“Trade bait” tag doesn’t bother Eric Ludwick

Monday, Jan. 12, 1998 | 5:42 a.m.

Eric Ludwick takes it as a compliment that he was traded twice in the span of five months last year.

"The one thing about being traded is that obviously I'm of value to someone -- if they trade for you, they've got some kind of plan for you," Ludwick said.

Ludwick, the former Eldorado High, Stanford and UNLV pitcher, was sent from St. Louis to Oakland in July in the Mark McGwire trade, then was sent from the Athletics to Florida last month for infielder Kurt Abbott.

Although he will be pitching for his third team in less than a year when he reports to spring training next month, Ludwick views the latest trade in much the same light as the deal that sent him from St. Louis to Oakland.

"I was happy with the direction (the A's) were going because they were rebuilding and they wanted a lot of youth," Ludwick said before taking part in a UNLV alumni game at Wilson Stadium. "I didn't pitch the way I wanted to throw ... in my last three starts but I was definitely happy with that situation.

"The Marlins are revamping their whole pitching staff in getting rid of their high-salaries guys. I can't imagine a better situation as far as starting pitching goes because they've lost three out of the five starters that they started with last year."

The Marlins' fire sale, coming on the heels of the team's world championship, figures to give Ludwick an opportunity to return to the role in which he is most comfortable: starting pitcher.

In his year and a half with the Cardinals, the 6-5, 210-pound right-hander continually was shuttled between the starting rotation and the bullpen -- both in the major leagues and at Class AAA Louisville.

Ludwick, 26, said the constant changes in his assignment eventually took their tool on his performance both in St. Louis (where he was 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in five games) and in Oakland (1-4, 8.25 in six games).

"The thing that, I think, kind of hurt me a little bit was in St. Louis, I was being shuffled from closing to starting and back to closing," said Ludwick, who pitched for the Rebels in 1993 after two years at Stanford. "When I was traded, (the A's) decided they wanted me to be a starter and I had a little problem there as far as endurance.

"My first three starts I was pretty happy with. My last three starts, I didn't throw the ball as well as I wanted to. But you have to come to the realization that you're not going to have 10 good starts in a row; I just went through a little funk there at the end."

Ludwick expects to be vying for a spot in the Marlins' starting rotation this spring.

"I think that's what the plan is, at least going in," he said. "There's nothing cut in stone -- I still have to win a job -- but I think that's what their plan is.

"I definitely like (starting) better. If they wanted me as a closer or for relief, that wouldn't be a problem, but I definitely like starting better. Whatever they want me to do, as long as the opportunity is there and I'm not being shuffled back and forth, I don't have any problem with that."

Although he had recovered from an elbow injury the previous year, Ludwick was bothered by a sore back for much of his stint in Oakland. He spent the winter pitching in Puerto Rico and proclaimed himself fit and ready to compete for a starting spot with the Marlins.

"I've got to be ready for spring training and try to make the team," he said. "It's about that time to start kicking it in and getting some good, quality starts and sticking up there."