You have to wait two more weeks for baseball season. But the wait ought to be a lot shorter for another kind of season - Trading Season.
After a winter full of Jeff Bronkey-for-David Pike kind of deals, the transaction wire might explode in these final days of spring training. Here are some people who could move on:Bret Saberhagen. Everyone but the Tabasco Banana Pickers has scouted Saberhagen. But one baseball man with ties to the Blue Jays swears Saberhagen will wind up with Toronto. The stumbling blocks are the Jays' reluctance to trade third-base prospect Howard Battle and Saberhagen's humong-ous contract ($11.4 million over three years, followed by $6.25 million in deferred payments through the year 2028).
Andy Benes. Anybody who makes $3.005 million can't stay a Padre too long. And the Cubs, Cardinals, Orioles and Yankees are all dangling young players under the Padres' noses, trying to pry Benes loose. Some day, somebody will.
Greg Swindell. The Astros keep shopping Swindell, but hardly anybody is interested. The Tigers were - until Swindell gave up nine hits and five runs against them in three innings last weekend. "I guess I showed them," quipped Mr. Showcase. But Tigers GM Joe Klein once signed Swindell in Cleveland, so this deal isn't dead yet.
Kevin Tapani. The Twins, who don't have much starting pitching to begin with, keep insisting they won't trade the disappointing Tapani. But that hasn't stopped the Blue Jays and Orioles from watching his every pitch this spring.
Frank Viola. The Red Sox want to trade veteran pitchers (i.e., Viola and Greg Harris) for a right-fielder. But they might have to give up Aaron Sele and/or Ken Ryan if they really want to get something done.
Bobby Bonilla. The Astros and Mets have talked about all kinds of deals this spring. If Houston owner Drayton McLane gives the OK, they could pull off a true blockbuster - with Bonilla and Anthony Young heading to Houston for Steve Finley and first-base prospect Roberto Petagine.
Best of the rest. Other GMs say the Phillies continue to shop Milt Thompson and want pitching in any size or shape. The Cubs are offering deposed shortstop Shawon Dunston around, with no takers yet. The White Sox have talked to the Yankees about big-buck lefthanded relievers Steve Howe and Paul Assenmacher.
The Angels want to move J.T. Snow now that they've decided their favorite young hitter, Eduardo "Son of Tony" Perez, can't play left field. And every closer-less team in baseball has talked to the Expos about Mel Rojas, but the Expos say Rojas is staying unless they get a future star in return. That rules out the Phillies, anyhow.
TRIVIALITY: Ron Gant, whom the Braves axed last week, is one of only three players to drive in at least 80 runs in the National League in every season in the '90s. Name the other two. (Answer later.)
MUMBLINGS AND STUMBLINGS: Here's Mitch Williams' mid-spring update on how often he is asked about his partner in immortality, Joe Carter: "How many minutes in the day are there?" . . . Injury of the week: One day after the Brewers had a motivational group demonstrate mind-over-matter techniques such as ripping phone books in half, pitcher Steve Sparks tried the old phone-book trick himself - and dislocated his shoulder. Trainer John Adam said that besides being bizarre, this injury was "also a bit annoying - because I had to look up a phone number later." . . . After spending all last year listening to his buddy Larry Andersen dump on his hitting talents, sweet-swinging Twins pitcher Jim Deshaies retaliated last weekend with a line-drive single off Expos lefthander Kirk Rueter. Deshaies requested that the box score be given to Andersen with the message, "Read it and weep." Andersen's response to this shocking hit: "I'm very worried about the game of baseball if this could happen." . . . Twins reliever Jeff Innis wasn't too thrilled about becoming the First Pitcher In History To Allow A Hit to Michael Jordan. "Let me put it this way," Innis said afterward. "I hope he gets another hit."
TRIVIA ANSWER: Barry Bonds and Eddie Murray.
MORE RUMBLINGS: All the Chan Ho Park hoopla in Dodgertown has livened up Florida this spring. But one general manager says baseball's best Asian import is Seattle's sensational Japanese reliever, Makato Suzuki. If Suzuki makes the club, the Mariners expect 100 Japanese reporters on opening day. . . . The Expos keep raving about their pitching, but they gave up 32 runs in 21 innings in one stretch last week. . . . The rest of the American League West loved Rangers general manager Tom Grieve guaranteeing his team would win the division. "Now that Grieve's guaranteed it, we can all play for the wild-card spot," groused Mariners manager Lou Piniella.
Los Angeles outfielder Cory Snyder, sidelined with a lower back problem and a strained muscle in his left side all spring, aggravated his back Saturday while fielding ground balls in a workout at Dodgertown.
Snyder returned to Los Angeles on Saturday night and will be examined Sunday by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.