Mailbag: April 6

Q: Who will sign Jose Canseco now that the Angels have released him? Also, will he make the Hall of Fame if he can hit 500 homers? -- A.J. Ciabattoni, Mt. Laurel, N.J.
PWG: Unless Canseco goes to the Northern League and someone needs a DH, I can't see him getting signed. He'd have to hit 600 homers to get into the Hall. The bar has been raised on career home runs because of the era, and after 1993 he was essentially a DH who knocked in 95 runs just once in the last 10 years. For his career, in 133 postseason at-bats, he had 19 hits and 27 strikeouts. What a waste of incredible talent.

	Jose Canseco spent part of the 2000 season with the Yankees.

Q: Are the Yankees still in the hunt for a right-handed setup man? If yes, is Ugueth Urbina a reasonable possibility? And who would the Yankees have to offer up in a trade to get him? -- John Francis Brown, Philadelphia
PWG: Urbina will eventually be a viable alternative for a long list of teams, including the Yanks, Rangers and Cards. But the Expos want a potential star corner outfielder and/or a young stud starter, and I don't know right now if the Yankees can satisfy them.

Q: Whenever relocation is brought up, how come Puerto Rico is never on the list? It would appear to me that baseball is definitely huge there, they have the fan base and teams like the Expos are full of Latin players. Is the economy unable to support a professional team? -- Ryan, Orlando, Fla.
PWG: I would love to see it, but Puerto Rico is a small island, and while it has produced a lot of great players, right now basketball is the No. 1 sport among teenagers. And baseball wants to contract, not expand.

Q: Why is it that Ichiro Suzuki can put his first name on his jersey? I didn't know that players were allowed to decide what name went on their jerseys. Why does Suzuki get special privileges? -- Jon, Santa Clara, Calif.
PWG: It's part of his deal. How about some XFL names on uniforms; that might be the only thing from that league that could survive. Cal Ripken could have "Iron?"(and sell something, if he wanted to), Michael Coleman could have "Prime Time is the Right Time" and Carl Everett could wear the WEEI jersey, "I Hate the Globe."

Q: What will the Cubs do at closer until Tom Gordon is ready? -- Lyle Larson, Birmingham, Ala.
PWG: Scramble with a committee and hope they can get Ugueth Urbina. When healthy, Gordon will be fine, he just can't be overused.

Q: I was wondering about the first-base situation in the Texas Rangers organization. They have Rafael Palmeiro and in the waiting are Kevin Mench and Travis Hafner. What are your thoughts on those two individuals? Will they get a shot with the Rangers or will they have to go to a different team to get their shots? -- Tony Shourds, Ann Arbor, Mich.
PWG: Mench is hurt right now, but is an outfielder. Their first baseman of the not-too-distant future is Carlos Pena, who is in Triple-A, is a slick fielder, has a great swing and is an enthusiastic person.

Q: Perhaps I missed the explanation some time ago, but I am dying to know why you call Lou Merloni the "governor." -- Brian Pendleton, Alexandria, Va. PWG: Because he is so popular that he could win the race, if he so chose, especially if he were the third-party candidate running against Jane Swift and Joe Kennedy. I'd vote for Lou in that case, as well. Last year, after coming back from Japan, he walked towards the on-deck circle and fans started chanting, "Lou, Lou." Carl Everett, who was at the plate, looked around because he thought they were booing him.

Q: I was reading in Baseball Weekly and noticed that Ed Yarnall was playing in Japan. Wasn't he supposed to be the next great Yankee pitcher? What happened? -- Mike, Lincoln, Neb.

PWG: He came into camp last year and was handed the job as the fifth starter, had back problems and never recovered; if you remember, he had one start and his line for the season was: three innings pitched, five earned runs. He did not pitch very well this spring for the Reds, was told it would be midseason before he had any chance to come up, and when the opportunity came to go to Japan, he took it. The Reds had to relinquish his rights in exchange for the $300,000 they got, so if he pitches well, he can come back to the U.S. as a free agent.

Q: Do you agree with Jimy Williams' decision to play Scott Hatteberg at DH and sit Dante Bichette? Will the Sox end up trading Bichette or getting rid of Williams? -- Jon Vincent, Billerica, Mass.
PWG: Hatteberg's 2001 OPS vs RHPs was .861, Bichette's was .802, and his agent explored the market and found that for now there's no interest at his salary and defensive position. If he hits, he'll play. Jimy Williams is flexible about lineups, to say the least.

Q: I was wondering what your thoughts are on Todd Walker's productivity this season with the Colorado Rockies. It seems to me that his stats should increase at Coors Field, especially with a healthy Larry Walker in the lineup. -- Ken Martinez, Valparaiso, Ind.
PWG: There is no question that Todd Walker should be a very productive hitter, even if he platoons and plays only against right-handers. He has a great swing, and while he's not Roberto Alomar, he seems to have worked hard with Buddy Bell to get better.

Q: Some folks were surprised at how hard Jim Bowden was marketing Scott Williamson during the offseason, suggesting that a GM as good as Bowden wouldn't try so hard to move such a great young pitcher unless he knew something wasn't right. Now, two games into the season, it turns out that Williamson will require season-ending surgery because of a torn elbow ligament. How, if at all, should this reflect on Bowden? Does he get credit for recognizing something wasn't right, or does he take a hit for (possibly knowingly) peddling damaged goods? -- Don Money, Andover, Mass.
PWG: That was the subject of several conversations between general managers Thursday, and the A's should be darned happy they got Johnny Damon, not Williamson, for Ben Grieve. Bowden was trying hard to deal Williamson at the end of spring training and offered him for Daryle Ward and Russell Branyan.

Q: Please explain Dan O'Dowd's moves since the end of spring training. The Rockies seem to have given up a good deal (Brian Rose, Mike DeJean, Masato Yoshii and Elvis Pena) for nothing (a lame Juan Acevedo). These trades seemingly have brought no help. Is this purely an attempt to free up minor league options (perhaps to bring up John Thomson) or is there some deal going on behind the scenes? -- Tim Hundsdorfer, Erie, Colo.
PWG: Dan believes Acevedo is a legit eighth-inning reliever whom he has sought for a long time. Rose was out of options and wasn't going to make his team, and dealing him for Mark Leiter gave him someone to move. Thomson will be up, soon, and Ron Villone could go into the bullpen and give Buddy Bell three left-handers.

Q: Out in Southern California, we've been hearing for too long that Ben Davis is a future star for the Padres. He hit under .250 last season and looked horrible. What's your take on Davis? Is 2001 his year? Or will Wiki Gonzalez take his job? Thanks. -- Joshua Jones, Palm Springs, Calif.
PWG: This could set me off on a long discussion about the right build for catchers, and how much more difficult it is for tall guys than the 5-foot-9 to 6-foot guys like Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Kendall, Einar Diaz, Brad Ausmus, Paul Loduca, et al. Davis may hit, but hasn't shown it, and I would say it's a dead heat between Davis and Gonzalez right now.

Q: Is it just me, or are the Padres insane for trading Matt Clement and Eric Owens for Mark Kotsay? I think Clement for Kotsay straight up still gives the Marlins a great deal. -- Nick Tofte, Janesville, Wis.
PWG: There are a lot of baseball people who are inclined to agree with you, but the feeling is that Clement's command will always be in question, Kotsay will pick up his power and be a legit right fielder for years to come and Cesar Crespo is a switch-hitting center fielder with good offensive potential. The Pads have pitching up and down their organization, but other than a few kids like Sean Burroughs, Xavier Nady and Ben Johnson, they are thin in positional players because of some dreadful drafts.

Q: Why hasn't Kevin Malone had to bear any public responsibility for the Dodgers losing in recent years? Why hasn't the Dodger brass replaced him with a more amiable, modest GM? -- Chip, Los Angeles
PWG: You must read the L.A. Times, which I think you would agree is a great sports section with Hall of Famer Ross Newhan and one of the country's most respected beat writers, Jason Reid, covering the Dodgers. I think Malone takes a lot of heat, and if you look at the second-page column daily, "Dodger Boy" gets killed. It will be interesting to see if John Hart's name surfaces with the Dodgers. Don't bet against it.

Q: I have heard possible trade rumors in Baltimore circling around Chuck McElroy, Delino DeShields and Jeff Conine. Are any of these rumors true? If yes, who would the Orioles possibly pursue? Thanks! -- Kevin Paul, Malden, Mass.
PWG: Right now, the O's want to see what they have. The next rash of trades will be for young players, come June and July.

Q: When the White Sox need to add a fifth starter, who is first in line? I am concerned that with Jon Garland, Jon Rauch and others coming, Kip Wells lost out on his best chance this spring. What does his future hold? -- KerryB, Lawrenceville, Ga.
PWG: According to Ken Williams, they only need a fifth starter once early, so it will be someone out of the bullpen, possibly Rocky Biddle, as Garland, Wells and Rauch compete in Charlotte to see who earns the first permanent shot.

Q: With the sad state of pitching in Pittsburgh, why didn't Cam Bonifay go after someone like Masato Yoshii to fill a starting void? With the Omar Oliveras deal and the signing of Derek Bell, is Bonifay's job in jeopardy? -- Graci Cloud, Aberdeen, N.C.
PWG: Cam certainly deserves every opportunity to allow this team to play its way to whatever level it reaches, and he had a lot of bad luck with the three starters going down. He looked at and passed on Yoshii and Ramon Martinez. Willie Blair remains a possibility.