E-Mail This Article to a Friend You’ve been traded: Baseball’s best and worst destinations BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

A year ago, we posted our first annual "You’ve Been Traded," and got a lot of favorable feedback, if we do say so ourselves. Even the folks at CN8’s Sports Pulse called and invited us to appear on their local cable sports-talk show. Well, we’re not angling for a seat across from Pulse host Ed Berliner this year, but with baseball’s trading deadline upon us, and it being a whole new year and all, we felt an obligation to update the best-and-worst list for the summer of 2004.

If you’re an upper-echelon major-leaguer, you’re aware that if you’re going to be traded, you’ll likely be dealt to a team that is going places, and acquired you in order to augment its chances for the stretch drive. Involved in that kind of deal, a player will most likely improve his lot and may even find himself in a World Series. Those guys will be looking to land in a locale on the "best" list. On the flip side, those pawns for whom those top players are traded are likely prospects or up-and-comers, and the chances are that those rising stars’ new addresses will be a city whose team is already out of contention, and is dumping salary or looking to get something in return for an impending free agent. As a result, those "traded-for" guys are praying to the heavens that they won’t end up in a ballpark on the "worst" list of destinations.

As always, the destination to which someone may be traded will not be ranked merely on win-loss records. A whole slew of factors play a part, including geography, team chemistry and history, and hopes for the future.

FYI: last year our five "Please God, no!" destinations were (from worst to pretty-darn bad) Milwaukee, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Florida, and Pittsburgh. I’d say we might have been a little off on that Florida slight, no? The top five spots were Pinstriperland, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and St. Louis. Methinks the Mariners will not remain on this year’s list.

But let’s see ...

The five worst destinations among baseball’s 30 teams:

26) Toronto. Last year we had this team as 12th-best, on the assumption that it was stockpiling young talent and would challenge for AL East honors in the coming years. So what happened? Some bad decisions, some underachieving, and a turn for the worse instead of steady improvement. The Jays are remarkably in last place, 13 games under .500 this season, and trail even the Rays by nearly three games. Worse, their only real star, Carlos Delgado, is a free agent come November and will likely be gone, since ownership is unlikely to pay $17 million to a guy hitting a paltry .215. Dealing with all that customs nonsense on a regular basis and playing in Skydome (which is now 15 years old and remains one of the few ballparks with phony turf) was acceptable to a player when the team was winning, but the thrill is going, going, gone now.

27) Detroit. The Tigers have actually moved up a couple of spots from last year’s list, but that’s only because the team has improved from downright God-awful to merely bad. At 48-54, the Tigers have already exceeded by five games their win total from all of last year, but that doesn’t mean they should be dusting off their trophy case in Comerica Park anytime soon. There’s a lot of optimism abounding, but that’s only because the team is no longer the 43-119 laughingstock it was last season. Better days lie ahead for this young team, especially now that it’s learned how to win, but the organization is 11 years removed from its last winning season. And they’re still based in Detroit. ’Nuff said.

28) Colorado. Dropping 10 places to the depths of this list, the Rockies have given every indication to the outside world that they are content to reside in or below the land of mile-high mediocrity. Denver’s a beautiful place, but its fans must be getting a little antsy to see a better-quality team, since 12 years have gone by and the franchise has yet to notch even 84 wins in a season (while the Marlins, who joined MLB the same year, have already won two championships). Things don’t seem to be looking up all that much, either, since team icon Larry Walker could be among those being dealt over the weekend, leaving Todd Helton as the Rocks’ sole marquee player.

29) Kansas City. Last year was apparently a blip on the screen, as the Royals in 2003 contended for the better part of the year under Manager of the Year Tony Peña en route to a 83-79 record. That broke a string of eight losing seasons, but this season they’ve gone back in the tank. Now the team’s 35-65 record is the second-worst in baseball. KC already lost Carlos Beltran in trade earlier this season, and Mike Sweeney could be next to go, making an already bleak situation that much worse. Where have you gone, George Brett?

30) Montreal. You’re not surprised to find this team here, are you? Being sent to the Expos for this season would no doubt mark the nadir of any player’s career, since the squad’s already splitting its "home" contests between a three-quarters-empty Olympic Stadium and the island nation of Puerto Rico — and at 39-63, Les Expos are arguably baseball’s worst team. There is a smidgen of optimism for the future, though, as the organization is expected to move to Northern Virginia this off-season. In a new locale, perhaps the team will find and build a fan base that will allow the franchise to operate free from the guiding (but financially restrictive) hand of MLB. But right now — for the immediate future — in spite of John Edwards’s and John Kerry's DNC predictions, neither hope nor help are on their way to Montreal.

Now, the five best:

5) LA. Quietly, the Dodgers have put together the third-best record in the majors and sit atop the rugged NL West. Pitching is the hallmark of the team’s success, and its staff is young and perched on the precipice of greatness (save for Hideo Nomo). Add to that the team’s impressive history, the beautiful Southern Cal climate, and a new ownership that seems committed to spending and winning. Most people can’t name a current Dodger other than closer Eric Gagne, but they’ll get to know them better once the post-season hits, because LA surprisingly should be right there.

4) Chicago (Cubs). The White Sox aren’t exactly chopped liver, but they certainly don’t have the personality or the duende that the North Siders have right now. Despite critical injuries to key players, the Cubs have stayed in the hunt (albeit the wild-card chase now) and should remain a competitive force if their pitching holds up and the injuries curtail. Though there are some veterans here (Sosa, Alou), the team is built for the future, and what ballplayer wouldn’t want to come to Chicago, play for Dusty Baker, and win a World Series for this organization? No-body.

3) New York (Yankees, duh). The Bombers topped our list last season, but in spite of the bloated payroll and superstar-laden roster, there are some big question marks here. The Empire Staters cannot be looked upon as a lock for the pennant — even with Randy Johnson. We’ll address the Yanks’ potential shortcomings on Monday, but in the meantime, while the Bronx still offers one of the best chances to win a championship ring, there are underlying issues (and apparently rampant parasites roaming the streets!) that make a couple of other destinations much more appealing for those soon-to-be-traded. That means you, Unit!

2) Anaheim. Two years ago at this time, the Angels were best known for owner Gene Autry, blowing the 1986 pennant, and as the home team serving up Enrico Pallazzo to sing the national anthem and Reggie Jackson as a potential royal assassin in The Naked Gun. But then the patchwork squad went out and bullied a good Yankees team on its way to an improbable World Series title, and since then Angels Stadium has provided an appealing sanctuary for hard-nosed players and expensive free agents alike. Though stung by injuries throughout this season, Anaheim has hung around, and its 54-48 record is just three games back in the AL West race. MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero has gone from the outhouse (Montreal) to the penthouse in just one off-season, and adding him to a roster already studded with blossoming superstars like Darin Erstad and Garrett Anderson makes this team a potent force the rest of the way. The starting pitching’s been a bit lacking, but has the potential to lead the team back to the (Space) mountaintop in short order.

1) St. Louis. As Casey Kasem would say, "And now we come to the number-one hit in the land. Moving up four places, this band has been knocking on the door for quite a few years, but this week they claim their first top-of-the-charts hit." Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the St. Louis Cardinals, baseball’s best team. Indeed, it’s true, as the Redbirds — expected to be an afterthought behind the Astros and Cubs in the NL Central — have streaked to a 65-36 record (and an 11-game divisional lead) with excellent starting pitching and the NL’s best offense (anchored by Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols, and Jim Edmonds). Not only do the Cards have the weapons to reach their first Fall Classic in 17 seasons, but the country’s best baseball town is also on the verge of getting itself a brand-new stadium, expected to open for the 2006 season in place of the 38-year-old Busch Stadium.

There you have it. By the end of the weekend, some major-leaguers will be thanking their lucky stars as they pack their bags for the Midwest or even the House that Ruth Built; still others will be wondering how an organization that drafted them, groomed them, and gave them hope of playing for a title could then up and trade them to bleepin’ San Juan.

Either way, once the horse-trading is complete, the final eight weeks will likely present fans with some of the most exciting pennant races in recent years. I wouldn’t trade that scenario for anything.

"Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com