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RAYS COLUMN

This Trade More About Character Than Talent

By JOE HENDERSON

Published: Nov 29, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Delmon Young has the talent to be one of the best baseball players of his era. He hits for average and power, plays right field like a banshee, and comes equipped with one of the finest throwing arms you will ever see.

The Rays promised all seven of their fans he would be the cornerstone for the championship team they are supposed to be trying to build. He was going to be the face of this franchise for a decade, or at least until he could go free agent and skip town. But the kid's a player. Why would you ever trade him?

Yet, that's just what the Rays did late Wednesday night. They sent Young to Minnesota in one of those seismic-shift trades that comes along about once in an Abreu.

They threw in shortstop Brendan Harris and minor-league outfielder Jason Pridie. They received Matt Garza, who'll join the starting rotation; he was just 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA last season.

They got Jason Bartlett, who will be the starting shortstop; decent hitter, but he did commit 26 errors last year. They got Eduardo Morlan, a right-handed reliever who pitched mostly in Class A last season. He might work out, might not.

For Delmon Young?

A lot of folks won't like this. You can almost hear the ghosts of Kevin Stocker and Danny Clyburn laughing in the catacombs of Tropicana Field.

For a talent like Delmon, anything less than five clones of Alex Rodriguez with DNA from Cy Young thrown in may be insufficient return, especially since they may have to count on, gulp, Rocco Baldelli's return to health. Somebody has to play right field.

But character does matter.

A lot. Because of that, Rays vice president Andrew Friedman could justifiably say, "This trade is about the present and not the future. We're a better ballclub because of this trade."

Cussed Out Manager

You don't get to dog-cuss and embarrass your manager, as Delmon did on the last weekend of the season in Toronto, and stick around. It was actually the second time he had cursed out Manager Joe Maddon - the first was a couple of years ago when he was sent to the minors during spring training.

Those who were in the room when Young went off said they had never seen, or heard, anything like it. We know about his problems in the minors - insubordination, throwing a bat at an ump, and so on. It was even money whether he'd pull an Elijah Dukes one day and make it impossible to trade him at any cost.

While word of the possible trade was leaking out of Minnesota early Wednesday afternoon, the Rays were putting on a show at the rollout of their plans for a new stadium. It looks pretty cool, by the way.

Standing roughly in left-center field at Progress Energy Park, which by 2012 is where the Rays hope their new stadium will be, Carlos Pena took whacks at several pitches to give onlookers an idea of what a home run hit toward the St. Pete waterfront would look like. Pena hit 46 home runs last season and was the American League Comeback Player of the Year.

He also is just about the nicest human being on the planet, which explains why he didn't have other plans when the Rays asked him to show up for this dog-and-pony show. Unfailingly polite and grateful for every day he gets to put on a big-league uniform, Carlos Pena came out and had fun with it.

That's a big-leaguer.

Then you think about Delmon's time here. He wanted out from the first day he was drafted. He had an edge all the time. He was suspicious and distrustful. And for those who argue that the Rays are giving up way too soon for someone with his talent, I'd counter with this: Could he ever really be trusted?

Move On

This could well end up exploding in the Rays' face, like it did when Milwaukee gave up on an equally controversial Gary Sheffield early in his career. That was 459 home runs ago.

Delmon may not hit for that kind of power, but his overall game could make a similar impact. Especially if he ever grows up and realizes the world doesn't have the time or interest enough to be out to get him.

Sometimes, though, you have to move on and risk looking bad. Sometimes you have to say, kid, you might be great one day but we don't want you around.

That's really what the Rays did in this trade. Sometimes it's not just about the talent and being able to count on your players to be there when you need them. Delmon Young wasn't one of those guys. He is somebody else's problem now.