07-08-2002, 12:30 AM
Well the Expos aren't going out without a fight. Pending MLB approval, they just made a huge deal:
Quote:Floyd, Dempster headline proposed Expos-Marlins deal
MONTREAL -- The Montreal Expos, rumored to be in their final season of play, are apparently trying to make the most of it.
Baseball officials with knowledge of the situation have told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Expos and Marlins have agreed on the principal players to be swapped in a potential deal that would send outfielder Cliff Floyd and pitcher Ryan Dempster to Montreal.
The deal is not done and won't become official until it is approved by Major League Baseball, which currently owns and operates the Expos.
In exchange for Floyd and Dempster, the Marlins would receive right-hander Masato Yoshii and left-hander Graeme Lloyd and prospect package headed by pitcher Josh Karp, who was Montreal's No. 1 pick in 2001.
Expos general manager Omar Minaya told Stark that nothing was done yet, and that he was going to meet later Sunday with Marlins GM Larry Beinfest.
If the deal, which is subject to Major League Baseball allowing the Expos to take on additional salary, is finally completed, it comes on the heels of last month's acquisition of pitcher Bartolo Colon from Cleveland.
It would be Floyd's second tour of duty of Montreal -- he played six seasons there before going to Florida.
Saturday, Floyd just wanted the deal to be over.
"I'm just tired of it," Floyd told The Miami Herald. "I just hope it's over quick."
The Expos entered Sunday's action nine games behind Atlanta in the NL East, but 5½-games behind Arizona for the wild card.
"(The Expos) are a good team. ... They are getting better," said Floyd, who prefers not to play on artificial turf because of past knee problems. "Things aren't what you would like to see in terms of revenue and fans, but you're talking about my knees, something that can shorten my career."
Floyd's contract states he can block trades to six teams, but Montreal is not one of them. Floyd reportedly took the Expos off the no-trade list last offseason, never considering the Expos to be in the playoff hunt this season. The Expos might not be done. ESPN's Peter Gammons reports that pitcher Brad Penny is very much available. Other "names" being mentioned: All-Star second baseman Luis Castillo, first baseman Derrek Lee, outfielders Preston Wilson and Eric Owens, catcher Charles Johnson, reliever Vic Darensbourg and right-hander Julian Tavarez.
I will touch the sun or I will die trying.