710 ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer
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E-mail thisSome trades are simple. Talent for talent. This is not one of them. While it remains to be seen what Danny Cortes and Derrick Saito will be. The M's for now will plant them in AA and A respectively and see how they develop. Cortes in particular has upside. Currently a starter he does possess a power arm but has been slow to develop. I can see the M's shifting him into a relief role before to long.
How much was money an issue in this trade? Well I have confirmation that Betancourt was sent with cash considerations to KC, how much I do not know. If it was not the full am mount due to Yuni, then at the very least this was addition by subtraction.
Remember the benching of Betancourt by Don Wakamatsu earlier this season? That was not the bingeing of the end. That was the new M's regime done with him. It wasn't just Wak and Jack, but some of his teammates as well.
Over the last two years various players have been enlisted by the managers at the time to help out Yuni. Take him under their wings. Show them what it means to show up and take early fielding and BP. Show up at your locker after a bad game. How to accept coaching and criticism. Not take the bus to the ballpark on road trips, something that is frowned on because the bus is the last mode of transportation to arrive. Several veteran players put a lot of effort and energy into trying to get Yuni to get with the program. It is hard enough to take care of yourself out there, but the chosen players were game. This season however, it became too much.
I give them credit. They hung in longer with Yuni than I did. I had enough mid season last year in Atlanta, the day after John McLaren was fired. Jim Riggleman had posted optional batting practice on the field. It actually looked like a mandatory bp session because every player except for two showed up. When I couldn't find Yuni on the field I headed into the clubhouse to see if he was there. At one corner of the clubhouse sat the days starting pitcher. At another, with IPOD on was Yuni. Why he didn't think he needed to be out there with his teammates at the time, I do not know.
Earlier in the season Jose Lopez made a critical error that cost his team a game in Yankee Stadium. I sat with him at his locker for a little while that night. He was very upset with himself. After a few minutes he said that he needed to come in early the next day and take some groundballs at second. "Great," I told him. "Why don't you bring your friend Yuni with you?"
"I don't know Shannon. I don't think he will come."
I said and wrote early on that Wak and his coaching staff should be given a fair shot at getting through to Yuni before looking for other options. With Wak it is simple. Buy in and be a member of this team. That did not happen.
Yuni is not a bad guy. Personally he was always warm with me. I remember the day he signed his long term contract. "I want Jose to sign too and we can be Mariners forever!" he said, genuinely excited.
When I was let go from KOMO I often heard from others that he had asked about me and was concerned. I have no doubt he has a big heart, sometimes one that he wore prominently on his sleeve. The first year he was here and his family was in Cuba he was horribly homesick. You would often see worried looks on his face and he was constantly on the cell phone talking to relatives. Back then he was all potential. The sky was the limit for him but it just didn't happen.
I think the only time he was truly comfortable was on the field. The language did not come easily to him. He was never sure what he should say in interviews. Within the sport of baseball even there seemed to be cultural differences. I think the M's did everything they could to ease the transition but perhaps he was just high maintenance. Too high maintenance for this team to take on.
I wish him well. I also wish him Jose Guillen in his ear every day in Kansas City because I do want him to figure it out and have a nice career. The M's gave it their best shot and it is now time to move on.
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