January 12

Q: The Braves couldn't get Alex Rodriguez or Mike Hampton to come to Atlanta. There was also some talk of them being interested in Johnny Damon, but that as well fell through. Are the Braves done for now? How about John Wetteland to help out their bullpen? -- Raju, Palm Bay, Florida

Gammons: Obviously, the Braves were disappointed when they lost out on Hampton and Rodriguez. They didn't have the reliever to deal for Damon. At this point, they figure they're getting John Smoltz back, so they have a great four-man rotation, and after a quiet winter, John Rocker is a solid closer. There's talk they'll put Chipper Jones back at third, and see what happens in the spring. John Schuerholz will do something big between now and July 31, but at this point there's no clear-cut need for him to fix.

Q: Are the Yankees going to sign a reliable DH/bench type like Henry Rodriguez or Mike Stanley or are they going to entrust the DH duties to Glenallen Hill and the bench duties to the likes of Luis Sojo and Joe Oliver? -- Brian D'Amico, Hartford, Conn.

Gammons: Alfonso Soriano is going to end up a huge factor for the Yankees, as a second base/outfield reserve. Their preference right now is to find a couple of veteran middle relievers, spring training fodder. Then when they see how D'Angelo Jimenez and Soriano fare, they can work on the depth.

Q: Now that the Dodgers let just about everybody slip away including Johnny Damon, what can they do to get into the playoffs or who have you heard the Dodgers are trying to acquire? -- Erik Bianchi, Los Angeles, Calif.

Gammons: The Dodgers were never in on Damon, and I think they're OK. Alex Cora has had a good winter, they have more than $8 million tied up in two center fielders -- Tom Goodwin and Devon White. Kevin Malone may want another catcher, and he would like some left-handed bullpen help, but he thinks they're closer to being pretty good.

Q: What do you think about Russ Davis playing third base for the Giants this year? He's weak on defense and despite his power, does not put up great offensive numbers. Do you think it would be better to jumble the infield to give Shawon Dunston and Ramon Martinez more playing time? -- Mike Toy, Belmont, Calif.

Gammons: I think that after Pedro Feliz's 33 homers in Triple-A and his big winter in the Dominican that he will get every chance to compete with Davis. If Russ gets the regular opportunity, his defense will improve because he's a rhythm guy, but I think Feliz is going to get the most playing time.

Q: What happened to Bobby J. Jones? Admittedly he is a No. 4 starter but with pitching as thin as it is in baseball, I can't understand why he has fallen off the face of the earth like he has. Will the Mets or anyone else sign him? -- Colin Martin, Boston, Mass.

Gammons: He has been on hold waiting to see what the Mets do. I agree with you, he's a very capable pitcher, but he's been asking for three years at the going Steve Trachsel rate, and I'm not sure that kind of money is still there.

Q: What AL division do you think is going to be the most interesting fight this year? Also, what do you think the Indians chances are of beating a very talented White Sox club? -- Dan, Overland Park, Kan.

Gammons: First, I think each division has the makings of a good race, with New York, Boston and perhaps Toronto; the White Sox and Indians; then the contrast of the West. I really like the Indians, if Juan Gonzalez is healthy -- and he has physical issues and still hasn't swung a bat. They have their deepest bullpen, their starters are workable and better if Jaret Wright comes back and with C.C. Sabathia and Danys Baez coming, they have a lot of young talent. I also think they learned a lesson last year.

Q: I read in the Arizona Republic today that the Reds signed former D-Backs catcher Kelly Stinnett. Who are the Diamondbacks looking to replace him with? Is Scott Hatteburg available in Boston? If Dan Duquette is willing to trade, what is he looking to get for him? -- Andrew Carlson, Phoenix, Ariz.

Gammons: I don't think Hatteberg will be traded until he's part of a 2-3 starter deal. The D-Backs are bringing a bunch of veteran minor leaguers in for a look, and if that doesn't work, they will shop the last two weeks of spring training.

Q: The Twins trouble me. In my opinion, if they could go out and sign a big right-handed slugger to play DH and hit behind Matt Lawton in their lineup, they could be a very respectable team this year. Maybe even finish .500. But they get rid of Ron Coomer because of his salary, and don't want to even talk to Jose Canseco, when his agent says he would be willing to sign for less money to play everyday. How come they aren't interested in Canseco? Is it because of his injury-prone past? -- Mike Cummings, Fargo, N.D.

Gammons: I have no idea what the Twins are doing, except that even with a solid front office, owner Carl Pohlad has essentially put the team into retirement. My guess is that they'll trade Lawton and LaTroy Hawkins, who is really coming into his own, because of salaries.

Q: The Pirates haven't made many upgrades this year with their signings. What do you think their chances are this year in the NL Central? -- Les Everly, Uniontown, Pa.

Gammons: I have serious doubts about the Derek Bell signing, and worry about the middle defense. That said, the reports on Francisco Cordova and Jason Schmidt are very good.

Q: What do you think the Cubs are going to do/should do with Sammy Sosa? Are you concerned with Corey Paterson's strike zone judgment, will he be our savior? What do you think about the Cubs future? In other words, how long until we start winning? -- Kumar, Omaha, Neb.

Gammons: My guess is that Sosa will be traded by July 31, and they will move on to their future with Patterson in center, Mark Teixeria (who the Cubs hope to get in the June draft out of Georgia Tech) at third, Luis Montanez at short, Bobby Hill at second and Heep Seop Choi at first. Man, that is a future. It's about time the Cubs become a baseball team.

Q: I'd like to know your opinion on the Rockies. -- J. KAFATI, Miami, Fla.

Gammons: Do I think they'll make the playoffs? No. Do I think they have skipped out of their past, defied conventional wisdom and are moving on? Yes, because Dan O'Dowd, Josh Byrnes, Buddy Bell, Marcel Lachemann, et al, are visionaries. I think there are two or three big keys to this season: John Thomson's comeback, Juan Pierre's development and Ben Petrick.

Q: What's the deal with the Red Sox? Aren't they going to bruise some egos and waste some money by having nine potential starters? Is Dan Duquette planning on holding the extras for trade bait? -- Jonn Keamy, Malibu, Calif.

Gammons:They'll end up with six starters in May, to protect Tomo Ohka and Paxton Crawford, knowing Frank Castillo is a once-a-week pitcher and that Jimy Williams likes to give Pedro Martinez an extra day when possible. They don't care about money, John Harrington knows someone else will pay. But Duquette will have enough to trade in June or July for one more starter.

Q: My question is, of the nine players on a baseball diamond, what player has the most control of the outcome of a ball game? -- Jim Sims, Bartonville, Ill.

Gammons: No question: the pitcher. The game can't start until he decides to act. The pitcher is the offense, the hitter reacts and is thus the defense. Problem is, too many baseball people don't think that way.

Q: It's becoming pretty obvious that all the large-market teams are the teams who sign all the great foreign players. Do you think there should be a worldwide draft to allow small-market teams to have a shot at signing foreign player? If not, what do you feel should be done?-- Seth Gordon, Albany, N.Y.

Gammons: I do believe in the worldwide draft, but I want the development camps in the Dominican protected because the kids there often need years to develop, physically and socially.

Q: Do you think Barry Bonds will be with the Giants at the end of the 2001 season? If not, who do you think he will end up with? -- Dan, Boston, Mass.

Gammons: I think he'll play out this season, but who'll go after him next winter -- one likely to have labor strife -- is something no one can judge at this juncture.

Q: Do you think that Jim Bowden would make another trade for starting pitching like Dmitri Young and Gookie Dawkins for maybe Matt Clement or Pedro Astacio? What do you think the chances are of Drew Henson playing baseball in Cincinnati or will they trade him back to New York? -- Darryl Longabaugh, Clinton, Miss.

Gammons: If Bowden makes a pitching deal, it will be with Young or Alex Ochoa or Pete Harnisch for young talent. He's in a payroll bind. As for Henson, he'll either be traded to the Yanks and sign a huge deal to give up football, or play in the minors this year, be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and play football.

Q: What is the status of Craig Biggio, will he be back and healthy at the start of the year? If not, then what are the chances of Keith Ginter getting a shot -- he had an outstanding year last year, do they think he is for real? -- J Gillis, Boston, Mass.

Gammons: I'm told Biggio is ahead of schedule, and should be fine. Ginter could eventually get a shot at third, because he can flat-out hit.