What was it that Tom Hanks said in the movie “A League of Their Own”?
“Crying? There’s no crying in baseball. No crying.”
That was before Purge Friday, when the Cubs admitted the obvious by pulling the plug on Mel Rojas’ four-month, Duraflame Chicago relief career, by reluctantly waving goodbye to reliever Turk Wendell, by happily getting rid of center-fielder Brian McRae, by letting starter Terry Mulholland leave for toll change, by officially declaring 1997 another in a long list of failed seasons.
This wasn’t a trade as much as it was an incision. The Cubs needed reconstructive surgery. The New York Mets, who took Rojas, McRae and Wendell, simply administered the initial dose of anesthesia and got first dibs on the scalpel. Then along came the San Francisco Giants, who played the waiver-wire game and now have a Mulholland to show for it.
It was the McRae portion of the deal that caused tears. Mark Grace and McRae are tighter than a Marv Albert hair weave, which is why the Cubs’ first baseman cried for nearly 15 minutes when he heard his buddy was part of the package.
“I guess I broke the rule,” Grace said of Hanks’ movie edict.
Grace recovered. After the tissue break, Grace wrote McRae’s jersey number on his cap and then accepted some advice from the Mets’ new outfielder.
“He told me to stop being a (baby) and deal with it,” Grace said.
This is baseball for you–cold as a draft beer and as sentimental as an accountant’s calculator. Grace lost a teammate, but it could have been much worse. The Cubs could have done nothing at all.
The emotional Grace might not admit it now, but the Cubs did the smart thing by unloading the slumping McRae ($3.9 million) and Rojas the Terrible ($4.5 million). The versatile Wendell will be missed, but that’s part of the price you pay for acquiring Lance Johnson, Mark Clark and Manny Alexander.
As for Mulholland, he was a goner anyway. The Cubs tried moving him before the waiver-wire deadline, but got squeezed out in the final hours when the White Sox flooded the market with Wilson Alvarez and Danny Darwin. Instead, they lose Mulholland to the Giants for the waiver-claim fee of $20,000.
Grace didn’t let Mulholland leave without the Cubs getting something in return. So he asked for an autographed 8-x-10 color glossy. Got it, too.
It reads: “Gracie, One of the best competitors I’ve ever seen. See you around.”
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There could be a lot of Cub farewell autographs in the coming months. Truth is, Friday was only the beginning of what could be the last great rebuilding effort by the firm of MacPhail, Lynch and Riggleman. Year No. 4 of their regime begins next season, and patience is beginning to wear bratwurst-wrapper thin.
Friday’s trade was a nice start. McRae is gone because he somehow forgot to hit and, more important, because the Mets would take him, his contract and his sometimes prickly disposition. Rojas is gone because he forgot how to save games and–surprise!–because the Mets were willing to add his multiyear, multibucks salary. Wendell is gone because the deal would have fallen apart without him.
But it won’t stop there. Shawon Dunston’s days in a Cubs uniform are probably numbered–Sept. 28, to be exact, the last game of the season. Rey Sanchez might want to visit the post office for some change-of-address forms. Even the newly acquired Johnson could be a short-timer, depending on how the Cubs approach their need for a power-hitting left-fielder who can hit from the left side.
Cubs followers wanted change; they’re getting it. They’re also getting the closest thing to a “we screwed up” admission from Cubs management.
Should MacPhail and Lynch have signed Randy Myers for another two years, rather than try Doug Jones for a season and then spend millions on Rojas? In retrospect, no duh. Did they maybe get a tiny bit greedy when it came to dealing Mulholland a few weeks ago? Probably. Did they underestimate the need for a true run-producer in left field? Absolutely.
Friday’s deal is an apology note. It didn’t cost the Cubs a cornerstone rookie, such as Kevin Orie. It didn’t cost them a cornerstone veteran, such as Grace or Sammy Sosa. It didn’t cost them any of their projected starting pitchers for 1998.
Better yet, by September’s end, when the roster is without McRae, Rojas, Wendell, Ryne Sandberg, Sanchez and Dunston, the Cubs will have about an extra $10 million to play with during the off-season. That could buy a Mike Lansing model at second base and something nice for left field.
It could also buy something else in short supply at Wrigley these days. Hope.