A CHALLENGE TRADE!
The newly-minted Arizona Thunder made a deal in the final week of spring training, and it was a doozy. GM Ronald Melkonian sent starting 2B Aaron Hill (.286, 36, HR, 108 RBI with the Jays) along with left-handed pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman to a division rival, the Pottsylvania Creepers. In return, the Creepers dealt arguably their best young pitcher, RHP Yovani Gallardo.
Thunder GM Melkonian expressed confidence that newly-drafted Martin Prado would step in as the regular 2B and that adding Gallardo gives him an established arm to go with a largely-inexperienced (Mat Latos, Tommy Hanson, Andrew Bailey, Derek Holland) pitching corps. Long criticized for his lack of roster depth, Melkonian was quit to point out that he had added IF Alberto Callaspo and Jason Bartlett in this year's draft, and pointed to a strong bench with C Miguel Montero, OF Ryan Raburn and Travis Snider.
For Creepers GM Jeff Moore, it was all about adding some offense at a position that had seen limited competition this spring between converted OF Skip Schumacher and utility man Blake DeWitt. The defending champions are keeping their fingers crossed that after trading Gallardo they can weather the temporary absence of LHP Cliff Lee (recovering from a shoulder strain) and not overtax their thin pitching staff in the first month.
Without a doubt, the trade between divisional rivals right before the season begins can only be seen as a bold move by both GM's.
OTHER SPRING ODDITIES:
Black Mesa: The 2B competition between Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler has been resolved by default, with Kinsler beginning the year on the DL. Left-handed slugger Curtis Granderson beat out emerging talent Franklin Guttierrez for the Anomalous CF job.
Brooklyn: OF Jacoby Ellsbury won the job of leadoff hitter and will mostly play left, while rookie OF Andrew McCutcheon has been named the club's full-time CF, as the Moabs emphasize speed at the top of the lineup. Talented B.J. Upton becomes the odd-man out, with veteran Mike Cameron and last year's main CF (Shane Victorino) splitting duties in RF. 3B Brandon Wood lost out to rookie Ian Stewart, who will platoon with veteran Mark Teahen at the hot corner for the Moabs. Versatile utility man Brandon Inge popped 27 HR last season, but he will begin the 2010 campaign on a split contract in the minors, an expensive insurance policy. LHP Francisco Liriano will for now settle into a long relief role.
The Moabs, without a doubt, have greater depth and more options than any other club in the league. Depth not only gives you the ability to weather the inevitable injuries, it gives you options in the trade market. Consider these arms that GM Eric Caskey might dangle in the next few months: J.J. Putz and Jeremy Accardo (signed to split contracts), or rookies like Daniel Bard, Chris Volstad, Ryan Perry, Justin Masterson, Jose Mijares, Chris Tillman, Jeremy Hellickson, Casey Kelly.....the list just goes on and on.
Casselton: The Horned Toads made a minor deal with the Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels, acquiring veteran SS J.J. Hardy for the price of a left-handed pitching prospect (Gio Gonzalez) and troubled OF Andrew Lambo, who has been placed on the league's ineligible list for now due to a violation of the league's drug testing program. Hardy will back up starting SS Rafael Furcal, and his acquisition (and salary cap considerations) has led to the club's decision to release once-promising minor-league IF Mike Aviles and RHP Faustino DelosSantos.
With little cap room to spare and a crowded roster, the Horned Toads were also forced to option OF Jay Bruce, Carlos Gonzalez and Garrett Jones to the minors. About the only rookie expected to make an initial impact is 3B Casey McGeehee, who will for now platoon with Jorge Cantu at the hot corner.
Darwin: Coming off a season in which the wheels came off their offense, the Finches had to be concerned with the early struggles of Chipper Jones, David Ortiz and the increasingly-erratic Milton Bradley. DH/1B Jack Cust, added to supply power in this year's draft, may in fact become a victim of roster cramp if a spot can't be found for both him and IF Miguel Tejada, who is expected to play both SS and 3B. With offense in short supply, C Miguel Olivo has been named the Opening Day starter and will be given a tryout in the cleanup spot, despite the fact that incumbent Yadier Molina is widely-regarded as a better receiver and is one of the club's 'keepers'.
Frostbite Falls: In addition to dealing Hardy, the Squirrels are toying with the idea of releasing LHP John Grabow if they can't find a taker. CF Carlos Beltran will begin the year on the DL, but the big changes are that former setup man Joakin Soria is the new closer and rookie Jason Heyward begins the year as the starting RF. 2B Rickie Weeks, plucked off Casselton's roster in the off-season, will partner with the (hopefully) injury-free Jose Reyes to give the Squirrels a new-look middle infield.
Los Angeles: On the one hand, the PF Flyers have a lot of pitching to choose from this spring and this embarassment of riches might mean that they are able to weather injuries to the rotation better than last season's last-place finish. On the other hand, an attempt to trade 'Dice-K' (Daisuke Matsuzaka) fell apart in spring training, and young OF Dexter Fowler (a victim of roster cramp) had to be sent back to the minors to avoid the loss of more pitching depth. Former ace Aaron Harang has struggled each of the last two BARB seasons and finds himself out of the rotation, a pricey but perhaps still-valuable long reliever.
Perhaps most importantly, Lance Berkman, the off-season's big-name signing and projected cleanup hitter, and Brad Lidge (the franchise player and closer-by-default) both begin the year on the DL. Things do not look good for this club.
Next time: more tidbits of news about Madtown, Oakland, Pottsylvania, St. Francis, Worcester and Yuma.
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