Seat of power in Washington

Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden must feel like a human piñata, having taken a few whacks from pundits for failing to unload Alfonso Soriano at the trading deadline. But late last week, on a day when the Weston native was enjoying a few hours of respite after a hectic few weeks of trade talks, Bowden was holding steadfast to his belief that he will be able to re-sign Soriano in the offseason and make him the centerpiece of the organization.

We asked Bowden about Soriano and the Nationals, but we also brought up another of his favorite topics: Red Sox outfielder Wily Mo Peña.

It was Bowden who, as Cincinnati Reds GM, acquired Peña on March 21, 2001, for current Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback and former third baseman Drew Henson and former Red Sox outfielder Michael Coleman. Under terms of the contract he had signed with the Yankees two years earlier, Peña had to remain on the Reds' major league roster, which he did from 2002-05.

It's debatable whether Bowden would have traded Peña to the Red Sox for Bronson Arroyo, as his successor, Wayne Krivsky, did. The Reds, who have enough offense, have received more than they expected from Arroyo, while Peña, until he recently replaced the injured Trot Nixon in right field, spent most of the year injured (hamate bone). But Peña hitting tape-measure homers comes as no surprise to Bowden.

``I've always said -- and I believe this -- if you are patient with Wily Mo, as I believe we were when we had him, by the time he hits 27 or 28 years old, he's going to hit 40-50 home runs a year in this league," said Bowden. ``You have to understand, the Yankees signed him to that contract and he was forced to learn to hit in the big leagues. It cost him three years of development.

``He's never had the benefit of coming up through a minor league system, improving at every level, and then coming up to the big leagues. He's had to learn to hit in the major leagues, and that's very difficult for a young kid.

``He's 24 years old right now, and I think he's really in a perfect place. He's got two of the greatest hitters in the game -- David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez -- that he can learn from and emulate. What a great influence a guy like Ortiz must be.

``Nobody has ever questioned Wily Mo's power. Nobody's ever going to have his raw power. That's there for everyone to see. As he matures as a hitter, he's going to become more selective at the plate and really improve as a hitter. Let's see the numbers he starts to put up when he gets 500 at-bats."

A righthanded Ortiz? Bowden wasn't about to go there, but he could see signs of Peña maturing as a hitter in Cincinnati. Almost by accident, Peña hit 26 homers in 336 at-bats in 2004. In '05, he hit 19 homers in 311 at-bats. His strikeout totals those years were 108 and 116, a very high ratio. But while he may never be an on-base machine, he may turn out to be a guy pitchers hate to see in crunch time.

Bowden loves making deals, and while Soriano might not pass through waivers, Bowden still has attractive veteran pitchers such as Livan Hernandez, Tony Armas Jr., and Ramon Ortiz who could slip through to a contender.

``I hope we can still make some," said Bowden. ``We've been in dialogue with more than 20 teams the past few weeks and so we have ongoing dialogue. We'll do whatever makes sense for our long-term goals."

Given Bowden's history, it was a huge surprise that Soriano wasn't dealt. But give him this much: He had a price in mind, at least two top prospects, and he never relented. He went right down to the wire with the Twins, but they wouldn't part with Matt Garza, the hard-throwing prospect who's knocking on the door at Triple A. There was even talk he was holding out for Ichiro Suzuki with the Mariners, who were in it until the final moments before the deadline.

And while many give Bowden no chance at re-signing Soriano, he thinks he has a good chance.

``Absolutely," he said. ``We have a great player who wants to remain with the Nationals. He loves it here and we're going to do everything we can to see he stays here."

The Nationals have created excitement in the D.C. area and need an exciting player as they move into a new stadium in a couple of years.

Given that they couldn't break the bank in prospects, they might as well break the bank on a new contract for Soriano.

The Clemens variations

There are different versions of how exactly the Red Sox' talks with the Astros about Roger Clemens went down. There's the one in which Houston owner Drayton McLane simply said no to trading him, and the one in which the two teams discussed a list of prospects before McLane put the kibosh on it.

According to one of the parties who took part in the conference call, here's what happened: ``Specific names of prospects were never discussed. We did discuss generalities of what it would take, such as a `mid-level' prospect and a `low-level' prospect, etc. It never got to the name stage before it became clear Roger wasn't going to be moved."

Before McLane said no, other Astros officials were saying ``maybe," which is why the general talks took place.

Is there a chance of a waiver deal? The stars would have to align. Clemens would have to pass through waivers in both leagues, and he can veto any deal because of a no-trade clause in his contract. According to sources close to Clemens, he'd only go to Boston.

The Astros did their best spin control after the deadline, indicating that they never shopped Roy Oswalt or came close to dealing Clemens. If you believe that one, I have some great clam chowder in Houston to sell you.

MVP issue is a two-way argument: Ortiz vs. Jeter

David Ortiz for MVP? It's early August, so there's plenty of time to make a definitive decision.

But after his incredible week (two walkoffs) and incredible July, Big Papi is a slam dunk for the award for people like me who have watched his heroics firsthand.

Before all is said and done, he will get competition from Derek Jeter. (Yes, another Yankee.) Last year it was Alex Rodriguez who edged him out, much to the chagrin of Boston fans. Voters wound up favoring the position player as opposed to the DH.

Most media people I've spoken to feel Ortiz is going to be an overwhelming selection, barring a swoon by the Sox or Ortiz. His numbers could be such that the DH issue won't come into play.

Yet Jeter gets big-time respect from a few baseball people I spoke to last week.

``With all due respect to Ortiz," said an American League scout, ``Derek Jeter is the MVP if the vote was right now. He's having an incredible offensive year. I don't think he's ever run the bases better and he's played very solidly at shortstop.

``I don't have DH bias. I know the dramatic walkoff homers and hits, and that he's the toughest hitter in baseball to face. Without Ortiz, I agree, forget the Red Sox season. Without Jeter and all of the injuries they've had to their lineup, with A-Rod struggling at times . . . for me, it's Jeter."

An AL general manager said, ``If the Yankees beat out the Red Sox, I think you have to give it to Jeter in a slight margin of victory. He's such a quiet, unassuming guy that he doesn't take a lot of credit. But I'll bet everyone knows in that Yankee room who the MVP is. And that's given the fact that Jason Giambi has had so many big hits as well. He's the guy that has kept the Yankees ticking."

``Jeter is MVP," said an NL GM kiddingly, knowing the reporter was from Boston. ``No, as much as I love what Jeter has done and the great season he's had, David Ortiz has been most valuable."

Added a special assistant to an AL GM, ``David Ortiz and Derek Jeter are 1-2 in the MVP race, but it doesn't matter what's happened to this point. The last two months is where it will be decided."

Etc.

When Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui return, the Yankees will be even more loaded with lefthanded hitters (some of them being switch hitters): Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu, Bernie Williams, Melky Cabrera, Matsui, and Cano can all hit from the left side. Will the Red Sox' lack of a veteran lefty in the bullpen come back to haunt them?

The manager and general manager usually get blamed, but if the Blue Jays don't get back in the wild-card race -- they entered yesterday 8 1/2 behind the Red Sox -- this one is on the players. Maybe Shea Hillenbrand was right when he wrote the ``ship is sinking" line on the clubhouse blackboard, which led to his departure. When you have a threesome of Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, and Ted Lilly in the rotation, a great closer in B.J. Ryan, and a potent lineup of big-money players, you should be winning. But on a 10-game road swing that ended last Thursday, Jays starters averaged fewer than five innings and Toronto won only two games. The Jays' starters allowed 38 earned runs for a 7.23 ERA during the stretch. Lilly will get bites when he becomes a free agent after the season because he's a lefty, but he has not held up his end. Said star center fielder Vernon Wells, ``I think we have everything we need to do it. It's just a matter of everybody stepping up to the next level, and that's what's going to make us a winning ball club."

The Twins are ending a 46-year radio relationship with WCCO, the station they've been affiliated with since their inception in 1961. Under the previous deal, WCCO paid the team $3 million annually but kept all of the ad revenue. In the new deal, in partnership with the team, KSTP pays an escalating rights fee that eventually reaches $1 million annually but will not receive any ad revenue from broadcasts. No changes have been announced with the broadcasting team of Dan Gladden, John Gordon, and Herb Carneal.

Hitters used to love Coors Field, the launching pad in mile-high Denver, but the Rockies and Major League Baseball are trying to address that by storing game balls at 40 percent humidity in a humidor room. Opposing players are noticing that the ball, damp and heavier, isn't traveling as well. Brewers infielder Jeff Cirillo (a former Rockie) and A's broadcaster Ray Fosse have suggested that the home team is switching to undampened baseballs when they bat. The dampened balls have led to a major league-high 11 shutouts at Coors, including three 1-0 games. If the Rockies have an advantage, it's not showing up in their record; they are 28-26 at home. ``You can tell it feels different," said Rockies first baseman Todd Helton. ``It plays a lot better. Pitchers are throwing better games. Selfishly, I wish the ball would travel a little better, but I'm all right with it this way."

When the 2003 season ended so disappointingly for the Red Sox, free agent-to-be Todd Walker went to Grady Little and informed him that if he couldn't stay with the Sox, he wouldn't mind going somewhere to play first base. He's still waiting for that. He signed as a free agent with the Cubs and played second base in '04, '05, and half of '06 before being dealt to the Padres last week to play third base. The 33-year-old Walker, a .289 career hitter, had the unfortunate experience of making two errors in his first game at third after Padres GM Kevin Towers had released veteran Vinny Castilla. Those tough Padres fans started chanting ``Vinny! Vinny!" Walker, always a below-average defender, acknowledged, ``There's going to be an adjustment period. Hopefully, the people are patient. But at the same time, I expect a lot of myself, so I'm going to give it everything I've got."

Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez may join the free agent ranks this offseason, and if so, he would have a plethora of offers. Ramirez, hitting .307 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs since June 1, has an out clause on a four-year deal he signed in 2004. The Cubs received a lot of offers for Ramirez at the trading deadline. Ramirez's contract calls for $22.5 million over the next two years, but he might feel he can do better than that. ``It would take something drastic to make him leave," agent Paul Kinzer told the Chicago Tribune. ``He's comfortable. We'll definitely look at the contract."

Former Milton High School lefty Rich Hill, who played at Michigan, figures to be a part of the Cubs' rotation for the remainder of this season and into the future. The Cubs have used 12 starters this season, including six rookies who have combined for 39 starts. Hill was 7-1 with a 1.80 ERA in 15 games at Triple A Iowa, striking out an impressive 135 batters in 100 innings with only 21 walks. He's not transferred that success to the big leagues, as he's 1-4 with a 7.92 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 19 walks in 30 2/3 innings.

Baseball historian Jim Overmyer of Lenox reports that 19th-century ballplayer Frank Grant, who grew up in Williamstown and was one of 17 players or officials associated with Negro baseball inducted into the Hall of Fame last Sunday, will be honored again Thursday in a ceremony near his family home, where a plaque will bear his name. Former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent and Jane Forbes Clark of the Clark Art Institute will be on hand in Williamstown for the tribute.

Material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.