All New: Season, Fields, Dreams

TEMPE, Ariz. â€”  It hasn’t even been four months since Edgar Renteria’s 11th-inning, bases-loaded single gave the Florida Marlins an exhilarating World Series Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians, but one mind-boggling winter has altered baseball’s landscape dramatically since the end of the 1997 season.

Two expansion teams, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks, begin play this year--three if you count those barely identifiable remains in Miami, where the Marlins celebrated their title by running their roster through a paper shredder, and are almost starting from scratch.

Salaries continued to skyrocket, with numerous signings--Pedro Martinez ($75 million, six years), Matt Williams ($49.5 million, six years), Wilson Alvarez ($35 million, five years), Jay Bell ($34 million, four years) and Kenny Lofton ($24 million, three years), to name a few--bordering on the obscene.

Martinez will pitch for the Red Sox this season, Kevin Brown is a Padre, Fred McGriff a Devil Ray, Lofton an Indian--again--Cecil Fielder an Angel and Chuck Knoblauch a Yankee. The Milwaukee Brewers, who replaced the Milwaukee Braves, have returned the city to its National League roots, and the Minnesota Twins, their future in Minneapolis in peril, might be uprooted and moved to North Carolina.

Davey Johnson, the American League manager of the year in 1997, and Cito Gaston, who led Toronto to consecutive World Series championships in 1992 and ‘93, are out of jobs, and new managers Tim Johnson (Blue Jays), Jerry Manuel (White Sox), Ray Miller (Orioles) and Larry Rothschild (Devil Rays) are not.

But enough about baseball’s upheaval. The sounds of spring training are emanating from camps in Florida and Arizona, exhibition games begin later this week, and you know what that means: Pitchers will get bombed and claim they’re just getting their work in. Players will go 0 for 16 with eight strikeouts and say they’re just trying to find their stroke.

In other words, it’s back to the business of playing baseball, and though the games don’t count, there are a number of issues this spring that could help determine who’s competing for division titles this summer:

GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE

Bronx Broiler: George Steinbrenner begins his 25th year as owner of the Yankees, and what better way to celebrate than to fire a general manager? OK, Bob Watson actually resigned this winter, but it was obvious he couldn’t co-exist with The Boss and would have been canned eventually.

Next into the caldron is Brian Cashman, who is the probably the youngest (30) and smallest (5 feet 7 and 150 pounds) general manager in Yankee history and the 15th to toil under Steinbrenner’s heavy hand. But as luck would have it, Cashman shouldn’t have to do much tinkering.

The Yankees have one of baseball’s best lineups (Knoblauch, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill, Chili Davis, et al), a very good rotation (Andy Pettitte, David Cone, David Wells, Ramiro Mendoza and Hideki Irabu) and a superb bullpen (Mariano Rivera, Jeff Nelson, Bob Stanton). Heck, the kid might even last more than a year.

Brave Old World: The dismantling of the Marlins almost assures Atlanta of winning another division title, but this franchise that considers anything less than a World Series appearance a disappointment has slipped a notch in baseball’s heavyweight class.

McGriff, the heart of the Brave order for five years, has been replaced by 36-year-old Andres Galarraga, whose inflationary Coors Field power numbers could depreciate closer to sea level. Three of four infielders are new, and the Braves opened camp with no real No. 5 starter, unless you consider aging Dennis Martinez a viable candidate.

What’s more, baseball’s best rotation is showing signs of wear and tear--John Smoltz underwent off-season elbow surgery and is not expected back until late April, Tom Glavine had both knees operated on, and Denny Neagle had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.

One Stopper Shopping: The defending league champion Indians have one of baseball’s most potent lineups, with Lofton, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, David Justice, Sandy Alomar, Travis Fryman and Geronimo Berroa, and they should cruise to their fourth consecutive AL Central title.

But their rotation, though filled with capable starters such as Charles Nagy, Chad Ogea and Jaret Wright, lacks a true dominant force--that Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina or Roger Clemens type--and might be better suited for the long season, not a short series.

Another potential problem: Three pitchers who figure to fill the final two rotation spots, Ben McDonald, Dwight Gooden and Steve Karsay, have been plagued by injuries in recent years and must be handled with care.

Case Closed? The joke around Baltimore is they should rename their stadium Jurassic Park at Camden Yards, because the Orioles have seven players who are 35 or older. But age isn’t as much a concern for Miller as his bullpen, which must absorb the loss of near-perfect closer Randy Myers to the Blue Jays.

Hard-throwing Armando Benitez has first crack at the job, but two major meltdowns against Cleveland in last season’s American League championship series, when he gave up game-winning home runs in Games 2 and 6, punctured his confidence.

The Orioles signed Norm Charlton from Seattle as insurance, but that’s not a policy you want to cash in. A better second option might be lefty Arthur Rhodes, whose role has been limited to setup man and middle relief.

Fenway Fodder: The Red Sox are still a pitcher or four away from contending in the American League East, but they went a long way toward restoring the confidence of their fans by signing former Expo right-hander Pedro Martinez, who might help some in New England forgive the Red Sox for letting Clemens go.

It will be interesting to see how Martinez responds to the pressures that come with such a large contract, Boston’s demanding fans, and the offensive-minded American League, with its shoebox-sized strike zones and designated hitters.

Another development to watch: Will first baseman Mo Vaughn, a fan favorite and Boston’s primary power threat, let the team’s failure to sign him to a long-term contract extension this winter be a clubhouse distraction?

Filet o’ Fish: The Marlins were gutted so extensively this winter that only 13 players remain from the team that won the World Series. Though Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla and Charles Johnson provide the heart of what could still be a productive lineup, Florida’s pitching staff was torn apart.

After Livan Hernandez, the rotation looks like this: Rafael Medina, Eric Ludwick, Felix Heredia and either Andy Larkin or Brian Meadows. And Manager Jim Leyland thought things were bad in Pittsburgh a few years ago?

CACTUS LEAGUE

Agitated Ace: The Mariners tried all winter to trade Randy Johnson after declining to extend his contract, and now it appears the disgruntled lefty will start the season in Seattle. (Just what American League hitters need: an angry Big Unit).

Though Johnson is clearly disappointed in the Mariners and is looking at this as his last season in Seattle, no one around the league expects him to be distracted when he’s on the mound.

But clubhouse chemistry has played a prominent role in Seattle’s success in the last three years, and Johnson’s tenuous future with the franchise, especially if trade rumors surface during the season, could be divisive.

Cubs Win . . . NL Central? That’s the buzz on the North Side, where ever-optimistic fans are hoping a flurry of off-season moves elevates the Cubs into the division race with St. Louis and Houston.

Henry Rodriguez, acquired from Montreal, will complement Sammy Sosa in the heart of the order, there’s speed at the top with Lance Johnson, the addition of shortstop Jeff Blauser adds power up the middle and Rod Beck has the potential to stabilize the closer position.

If the Cubs don’t make a run at the division title, it’s possible General Manager Ed Lynch and Manager Jim Riggleman will be fired. And you know what they’ll say if they do win: If only Harry Caray were here to see it.

Big Spender: Arizona owner Jerry Colangelo made quite a splash this winter, committing $113 million to four players (Williams, Bell, Andy Benes and Willie Blair), and the rest of baseball is reeling in his wake.

No signing drew more criticism than the Bell deal, which executives fear will throw the salary structure even further out of whack, and though Williams might be the game’s premier third baseman, why give a six-year extension to a guy who is 32?

The financial splurge isn’t expected to push the Diamondbacks to the National League West title, but Colangelo’s intentions are clear: He wants to win, and quickly.

Pair of Aces: There are two honest-to-goodness, high-quality pitchers in Colorado’s rotation at the same time, no doubt an usual sighting for the Rockies.

Few expected Colorado to be able to attract a top-flight pitcher to the launching pad that is Coors Field, but the Rockies pulled a major coup by landing Kile from Houston, and with Pedro Astacio in the No. 2 spot, Colorado has the makings of a competitive rotation.

Who would have thought Colorado’s problem might be offense? Galarraga will be difficult to replace, and Larry Walker, who hit .366 with 49 homers and 130 runs batted in to win MVP honors last season, might sit out the start of the season because of elbow surgery.

Strange Sight: Orel Hershiser in a Giant uniform? What’s next, the Angels in the World Series? Dodger fans will have to come to grips with the reality of their former ace pitching for those despised Giants. Then again, it may take some time for Giant fans to warm to the hurler they used to hate.

Hershiser should provide a boost to San Francisco’s rotation, and closer Robb Nen should solidify the bullpen, but the Giants will need another pair of huge offensive years from second baseman Jeff Kent and first baseman J.T. Snow, who bat behind Barry Bonds, to repeat as NL West champions.