Philadelphia closer Tom Gordon played catch yesterday and felt "closer to pitching again."
Still, the Phillies decided to place him on the 15-day DL. This guarantees another 5 days of rest. (He last pitched August 12th.)
In the mean time, Arthur Rhodes will fill-in as the closer. For a sampling of what to expect, look at last night's save. He gave-up two runs.
Expect more of the same and hope Gordon can pitcher soon after he is eligible.
As for the title of this post, my trade dealine was last Wednesday night. I had room to gain in various categories including Saves. I also had points to lose.
I examined the categories for myself and my competitors and determined the possibility of netting favorably in HR vs Saves and made an offer.
Eventually, the final offer standing was Jeff Kent and Jeff Weaver (with a long-term contract) to me for Colorado Luis Gonzalez, Tom Gordon and Jeff DaVanon on reserves. (This is an NL-only 12-team keeper league.)
Given I had a 22 point lead and was wary of Kent's health and Weaver's contract and performance combined with reports Gordon's would be back that Friday, I decided to play it safe.
And like Carl Spackler's forecast:
I was incorrect to turn down the trade and gamble on my medical diagnostic capabilitiies.