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Dukes To Get A New Start With Nationals

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By MARC LANCASTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2007

Updated: 12/04/2007 12:11 am

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Elijah Dukes got the clean break he needed Monday, and the Rays were pleased to grant it.

In trading the troubled outfielder to the Washington Nationals for minor-league pitcher Glenn Gibson, the Rays rid themselves of a potentially huge distraction in spring training and beyond while giving Dukes a chance to put his career back together with the one team that pursued him seriously despite his myriad off-field issues.

"I think it's good for him and it's good for us at this particular point," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

The 23-year-old Hillsborough High product caused his hometown team plenty of headaches in a truncated rookie season that got off to a promising start. After leading the team in hitting during spring training, Dukes homered on Opening Day in Yankee Stadium in his first official at-bat as a major-leaguer. But that highlight became a footnote within a couple of months.

In late May, Dukes' estranged wife, NiShea Gilbert, accused him of threatening the lives of her and her children. A public spectacle ensued as the couple battled through divorce hearings, culminating in Dukes calling into a Tampa radio station during a Rays road trip to Arizona and embarking upon a rambling early morning tirade against his accusers.

Three days later, on June 22, the Rays optioned Dukes to the minors and placed him on the temporarily inactive list, where he would remain the rest of the season. He underwent counseling and generally focused on trying to get his life back in order, with team officials reporting periodically in the ensuring months that Dukes was making progress but there was still work to be done.

All the while, there were rumblings that the Nationals were interested in Dukes. Washington general manager Jim Bowden has long coveted athletic, do-it-all players like Dukes, and the Nationals have developed a reputation for giving troubled players another chance. Dmitri Young comes to mind. The older brother of former Rays outfielder Delmon Young was dumped by the Tigers after a series of personal problems but remade himself in Washington to the point that he was selected the National League's Comeback Player of the Year this season.

Monday morning, Dmitri Young, Bowden and Nationals president Stan Kasten met with Dukes at a hotel near the Nashville airport. The deal with the Rays already had been finalized, but the Nationals wanted a face-to-face meeting to make sure everyone was on the same page. The Nationals hope Young will serve as a mentor for Dukes.

"All of us have met with Elijah, spent a lot of time with him," Bowden told Washington-area reporters Monday afternoon. "We're well aware of all the issues. We have a plan in place, on and off the field, for him. It's very clear. Elijah's on board, 100 percent. He's a very honest person who wants to turn his life around."

Dukes' agent, Scott Pucino, did not return messages left on his cell phone Monday, but the Nationals released a statement from Dukes.

"I am excited about getting a fresh start with an up-and-coming franchise like the Washington Nationals," it read. "It's an important move for my career and gives me the chance to prove myself both on and off the field. I appreciate this opportunity and am looking forward to meeting the fans of Washington, D.C. as we move into a brand new ballpark."

The Nationals clearly are pleased to have Dukes, and the Rays were happy to get something of significance in return. Gibson, a 20-year-old left-hander, was rated the Nationals' No. 8 prospect by Baseball America after the season and Bowden said it was "hard to part with him."

The Rays had no such qualms about letting go of Dukes, but at least they could do so knowing they supported him - by continuing to pay him a major-league salary, among other things - through the worst of the firestorm. Dukes was appreciative and said so when Andrew Friedman called him Monday to tell him he had been traded.

"He thanked the organization profusely for everything we've done for him in the last six months and even joked around about possibly coming back and finishing his career where it started, back home," said Friedman. "It was a very good conversation. He seemed to understand and get that the fresh start for him was in his best interests."

If Dukes can keep it together and achieve the greatness long predicted for him on the field, the Nationals will have quite a player on their hands. But Friedman insisted he wouldn't look back on the decision to trade Dukes with regret if that's what happens.

As Maddon said later Monday, Dukes would have had to do "a lot of things right" to regain the trust of the Rays' clubhouse. Dukes surely will have to clear some of those same hurdles with his new teammates, but Maddon hopes the player is ready to take that step.

"You can't have a more dramatic wake-up call than he's had, I don't think, between what happened with us and what's happened in his personal life," said Maddon. "If it's going to happen, it's got to happen now, and I think he's aware of that."

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.

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