Steve

Finley

The Padres had one big need and one big name to fill it -- center field and Arizona’s Steve Finley. The Dodgers stepped in to acquire Finley, at the same time keeping him from the rival Padres. Since then, Finley has hit .302 with nine homers, 32 RBI, and a 912 OPS. The five center fielders the Padres have used – Jay Payton, Freddy Guzman, Terrence Long, Kerry Robinson and Xavier Nady – have hit .209 with no homers and six RBI. The Padres are all but out of the West race and clinging to wildcard hopes. Dodger fans should remember that when moaning about Brad Penny’s injury and Hee Seop Choi’s ineffectiveness, and calling for Paul DePodesta’s head.

Finley will probably be looking for a two-year deal from a West Coast team. There’s a chance he could stay with Los Angeles, but Arizona and San Diego are more likely destinations. If he’s willing to switch leagues, Anaheim might be a nice fit.

The Angels, Phillies, Rangers, Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks, Orioles and Mariners have ach demonstrated some level of interest in Finley, who now apparently is willing to consider American League and East Coast teams. “The team that shows a commitment to winning is the team that will land Steve Finley,” said agent Tommy Tanzer. Finley isn’t likely to sign before the Dec. 7 arbitration deadline.

GM Ed Wade has spoken to Finley’s agent in an attempt to figure out whether the veteran would consider playing in Philadelphia. “I’d expect we’d follow through on that,” Wade said.

“He’s not a major player for us right now,” an Orioles source told the Baltimore Sun. “They touched base with us and we haven’t eliminated anything, but it hasn’t gone any further than that.” If Finley signs before Carlos Beltran, it might be that he’ll land in Detroit or San Francisco. He’ll have more options if he waits.

That’s more reasonable than expected. Finley will make $6 million next season and $7 million in 2006, and the Angels hold a $7 million option for 2007 with a $1 million buyout. If Finley has 600 plate appearances in 2006, it becomes a mutual option. According to agent Tommy Tanzer, Finley turned down San Francisco’s three-year, $17 million offer and a two-year proposal from Detroit to stay in Southern California.

The problem is that Finley is likely to sign before Beltran, ruling him out as a fallback option. Fortunately, the Angels already have a decent fallback Chone Figgins, and if they get desperate, they have a potential Gold Glove center fielder playing first base.

Arizona is also going after Russ Ortiz, Royce Clayton and David Dellucci as part of its quick fix.

Finley hit .287 while batting leadoff in September. If he stays there, it would hurt his fantasy value. He would lose a lot of RBI and wouldn’t make up for it by stealing bases.

Finley’s sore hamstring isn’t considered serious and he’s safe to use this week. Of more concern is the fact that he’s only knocked in a runner other than himself 26 times this season (23 HR, 49 RBI).