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Vina Passes Physical, Gets Dealt To Cardinals
By JSOnline and Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel Staff
December 20, 1999
Second baseman Fernando Vina passed his physical Monday in St. Louis, and was traded by the Brewers to the Cardinals for pitcher Juan Acevedo and two minor-league players to be named later.
In 34 career starts in the majors, Acevedo is 12-10 with a 4.86 earned run average (176 innings, 190 hits, 66 walks, 106 strikeouts). He has made 108 relief appearances, going 9-8 with a 4.30 ERA (138 innings, 142 hits, 53 walks, 75 strikeouts).
"He's probably no better than a No. 4 or 5 starter," said one scout who saw Acevedo pitch last season for the Cardinals. "He may be more valuable in the bullpen because he can set up or close."
Acevedo, 29, began last season as the Cardinals' closer but pitched poorly and was demoted to a set-up role. He was later plugged into an injury-ravaged starting rotation and performed even worse, going 2-3 with a 6.49 ERA in 12 outings.
Overall, he was 6-8 with a 5.89 ERA and four saves in 50 appearances.
A native of Mexico who lives in Chicago, the chunky Acevedo (6 feet 2, 230 pounds) throws a variety of pitches, including a hard, sinking fastball. Brewers general manager Dean Taylor has been trying to increase the arm strength of his pitching staff, and Acevedo fits that mold.
Acquired from the New York Mets in March 1998, Acevedo performed well for the Cardinals that season. He was 8-3 with a 2.56 ERA in 50 appearances, including nine starts, and finished the season as the closer with 15 saves in 16 appearances.
Acevedo made $475,000 in '99 but is eligible for arbitration for the first time. Vina is entering the final year of a multi-year deal that has a base salary of $2 million. He will be eligible for free agency after next season.
Vina's odyssey with the Brewers became a strange one. Acquired from the Mets after the 1994 season as a utility player, he developed into an everyday player through hard work and determination.
Vina had a breakthrough season in 1998 when he batted a career-high .311 with 39 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 45 runs batted in and 22 stolen bases. That performance earned him a spot on the National League all-star team.
But the Brewers were desperate for starting pitching last winter and used Vina as the primary bait to search for that commodity. With Mark Loretta on hand and prospect Ron Belliard ready for a shot in the majors, general manager Sal Bando figured that Vina was his best bet to acquire a starting pitcher.
But one deal after another fell apart, and St. Louis wouldn't fork over the starter (Jose Jimenez or Manny Aybar) the Brewers wanted in return. Upset over the constant trade rumors and unhappy with his long-term contract that became undervalued when he emerged as a starter, Vina blasted management for failing to make a deal.
The Brewers opened the season in St. Louis with trade rumors still swirling, but Vina again started at second base. On May 9 in San Francisco, he collided with rightfielder Jeromy Burnitz chasing a pop fly and suffered a deep bruise in the quadriceps muscle above his left knee.
Antsy to return to the lineup, Vina pushed his rehabilitation too hard and developed patella tendinitis in his left knee. He played only seven more games for the Brewers before being shut down for the remainder of the season.
Belliard flourished in Vina's absence, batting .295 with 29 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 58 RBI in 124 games. The spunky Belliard handled himself so well that Vina went right back on the trade market when Taylor came in and overhauled the Brewers' baseball operation.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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