All quiet on the trade front
By Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News
LOS ANGELES | As manager, Jerry Narron knows he isn't going to be traded — although it has happened. Cleveland general manager Frank "Trader" Lane traded manager Joe Gordon in 1960 for Detroit manager Jimmy Dykes.
Time is ticking away on Sunday's non-waivers trade deadline, but Cincinnati Reds manager Narron doesn't have to worry about getting traded. Neither Joe Torre nor Tony La Russa is available.
That doesn't mean these aren't stressful times for Narron as he reads daily reports of teams circling his players like buzzards over carrion, trying to pick his team clean.
"I'll be glad when the deadline passes, and it doesn't affect me the way it does some of these guys, all worried about being uprooted," he said.
Asked if it affects his players mentally because they are thinking about the wrong things, Narron said, "Umm-hmm. Some guys are concerned who shouldn't be concerned because they have no chance of being traded."
The young outfielders — Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Wily Mo Pena?
After a pause and a smile, Narron answered emphatically, "I'm referring to everybody who doesn't have a chance to be traded out of here. . .but, yes, the young outfielders.
"For any of those guys to be traded it would have to be way one-sided (in the Reds' favor)," he added.
Dunn is on record as saying, "If I'm not going to be traded, I wish somebody would tell me. Nobody has said anything to me."
From the view of GM Dan O'Brien and Narron, that's a good thing.
"I know Dan spoke with Joe Randa before a trade was made to let him know what was going on, even though no deal had been made. He tried to keep him informed before the trade was made with San Diego.
"I don't think it is necessary for the GM to go to every player to tell him, 'We might have something going for you,' or, 'We don't have anything going on with you.' "
And how does it affect a manager?
"I can not let my personal feelings get involved," he said. "We have a very good group of guys. But I'm like everybody else in here, I want the Cincinnati Reds to improve and get better. If that means making a deal to do it, I'm all for it."
Things, though, are quiet on The Cincinnati Front, except of course, involving Dunn. There can't be a major-league team out there that hasn't been involved in Dunn rumors, most pure fantasy.
On Wednesday, it was a report that the Oakland A's turned down an offer of Dunn straight-up for pitchers Danny Haren or Joe Blanton.
Said the report, "Billy Beane's (A's GM) track record of picking off some of the most coveted available players in mid-season is unparalleled."
The key word in that statement is available. As O'Brien might say, "Read my lips. No Adam Dunn trade."
Narron said he wishes his young, concerned players would take veteran Ken Griffey Jr.'s approach.
"What he has said about it is, 'It is not in my hands, I'm not going to worry about it, I just want to play,' " Narron said. "That's the wall they all should look at it."
And, no, Griffey isn't going anywhere, either. In fact, O'Brien could be finished dealing . . . it is that quiet.