on what kind of person you are. If you are able to separate all the scrutiny and stuff and hearing rumors and just go out and play, it helps. I think it is just determined on the individual player. For me, I didn't hear anything, so I didn't think anything of it.''

 

For pitchers Damaso Marte and Jose Contreras, who have been mentioned most prominently in Sox trade rumors, it's all about staying focused.

 

''I have to play the same way,'' said Marte, who was mentioned most often in the now-unlikely trade to bring A.J. Burnett to the Sox. ''I don't really know. I don't worry about it. If they do a trade or no trade, I don't care. I'm pitching wherever they want me to. Where they put me, I'll pitch.''

 

The Marlins always have desired Marte, so his name was naturally linked to the Burnett deal. So was Contreras' because Florida isn't giving up on the season and would like somebody to take over a vacant rotation spot. But Contreras, whom the Sox acquired at the deadline last season, isn't expected to go anywhere.

 

''Of course, I feel more comfortable once Sunday's deadline passes,'' Contreras said through interpreter Ozzie Guillen Jr. ''Rumors will always come and go, but it's something you can't think about.''

 

Although Contreras resides in Florida in the offseason, he doesn't have a desire to pitch in the state.

 

''I couldn't be more happy being with the Sox,'' Contreras said. ''This year is the team I've been most comfortable on since I left Cuba. It would be great to continue to play here.''

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen has done what he can to ease the minds of his players, especially Marte and Contreras.

 

''I already told them they won't be traded,'' Guillen said. ''I think when there are just rumors, I will tell them. Right now there is nothing that is going on, and hopefully, if something has to happen, it will arrive quick and we can move on. But right now, nothing is in sight.''

 

Guillen is aware that the trade deadline can bring anxiety, but he never actually went through that process during his 16 seasons as a player.

 

''It wasn't hard on me, not really, because nobody wanted me,'' Guillen said with a laugh. ''It's true.

 

''It's a hard situation for people when your name is talked about. I think when your name is around and people talk about you all the time about trades, it's not an easy thing to be around. But I think players have to be ready. Players will think about it, but you have to forget that your name is out there and keep playing.''

 

Another way to look at a potential trade is to realize that somebody wants you and try not to think so much about the fact that your team is sending you away.

 

But even that would be a tough sell on yourself for Sox players this year.

 

''In a way, I guess it is flattering to be wanted, but the thing about getting traded, especially when our team has the best record in baseball, you know the chances of you getting traded to a good team doesn't seem like it's all that high,'' Crede said.

 

''You can go from a situation like this to a situation where the team is way out of contention and it's not a situation that you really want to be a part of. You want to be a part of a winning team, and you want to keep having fun throughout the whole year. It's tough to have fun when you're not winning.''

[BDavisFutureHOF]

"So when teammate Chris Widger told Crede he had been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, it sounded plausible. It wasn't until Widger said that the Sox were getting Jim Thome, Billy Wagner and another starter from the Phillies, for Crede alone, did the Sox third baseman know he had been had.

"

 

Who knew the Widgenator was such a riot?!?

[Milkman delivers]

"So when teammate Chris Widger told Crede he had been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, it sounded plausible. It wasn't until Widger said that the Sox were getting Jim Thome, Billy Wagner and another starter from the Phillies, for Crede alone, did the Sox third baseman know he had been had.

"

 

Who knew the Widgenator was such a riot?!?

 

It'll be sad if, in a few days, Crede is actually traded somewhere. He'll figure it's another joke, then the awkwardness ensues. I wouldn't wanna be around that scene.

[Controlled Chaos]

Trading Crede, Rowand or even Politte are the things I worry about. Those moves will undoubtedly affect chemistry and alter the whole "Team" thing we have going on right now.

[Dick Allen]

Trading Crede, Rowand or even Politte are the things I worry about.  Those moves will undoubtedly affect chemistry and alter the whole "Team" thing we have going on right now.

If they are traded for better players, I'd take my chances on the chemistry thing. As far as feeling bad for guys when they are traded, they just need to suck it up and move along. The business is cold, but the players are paid handsomely for all their inconveniences. If they don't like it, there are plenty of people willing to take their place, and plenty of other things they can do with their lives.

[Yossarian]

The business of baseball can be cold and brutal. On another note, I wonder if KW is going to have the opportunity to make a bold move.

[Pauly8509CWS]

Guillen is aware that the trade deadline can bring anxiety, but he never actually went through that process during his 16 seasons as a player.

''It wasn't hard on me, not really, because nobody wanted me,'' Guillen said with a laugh. ''It's true.

 

 

I luvvvv Ozzie