BOSTON – Juan Gonzalez blew up the Yankees’ brilliant plan to play the Cubs against the Tigers yesterday when he announced he will be a Tiger for the rest of the season.
“I am staying here,” Gonzalez told Booth Newspapers at SkyDome in Toronto.
Gonzalez refused to confirm or deny that his agent and the Yankees had discussed a contract extension, although a source close to the Yankees insisted the club never asked the Tigers’ permission to talk to Jim Bronner to get a window to sign Gonzalez, who turned down a seven-year pact from the Tigers for $140 million before spring training.
Gonzalez’ bomb not only takes him out of the Yankees’ picture, it also removes a chip the Yankees were hoping to use to get the Cubs to deal Sammy Sosa quicker than they want to. Essentially, what they were doing was offering basically the same package of players to the Cubs for Sosa and pitcher Ismael Valdes and the Tigers for Gonzalez and Hideo Nomo to see which team bit first.
The Yankees could remain interested in Nomo to improve the back end of the rotation that was anchored last night by rookie Jake Westbrook, who was making his second major-league start against the Red Sox.
While everybody in baseball believes the Cubs will deal Sosa, George Steinbrenner is getting antsy to make a move that will add plenty of muscle to a lineup that has been inconsistent all year. Steinbrenner has wanted Sosa for two years, and now is the first chance to land him. The Boss not only is attracted to Sosa’s home run hitting prowess, Steinbrenner wants to use Sosa as a marketing tool in his YankeeNets television project or to get Cablevision to give him an ocean of millions to keep Yankee games on MSG.
Now, with Gonzalez out of the picture, the Yankees will focus on Sosa. A published report Wednesday that had the Yankees interested in Moises Alou and Jose Lima had no basis to it. A proposed three-way trade involving the Cubs, Yankees and Giants makes sense, but the Giants are reluctant to include lefty Shawn Estes in it.
And while Cubs president Andy McPhail and GM Ed Lynch take their time sifting through scouting reports on Ricky Ledee, Alfonso Soriano, Drew Henson, Jackson Melian, Randy Keisler and Ed Yarnall, the Red Sox remain on the fringe of the Sosa Sweepstakes.
According to a Cub insider, they covet Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon more than Ledee. However, the Cubs like the Yankees’ prospects better than what the Red Sox have to offer.
As for Sosa, who wants a contract extension and be the highest paid player in the game, his bags are packed.
“I am waiting for that phone call,” Sosa said yesterday in Atlanta. “I am just getting ready. I don’t know what is happening, but they are talking to a lot of teams.”
Sosa, who could easily command $17.5 million a year for five years, repeated his desire to avoid being a DH and wants to play right field, currently patrolled by Paul O’Neill, one of the most popular players in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
“I don’t consider myself a DH because I am too young for that,” said the 31-year-old Sosa, who can veto any deal. “I have all the ability in the world to play right field. Maybe some day I will be a DH but not right now.”
Meanwhile, as trade rumors smothered Fenway Park yesterday afternoon as players asked reporters who was being fitted for Pinstripes, Joe Torre, Don Zimmer and Steinbrenner were finishing lunch at Suffolk Downs.
“As far as anything close to happening, I don’t know anything more than [I did] the other day,” Torre said.
So, other than discussing the early daily double and a few exacta possibilities, what did The Boss and Torre chat about? Did Torre get the impression that The Boss was eager to make a trade?
“Let’s just say we talked about baseball,” Torre said before watching his club take on the Red Sox in the final game of a four-game set.
Since Steinbrenner hasn’t said much since issuing his infamous “We better do something, don’t you think” quote on June 13, The Boss has directed all questions concerning trades to GM Brian Cashman and Torre. So, Torre was asked what kind of mood The Boss was in.
“Lunch was fine, he seemed fine,” Torre said. “He isn’t happy, but none of us are with El Duque out and [Roger] Clemens on the DL.”