The only truly firm jobs are 3B (Scott Rolen) and CF (Willie Davis). While a handful of others are all but assured a roster spot, who starts where is very much up in the air.

In addition to Rogan, while many feel 2nd round pick Dave Stieb needs a year at AAA, a great spring could catapult him onto the roster.

First Cuts

Robin Roberts has been the worst pitcher in camp, but the Stars’ brass still see a future for the 33 year old, and will give him a few more innings to turn it around. No such reprieve for LaTroy Hawkins, Jack Easton, Ed Hawk, Luke Weaver, Chris Archer, or Fritz Coumbe as all six of them were returned to the minor leagues.

Cs John Clapp and Butch Wynegar were also sent down, which is probably good news for Bullet Joe Rogan, who becomes the de facto 4th backstop in camp. At 1B, Prince Fielder and Dan Pasqua were sent to the minors, with Don Hurst and Cecil Cooper moving up the depth chart while Terry Pendleton was moved out at 3B.

In the middle infield, César Hernández‘ inability to hit outweighed his glove, but otherwise it’s still pretty crowded. Chase Utley and Mickey Morandini have hit very well, while both late season darling Juan Samuel and José Ramírez have struggled. SS is even worse as all three contenders: Jimmy Rollins, Roger Peckinpaugh, and dark horse Mike Bordick have struggled at the plate.

Other than Buck Freeman, the OFers who were supposed to hit–Aaron Judge, George Hendrick, Willie Davis, Bobby Abreu, and Sherry Magee–have hit, with everyone else struggling to make an impact. This has made some choices easy, as Ed Kirkpatrick, Garry Maddox, Odúbel Herrera, John Titus, and highly-touted Richie Ashburn all were sent to the minors.

Second Cuts

Robin Roberts, Brad Kilby, and Fred Cambria were sent to the minors. Roberts was a surprise, but he seems incapable of harnessing his talent.

Don Hurst, Pinky May, and Juan Samuel were sent down as well, with the Stars finally admitting that Samuel’s performance last September was quite the mirage.

Andrew Payne was recalled to give some additional depth at CF.

Third Cuts

P Jack Kralick heads to AAA, along with Cecil Cooper, Fred Luderus, and Al Smith.

With Roger Peckinpaugh the presumptive starter at SS, the Stars can only carry 1 of Mike Bordick and Jimmy Rollins. José Ramírez has lost all offensive ability evidently, but his performance last year keeps him in camp for another week.

Final Cuts

Andrew Payne was sent down after a brief sting in major league camp.

The Stars are really struggling with what to do on their roster–too many players are performing too similarly this Spring. They took a copout move, sending reliever Scott Garrelts down–who deserved it based on his performance–which leaves them with only 14 arms in camp.

The scouts still love Bill Dickey, but he just hasn’t shown anything in camp. With Rogan able to fill in behind the platooning Sherm Lollar and Mike Scioscia, Dickey heads to AAA in search of at bats and consistency.

With Kent Peterson‘s injury, Brad Kilby was recalled to big league camp. Mike Bordick was sent down, as the Stars continue to waffle on what to do with José Ramírez and Mickey Morandini. Ramírez hit with some power last year, but can barely make contact this Spring, while Morandini has been decent. It is likely that Ramírez’ ability to play 3B sees him win the roster spot.

Kent Peterson was placed on the DL and Roger Peckinpaugh, who was stellar in a late season cameo but horrific this Spring, was sent to AAA to see if he could work things out.

Wayne Gomes and Brad Kilby were moved to the minors, which were pretty easy choices.

From there it got rough. Buck Freeman was a regular for the Stars last season, but a lackluster Spring combined with quite a crowd at 1B and RF, Freeman finds himself heading to AAA. Facing a similar choice, José Ramírez was retained over Mickey Morandini, largely because he can backup multiple positions. This also means that Chase Utley will once again start the season as the Stars’ 2B. Finally, neither Bobby Abreu nor Aaron Judge did anything this Spring, but Judge’s fantastic debut last season kept him on the roster while Abreu will head to AAA.

Overall

One of the storylines of the year was Cleveland’s winning their division over the much-hyped Black Yankees. They did it with excellent pitching and just enough offense, but will need to do some work in the offseason to maintain their edge: MVP candidate Ron Blomberg is likely to regress and it’s unlikely all of the pitchers who made good will do so again.

What Went Right

Ron Blomberg shocked the world.

The Spiders thought they had their CF issue solved when Kenny Lofton emerged as a speedy, solid presence at the top of the lineup. Then Tris Speaker returned from injury and exploded onto the scene, essentially hitting like Blomberg, but with speed and defense over his first 100 PA’s.

Jake Stahl and John Ellis were far better than anticipated, each posting an OPS safely over .800.

Louis Santop was solid at C as a teenager.

The Spiders had seven–seven–pitchers who were strong enough to be front half of rotation starters. The top three (Pat Malone, Bill Steen, and Cy Young) were magnificent; Mel Harder was as good in limited appearances; and Whit Wyatt (injured and likely to miss the start of next season), Stan Coveleski, and Stan Bahnsen all were better than many team’s #3 arms.

Terry Adams was excellent, ending the season tied for the WBL lead in saves and Chuck Porter and Cory Gearrin were among the better setup units in the league.

ALL STARS
RP Terry Adams; OF Ron Blomberg; 2B Chuck Knoblauch; P Cy Young

What Went Wrong

The 3rd OF slot was a struggle all season: Peanuts Lowrey was decent enough, and Lance Berkman hit better for Cleveland than he did for Houston, but Lofton faded badly and both Larry Doby and Rowland Office were pretty miserable out there.

3B was an issue all year: Sammy Strang gets on base, but offers little else, but neither Evan Longoria nor Jim Gantner did even that.

Arky Vaughan was acquired at some cost to solidify the SS position, but while he was better than Bill Dahlen, Bill Knickerbocker, or Mickey Doolin, he still struggled.

On the mound, not much: Bob Feller was inconsistent but he’s 20. Ron Reed was OK, but not the world-beater he was with Philadelphia. That’s really not a lot to complain about.

Transactions

March

IF Jim Thome & OF Gus Bell to Miami for IF Evan Longoria

Looks like a loss: Thome struggled but Longoria was miserable.

June

OF Andrew Payne, P Hardie Henderson, OF Darrell Miller & OF Gibby Brack for RP Ron Reed

It seemed fine at the time, but unless Reed recovers his form, it may be a loss.

OF Harry Stovey, 1B Charlie Grimm, P Chad Qualls & 3rd Round Pick to Houston for OF Lance Berkman

At Berkman’s best, this is a good deal; during his slumps, though …

July

IF Nap Lajoie, P Arodys Vizcaíno & 1st Round Pick to Homestead for SS Arky Vaughan

Clearly overpaid. At the same time, the notion was to solidify the infield for a final playoff push, which it almost did.

Looking Forward

SP

The pitching is excellent right now, but only Bob Feller and Cy Young look to be around long term. As such, the Spiders are looking both for young arms and see this as a sign their window for championship competition may be small.

RP

Another strong group, with probably the most interesting arm behind the trio of Terry Adams, Cory Gearrin, and Ron Reed being Firpo Marberry at AAA.

C

Should be Louis Santop for a long, long time.

1B

Ron Blomberg is here, with Jake Stahl and Hal Trosky pushing for time should he stumble.

2B

Chuck Knoblauch looks solid for the time being.

3B

A bit of a mess: it would be great if someone between Sammy Strang, Ken Keltner, and Evan Longoria would step up and take control of this position.

SS

Arky Vaughan was brought in to solidify this position, and will be given at least a year to do that, although Joe Sewell may pressure him. Worst case, the trio of Bill Dahlen, Mickey Doolin, and Bill Knickerbocker have all shown the ability to field at an elite level, although none of them can hit.

LF

Johnny Bates for now, with Paul O’Neill looking decent in the minors.

CF

There is a real glut here. Tris Speaker has basically seized this spot, but the Spiders are looking at moving him to LF to take advantage of Kenny Lofton‘s speed and defense in CF. Larry Doby may also move to a corner spot, if he ever shows an ability to hit WBL pitching.

RF

See above: currently open, but Blomberg will play there some as well.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Spiders didn’t have a 1st round pick, and then only have a single selection for the rest of the rounds of the draft: they need a lot of talent, so it may be a challenge to fill it all.

That starts with SP Howard Ehmke, a franchise selection who is a few years away from the WBL. Missing out on Carlos Baerga by a single selection may hurt–not only does he play positions the Spiders need, but he would have been a franchise selection. Instead, in round 3, Cleveland takes Justin Turner, perhaps anticipating that by the time the IF is ready for the WBL, their 3B situation will have clarified.

Rounds 5-8

Cleveland will focus on pitching, 2B, 3B, and OF depth.

That begins with Bill Drake in round 5 and 3B Aubrey Huff in round 6 and OF Bruce Campbell in round 7 and IF Johnny Hodapp in round 8.

Rounds 9-12

1B Bill Phillips; 3B Brandon Drury; P Al Smith; P Charlie Knepper.

What Went Right

Not a helluva lot.

CF Willie Davis, 1B Ted Kluszewski, OF George Hendrick, and 3B Scott Rolen were all solid, with Hendrick pushing into a consistent starting role by mid-season. Davis and Rolen were the only players with decent WAR (3.0 for Davis, 2.9 for Rolen). Only Kluszewski (25) and Buck Freeman (21) had more than 20 homeruns, and Klu led the team in RBI’s with 63 and Freeman in R with 71: scoring runs was just a struggle for the Stars all season long.

Three players made strong impressions late in the season led by a fair distance by OF Aaron Judge who managed a .900 OPS in 130 PA. IFs Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh impressed as well.

Rico Carty started strong, leading the lead in doubles the first few months of the season, but collapsed towards the end–that, combined with his age, puts Carty’s starting position (but not his roster spot) in question.

Ray Collins and Steve Carlton were decent enough in the rotation and the only pitchers with over 2 WAR (Collins 2.9, Carlton 2.3). They were the only pitchers with 30 starts and, even more depressingly, the only pitchers with more than 10 innings and ERA’s under 5.00.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
P Ron Reed; 3B Scott Rolen

What Went Wrong

Everything else? The middle infield was pretty horrible all year, and nobody really could break out of thoroughly mediocre performances.

Carty ended weak, falling off a cliff on the final months of the season.

And the pitching was thoroughly horrid, from only Robin Roberts having a .500 record (5-5) among the starters to closer Bob Howry having 25 saves, but also getting rocked with an ERA over 6. Injuries didn’t help: Jaret Wright (probably the 3rd most effective starter), Roberts, and Pete Alexander (who was clearly overmatched by the WBL level at age 21, but also has a ton of promise) all missed significant time on the mound.

Trade Evaluations

March

3B Mike Schmidt, SP Cole Hamels to New York Black Yankees for C Bill Dickey, OF Aaron Judge, 1B Prince Fielder

Not bad. Moving Schmidt opened up room for Rolen and Judge looks like the real deal. Dickey was horrible, but at 22 is still a great prospect. Certainly, the loss of Hamels hurt, but he didn’t last with New York, being shipped to Miami in a separate deal.

June

RP Ron Reed to Cleveland for OF Andrew Payne, P Hardie Henderson, OF Darrell Miller, OF Gibby Brack

Reed was an all star for Philadelphia, but fell apart for the Spiders. Henderson looks good, and both Payne and Brack may see WBL time at some point.

July

OF Gavvy Cravath & 2nd Round Pick to Portland for 1B/3B Harmon Killebrew & 1st Round Pick {Dave Stieb}

P Rheal Cormier & 4th Round Pick to New York Black Yankees for P LaTroy Hawkins, P Fritz Coumbe, IF Mike Bordick & 3rd Round Pick {Bill Gatewood}

The Cravath deal was excellent: he was leaving after the season, and Killebrew is a great prospect and the pick turned into one of the better pitching prospects in the draft in Stieb. The other one is a little meh: Coumbe made the WBL by the end of the season, but was unimpressive, although Hawkins has a very live arm.

Looking Forward

SP

Carlton, JM Ward, and Alexander should eventually be a good top 3. They need more depth, both at WBL and throughout the organization.

RP

Howry’s job is in danger, but there are no obvious options. Brad Kilby was good at AAA and Scott Garrelts shows some promise.

C

The job is, once again, Dickey’s to lose, but perhaps another year in the minors is in store for him. If so, this is likely Mike Scoscia and Sherm Lollar splitting time once again.

1B

This is Klu’s until age catches up with him. Cecil Cooper dominated at AAA, and should see some time, especially if Carty’s decline continues.

2B

The Stars would love to see Chase Utley own this, but he’s struggled mightily so far. Juan Samuel‘s end of season heroics have earned him a close look in spring training.

3B

Rolen has this locked down, but the team will need to do something once Killebrew is ready, although Killer is probably more suited to 1B/DH in any case.

SS

Peckinpaugh will get a chance here, but again it’s a spot where the Stars need some more talent, especially if Jimmy Rollins doesn’t show more.

LF

Sherry Magee looks solid here.

CF

This may be the most interesting choice in the organization. Davis was their best player, and 21 year old Richie Ashburn was probably their best prospect. Both are excellent defensively, so the odds are a trade is the most likely solution.

RF

Judge seems to have this locked down, but Bobby Abreu will see some time here as well.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

Philadelphia led off the draft by selecting SP Bullet Joe Rogan, probably the single most WBL-ready prospect available. Rogan should step into the rotation right away. Their 2nd pick in the 1st round was harder, coming down to the future possibilities of IF Trea Turner and more help on the mound. They went with the latter, opting for young RHP Dave Stieb. They continued stockpiling arms, picking up teenager Bruce Hurst and 21 year old Bill Gatewood in the 3rd round.

With Gatewood, the Stars have made four selections, using all four of their franchise exemptions, meaning the rest of their picks for this draft will be players with some historical connection to their franchise.

Rounds 5-8

The Stars will be focusing on adding arms, although IF depth would be fine as well. Since they are out of exceptions, these will all be franchise selections, limiting some of the options. Their picks included OF Milt Thompson (5th), P Odúbel Herrera (6th), OF Rhys Hoskins (7th), and IF Nux James (8th).

Rounds 9-12

At the tail end of the draft, the Stars picked up a reserve C (Todd Pratt), P Chris Archer; P Mélido Pérez; and P Jim McElroy.

Looking Back at the All Star Trades

We’re a month(ish) on from the all-star break, seemed a good time to look back at the trades and see how they are working out in the early days.

Boom Shaka Laka

The Los Angeles Angels and the Ottawa Mounties swapped 8 players, with early returns making the Angels–by far–the winner in the exchange as veteran 1B Carlos Delgado is slashing 344/400/547 since the trade, providing what may be the final piece to the Angels’ puzzle. While Rusty Staub has done OK for Ottawa, none of the rest of the pieces have shown much at all. Wally Moon, who the Angels picked up from San Francisco, has been impressive as well, slashing 354/458/458 since the break. Two of the pieces the Angels gave up for Moon–C Brian Downing and P Dave LaRoche–have done well for San Francisco (Downing at AAA, LaRoche with the Sea Lions themselves), so this deal may work out for both sides.

Encouraging

The New York Gothams gave up a haul for Don Sutton, and so far it looks OK: Sutton looks to join the Gothams’ rotation shortly, posting a 2.70 ERA in 8 relief appearances. For Brooklyn, two of the prospects received are doing quite well: OF Don Mueller is slashing 387/395/653 and P Lew Krausse, Jr. has started his career with his new organization with some strong outings on the mound.

All-Star Ron Reed has just continued his strong year having moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, with an ERA of 0.75 over his first half-dozen games with the Spiders. Even more importantly for Cleveland’s playoff push, OF Lance Berkman looks to have blossomed with the change in scenery, slashing 276/417/500 with 4 HRs since coming over from Houston–a jump of of over 200 points to his OPS. The Spiders gave up 7 players across those 2 deals, none of which have earned significant playing time with their new clubs, although both Jap Payne (sent to Philadelphia) and Harry Stovey (to Houston as part of the Berkman deal) have hit well in limited appearances).

The Chicago American Giants brought in 4 pitchers, with encouraging returns from Dick Rudolph (acquired from Miami) and Hoyt Wilhelm (from Birmingham). The best prospect the American Giants gave up–Minnie Miñoso to the Cuban Giants–has been injured, so the jury is still out on this deal in general, but it looks alright so far, even if Don Newcombe has struggled mightily, and may have been overvalued at the trade deadline. Perhaps as importantly, the American Giants seem to have solved their SS question, as all-star Freddy Parent has continued his strong form since joining them from Ottawa.

Birmingham’s fire sale went well. We’ll cover some of those below, but both Curt Flood and Manny Trillo–picked up in the trade of Frank Isbell (who has been alright) to Brooklyn–are both tearing up AAA.

Meh

The Baltimore Black Sox have to be pleased with Manny Machado‘s performance so far, as he’s slotted quite comfortably as their everyday 3B. But the Miami Cuban Giants can’t really complain, as they aren’t going to compete for a while and Joe Dugan is tearing up AAA while Chris Hoiles has established himself as a C at the big league level. The Black Sox also brought in Joe Beggs from Memphis to solidify the end of their bullpen. Results have been mixed so far.

Memphis’ fan base was quite critical of a few of their moves, and Roger Clemens‘ short-term success in Houston has only increased their fury. But Stubby Overmire has added some depth to their staff and perhaps more importantly, 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Jim Kaat look to be strong prospects for Memphis’ future.

Disappointing

Portland hoped picking up Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City would spark their offense for a playoff push, and while he’s better than Greg Litton, his .648 OPS is actually pretty Littonish, and a far cry from his .853 mark over the first half of the season.

Tim Hudson was supposed to solidify San Francisco’s rotation, but was roughed up in his first few starts. While he’s shown signs of coming around, the 36 year old is only 1-3 with an ERA north of 5 since his move to the Left Coast. Rube Melton, one of the pieces the Sea Lions gave up for Hudson, has excelled at AAA for Birmingham, and looks to be a nice pickup for the Black Barons.

Another one who took a bit to find his footing, Tom Herr, is finally showing some life for the New York Black Yankees. Still, a 228/267/298 slash is not what the New York faithful had hoped to see from their All-Star acquisition. The Black Yankees’ other significant acquisitions–Jamie Moyer and Gary Lavelle–have struggled as well, although Lavelle has been installed as their closer, which is more a comment on the other options than a compliment to him. Several of the prospects they gave up–Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller for Birmingham and Dick Bartell and Sam Thompson for Ottawa–are performing very well for their new organizations, so these trades may come back to haunt New York.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown hunt is back on! And Babe Ruth‘s dominance just continues unabated.

Dick Allen (CAG). 298/368/550. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/410/646. 1.056 OPS. 26 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 295/362/480. 34 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 336/379/533.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/337/528. 4.1 WAR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/441/539.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/389/342. 67 BB, 64SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 301/370/582. 26 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 337/449/610. 1.059 OPS.
Willie Mays (NYG). 316/373/523. 112 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 331/390/585. 115 H, 31 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 316/373/523. 112 H, 88 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/454. 66 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/424/656. 1.080 OPS. 29 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 66 BB, 5.0 WAR.
Mike Trout (LAA). 318/390/455. 112 H.

Pitchers

It’s just all over the place, once you move past the dominant performances by Ned Garvin (BAL) and Gerrit Cole (LAA).

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 9-2, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP.
Gene Conley (CLE). 10-2, 3.17.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.84. 135 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.15. 135 K.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 8-2, 3.29. 1.15 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.60. 3.2 WAR.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.96.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-4, 3.55.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.84. 129 IP.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.23. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.67. 23 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.14. 3 Sv, 7 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.26. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.58. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.24. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Billy Wagner (HOU). 0-2, 3.63. 11 Sv, 2 H, 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Not a lot of interesting active streaks. Brooklyn’s Beals Becker–who has the league record for consecutive games with a HR with 5–has a 25 game streak of getting on base. It’s no Thurman Munson, but it’s something. Becker is slashing 382/432/853 over his last 10 games. Gary Pettis, once considered a liability at the plate, is slashing 600/667/1050 over his last 15 games (because of Pettis’ utility as a defensive replacement, those 15 games cover only 24 ABs).

Christy Mathewson (NYG) hasn’t allowed a hit in over 8 innings.

Baltimore’s entire staff is on fire: Bill Byrd, Ned Garvin, Sean Marshall, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer are all on hot streaks on the mound. The most impressive is Byrd, who has a 1.07 WHIP and 2.38 ERA over his last 10 games.

Series Results

Series XXIII Sweeps

Cleveland over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIII

Baltimore over Brooklyn
Birmingham over Los Angeles
Houston over Chicago
Detroit over Portland
Kansas City over Philadelphia
New York Black Yankees over Ottawa

Splitting Series XXIII

Homestead @ San Francisco
House of David @ Memphis
Miami @ New York Gothams

Portland signaled their commitment to this year, sending prized P prospect Smokey Joe Wood and Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for all-star 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman, and a 4th round draft pick.

Perhaps the prize pitching performer on the market, Birmingham‘s Tim Hudson, went to San Francisco in exchange for Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd round pick.

Brooklyn sends P Don Sutton to the New York Gothams for Ps Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, and Lew Krausse, Jr., OF Don Mueller, and both a 1st and 8th round draft pick.

Cleveland made a clear sign of intent to compete this year, sending four players (P Hardie Henderson and OFs Jap Payne, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack) to Philadelphia for all-star reliever Ron Reed.

The Spiders also picked up Houston‘s struggling OF Lance Berkman to add more pop to their lineup, sending OF Harry Stovey, IF Charlie Grimm, P Chad Qualls, and a 3rd round pick to the Colt 45’s.

Media darling Tom Herr has a shot at a championship after Birmingham shipped the all-star 2B to the New York Black Yankees in exchange for a haul of talent, including IFs Moose Skowron and Reddy Mack, OFs Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller, P Heathcliff Slocumb, and a 10th round draft pick.

The Black Yankees also picked up some help on the mound, sending IF Dick Bartell, OF Sam Thompson, and a 4th round pick to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Addressing an area of clear need, Baltimore traded for Miami‘s everyday 3B, Manny Machado. The Black Sox sent a package of P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, 3B Joe Dugan, and C Chris Hoiles to the Cuban Giants.

The Black Sox also shored up their bullpen, bringing in Memphis‘ closer, Joe Beggs, in exchange for P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson, and a 4th round pick.

Ottawa and Los Angeles pulled off a complicated deal, with the Angels receiving 1B Carlos Delgado, IF Steve Garvey and OF Spud Johnson, sending OF Rusty Staub and Carlos Beltrán, C Jim Stephens, and Ps Dave Bennett and Sean O’Sullivan to the Mounties.

The Chicago American Giants added two of the better starting pitchers on the market, acquiring Don Newcombe from Miami and Dick Rudolph from Birmingham. The American Giants also received RP Clay Condrey and a 4th round draft pick for Minnie Miñoso from Miami, and sent Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, and a 2nd round pick to Birmingham for Rudolph and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The American Giants also brought in SS Freddy Parent, who is expected to step right into the starting lineup. To do so, they sent IFs Sibby Sisti and Rickie Weeks and OF Bob Watson to Ottawa.

Miami’s other significant trade piece, Tommy Bridges, heads to San Francisco for two minor league pitchers, Shawn Estes and Turk Wendell, and a 5th round draft pick.

Los Angeles picked up some outfield help in the form of San Francisco’s Wally Moon. Moon heads south along with OF Dwayne Murphy and 2 draft picks (one 4th round, one 6th) in exchange for C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell, and P Dave LaRoche.

Detroit looked to improve their position behind the plate, obtaining Ernie Lombardi from Indianapolis for IFs Donie Bush and Jorge Orta, OF Gene Martin, P Brandon League, and a 2nd round pick.

Brooklyn added another versatile piece, sending OF Curt Flood, IF Manny Trillo, and a 6th round pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell.

Two clubs looking towards the future made a big move, with Houston sending a 5th round pick, P Stubby Overmire, 2B DJ LeMahieu, P Jim Kaat, and OF Hack Wilson to Memphis for P Roger Clemens.

Sammy Sosa struggled so much for the House of David, it was decided the young OF could do with a change of scenery, going (along with a 5th round draft pick) to Memphis in exchange for OFs Fred Lynn and Tony Conigliaro and a 2nd round pick.

Finally, in easily the most minor deal of the day, Homestead picked up a 2nd round pick and IF Steve Hertz from San Francisco in exchange for Phil Garner.