Hot Stove Hysteria

No sooner was the baseball expansion draft over on Nov. 18 than general managers were lining up like patrons at a deli counter, all but taking numbers before announcing their selections du jour. The string of trade announcements at the Phoenix Civic Plaza made for one of baseball's better off-season days. "This is like the old winter meetings," said Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. "This brings the spotlight back to baseball."

The hot stove league has gone microwave. At week's end 11 current and former All-Stars had already changed teams since the end of the season—only three of them by choice, as the free-agent field was just starting to shake out. Among the relocated stars on draft night alone were pitchers Pedro Martinez and Roberto Hernandez , first baseman Fred McGriff , outfielder Devon White and third baseman Travis Fryman , not to mention less-decorated standouts such as second baseman Mike Lansing and closer Robb Nen . Moreover, among the elite still on the block and readily available as of Monday were pitchers Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown and outfielders Gary Sheffield , Bernie Williams , Kenny Lofton and Brady Anderson .

What—other than the charitable Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos—gives? The market hit what a Wall Streeter would call triple witching hour as the expansion draft and the fire sales in Florida and Montreal added to the usual flow of players caused by free agency. The result is that the ever-changing baseball landscape, like Eastern Europe , is a cartographer's nightmare. Getting the lay of the land has become as difficult as forwarding mail to Chuck McElroy , a lefthanded pitcher more aptly compared to Rand McNally than to Dave McNally . Drafted by Arizona from the Chicago White Sox and then traded to the Colorado Rockies , McElroy joined his fifth organization in the past 18 months.

In the spirit of such adventure, what follows is a guide to which teams moved ahead, which fell behind and which ones are caught in the middle, still hoping to pull off a big deal or two. But remember: Like that map of Eastern Europe , it's subject to change.

Winners

1) Boston Red Sox . In the past 30 years only one Red Sox team (in 1992) lost more games than the '97 Sox. General manager Dan Duquette and his club grabbed some needed credibility by getting Martinez from Montreal in exchange for top pitching prospect Carl Pavano (and the ubiquitous player to be named later) and were said to be on the verge of signing first baseman Mo Vaughn to a contract extension. Though Martinez can depart after next season as a free agent—and has indicated he doesn't want to stay in Boston—Duquette says, "It sends a good message to our fans that we'd like to put a winning team at Fenway Park , and I think it also sends a good message to our players that the Red Sox are back in business." Chief among those players is Vaughn , and Boston was hoping that he especially got the message.

2) Atlanta Braves . No wonder they wanted no part of radical realignment. The Braves' competition in the National League East consists of Florida and Montreal , two clubs that have already conceded the 1998 season; the punchless New York Mets , who will be without injured catcher Todd Hundley , their best hitter, for most of next year; and the dreadful Philadelphia Phillies , a team that lost 94 games. Playoff tickets go on sale April 1.

Less certain than Atlanta 's postseason chances, however, is the wisdom of some of the moves the Braves made last week. They may be no better on the field despite signing two pricey free agents, first baseman Andres Galarraga ($24.8 million for three years) and shortstop Walt Weiss ($9 million for three years), because they traded McGriff to the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays and are losing shortstop Jeff Blauser and Lofton to free agency. Though Atlanta sorely needed a righthanded bat in the middle of the lineup, the investment in Galarraga is questionable. The former Rockie turns 37 in June and must prove he is not just a Coors Field phenom. Although he led the league in RBIs in '96 and '97, he has hit worse on the road in the last five years (.281, 72 HR, 224 RBIs in 334 games) than McGriff (.301, 80, 242 in 363 games). Even with Weiss , 34, on board and a payroll that could exceed $60 million, Atlanta still lacks a leadoff hitter. In this division that won't matter during the regular season, but it might in the playoffs.

3) Colorado Rockies . Getting the 29-year-old Lansing from the Expos to team with shortstop Neifi Perez , 23, gives the Rockies a double-play combination that is younger and better defensively than Weiss and Eric Young , whom Colorado traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Pedro Astacio in August. The Rockies' front office feels that rookie Todd Helton is ready to replace Galarraga at first and that the money Colorado saves will allow the team to improve its pitching, possibly with Houston Astros free agent Darryl Kile .

Even so, Rockies manager Don Baylor was disheartened that Galarraga didn't try harder to stay with the team that revitalized his career. "So far I haven't seen any loyalty," Baylor said. "Guys are going for the money. There are not many Tony Gwynns, I guess."