Signing Russ Ortiz was hardly the only mistake the Arizona Diamondbacks have made since Ken Kendrick’s group bailed out the overextended owners who hocked the franchise’s future to win the 2001 World Series.
Kendrick’s group, which former agent Jeff Moorad and general manager Josh Byrnes now run, blew it just as badly when it said the club won’t pay Jason Grimsley after releasing him.
Because Grimsley was nailed for accepting shipments of human-growth hormone at his house–not the perfect crime–he deserved to be hammered. He thought the right thing to do was to ask for his release, letting his teammates avoid the distractions he would bring and a thankful management was happy to grant him his wish.
But unlike the NFL, when a baseball team releases a player with a guaranteed contract, it pays the freight. That means Grimsley is due the rest of his $825,000, even if it hardly can be said he earned it.
But Kendrick decided to make a self-righteous statement about not paying cheaters. Well, then he shouldn’t have signed one.
Kendrick said, “This guy did no less than steal from us.” Would he have felt that way if Grimsley had pitched well, helped Arizona make the playoffs and avoided detection as a growth hormone user?
Don’t think so.
You can bet Grimsley will file a grievance to reclaim his salary, with the players’ union strongly arguing his case. It’s hard to see how the Diamondbacks have a leg to stand on with this one.
“The Diamondbacks’ [attempt not to pay] Grimsley is a clear violation of the Basic Agreement,” the union’s Michael Weiner said.
It might have been different if they had dumped Grimsley for violating a clause in his contract, but they didn’t. They simply released him, exactly what they might have done if his earned-run average had been 40.88 instead of 4.88.
Some fights aren’t worth fighting–and this is one of those. Give him his money like it was the consolation prize on a game show and move on.
While battling with Grimsley over relative chump change, the Diamondbacks designated Ortiz for assignment. They are preparing to pay him the remaining $22.5 million on the four-year, $33.5 million deal they gave him after the 2004 season. In his short time in Arizona, the 32-year-old right-hander has gone 5-16, including only one victory in his last 19 starts. His career has gone downhill since 2002 and ’03, when he made eight 120-pitch starts for Dusty Baker in San Francisco and five for Bobby Cox in Atlanta.
For Arizona, this was a blockhead contract to start with, but Ortiz was in the right place at the right time. There’s no easier mark than a new owner trying to make a good impression, and that’s what Kendrick was after Arizona lost 111 games in 2004.
In addition to Ortiz, Arizona also traded for Javier Vazquez and signed Troy Glaus, Craig Counsell and Royce Clayton that winter. Counsell is all that is left from that fivesome.
The Diamondbacks believe they have a chance to win the National League West this season and decided they couldn’t keep sending Ortiz to the mound. The money they’re paying him will become baseball’s all-time biggest severance, replacing the $15.7 million Anaheim handed Kevin Appier on July 30, 2003.
Rockies get it
Some socially conscious teams take time to visit veterans at Walter Reed Hospital when they visit the Nationals in Washington. The Rockies were the latest, going Tuesday. The visit was voluntary, but the entire roster turned out to spend time with wounded soldiers.
“For someone who has never spent a day in the service, to see what they have gone through, you feel so inadequate when they say, `Thank you,”‘ Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “They have given so much for their country and are so proud of their country. There’s a guy with no legs who says it’s not bad. He can get a set of legs. He tells you it’s the guys with no arms that have the tough deal.”
Nice work, fellows.
Making the rounds
George Mitchell’s steroids committee has begun to depose baseball executives and coaches. Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, pitching coach Rick Anderson and hitting coach Joe Vavra each gave 90-minute depositions Tuesday.
“It’s about what I expected,” Gardenhire said. “We were briefed on it, and they’re just trying to figure out how to help the game,” Gardenhire said. “No names [of suspected users]. No nothing. Just general stuff. It went fine, I’m glad it’s done with, and we’ll move on.”
It’s surprising the committee isn’t also isn’t deposing team trainers routinely, although perhaps that will happen later.
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progers@tribune.com
