The Trade That Wasn’t?

We head into day five waiting and watching and waiting and watching for a proposed deal of Mark Kotsay to the Oakland Athletics for Ramon Hernandez and Terrence Long. Now the news is the San Diego Padres have given the A’s an ultimatum. Do the deal by Sunday or we take it off the table.

"If it's not done by Sunday, it's no deal," Padres general manager Kevin Towers told the Union Tribune.

The A’s have had the MRI results for Mark Kotsay since Wednesday and had their team doctor’s look at the results. They are reportedly happy with what they saw, but the A’s are now looking outside their organization for a “second” opinion, which is really a “fifth” opinion.

The deal would send All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez and outfielder Terrence Long back to San Diego.

"I haven't heard anything (yesterday) to make me feel differently," Towers said. "Only (the A's) would know."

The trade was reported originally by Peter Gammons of ESPN. What that has done is brought a private matter to light. Normally these things go on behind closed doors, but once it aired Kevin Towers did nothing to discredit them.
,br> Towers, always honest with the media, is putting his hopes in fate.

"If it's meant to happen, it's meant to happen," Towers said last night. "If it's not, it's not. I'm a big believer in fate."

As the day drags into Saturday, fans are getting antsy and nervous. It is arguably easier to find an outfielder than it is to find a catcher the caliber of Hernandez.

The free agent market holds a few possibilities if the deal does not go down. Benito Santiago is available, as are Javy Lopez and Ivan Rodriguez. Then there is always the option of rekindling talks with Pittsburgh for Jason Kendall. There was so little progress in that scenario that it seems unlikely that David Littlefield would continue talks. Last week he told us nothing would happen between the two teams. Towers may have more urgency if this deal with the A’s falls through, however.