On the eve of the draft, the defending world champs in Frostbite Falls announced a pair of deals lowering salary and reducing the number of established players pre-draft to 28, swapping two pitchers and a pair of picks in separate swaps with New England and Sin City.
First, to their division rivals (the Aces), the Squirrels sent RHP Anibal Sanchez, who had been expected to be their fourth starter going forward, along with their 8th-round pick in this year's draft. In return, Sin City sent the world champs a pair of prospects (C Wilin Rosario and RHP Liam Hendricks) along with veteran OF Andre Ethier.
GM Andrew Haynes admitted uncertainty about dealing Sanchez, but claimed "we do have good starting pitching, so when we were presented with the opportunity to pick up a talented outfielder and some good prospects for our projected #4 starter, we had to jump on it. We hope Ethier's late-season magic for the (former) Philadelphia Rebels last season is replicated in the home of the defending champs!"
In a second deal, the Squirrels sent useful swing man Alfredo Aceves and their 7th-round pick to the New England Yankee Stompers to pick up some insurance for their bench, adding 1B Casey Kotchman and OF Austin Jackson. New England was satisfied with the move, remarking, "New England always covets depth, and while we are losing Kotchman and Jackson, we are gaining a guy that has a "rubber arm" and can pitch wherever and whenever we need him. you can't put a price tag on a guy like that!"
As for the Squirrels, they admitted, "Depth on the bench was still lacking for us. We were looking to add another outfielder and a player who could DH or play 1B, and we got both. Aceves was a player many teams asked about, so we figured he wouldn't survive the draft if unprotected. To be able to pick up a good, young outfielder in Jackson and a first baseman with as sweet a swing as Kotchman for a player who wasn't likely to be with the team was a bonus."
Unacknowledged in all of Frostbite's calculus: despite his late-season magic, the coveted Ethier would join both Kotchman and Jackson as players exposed to the Draft, so any should be selected late in the Draft, the club could get some picks back.
REBUILDING FRIARS FIND MATCH WITH MOABS
The St. Francis Friars sent OF Shin-Soo Choo, LHP Franklin Morales, pitching prospect Karsten Whitson and St. Francis's 4th-round pick in the 2012 BARB draft to the Brooklyn Moabs, in return for OF Carlos Quentin, LHP Derek Holland and Brooklyn's 7th-round pick.
Moabs GM Eric Caskey felt that his club dealt from a position of strength, in which "Verlander, Gallardo, Lester and Cain present a nightmare for many lineups." Caskey added, "I sought to get increased playing time for the unestablished Cameron Maybin with the idea that Choo fits the profile gig much better than B.J. (Upton, earlier dealt for Gaby Sanchez) or Carlos. The lefty is an outstanding defender with a very good bat that profiles very well in our seventh hole."
Lastly, Caskey noted, "Sweet," in reference to Karsten Whitson, "Brooklyn may take the European Football approach to baseball in which it drafts under the radar and youth products with placement in academies across the country. We would like to use this deal to announce our new academy, the Bunker Complex in (somewhere) Southern Georgia. Among those assigned....Whitson, David Perez, Josh Sale, and Madison Youninger." A side note, "The Melkonian clan really missed out today!"
The Friars organization's press release was less ebullient, noting their rebuilding process...which might explain why St. Francis protected both Holland and Quentin, while Brooklyn left both Choo and Morales exposed to today's Draft.
SIN CITY CONTINUES TO COLLECT PICKS
With the first overall pick in the Draft, the rechristened Aces added two more selections to their larder, now twelve picks in all, and are poised to potentially dominate this year's affair. They sent rookie SS Dee Gordon to the Los Angeles Isotopes, who in return sent both their pick and a 7th-rounder previously acquired from St. Francis.
As Isotopes GM Anthony King explained, "With the acquisition of Dee, I am set at short, and I felt this was a good deal for me to make." Left unmentioned is the fact that a pair of veteran shortstops (Derek Jeter and Stephen Drew) would now be exposed in this year's Draft.
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