Sox Do Nothing, Yanks Get Thompson (Maybe)

The eleventh hour has come and gone--and the Red Sox are standing pat.

As late as 11:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 100 minutes before the interleague trading deadline expired at midnight, West Coast Time, the Sox had not only failed to make a deal for a catcher, but they had apparently broken off negotiations with all but one or two clubs.

Earlier in the afternoon, General Manager Haywood Sullivan had backed down from a proposed trade that would have sent Pittsburgh's Steve Nicosia to the Sox in exchange for one of several pitchers. The subsequent Pirate deal with California (see box) ended those negotiations.

Although Boston is still free to deal with American League clubs, the failure to get a catcher by this time probably indicates that Gary Allenson will open the season as the starter, and two of a trio of rookies (Dave Schmidt, Rich Gedman, John Lickert) will remain on the roster as well.

At this hour Sullivan is still reportedly negotiating with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as are a number of other teams. Los Angeles, which is looking to move catcher Steve Yeager and pitcher Dave Stewart, acquired outfielder Ken Landreaux from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in exchange for Mickey Hatcher.

Pass-a-Grille

In deals last night, the Houston Astros picked up a pair of infielders from American League clubs, sacrificing a starting pitcher and an outfielder, Astro Ken Forsch moves to California in exchange for Dickie Thon, while Chris Bourjos, who came to Houston from San Francisco in the Enos Cabell deal earlier this year, was swapped to Baltimore for shortstop Kiko Garcia.

In other transactions the Chicago White Sox shipped pitcher Mike Proly to Philadelphia last night for infielder Jay Loviglio and traded outfielder Thad Bosley to Milwaukee for minor league fly-chaser John Poff.

Three big-name pitchers lost spots on major league rosters last night. The Detroit Tigers optioned Mark Fidrych to Evansville (AAA), subject to a 24-hr. recall. The Texas Rangers designated former Yankee Ed Figueroa to the minor-league camp for reassignment, while the Montreal Expos waived Fred Norman.

In other transactions, the Chicago Cubs sold infielder Mick Kelleher to Detroit, the Seattle Mariners waived shortstop Mario Guerrero, and the Milwaukee Brewers announced they had signed pitcher Pete Vuckovich to a multi-year contract.