Gammons, Vaughn Speak Out About "Market Value" August 27, 1999
Hartford, CT (AP)- Before going down to Norwalk to spend Thanksgiving Day
with his family, Hartford Whalers 1B Mo Vaughn stopped in to ESPN studios
in Bristol along with Whalers GM Peter Gammons in order to discuss the
team's recent transactions. Vaughn and Gammons appeared live on the early
morning edition of SportsCenter and made the following comments and
announcement.
"First off, we are pleased to announce that Mo Vaughn has signed a 5-yr,
$75 million deal to stay with the Hartford Whalers and finish out his
career," began Gammons. When asked of the specifics of the deal, Gammons
responded, "I cannot give you all of the specifics, of course, but I can
say that it is incentive-filled and could blossom from $15 million annually
to $18 million annually." It is uncertain if Vaughn received the no-trade
clause he was originally seeking but sources close to the negotiations have
stated that Vaughn did, indeed, receive a no-trade clause. Sources have
also suggested that Vaughn holds all of the cards in that if he is ever NOT
one of the Top 5 in PVBL salary that he may have 30 days to explore his
options as a free agent with Hartford being given the final opportunity to
match or exceed any other offers.
When asked what he made of the deal, Vaughn replied, "It's all I ever asked
for. It's not about the money, it's about being wanted. And over the last
week, Hartford is the only team to clearly state that they wanted me."
Vaughn was referring, of course, to comments made earlier by he and Gammons
that together they sought to move him to an immediate contender as he
wished but that no other team truly seemed to understand his value.
"Mo and I worked hard to move him to a contender but we both agreed that
everyone was undervaluing him. We understand his value, fully. We just
didn't think he'd want to hang around and rebuild. We were pleasantly
surprised when negotiations with other teams were falling apart that Mo
personally called Jeremy (Whalers owner Jeremy Chrabascz) and I and said,
'Hey, nobody gets it. Let's get a deal done here.'" Gammons went on to
say that, "When Mo came over in the trade we figured he was a rental. We
quite excited to have him here in New England for the long haul."
When asked what teams were fighting for a chance to nab Vaughn, Gammons
declined to comment. However, sources close to both Vaughn and the club
have stated that Duluth, Ann Arbor, and Vero Beach had been in the running
for awhile. When asked why Vaughn and Hartford changed their minds on
dealing him, Gammons was emphatic, "No one was willing to give what Mo is
worth. He is a .323 lifetime hitter with 162 walks, 93 homeruns, 272 RBI,
a .547 slugging percentage and only 14 errors through 391 games. He is
clearly one of if not the top 1B in baseball. Strangely, however, people
felt we were being unreasonable to ask for their 'top prospects.' Well, I
guess it is news to some GM's out there just how a team goes about
rebuilding. This is how the business works. You see, the rebuilding club
sells off its veteran stars to playoff contenders in return for younger
talent. I guess it's also news to some GM's just how valuable a 73 CH/99
PH guy is and how few there are in the league. No matter. Vaughn chose to
remain here and we couldn't be more pleased."
Of staying in Hartford, Vaughn replied, "I didn't know what to expect when
I came here. It's a struggling young team. But I look around and I see a
ton of talent. I cannot imagine what an infield of Beltre, Cabrera, Riggs,
Vaughn and Kendall will be like someday. Even our outfield's future is
promising with Socks (Byrne), Bob (Abreu) and Chris (Stynes). We're going
to go places. If we can find a solid DH and maybe another starting pitcher
we'll be fine. I just don't think this team has had much of a chance to
'gel' yet is all. I look forward, along with Roger (Clemens), to being
given the opportunity to be a leader on this club and take this kids to the
series."
Of the deal itself, Vaughn replied, "I have said over and over that it is
not about the money. It's about being given the opportunity to play good
ball and be appreciated for it. Hartford appreciates me." Gammons added,
"No club came even close to offering what it would have taken to get Mo.
It was not in his best interest or ours to ship him out cheaply and coldly.
We're both better off this way. I just hope he can win a few batting
titles or MVP's for himself or at least slam some homers off of Montreal
and Deadwood on a regular basis."
In a whacky year that has seen Troy Percival, Mark McGwire and Andres
Galarraga come and go, the Whalers appear to be sticking by their guns on
Vaughn and Clemens, if no one else. It appears that a contract is eminent
that would have The Rocket retiring in Hartford as well.
Meanwhile, Hartford is still shopping it's only other marketable veteran
commodities in power-hitting catcher Chris Hoiles and pitchers Bobby Witt,
one of the winningest PVBL pitchers in history, and Ken Hill, who has never
found success in Hartford but would suit a playoff contender well (a return
to Punxatawney, perhaps?). We'll keep you posted.
But with Clemens and Vaughn to lead and achor this upstart team for the
years to come and with a plethora of young talent, the Hartford Whalers
organization has much to be thankful for this holiday season.
