Prologue | Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Chapter Nine: The Deadline Approaches

As the trading deadline approaches, the Salem front office is still buzzing with activity, as Glander and his staff go fishing for last-minute deals. The Wapakoneta Hippos have just posted a note on the BDBL message board, indicating that several players are on the verge of being released. One of the players on that list is Juan Cruz. This news seems to irritate Glander.

“Two years ago,” Glander begins with a heavy sigh, as if he has told this story countless times before, “we practically stalked Bobby Sylvester, asking repeatedly about Joe Mauer. We basically opened up our roster and said, ‘take whoever you want’, and Bobby insisted time and again that Mauer was untouchable.”

Glander pauses, shaking his head in disgust. He takes a long, slow sip of Sam Adams Octoberfest.

“In early 2002, when Mauer got off to a slow start, we contacted Bobby once again, hoping that he had soured on him. We were told once again that Mauer was untouchable. Later that year, after we acquired Jamie Moyer and the Hippos were in the thick of the race for both the division title and wild card, we offered Moyer for Mauer, straight-up. Again, we were told he was untouchable.”

Glander takes another swig, soothing his throat, which has now filled with bile.

“After the season ended, we contacted Bobby yet again, just to make sure that Mauer was still untouchable. Bobby insisted that he would not be moved at any price.”

Rage begins to consume Glander’s face, and his hands tighten into fists.

“Then, I went away on vacation. And when I returned…I learned that Bobby had traded Mauer to the Stamford (bleeping) Zoots in exchange for Juan ‘Stick Boy’ Cruz.”

Tears well up in Glander’s eyes as the scab from that emotional wound is ripped open once again.

“Here we are, just two years later, and Mauer is now the #1 prospect in baseball and Cruz is now on the verge of being released.”

Despite the bitter memories evoked by the mere mention of Cruz’s name, Glander is able to courageously push all emotion aside. Despite his disappointing MLB career to date, Cruz is worth a flier - as long as the asking price is low enough. Since the Hippos plan on releasing Cruz without any compensation, their asking price should be very low, indeed.

In exchange for Cruz, Glander offers several second-tier farm players. From that list, Sylvester selects the player Salem least desired to part with: big lefty Manny Parra. Sylvester’s decision comes as little surprise, as Baseball America has just written a glowing scouting report on Parra. Reluctantly, Glander accepts the offer.

“A year ago, that is a trade I never would have made,” admits Glander. “Parra’s ceiling is twice as high as Cruz’s. However, I learned last year that some people in this league have little regard for potential value. If a player hasn’t ‘proven’ himself at the Major League level, they want nothing to do with him. Those GM’s opt for proven mediocrity over potential superstardom, and if you don’t have that ‘proven’ mediocrity, you’ll miss out on some great trades during the course of the season.”

That same day, Glander trades Ricardo Rincon to the Chicago Black Sox for another potential “proven talent”, Jesus Colome. Rincon would not have been kept on the Salem roster, as the bullpen is set, and Colome has the potential to become a decent reliever over the next year.

With the roster now set, the Salem front office team begins to formulate a more concrete plan of attack for the free agent auction and draft. The gaping hole behind the plate proves to be a persistent sticking point. Some in the front office feel that the team should target free agent Mike Lieberthal and spend as much as it takes to get him. Others feel the team would be better off spending that money on a better offensive player and filling that hole behind the plate with a defensive specialist.

In one last-ditch effort to fill that hole through trading, Glander contacts both father and son Sylvester to inquire about the availability of defensive specialists Mike Matheny and Bengie Molina, respectively. The word coming from the desert of the Middle East is that Matheny is all but untouchable. The younger Sylvester, meanwhile, has suddenly become unreachable. Bobby Sylvester expressed an interest in Salem catching prospect Jeremy Brown earlier in the winter, so Glander has offered Brown for Molina straight-up. That offer was made on Sunday afternoon.

Tuesday afternoon, Glander is sitting in his office, checking his messages incessantly, hoping to hear some hint of feedback. Nearly three days have passed, and the younger Sylvester has yet to respond. With the countdown to the deadline ticking away, Glander’s patience is wearing thin.

Finally, on Tuesday evening, Glander receives his response. The Hippos have no interest in a Molina-for-Brown swap. Once again, Glander topples over the buffet table. The room is instantly littered with meatball subs and potato chips. Glander barks at his secretary to fire off a response.

“I’ve been trying to find out for three (bleeping) days now what he’s interested in!,” shouts Glander. “Ask him again what it will take to pry that no-hit, .305 OBP, $2.5 million catcher off of him!”

The following morning, another “for sale” sign is posted on the BDBL forum. Los Altos GM Jeff Paulson is shopping his prized second baseman, Mark Loretta. Just seconds after reading the message, Glander is on the phone once again.

“Jeff! Who’s the best-looking GM in the BDBL? Bobby, eh? Jeff, I know you like those young kids, but this is going too far. Listen, what are you looking for in exchange for Loretta?”

Paulson states he is looking for an impact prospect. “Someone like Mark Teixeira, Sean Burroughs or B.J. Upton.”

“How about Kaz Matsui?,” Glander asks.

“Nope. Not a big believer in Kaz,” states Paulson.

“Hmm…must be too old for him,” muses Glander, with his hand pressed over the phone, as Big Daddy giggles in the background.

“Let me give it some thought,” Glander says as he ends the call.

“I don’t want to give up any impact players for Mark Loretta,” says Big Daddy, as he tips a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos into his face.

“Neither do I,” answers Glander, “but Loretta is one of the top second sackers in the game, and he’s only $3 million. There has to be a way to make this work.”

Just days before, Matsui had signed with the New York Mets, ensuring that he would remain at shortstop. With Upton already anointed as Salem’s “shortstop of the future”, that gives the Cowtippers a surplus at that position on the farm club. Trading Upton for Loretta is unthinkable, but perhaps Paulson would be willing to include a couple more players on his side of the trade. Glander and Reuschel consult the Undertakers scouting report and discover two names that fit Salem’s needs: catcher Ramon Hernandez and outfielder Craig Monroe. With Hernandez, Loretta and Monroe, the only hole remaining on the Salem roster would be at shortstop, and the team would have more than enough money to sign Miguel Tejada to fill that hole.

The offer is made: Upton for Loretta, Hernandez and Monroe. Paulson considers the offer for about 24 hours, then rejects it. He feels that losing those three players would create too many holes, and he is not in a position to rebuild. The temptation of having a middle infield tandem of Upton and Rickie Weeks for the next decade is not strong enough.

Before Glander ends the negotiation with Paulson, he is able to walk away with a consolation prize: catcher Doug Mirabelli. Mirabelli is a defensive liability, he comes with a $500,000 price tag, and he is eligible for only 179 at-bats total. Despite all of that downside, however, he costs the Cowtippers sure-fire first round college pitcher Justin Orenduff.

“We overpaid, once again,” admits Glander, his head shaking back and forth in frustration. “But this is the market we’re dealing with. No one will part with their catching at any price. We could either overpay for an inferior catcher on Draft Day or overpay for an inferior catcher now through trade. At least this way, we have cost certainty and can plan for the future.”

Salem now has the option of going with a platoon of Mirabelli and Tom Wilson for a chapter or two, then trading for another catcher when teams begin to drop out of contention. The only other option is to pay upwards of $7 million for Lieberthal on Draft Day – an option that Glander is loathe to accept.

With the winter trading deadline just hours away, Glander continues to work the phones as feverishly as ever. The Undertakers are still shopping Loretta, and Glander continues to probe what it would take to land Loretta alone. Negotiations over Bengie Molina continue to drag out as well, with Bobby Sylvester scouring the Salem roster for a suitable player or two.

Meanwhile, the Salem braintrust has determined that releasing Jolbert Cabrera is preferable to keeping him, as the team will need the $1.3 million in the auction more than they will need the $2.5 million utility player. A “for sale” sign is posted on the board, and messages are sent to half a dozen teams that could use Cabrera’s services. Only one team responds positively: the Sylmar Padawans.

Unfortunately, the Padawans’s GM, John Duel, becomes virtually unreachable after his initial response. With the deadline less than 24 hours away, Glander frantically attempts to contact Duel. At this point, he is willing to take a bag of stale potato chips in exchange for Cabrera. Finally, Duel responds. He has changed his mind. Cabrera is too expensive.

On the morning of the deadline, Glander reviews the Big Board with Reuschel and the rest of the front office staff. The Cowtippers are in a good position, financially, to fill every hole on their roster in the auction or draft, but a few million more would really put them over the top.

That afternoon, Glander attempts to negotiate with Bobby Sylvester for the services of Molina one final time. Sylvester shows interest in young Salem fireballer Joel Zumaya, but is concerned about finding quality at-bats at the catching position in the draft. Glander offers to throw in Mirabelli, and Sylvester finally accepts. The Cowtippers now have a full-time catcher for $2.5 million (minus Mirabelli’s $500,000 salary.)

Unfortunately, because the Cowtippers had not budgeted any money toward a catcher in the draft, Molina’s acquisition means Salem has even less money to spend than before. The battle plan Salem had in place heading into the day must be altered once again.

One final check of the BDBL forum reveals that Sylvester is willing to take on salary in exchange for an impact farm player. Knowing Sylvester is keen on Matsui, one final window of opportunity presents itself. The problem, however, is that Matsui is worth far more than the penalty money Salem is planning to pay ($4.9 million), and there aren’t any other players on the Hippos roster that can make up that difference in value. The only player that piques the interest of Salem’s scouts in the slightest is lefty pitcher Jimmy Gobble.

Glander and his staff meet one final time before the deadline.

Glander: “The question is, gentlemen, whether we’re willing to part with Kaz for $4.9 million.”

Reuschel: “The real question is: does Kaz have more trade value now or mid-season?”

Faceless Scout #1 (wearing a ten-gallon hat and chomping on a cigar): “This kid’s the real deal, boys. He can hit for average, hit for power, run like the wind, and he’s smooth as a baby’s backside on D.”

Glander: “Yes, but as good as he is, he’s expendable. Upton’s our man. The question isn’t whether or not we will ever trade Kaz. The question is when. Big Daddy’s right. The real question here is whether his trade value is higher now or later.”

Faceless Analyst #1 (wearing horned-rimmed glasses and sporting a “Star Trek” tee-shirt): “My analysis shows that Kazuo Matsui will have a comparable season to Orlando Cabrera last season, in terms of OBP, slugging, and VORP - minus a small adjustment for ballpark factors, of course.”

Faceless Scout #2 (laughing so hard, he nearly chokes on his tobacco chaw): “Which means what, exactly, Pointdexter?”

Faceless Analyst #1: “.280 batting average. .335 on-base. .440 slugging.”

Faceless Scout #1: “Hyuck, hyuck! Where’d you get all them numbers? You got one of them crystal balls, do ya, boy?”

Faceless Scout #2: “Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck!”

Glander: “Those numbers would be pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. If he’s as good on defense as his hype suggests, that would put him among the top shortstops in baseball. But what if he gets off to a slow start? What if Shea Stadium affects his numbers more than we think, and he looks worse than he really is? Then what would his trade value be?”

Reuschel: “Not nearly as high as it is now.”

Glander: “Right on, Big Daddy. If we trade Matsui now, we get an extra $5 mill to spend in this auction. If we wait, maybe we pick up a much better player mid-season than we’d get with that money. Or maybe we don’t get much in return at all. This is a classic risk-and-reward dilemma.  The question is: how much are we willing to risk?”

Reuschel: “It’s a tough call.”

With just 30 minutes remaining until the deadline, Glander sends a message to Sylvester, saying he is willing to trade Matsui for Gobble and $4.9 million in penalty money. Sylvester accepts. Winter Trading Season is officially over.

Next up:
Chapter Ten: D-Day