November 13, 1996
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 1996
PHOENIX, AZ.--Acquiring three front-line players who will bolster their roster in the 1997 season and beyond, the San Francisco Giants have obtained relief pitcher Julian Tavarez and infielders Jose Vizcaino and Jeff Kent from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for third baseman Matt Williams, Giants' Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced today at the Major League Baseball General Managers' Meetings at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel.
The blockbuster trade, consummated this morning in Phoenix, also includes the Giants receiving a player to be named later and/or cash, and the Indians receiving a player to be named later.
"It was an incredibly difficult decision to trade Matt Williams, one of the game's finest players and competitors," said Sabean. "As hard of a decision as it was, all things considered, this deal makes the Giants a better team. It is just the beginning of our plans to turn the organization around."
In 23-year-old Tavarez, the Giants acquire one of baseball's premier young relievers. In 1995, the Santiago, D.R. native posted a 10-2 record and 2.44 ERA in 57 appearances for the league champion Indians and was named American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year. His 10 victories that season were the most ever by a Cleveland rookie reliever, as he ranked third in the American League in holds (19) and fifth in ERA among relief pitchers.
Tavarez, whose statistics dipped to 4-7 with a 5.36 ERA in 51 games in 1996, has been particularly impressive in post-season play the past two years. At age 22, the 6-2, 165-pound righthander threw 4.1 scoreless innings in five relief appearances in the 1995 World Series against Atlanta, and his combined ALCS figures the past two seasons vs. Seattle (1995) and Baltimore (1996) are 0-1 with a 1.92 ERA in six outings.
"In Julian Tavarez, we have a 23-year-old pitcher who has a young power arm who exhibited exceptional stuff in Cleveland's pennant-winning 1995 season," Sabean said. "We all witnessed how important Mariano Rivera was to the world champion Yankees this season. Tavarez had that type of season in 1995."
Sabean also noted that Tavarez's current contract extends through the 1998 season, with club options for 1999 and 2000.
Vizcaino, 28, will provide San Francisco with a veteran switch-hitting shortstop who batted a combined .297 with eight triples, 45 RBI and 15 stolen bases for the Indians and New York Mets this past season. The San Cristobal, D.R. native--the same town that has also produced Major League stars Jose Rijo and Raul Mondesi--also shined in the 1996 playoffs, batting .333 (4-for-12) with two doubles in three ALCS games against Baltimore.
Also noted for his slick defensive work, Vizcaino led all National League shortstops with a .984 fielding percentage (10 errors, 610 total chances) in 1995, when he also batted .287 with 56 RBI and was named the MetLife Met of the Year.
"Vizcaino provides us great versatility and leadership in our infield," Sabean added. "Jose is a legitimate switch-hitting middle infielder who can hit at the top of our order. He has become an accomplished hitter as well as an excellent defensive player."
The 28-year-old Kent, who along with Vizcaino was acquired by the Indians in a July 29 trade this past season, is a career .274 hitter with 78 home runs and 318 RBI in 602 Major League games. A former star on the University of California's 1988 NCAA World Series team, Kent batted a combined .284 with 27 doubles, 12 homers and 55 RBI in only 128 games for New York and Cleveland, including a robust .348 mark (16-for-46) with five doubles, one homer and eight RBI in 18 games (12 starts) with the Indians in September.
The 1992 Topps All-Rookie Team selection has twice enjoyed 20-homer seasons, batting .270 with 24 doubles, 21 HRs and 80 RBI in 1993 and hitting .278 with 22 doubles, 20 HRs and 65 RBI in 1995 with the Mets. His home run and RBI totals in 1993 set a New York club record by a second baseman, while his 21 HRs that year also equaled the National League high for a second sacker.
"In Kent, we have acquired a rare commodity: a power-hitting middle infielder," Sabean said.
Williams, 31, was a first-round draft pick of the Giants in 1986. A four-time All-Star third baseman, he currently ranks fourth on the all-time San Francisco home run list with 247 and is listed 10th on San Francisco's career RBI chart with 732. In his 10th season with the team, Williams hit .302 with 22 home runs and 85 RBI in 105 games in 1996.
"In summation, this was an old-time baseball deal, where quality was traded for quality," Sabean said in closing.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 13, 1996
INDIANS ACQUIRE 3B MATT WILLIAMS FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
4-Time National League All-Star;
3-Time Rawlings Gold Glove Winner
CLEVELAND, OH ---- The 1996 Central Division Champion Cleveland Indians today announced that they have acquired 3B MATT WILLIAMS and a player to be named later from the San Francisco Giants. In exchange for Williams and the PTBNL the Indians have sent RHP JULIAN TAVAREZ, INF JEFF KENT, INF JOSE VIZCAINO along with a player to be named later and/or cash to the Giants.
Williams, 30, is one of the premier third baseman in major league baseball today. He is a four-time member of the National League All-Star Team and a three-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner at the hot corner. He captured the National League home run crown in 1994 after hitting 43 homers in 112 games prior to the work stoppage and won the NL RBI crown in 1990 after driving in 122 runs for the Giants.
He owns a career average of .264 (1092-4139) with 247 homers and 732 RBI over parts of ten (10) major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants. The 247 HR currently rank 4th in Giant history while his 732 RBI place him 10th in Giant annals. He has spent all of the last seven seasons since 1990 at the big league level with SF. Since 1990 his average season has consisted of a .277 (955-3446) batting average with 30 HR & 92 RBI. His best season came in 1994 when he set a National League record by hitting 40 homers through the end of July. He ended the season hitting .267 (119-445) with 43 HR & 96 RBI in 112 games and finished second behind Jeff Bagwell in the 1994 MVP balloting.
Williams has been plagued by freak injuries over the last two seasons. In 1995 he fouled a ball off of his right foot which resulted in a broken bone and forced him to miss two months (68 games) of the season. On the year he hit a career-high .336 (95-283) with 23 HR & 65 RBI in 76 games. This past season he missed the final two months of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a frayed labrum in his right shoulder in August. He originally hurt the shoulder breaking up a double play in Colorado on July 16 and played with the injury through the beginning of August by moving to first base to lessen the strain on the arm. For the season he hit .302 (122-404) and finished second on the club with 22 HR & 85 RBI in 105 games. Despite missing 125 games over the last two seasons he has combined to hit .316 (217-687) with 45 HR & 150 RBI in 181 games.
The former first round draft pick (3rd overall) in 1986 out of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is signed through the 1998 season after signing a 5-year contract with the Giants prior to the 1994 season.
"Matt Williams is arguably the best all-around third baseman in the game today," said Cleveland Indians Executive Vice President and General Manager JOHN HART. "Matt Williams is a special player in that he can hit for average with power and is an excellent fielding third baseman. He is a tremendous addition to our ballclub."
---tribe---
Birthdate: November 28, 1965 1995 Opening Day Age: 30 Birthplace: Bishop, California
Bats: Right Height: 6-2 Throws: Right Weight: 216
M.L. Service: 7 years, 60 days How Obtained: Giants #1 selection (3rd overall) in the June 1986 draft Contract Status: Signed through 1998 (Signed a 5-year contract prior to 1994 season)
Personal
Graduated from Carson (NV) High School in 1983. Attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Hit .351 with 25 homers and 89 RBI in 57 games as a junior in 1986named NCAA All-American shortstop. Member of the 1985 USA National Team that toured the Orient. Hobbies include hunting and fishing. Married (Tracie Vandersyde, July 9, 1989). 2 daughters (Alysha, Dec. 28, 1989, and Rachel, Aug. 11, 1992) and 1 son (Jacob, Jan. 2, 1991). Resides in Scottsdale, AZ.
A Giant In The Community
Promotes United Cerebral Palsy's Casual Day, a Bay Area-wide awareness program designed to benefit the efforts in research and services to those with Cerebral Palsy Thousands of employees in the Bay Area donate $5 to dress casually at work to show their community spirit and heighten the awareness of United Cerebral Palsy's cause. Williams also speaks out against alcohol abuse and supports the Giants' Designated Driver program. For the past 5 years, has participated in the T.E.A.M. videos which run on the JumboTRON board at Candlestick.
Career
...aruguably premier all-around 3rd baseman in Major Leagues...has hit 191 home runs in the 1990s to combine with Barry Bonds' 208 as the most prolific HR tandem over that period with 399...3-time Gold Glove winner (1991, '93 and '94) and 3-time All-Star (1990, '94 and '95)...has 225 career HRs to rank 5th on Giants' all-time franchise list (4th on the SF ledger) only 1 short of Orlando Cepeda's 226...only other players to have more HRs in Giants' uniform are Willie Mays (646), Mel Ott (511) and Willie McCovey (469)...also ranks 5th on SF all-time RBI chart with 647, 9th in doubles at 163 and at-bats with 3735 and 10th in hits with 970..through the Giants' 1st 16 games on 1995, had hit 62 home runs over Giants' last 160 games (his last 157) dating back to 1993...during his 10-year big league career, has won Major League home run title (43 in '94) and National League RBI crown (122 in '90) and set all-time NY-SF franchise records for home runs (43) and RBI (122) by 3rd baseman...
1995 Season
...completed 1st .300 campaign of his ML career, however had perhaps his most frustrating season due to foot injury that forced him to miss nearly half the season from early June through mid-August...was still able to lead club in average (.336) and slugging percentage (.647), while ranking 3rd in home runs (23) and RBI (65)...chalked up his 6th consecutive 20-home run season...had his season derailed after fracturing 2nd metatarsal bone in his right foot on foul tip off Paul Quantrill pitch June 3 vs. Philadelphia...singled later in at-bat, however was removed after running to 2nd base on grounder by Mark Carreon...was placed on 15-day Disabled List and underwent surgery June 4, procedure performed by team physicians Drs. Warren King and Gordon Campbell at Recovery Inn in Menlo Park, in which pins were placed in foot to repair displaced fracture...had 2 different rehabilitation assignments with single-A San Jose...played 4 innings for San Jose in July 24 rehab assignment, going 1-for-2 with 2-run HR...however, experienced pain and swelling following day and had hard cast placed on foot (from July 25 through Aug. 10)...returned to San Jose Aug. 13-17, marking his 2nd rehab assignment...finished 1-for-9 in 3 games on 2nd rehab stint with junior Giants...was activated from DL prior to Aug. 19 game in PHI, having missed 68 games from June 4 through Aug.18...over 68 contests, SF was 28-40 and dropped from 0.5-game lead in NL West (20-16) to 7.5 games out and in last place...at time of his injury, was leading NL in batting avg. (.381), HRs (13), RBI (35), hits (50), X-base hits (23), total bases (101) and slugging pct. (.754)...also was NL 3rd base leader in fielding pct. at .982 (23 putouts, 84 assists, 2 errors)...was NL's Player of Month for May after hitting .405 (45-for-111) with 7 2Bs, 1 3B, 12 HRs, 31 RBI, .811 slugging percentage and .451 on-base percentage...his average, HRs, RBI and slugging percentage led all NL hitters for May...selected starting 3rd baseman on NL All-Star Team, but did not play in contest due to his injury...marked 2nd time he had been elected starter (also in 1994) and 3rd time he had been All-Star (also chosen as reserve in 1990)...saw his 1st ML action in 11 weeks Aug. 19 in PHI, grounding out as pinch-hitter in 8th inning off Ricky Bottalico...made his 1st start since being activated Aug. 20 in PHI, swinging at 1st pitch thrown to him by Jeff Juden and slugging left field upper-deck home run to lead off 2nd inning...finished contest 2-for-4 with an HR, HBP and RBI...struggled upon his return from DL, hitting just .167 (7-for-42, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 11 KOs) over his 1st 13 games back through Aug. 31...however, finished season as he began, hitting at .346 pace (37-for-107, 10 HRs, 27 RBI) over his last 28 contests (hitting safely in 23 of the 28)...was even more impressive over his final 16 games, going 26-for-62 (.419) with 4 2Bs, 6 HRs and 14 RBI...hit safely in team-high 12 straight games from April 28 through May 10, hitting at .408 pace (20-for-49) over 12 contests...his 2-HR performance May 19 vs. St. Louis marked 3rd time he had accomplished feat over 12-day period and 21st time in his career...along with May 19, also slugged 2 HRs in game May 9 in Denver and May 12 vs. Pittsburgh...teamed with Barry Bonds for back-to-back homers twice on season, May 30 at Montreal and Sept. 5 vs. Montreal... Giants' All-Star tandem also went deep in same game May 28 at New York to give them 3 on season and 20 over last 3 seasons (10 times in 1994 and 7 in 1993)...slugged grand slam Sept. 9 at Chicago off Frank Castillo, marking 5th slam of his career and 1st since July 17, 1990...had 4 hits in game 3 times on campaign, matching his personal best...has collected 4 hits in contest 8 times in his career...was SF's top hitter vs. left-handed pitchers on season, hitting at .377 clip (20-for-53, 6 HRs, 16 RBI) against southpaws...
Milestones (does not include 1995 season)
1st hit: April 11, 1987 at LA (off Orel Hershiser) 500th hit: May 24, 1992 vs. NY (off David Cone) 1st HR: April 19, 1987 vs. ATL (off Jeff Dedmon) 100th HR: Oct. 1, 1991 vs. HOU (off Darryl Kile) 200th HR: Aug. 1, 1994 vs. CIN (off Erik Hanson)
Career Highs (does not include 1995 season)
Most Hits: 4 (5 times), last: July 1, 1994 vs. Montreal Most RBIs: 6 (2 times), last: June 19, 1993 at Houston Most Home Runs: 2 (23 times), last: July 13, 1994 vs. Colorado Career Grand Slams: 4, last: July 17, 1990 at Pittsburgh Longest Hitting Streak: 16 (2 times), last: July 20-Aug. 6, 1994
Career Transactions (does not include 1995 season)
Selected by New York Mets in 27th round of June 1983 draft. Selected by San Francisco in the 1st round (3rd player overall) of June 1986 draft. Signed by scout George Genovese. On disabled list June 28-July 14, 1993 with a strained muscle in his left side.
Wednesday, November 20, 1996
Giants reach tentative agreement with Cleveland for exhibition game
Henry Schulman OF THE EXAMINER STAFF
Don't despair, Matt Williams fans. He will play at Candlestick again, and sooner than you might think.
The Giants and Cleveland Indians have a tentative agreement to play an exhibition game at the 'Stick on Sunday March 30, two days before the Giants open the regular season against the Pittsburgh Pirates and two or three days before the Indians open against the A's at the Oakland Coliseum.
Pat Gallagher, the Giants' senior vice president of business operations, said his discussions with the Indians began long before Williams was traded to Cleveland last week. But he agreed that a Williams appearance at San Francisco is sure to put a few more fans in the seats.
"It's a coincidence, but, yeah, people will be interested," Gallagher said Tuesday. "This is a team our fans don't get to see very often, at least over here. It's something we talked about before the trade happened."
It's quite common for teams from different leagues to schedule exhibitions against one another in the waning days of spring training, but the Giants have always set those dates aside to play the Oakland A's in the Bay Bridge Series.
Gallagher said he initiated talks with the Indians, Yankees and Red Sox, who all start the season on the West Coast, to play exhibitions that might generate interest in interleague play, which would have been guaranteed this season had a labor agreement been reached.
Each major-league team has two schedules ready - one with interleague play and one without - and the Giants can't announce the Indians-Giants exhibition at Candlestick until a decision is made on which regular-season schedule will be played, Gallagher said.
Williams was vacationing in Hawaii and unavailable to comment on his impending return to Candlestick, but his agent, Jeff Moorad, chuckled when he heard the news.
"That's hilarious," he said. "When we were talking to Cleveland about Matt we certainly told them of his strong San Francisco roots and how much he liked playing there, and I guess they took us seriously. I never dreamed that we were so convincing with Indians personnel."
If Williams does return to the 'Stick in a Cleveland uniform, the Giants will probably sell more tickets than they would have for a third Bay Bridge Series game. The contests against Oakland have generally been poor draws.
Asked about the loss of the traditional three games between the Giants and A's, Gallagher said, "Actually, for many years there were only two Bay Bridge Series games, and they added a third one (in 1989). We'd just be going back to the way it was."
A's general manager Sandy Alderson said if there are just two Bay Bridge games, Oakland might travel to Las Vegas and play another team in an exhibition that day.
Sunday, November 17, 1996
Deal could go down as Giants' worst ever if GM's master plan fails
Henry Schulman OF THE EXAMINER STAFF
Brian Sabean got plenty of voice mail last week, and not the warm fuzzy kind that George Zimmer hears over at the Men's Wearhouse.
"Yeah," Sabean said, "I got voice mail, people telling me to put my head where it shouldn't be."
Fans, columnists and talk-show hosts think Sabean's head was already there when he traded four-time All-Star third baseman Matt Williams to the Cleveland Indians for infielders Jose Vizcaino and Jeff Kent and pitcher Julian Tavarez.
Or, as one radio critic called them, "Larry, Curly and Moe."
Now, Sabean is fighting back in the public-opinion arena. He is asking fans not to judge him on this trade alone but on everything that happens between now and Opening Day.
For instance, he said he plans to aggressively pursue free-agent slugger Bobby Bonilla, whose presence in the lineup would help fill the void left by Williams. And Sabean revealed that terms of the Indians deal include a $1 million cash payment to the Giants, who will use the money in the free-agent market.
Memories of Frank Duffy
Sabean has posed himself a tremendous challenge, for if his master plan fails he will be vilified as the GM who pulled off the worst trade in San Francisco Giants history. That would be quite an accomplishment in light of George Foster to the Reds for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert, Gaylord Perry and Duffy to the Indians for Sam McDowell, and Orlando Cepeda to the Cardinals for Ray Sadecki.
The Williams trade astonished some in the game, although they wouldn't go on record to criticize Sabean.
One prominent agent who has dealt with Indians GM John Hart suggested the wily executive got the better of Sabean, who has plenty of front-office experience but none as a general manager.
"John Hart is a very persuasive guy," the agent said. "When he steps into the arena and deals with a young GM, that's something you've got to put down as a factor.
"Vizcaino is a pretty good player, but Matt Williams plays a premium position and he's a premium hitter. He's a (Ken) Caminiti kind of guy, and he's even more than Caminiti. And Matt Williams is a solid citizen to go with it."
The trade knocked his Giants teammates for a loop as well.
Shortstop Shawon Dunston said he was "stunned."
"I thought they'd keep both Matty and Barry (Bonds)," Dunston said. "They're both a joy to play with. You learn from both of them."
Said closer Rod Beck, "I don't want to see Matt Williams go. It's like when Will Clark left. When you think of the Giants you think of Matt Williams. It's tough to see all your friends go to other ballclubs.
"Will it help the club? We'll see how it all pans out," Beck said. "Vizcaino is going to hit .300 or around there. He always does. Kent is going to pop 20 homers. Tavarez, we need help in the bullpen. I think we shored up a couple of major spots."
Vizcaino happy to be here
Some might pity the three new Giants for having to replace a fan favorite in San Francisco. Vizcaino, reached at his home in San Diego, said he's not worried about the reaction.
"I know Matt was a very popular player there," Vizcaino said, "but when I got traded to Cleveland I was traded for the most popular player there (Carlos Baerga). We got 42,000 people in the stands every day, and they loved him. They welcomed me pretty well. Hopefully in San Francisco they'll do the same thing."
Vizcaino's PR problem isn't nearly as bad as Sabean's. The 40-year-old executive gathered writers at Candlestick Friday armed with a defense that would make Johnnie Cochran proud.
He provided a packet with statistical rankings showing Kent and Vizcaino are in the upper echelon of shortstops and second basemen offensively.
He handed out a Q & A interview he did with his own public-relations staff covering such topics as "How do you answer those who say the Giants didn't get enough in return for Williams?" and "How do you answer the critics that this is just the latest in a long line of ill-advised trades in Giants history?"
And then Sabean declared, "I am not an idiot."
"All of a sudden I went from a golden boy who was helping this situation to an idiot," Sabean said. "I wouldn't have gotten here if I was an idiot. I would be an idiot if this were the only thing we were going to do. There is a plan to put this whole thing together."
The central criticism of Sabean is he didn't get enough for Williams. He responded that he did, that Williams wasn't attracting the kind of offers one would expect.
"If you take Matt Williams as a superstar player at third base, he looks pretty good," Sabean said. "But if you take a look at him against the upper echelon in baseball, he's just a guy. He's not a guy who's carried this ballclub."
"If we don't change things and he hits 50 home runs and wins a Gold Glove, we could still lose 90 games. He's only one player. He can only play one position."
Trade was "only answer'
After a series of organizational meetings in October, the Giants decided they couldn't build their club into a contender with a $35 million payroll if they had to pay just two players, Williams and Bonds, the combined $15 million they are due in 1997. Trading Williams, Sabean said, was the only answer.
"I don't know how else we're going to get out of this box we're in, and we are in a box," Sabean said.
"We're so far down below Los Angeles, San Diego and Colorado in terms of talent throughout our roster, if we don't make a move like this we will never improve throughout our starting nine. We're never going to win and we're never going to draw."
Sabean said he feels the fans' pain and just wants a chance to prove himself, which he can't do until the Giants take the field in April.
"I'm a big guy. We've all been through worse things in life," Sabean said. "But this will pass. It's going to pass when we deliver a ballclub on the field, have a different look and we can back up what we're saying by winning."
If they lose, Sabean might want to turn off his voice mail completely.