An injunction filed in court made sure the Twins had to play their 2002 season in the Metrodome, and MLB unable to eliminate only team dropped the idea. No contraction took place. Instead, the a trade deadline-like deal went down where the owner of the Expos, Jeffrey Loria, sold the team to Major League Baseball. Next the Marlins owner, John Henry, sold his team to Loria, and Henry bought the Boston Red Sox. MLB tried to sell the Expos before ultimately relocating them to Washington D.C., and renaming them the Nationals.
Let's pretend for a second that contraction did take place following the 2001 season. Overnight, the four clubs of the Expos, Twins, Angels, and Marlins would cease to exist. In my opinion, the most intriguing part of the decision would have been the players on those four clubs. Most likely, a dispersal draft of some sort would have been setup after many long and tedious negotiations between MLB and the Players Association.
This post is to highlight the hypothetical first round of that draft where the 26 remaining MLB clubs would have their pick of the players left over from the four (not-)to-be-forgotten teams. In an effort to keep this a little more simple, I'm limiting the players selected to those on the 2001 team rosters. I don't recall the prospects much at all from those years, and not about to guess on them. The draft order used is simply the winning percentage of the remaining 26 teams in reverse (slightly different than the 2002 MLB draft).
1. Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Vladimir Guerrero (RF) of the Montreal Expos
The first pick of the draft seems obvious enough, but leads to one very big assumption: that the Devils Rays are willing to look past his salary to get one of the best players in baseball at the time. Guerrero was on the edge of a 40/40 season in 2001, and even the Devils Rays very cheap ownership of the time would have seen his $8 million price tag as profitable if marketed correctly. 2002 was the worst of many bad seasons for Tampa Bay. However, would it have been with Guerrero hitting behind Randy Winn, Aubrey Huff, and a young Carl Crawford?2. Pittsburgh Pirates: Javier Vazquez (SP) of the Montreal Expos
With the first pick, I made the unsafe assumption that the Devil Rays would spend a little money. With the second pick, and I make the even less safe assumption that the Pirates won't do anything stupid. I remember living in the Pittsburgh area at the time of this, and multiple people having an infatuation with Ryan Dempster at the time. While Dempster will certainly be picked later in this mock draft, I really see no contest between the two. The Pirates always seem to love to draft pitching, and had just come off a 100-loss season where they dealt a young, struggling Jason Schmidt at the deadline. Todd Ritchie would be dealt later that offseason, and Ron Villone would be the 2002 Opening Day starter for the Buccos. They still had some decent young hitters with Brian Giles, Aramis Ramirez, and Jason Kendall. Drafting an ace for the team would have given the fans more reason to show up at new PNC Park, and Vazquez was the best guy out there.3. Baltimore Orioles: Troy Glaus (3B) of the Anaheim Angels
This one seems like a good safe bet. Glaus is among the best hitters in this pool and plays third base. The Orioles had just waved goodbye to Cal Ripken Jr. as he retired. What better replacement as a star of the team than a 24 year old who just hit 88 home runs over the two previous seasons. The Orioles desperately needed help on both sides of the field for 2002, and Glaus would have been a big help. Meanwhile, it meant they could have traded Tony Batista, one of most overrated in the game, and kept Melvin Mora out of the infield where he did more harm than good. It is hard not to choose a pitcher for the O's, but maybe this keeps them from doing something along the lines of signing Javy Lopez for 2004.
4. Kansas City Royals: Brad Penny (SP) of the Florida Marlins The Royals are one of those teams that you can hardly go wrong with a hitter or pitcher. However, given that they still had a young Mike Sweeney and Carlos Beltran in their lineup, not to mention an under 40-year old Raul Ibanez, I felt pitching was the biggest need. With Vazquez off the board, I think the best remaining choice is Brad Penny. The Angels and Twins really didn't have a ton of pitching depth at this time, and the Expos didn't have much more than Vazquez. The Marlins on the other hand had a very promising rotation of Dempster, Penny, A.J. Burnett, and Matt Clement, not to mention some guy who only made a few appearances named Josh Beckett. Beckett didn't have a track record to warrant such a high pick. Penny was only 23 in 2001, a year younger than Dempster and Burnett, and had just come off a better season than the two of them. A nice cheap, young, quality arm that had ace potential.
5. Detroit Tigers: Torii Hunter (CF) of the Minnesota Twins
The Tigers were beginning their spiral towards their terrible 2003 record at the time. No one player remaining here is going to right that ship by themselves, but anything would help. Given their lack of a lineup, I think an everyday guy is the way to go. Roger Cedeno who batted leadoff and played centerfield left for the Mets. All of their pop came from Dimitri Young and Bobby Higginson (whatever happened to him?). Hunter was only just played his first full season in the bigs in 2001, but showed plenty of promise at the plate in addition to being able to play center as well as anyone that year. He wouldn't have kept the Tigers from 100 losses in 2003, but it would have been a start.6. Cincinnati Reds: A.J. Burnett (SP) of the Florida Marlins
Remember that Marlins rotation I mentioned? Burnett in my opinion is the easy second choice at this point in time. He is the same age as Ryan Dempster (who was traded by the Marlins to the Reds the following trade deadline), but already was showing more upside by 2001. The Reds had Ken Griffey Jr., Sean Casey, and in 2002 a young power hitter named Adam Dunn would come on the scene. That start power didn't translate to the pitching staff where Jimmy Haynes led Elmer Dessens and Chris Reitsma. Adding another young pitcher to that staff wouldn't have made it dominate, but would have given them a better chance at finding an ace for a franchise that was longing for one. Furthermore, he cost the Reds little in the way of salary.7. Milwaukee Brewers: Ryan Dempster (SP) of the Florida Marlins
As much as I've put Dempster down as not being much to his counterparts, I still think he goes fairly early given that he was leading a rotation at age 24. He still had plenty of upside. The Brewers, much like the Reds, had a number of guys who could hit the ball, but a young staff that had trouble keeping the ball in the park. Ben Sheets would eventually develop out of the group, but everyone else seemed to flounder. Dempster gives them more upside for the Richie Sexson led lineup, and completes the dismantling of the top of the Marlins rotation. Like Penny and Burnett, Dempster comes for a low salary.8. Colorado Rockes: Cliff Floyd (LF) of the Florida Marlins
With pitchers flying off the board early, and the Rockies having invested in Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle who the clearly held out hope for, it only makes sense to grab one of the better hitters available. The Rockies had an MVP-caliber Todd Helton, an aging Larry Walker who could still hit the ball, and a young Juan Pierre. Those three guys followed by a very potent Cliff Floyd who would replace Ron Gant in left field would have made a great top half of the lineup. Best of all, Floyd came pretty cheap.9. Texas Rangers: Jarrod Washburn (SP) of the Anaheim Angels
The next two picks I deem as gambles, but it is a nice way to say these guys never lived up to their hype. Granted, trying to do this without considering the future numbers of these players makes this difficult. The Rangers desperately needed pitching heading into 2002. They had a tremendous lineup with Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Michael Young, Rafael Palmeiro, and would later sign Juan Gonzalez who had a tremendous year with the Cleveland Indians. Meanwhile, the ace of their staff, Rick Helling had just posted a 5.17 ERA. A young Jarrod Washburn seems like a gamble they would need to make here, and doesn't cost too much.10. San Diego Padres: Eric Milton (SP) of the Minnesota Twins
The Padres are another gamble, and you could certainly argue against this one. Like the Rangers, they had a nice lineup with Phil Nevin (41 HRs) and Ryan Klesko (30 HRs) in 2001. Bubba Trammell and Ron Gant were nice complements to them. The pitching staff was disastrous in 2001, but in 2002, they began to give their youngsters more chance with Brian Lawrence, Jake Peavy, and Oliver Perez. Eric Milton wasn't exactly a great pitcher in 2001, but he was part of the surprise Twins staff (winning 15 games himself) and was eating over 200 innings at age 25. He didn't allow a tremendous amount of base runners, but gave up too many long balls. Another pickup for a young pitching staff hoping to have a few guys break out.11. Toronto Blue Jays: Jose Vidro (2B) of the Montreal Expos
If you remember, this was at an age with middle infielders suddenly became pretty good hitters, and were quickly becoming like gold. Vidro was doing this for the Blue Jays' Canadian counterpart as a young switch-hitter. No pitchers are prominent enough to take right now, and the Jays have a young Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter, not to mention Esteban Loaiza who showed some flashes of brillance. They had good power in their lineup with Carlos Delgado and Raul Mondesi, and a young Vernon Wells and Shannon Stewart. Drafting Vidro keeps them from starting their future Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson, but I think it is a move the Blue Jays make if they want to compete with the high-powered offenses of the Yankees and Red Sox.12. New York Mets: Preston Wilson (CF) of the Florida Marlins
This one I've wondered about being that my team is the Mets, and they underwent a massive facelift that offseason that ultimately put them in the hole for awhile (Alomar, Vaughn, Burnitz, Cedeno, etc.). The Mets had a fairly young Jay Payton in centerfield already, and were about to make major changes to counteract a disappointing 2001 season. Nevertheless, I think this move would be made, and maybe one less move of the spending spree they went on. Wilson is the son of Mets hero, and then first base coach Mookie Wilson. In fact, Wilson was a Mets prospect when he was traded to the Marlins for Mike Piazza. If they make this move, they probably still trade for Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughn, but maybe they save the money they ended up wasting on Roger Cedeno.
13. Boston Red Sox: Derrek Lee (1B) of the Florida Marlins This one was a little tough, but I feel it is a good smart move by the Red Sox. In 2001, they had a solid hitting Brian Baubach at first base, but brought Tony Clark in for 2002 to split time with him. Derrek Lee had already shown he could hit quite well for a 25-year old, and was quickly improving in the field. He was just heading towards arbitration, and the Red Sox could have locked him up for a nice price, and an even nicer future.
14. Chicago White Sox: Corey Koskie (3B) of the Minnesota Twins
Corey Koskie had just had a big breakout year in 2001 with the Twins, and appeared to be an All-Star for years to come. In his previous partial seasons, he had shown an ability to hit, but lacked the playing time. The White Sox at the time having already missed the star pitchers of the draft would likely go with further improving their heavy-hitting lineup. After all, they had plenty of young pitchers they were expecting to break out already. Insert a 2001 Corey Koskie in a lineup with Paul Konerko, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Frank Thomas, and Jose Valentin (shifting him to shortstop for Koskie), and you have an extremely powerful lineup that easily is in the playoffs in 2002.15. Los Angeles Dodgers: Darin Erstad (CF) of the Anaheim Angels
I have the Dodgers spending their pick on the center fielder of their cross-town rival, Darin Erstad. Erstad was young, and still fairly healthy back then. While his 2001 season was a disappointment, he was only one season removed from his great 2000 campaign where he posted an OBP over .400, 240 hits, a .355 batting average, and played Gold Glove defense in center field. The Dodgers would trade Gary Sheffield that offseason for Odalis Perez and a couple of others. Aside from Shawn Green, they didn't have any formidable bats in the lineup. While Erstad never lived up to his 2000 season again, the memories were still fresh in our minds in 2001 that it would have been plausible.16. Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Lowell (3B) of the Florida Marlins
No team is getting picked apart faster than the Florida Marlins, and Mike Lowell is the latest victim of the draft. Despite being fairly deep in the draft, the Phillies have a few ways they could go here. They could go with a Brad Radke to bring a veteran pitcher to a relatively young rotation, but they have Robert Person in addition to four guys in the rotation under the age of 27. Their lineup really isn't bad either, but if they were picking one pick earlier, I would suggest Darin Erstad would make a much better addition leading off in center field than Doug Glanville or Ricky Ledee will do. The point of this pick is that is gives them more options throughout the winter. Lowell seems like an odd pick because going into 2002, the Phillies still had Scott Rolen at third. However, Rolen and then manager Larry Bowa were already going at it, and Rolen did not seem intent at remaining a Phillie after 2002. Rather than trade him at the deadline to the Cardinals for a package of spare parts at best, they could spend the winter getting a much better return. Just imagine Lowell in a lineup with Abreu, Burrell, Rollins, and Thome after 2002.17. Chicago Cubs: Luis Castillo (2B) of the Florida Marlins
I'm tempted to go the easy way out and draft Matt Clement or Antonio Alfonseca for the Cubs. After all, the Cubs traded for these two guys that winter, and ultimately gave up Dontrelle Willis who had more success with the Marlins than Clement did with the Cubs. However, since the Cubs had a 20-game winner in Jon Lieber, and a young Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, I think the lineup could use more help. The thing is, the Cubs upgraded their lineup so much that winter that it is hard to pinpoint where to use one draft pick. Mine goes with Luis Castillo because of all the positions that were upgraded that winter, I don't think anyone expected half of what Mark Bellhorn contributed to the 2002 Cubs. Bellhorn hit 27 HRs while posting an on base percentage of .374. Castillo would have been only 25 at the time of this draft, had great on base skills, and of course plenty of speed. I think the Cubs would have been much happier to have him leading off than Corey Patterson.Otherwise, I could suggest they draft the Alex Gonzalez of the Marlins rather than the Alex Gonzalez they signed for 2002. Maybe 2003 turns out differently?
18. Atlanta Braves: Troy Percival (RP) of the Anaheim Angels
To be honest, the Braves probably could use a hitter of just about any sort here. For years, the Braves trotted out random infielders like Quilvio Veras or Keith Lockhart, and still found ways to keep the lineup productive. Furthermore, they moved Chipper Jones from third to left field that offseason to make way for Vinny Castilla (who was on the way out). They also acquired Gary Sheffield from the Dodgers. However, I went a slightly different route. Despite Jones being moved to left field, a highly sought debate what whether John Smoltz should be a starter or closer for the team following the departure of John Rocker. Despite the Braves great rotation of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Kevin Millwood, and Damian Moss, I'm going to say Smoltz should be in that rotation, making it effectively unstoppable. This leaves a hole for the closer's role which goes to the newly drafted Troy Percival. Percival is likely the best closer in this draft, and the only one worth drafting in the first round. The Braves winning streak of division titles would continue, and I think a high caliber closer is something they would want for their many playoff runs that resulted in zilch.19. San Francisco Giants: Tim Salmon (RF) of the Anaheim Angels
This one is rather ironic since the Angels were not contracted and went on to win the World Series the following season against the Giants with big help from Salmon. Salmon was on the downhill part of his career, but like Erstad before him, he was only a year removed from a great season in 2000. For as much as people think of the 2001 Giants as being an offensively dominant team, they really only got good production out of a handful of players (Bonds, Kent, Aurilia). Armando Rios was decent, but was traded the previous trade deadline for Jason Schmidt. Ultimately, the Giants would replace Rios that winter with Reggie Sanders, but Tim Salmon likely would do the trick.20. Cleveland Indians: Garrett Anderson (LF) of the Anaheim Angels
The run on Angels continues here. Garrett Anderson is not a player I particularly like. He is a guy who never did much of anything great, but drove in lots of runs largely because of the many opportunities he had. In 2002-03, he did a bit better while leading the league in doubles, but that was short-lived, and is of no consequence here. In any event, a guy who could hit 30 home runs a year was a slugger (35 in 2000; 28 in 2001). The Indians had just lost outfielders Juan Gonzalez and Marty Cordova to free agency. They replaced one of them with Matt Lawton, but would only have Russell Branyan and Karim Garcia on the other side. While I don't like Anderson, he was considered a good hitter back in the day, and would surely be an upgrade over those two.21. Arizona Diamondbacks: Josh Beckett (SP) of the Florida Marlins
It probably is a stretch that Josh Beckett hadn't been taken yet, but by the end of 2001, Beckett was only 21 with four starts under his belt. However, they were four very good starts. Even without the Major League experience, the game had high expectations for him. He was the second overall pick in 1999. The Diamondbacks, just coming off a World Series victory, kept most of their lineup intact except for Matt Williams and Reggie Sanders, and replaced them rather adequately. Of course their rotation led by Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling was great, but not deep. Enter the young 21-year old as their pick to the team. When Schilling and Johnson left in the near future, it would have been Brandon Webb and Josh Beckett to follow in their steps.22. St. Louis Cardinals: A.J. Pierzynski (C) of the Minnesota Twins
So Cardinal fans may scoff at this choice, but consider the situation. Pierzynski was a young, up and coming catcher in 2001. Fans didn't really know he would turn into an ass just yet, and his name wouldn't be synonymous with robbing Brian Sabaen for a few more years. The Cardinals on the other hand have a terrific hitter for every spot on the diamond except for catcher. Meanwhile, the pitching staff wasn't particularly young, it was still effective. Adding a young, everyday player that was already showing upside seems like a Cardinals move to me.23. Houston Astros: Christian Guzman (SS) of the Minnesota Twins
This one seems like a move the Astros would still make today sadly. However, at the time, the Astros were on the way up. For 2002, the top three pitchers in their rotation were under the age of 26 including Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller. They lost a couple pieces of the offense like Moises Alou and Vinny Castilla, but still had much of their lineup intact. Houston had a young Julio Lugo at the time, but Guzman was still a couple years younger, sporting a good glove, and his hitting seemed to be improving nicely for that age. In 2001, he led the American League in triples despite playing in only 118 games, and hit over .300. While he never panned out to much of anything, at the time he showed some promise.24. New York Yankees: Tony Armas (SP) of the Montreal Expos
Not exactly a great pick because Armas never panned out, but at the time the Yankees had next to nothing in their farm system. Armas may not have been headed to Columbus, but having a young starting pitcher, even for their bullpen would have been something the Yankees would have done. If I had to put money on it, I'm thinking the Yankees take someone like Armas, only to use him as trade bait for a team not wanting to pay for a Vladimir Guerrero. The Yankees only really needed a corner outfielder headed into 2002 anyway.25. Oakland Athletics: Doug Mientkiewicz (1B) of the Minnesota Twins
The A's had just completed a fantastic 102-win season, trailing only the Seattle Mariners in the Majors that year. However, they lost Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon, and ultimately began their Moneyball campaign. Billy Beane is noted for signing Scott Hatteberg with the expectation he would contribute greatly. If this draft had occurred after Beane was convinced Moneyball was the way to go, he would have most likely taken Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz had just completed his first full season, and did so by posting a .387 OBP, hitting over .300 and showing a spectacular glove at first base. He would have been the perfect get to replace MVP-Jason Giambi at the time, at least according to Billy Beane.26. Seattle Mariners: Brad Radke (SP) of the Minnesota Twins
That's my summary of the first round of the 2001 MLB Dispersal Draft that never took place. I'm sure some have opinions on who their team should have taken instead, and I'm definitely interested to here. Thankfully, Major League Baseball never did contract. Less than a year from when this idea was being tossed around, the Anaheim Angels would go on to win the 2002 World Series. One year later, the Florida Marlins would win the World Series. The Minnesota Twins went on a rather good run winning the AL Central a number of times, but never making it to the World Series. It is only the Expos, now Washington Nationals, who have yet to make the playoffs, but they appear to be only a month away from a National League East title.
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