Monday, April 02, 2007
A Deal to Forget
With the Cardinals officially parting ways with left-handed reliever Ricardo Rincon by eating the 1.9 million dollars still owed to the 36 year-old, I thought it necessary to take a look back nine years ago at one of the most one-sided trades in recent memory. The Indians and General Manager John Hart (and fans as well) were still suffering from their fourth straight elimination from the playoffs. The team and Hart were searching for answers.
After reviewing the team from top to bottom, the GM earmarked the team's bullpen, long a source of trouble for the Cleveland teams of the mid to late 90s, for an overhaul. With a loaded team and prospects aplenty, Hart dealt away a young outfielder who had played in 102 games the previous year, hitting .266 with 16 homers in a part-time role. Brian Giles was a can't miss prospect that was trying to find a spot in a very crowded outfield that included: Manny Ramirez, Marquis Grissom, and David Justice.
Ricardo Rincon, a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time, was a hard-throwing southpaw who dominated left-handed hitters, and who many scouts thought could be a closer down the road. Infatuated with hard-throwers and a lefty to boot, John Hart pulled the trigger on a deal that sent OF Brian Giles to the Pirates for the reliever. Pigeon-holed as a lefty specialist by managers Mike Hargrove and his successor Charlie Manuel, Ricardo Rincon never reached the potential he flashed in his two seasons prior to the trade with the Pirates. His ERA jumped a point and half from 3.91 in his last season with the Pirates to 4.43 in his first season with the Indians. Though he had 14 saves as a part-time closer for the Pirates in 1998, he would manage just two saves in his three and a half years with the Tribe.
Finally given a chance to play every day, Giles became what everybody in Cleveland thought he would: an excellent power-hitter and an above-average left-fielder. In his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, Giles averaged 37 home runs, with 111 RBIs and a .313 batting average. A two-time all star, Giles continues to be a serviceable outfielder and middle-of-the-order batter in San Diego. As for Rincon, well, at least he received the 1.9 million he was owed without having to be the mediocre lefty specialist in St. Louis that he became after 1998.
After reviewing the team from top to bottom, the GM earmarked the team's bullpen, long a source of trouble for the Cleveland teams of the mid to late 90s, for an overhaul. With a loaded team and prospects aplenty, Hart dealt away a young outfielder who had played in 102 games the previous year, hitting .266 with 16 homers in a part-time role. Brian Giles was a can't miss prospect that was trying to find a spot in a very crowded outfield that included: Manny Ramirez, Marquis Grissom, and David Justice.
Ricardo Rincon, a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time, was a hard-throwing southpaw who dominated left-handed hitters, and who many scouts thought could be a closer down the road. Infatuated with hard-throwers and a lefty to boot, John Hart pulled the trigger on a deal that sent OF Brian Giles to the Pirates for the reliever. Pigeon-holed as a lefty specialist by managers Mike Hargrove and his successor Charlie Manuel, Ricardo Rincon never reached the potential he flashed in his two seasons prior to the trade with the Pirates. His ERA jumped a point and half from 3.91 in his last season with the Pirates to 4.43 in his first season with the Indians. Though he had 14 saves as a part-time closer for the Pirates in 1998, he would manage just two saves in his three and a half years with the Tribe.
Finally given a chance to play every day, Giles became what everybody in Cleveland thought he would: an excellent power-hitter and an above-average left-fielder. In his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, Giles averaged 37 home runs, with 111 RBIs and a .313 batting average. A two-time all star, Giles continues to be a serviceable outfielder and middle-of-the-order batter in San Diego. As for Rincon, well, at least he received the 1.9 million he was owed without having to be the mediocre lefty specialist in St. Louis that he became after 1998.
