ROSTERS SET AS DEADLINE PASSES

The 2012 BARB trade deadline didn’t see as many trades or stars swap uniforms as in the past, but contenders still picked up useful role players.

Four trades were struck on deadline day. The teams who made the most deals (at two apiece) were Eastern Division rivals Brooklyn and Frostbite Falls—and one was between the two squads. Brooklyn, already featuring a good offense and dynamic starting staff, added a slew of relievers to their bullpen. First, the Moabs sent young pitchers Casey Kelly and Daniel Schlereth to St. Francis for righty Jon Rauch and left-hander J.P. Howell.

St. Francis management issued this statement:

“The club felt, given their (Rauch and Howell) good years in 2012 and veteran status, that they would be difficult to keep next year with the (high-paid) Betancourt and Downs already in front of them. That, and mindful that the Friars are still rebuilding, it made sense to deal these proven veterans while their value was near its peak.”

Brooklyn’s Eric Caskey was short and to the point: “We can match up very well down the stretch. That was a key.”

Caskey also sent another highly-regarded pitching prospect, Julio Teheran, to Frostbite Falls—who apparently STILL can’t decide whether they’re in or out of the race (four games behind Brooklyn with 20 to play)—for ace closer Chris Perez. In Perez—a 1.75 ERA and 31-of-33 in save opportunities with the Flying Squirrels in 2012—Brooklyn finally appeared to solidify the back end of a bullpen marred mostly by injuries (Neftali Feliz, Daniel Bard and Huston Street have all closed games for the Moabs this year).

Frostbite, meanwhile, felt Perez was expendable with the return of multiple relievers (Moose and Squirrels’ main weakness this season). GM Andrew Friedman would have preferred a pitcher coming off a better year than Teheran, but they realized the righty is still very young and has already had success in AAA.

The other trade completed by the Flying Squirrels was one talked about a month ago but tabled at that point: OF Andre Ethier went to West contender for four prospects (Zach Cox, Fautino de los Santos, Drake Britton and a PTBN).

Of course, Arizona didn’t get left out of the deals. The Rattlesnakes sent OF Jason Kubel to the team above them in the Central standings (though double-digit games ahead), Casselton. In return, Chris Johnson, Joe Weiland, Drew Hutchinson and a PTBN went to the desert (or wherever the Nomads may end up next year).

With the deadline now in the past, the only way teams can add to their rosters in through free agency.

RATTLESNAKES DE-FANGED; DIVISION RACES GET TIGHTER

First, a history lesson: in the mid-to-late 1950s and early-60s, the New York Yankees swung a number of deals (16, to be exact, over a seven-season period) with the (then-) Kansas City Athletics. Many of those trades ended up lopsided—while the A’s received a bunch of no-names and role players (Dick Kryhoski, Rip Martin or Zeke Bella, anyone?), the Bronx Bombers added a number of young players (such as Roger Maris, Bobby Shantz and Clete Boyer) who would become cornerstones of their early-to-mid 60s domination.

The discrepancy in trade value was so bad that historians continue to refer to that Kansas City organization as part of the Yankees’ farm system. In fact, the A’s would receive young players from the Yankees, give them Major League playing time, and send them back a few years later (chief among them Ralph Terry).

Why is that pertinent to the 2012 edition of BARB?

WORCESTER, ARIZONA TRADE AGAIN

Yes, it’s true. The Eliminators, just five games back in the Eastern division, have increased their chances of gaining a playoff spot. How? All through the wheeling and dealing of “Trader” Ron Melkonian.

Melkonian always shops his big name guys. This time, he was offering starter Yovani Gallardo (26 years old) and outfielder Justin Upton (25). One would think those talents could command a top prospect or two and another established player to fill a current need.

What did the pair of young stars net? Adam Dunn, Chipper Jones (subsequently released by Arizona so they could sign Mark Reynolds) and Anthony Rizzo. Yes, two of Worcester’s free-agent signees and a prospect seemingly (finally?) capitalizing on his potential.

Not exactly a world-beater for the Nomads.

Worcester GM Matt Caskey was much more brash than bashful in celebrating the trade:

“This is an amazing trade for us. Not only did Arizona hand us Jason Heyward a few weeks ago, but they are handing us Justin Upton now too. Rizzo and (Paul) Goldschmidt should be fine players for years to come, but where would they play in Worcester? Without trading any (impact) players, we have upgraded our team for many years to come. Gallardo, seemingly, was a throw-in by Arizona, which boggles the mind. We would make this trade all day. Hopefully, (their) impact this season can shorten the distance to first.”

And the comparison to the old Yankees/A’s arrangement? This is the third trade between these two clubs just this season. Previously, Worcester traded Brett Lawrie to the Rattlesnakes for four players (all highly-rated youngsters) and a draft pick. Next came an attempt by Melkonian to re-create the roster of the real-life Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt and Jason Kubel, along with up-and-down starter Jair Jurrjens, went west for JJ (Josh Johnson), J-Hey (Jason Heyward) and two top pitching prospects.

See the connection now? Analysts everywhere are wondering what, exactly, Melkonian is indebted to Caskey for. I mean, these deals couldn’t just be one owner not knowing what he’s doing…or could they?

Also, rumors suddenly sprang up that three different teams had contacted the agent for a certain Alex Cintron in hopes of signing the former “next A-Rod”—and trading him to Arizona.

IN OTHER NEWS:

As the trade deadline quickly approaches, all three division races are getting tight.

The East, where Brooklyn recently held a nine-game advantage over second place, now sees Sin City just four games back of the Moabs and Frostbite Falls and Worcester a game behind the Aces.

After biting at the heels of the Horned Toads (do frogs have heels?) for much of the season, Pottsylvania has started to get healthy and taken over the top spot in the Central. And with Johan Santana again struggling to stay on the field, most prognosticators opine that Casselton will have a hard time catching Pottsylvania.

Finally, New England held onto first for most of the summer in the West. But a recent 2-8 spell has allowed the Yuma Firebirds to catch up and take a one-game lead. Both teams are relatively healthy, so this should be a tooth-and-nail race to the finish (though New England does hold a three-game advantage in the wild card race).

MERRY-GO-ROUND THE CENTRAL DIVISION

It’s that time of year again. As the dog days of August dawn on the BARB-iverse, a team deep in the hole makes a (crazy?) decision to attempt to contend for the 2012 Central Division title.

At the beginning of play on August 11, the Casselton Horned Toads held a two-game lead over the resurgent Pottsylvania Creepers. Another eight games back of the Soviet Bloc remnant (and 10 games off the overall pace) were the Arizona Rattlesnakes, winners of seven of their last 10 and—all of a sudden—“contenders” (at least in their own minds) in the division.

It all started August 4. With the team 11 games back of Casselton at 43-56, “Trader” Ron Melkonian felt a massive shakeup was needed, so he released five tenured pitchers, four of which had combined for a 16-17 record and 4.36 ERA in 312 innings (about 1/3 of the team total): Carlos Zambrano, Jair Jurrjens, Jonathon Broxton, Ricky Nolasco and Ryan Madson (who is on the disabled list for the year after Tommy John surgery).

In their stead, the Rattlesnakes added an outfielder (Ryan Ludwick) and four other pitchers (Brett Myers, Kyle Farnsworth, Joba Chamberlain—recently released by the Worcester Eliminators, and Chris R. Young). Early returns looked good for the newcomers: three excellent starts and a 2.05 ERA for Myers and Young; seven relief appearances and three saves with only one run allowed in 10 innings between Farnsworth and Chamberlain. In addition, Ludwick has a .267 average and .768 OPS in his seven games.

With those free agency moves, Melkonian called out the teams far above him in the “inferior division.”

“Today we are changing our sails and are going to try to make some noise in the weak Central Division,” Melkonian said. “Around this time last year, our team was (about) 10 games out of the Central before we made some moves and vaulted our team to the top.” (Editor’s note—the Philadelphia Rebels were 6.5 games back of St. Francis and tied with Casselton on August 4, 2011.) “The Central is still ripe for the taking. With no strong team in the division, we think we can pull this off. The Creepers lack the talent to maintain their position in second and the Toads are showing cracks.”

But, of course, Ron wasn’t done.

About the same time as the signings, he swung a deal with East-leading Brooklyn for big-armed RHP Yovani Gallardo. In return, under-performing (but promising) outfielder Colby Rasmus and righty Max Scherzer headed east to the Moabs.

While no immediate release was available from Eric Caskey, Melkonian made it clear his team was ecstatic to find a young ace to anchor the staff.

A few days later, Scott Hatfield’s St. Francis Friars, just a matter of games behind Arizona, sent second baseman Kelly Johnson and injured right-handed starter Shawn Marcum to the desert in exchange for another second-sacker (Aaron Hill), a left-handed pitcher (Zach Britton—a former Friar) and two players to be named.

Hatfield made it clear Jose Bautista’s injury signaled the time for a fire sale. “With Bautista, we are an elite team in terms of scoring runs. Without him, we move back to the middle of the pack, offense-wise…and despite improvements to our bullpen, our starting pitching has not been good enough to keep us competitive with Jose out.”

Melkonian: “With a 1-2 punch, along with a strong supporting cast behind Gallardo and Marcum, we feel our rotation can lead us back to the top.”

(More on that deal—as well as Arizona’s other trades, at each team’s blog site.)

…Aaaaaaand then Melkonian swapped young hitters Paul Goldschmidt and Logan Morrison, along with relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Jose Valverde, to Casselton—THE TEAM AT THE TOP OF ARIZONA’S OWN DIVISION. In return, yet ANOTHER pitcher joined Arizona’s rotation: lefty John Danks. In addition, a top young outfielder, Justin Upton, donned a Rattlesnake uniform. Finally, young third baseman Josh Vitters was thrown in the deal.

“This move speaks for itself,” Melkonian said. “We are determined to reach the top, and our offense is taken to a new level with Upton in the heart of it…All in all, acquiring Upton is huge.”

So ends Melkonian’s trades this month.

But the Central STILL wasn’t finished dealing within itself. Second-place Pottsylvania, consistently looking to upgrade their offense and catch Casselton, finally found middle ground with St. Francis. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, hitting .263 for the Friars, was picked up to replace hapless John Jaso (.190, three HR) in the Creeper lineup. The price, however, was high. Top prospect Danny Hultzen—a left-handed pitcher—and former #1 overall pick Tim Beckham were added to the St. Francis farm system.

Keep an eye out for their respective press releases.

How will the Central turn out? Can Casselton stay healthy enough to fend off Pottsylvania? Will Arizona make a late push? It’s not likely the runner-up in this division will take the wild card, so it will be a two-or-three team race for one spot.

SIBLINGS SWING "CHALLENGE" TRADE

Headley: ecstatic to be in Massachusets

The only pair of siblings to both win a BARB championship, Eric (2004) and Matt (2010) Caskey once again find themselves in a heated race for playoff spots. After “a matter of seconds” of discussion, the brothers came to an agreement that would benefit both teams this season and in the future.

Younger brother Matt, whose Worcester squad finds themselves in second place in both the East and the wild card, had been searching for a new leadoff hitter. Mark Teixeira, while still imposing, had lost some of his luster and was hitting below .250 from the top spot in the order. “As it seems, teams are reluctant to trade anyone (who) resembles a leadoff hitter” Matt said.

Enter older sibling Eric and East-leading Brooklyn, who had been looking to make a trade for some time. “Of several of the unlikeliest partners, the sibling rivalry” was the one that came to a quick, easy agreement on the trade, according to the elder Caskey.

So in just a few seconds, the Caskey brothers agreed on a deal. Third-sacker Chase Headley, an early-season free agent pickup, went to Worcester along with slick-fielding shortstop Jose Iglesias. In return, young third baseman Mike Moustakas and a player to be named (rumored to be a VERY highly-regarded prospect) were sent packing to Brooklyn.

“We feel we acquired a talent that could be successful at getting on base down the stretch. With an already potent lineup, Chase and his switching abilities should mesh nicely,” Matt Caskey said. “Additionally, he provides interesting roster possibilities for the future.”

In his statement, Eric Caskey gushed about the players Brooklyn received and already staked his claim to victory in the trade.

The organization will miss the versatility and upside of Chase Headley, especially when considering injuries and matchups on a day-to-day. However, to gain the true offensive upside, hustle, defense and contract flexibility of Mike Moustakas is a great boon for the organization. He will report to Brooklyn and split some time at 3B and DH while Beltre will gather some Abs without having to play 3B all days. Additionally, the organization couldn’t be happier with the potential of the player to be named at the end of the season. He offers great depth creating perhaps on the of the deepest, youngest and most powerful collections of arms in BARB. Overall Brooklyn came out ahead on this deal even if the immediate dividends aren’t as noticeable.

In a small transaction, St. Francis cut hapless veteran Mark Reynolds (.180 average, 13 HR, 56 K in 133 AB) and signed tall righty Jon Rauch.

On the diamond:

BROOKLYN 2, LOS ANGELES 1

WP: Yovani Gallardo (6-7, 4.02)

LP:  Matt Garza (4-12, 4.90)

SV: Street (9)

The closest match of a three-game Brooklyn home sweep over BARB’s worst team saw Yovani Gallardo strike out nine over eight innings to earn the win. Jimmy Rollins drove in a run with a second-inning single and two innings later Adrian Beltre launched his 25^th homer of the year. Despite a good start, Matt Garza lost his league-leading 12^th game of the year as his Isotopes could only scrape together one run.

NEW ENGLAND 9, RIVERSIDE 6

WP: Evan Meek (7-1, 4.70)

LP: Bud Norris (1-4, 8.23)

SV: Papelbon (24)

Another three-game set…another division leader sweeps away a cellar-dweller. In the first game, the teams combined for seven homers—each by a different player. Yankee Stomper bats went off first in the third inning. With a 2-0 lead, Miguel Cabrera hit a solo home run, Carlos Beltran singled, Corey Hart hit a two-run bomb and J.J. Hardy sent another solo shot. A David Freese bottom-of-the-third solo bomb and Yadier Molina two-run pole-hugger in the fourth brought the Rum Runners back within three, and then they tied it up in the fifth on back-to-back shots by Josh Hamilton (two-run homer) and Mark Trumbo. Michael Bourn’s sixth-inning, two-RBI triple, however, put the visitors back on top to stay as Evan Meek, John Axford and Jonathon Papelbon shut the door.

CASSELTON 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 1

WP: Cliff Lee (8-4, 3.24)

LP: Tim Lincecum (6-10, 5.31)

“The Freak” had one of his best starts of the season, striking out 12 in eight innings and allowing just three hits and a walk. But two of the hits were solo home runs, which was enough of a cushion for Cliff Lee’s dominating seven-inning, three-hit, one-earned run victory. Visiting Casselton also had a homer off Frostbite reliever Eric O’Flaherty in the ninth.

YUMA 19, CENTRAL CA 10

WP: Clay Buchholz (5-1, 4.89)

LP: Mike Leake (3-8, 6.07)

Neither starting pitcher (David Price/Hiroki Kuroda) made it out of the second inning, but the ball sure made it out of the ballpark easily in this slugfest. Visiting Yuma scored five in both the second and third innings and didn’t look back. Ben Zobrist homered leading off both frames, while Yunel Escobar added a solo shot in the third. On the side of the .45s, Adam Jones launched a two-run bomb and solo shot, while Matt Holliday and Freddie Freeman added solo home runs. Out of the nine pitchers used (combined), only one didn’t allow a run—Yuma righty Rafael Soriano, who pitched a scoreless ninth.

POTTSYLVANIA 16, SIN CITY 5

WP: C.C. Sabathia (7-8, 4.33)

LP: Anibal Sanchez (10-6, 3.50)

In another game with home runs galore, Pottsylvania wrapped up a series win at Sin City to move up in both the Central division and wild card races. Josh Reddick (3-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 runs) and Paul Konerko (2-for-3, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 runs, 2 BB) were the hitting stars for the Creepers, with Lance Berkman adding a home run and three RBI. C.C. Sabathia allowed four runs (two homers) and pitched into the seventh while striking out 11 to earn the victory, while Doug Fister (eight pitches thrown to five batters, 1/3 IP, four ER) and Jesse Crain (1 2/3 IP, five ER) saw their ERAs skyrocket.

WORCESTER 5, ST. FRANCIS 4

WP: Josh Johnson (10-2, 3.06)

LP: Clayton Richard (1-5, 4.38)

Worcester snapped up the final game of the three-contest tilt to take the series, as new acquisition Headley dumped a humpback liner to center to score Billy Butler and break a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning. Headley finished his first series in an Elims uniform with seven hits in 12 at-bats, two doubles and two runs from the leadoff spot. In the process, he raised his season average nearly 30 points.

KEMP & HAMILTON GO HOMER-HAPPY

Big home runs from Matt Kemp and Josh Hamilton helped Pottsylvania and Riverside, respectively, win games that affected the Central Division standings.

RIVERSIDE 6, CASSELTON 3

WP: Francisco Cordero (6-5, 4.35)

LP:  Heath Bell (3-3, 3.60)

Kendrys Morales and Mike Napoli homered once apiece in the first eight innings, but teammates had bigger shots in the final frame. Entering the ninth in a 2-2 tie, Central Division pacesetting Casselton (seven-game lead) went ahead on a MOON SHOT off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion. Closer Heath Bell, however, had no concept of the strike zone. After a groundout to begin the bottom of the ninth, Bell walked James Loney, Gordon Beckham and David Freese in order. That brought up Josh Hamilton. The big slugger UNLOADED on a one-strike pitch, and it wasn’t coming back. The grand slam made a lucky winner of Francisco Cordero after a 10-strikeout, six-hit starting performance by Clayton Kershaw.

POTTSYLVANIA 6, FROSTBITE FALLS 4 (11)

WP: Grant Balfour (5-4, 3.19)

LP: Chris Perez (4-6, 1.72)

Matt Kemp’s solo shots in the fourth and eighth innings helped stake Pottsylvania to a 4-1 lead entering the ninth, but Grant Balfour couldn’t close the door on a victory for Jeremy Hellickson. With flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman being held back after throwing 28 pitches the day before, Balfour allowed a pinch-hit bomb to Dayan Viciedo and, two batters later, a game-tying home run off the bat of rookie phenom Mike Trout. Two innings later, Kemp put the visiting Creepers back on top with his third solo home run. Later the same inning, with two out, slick-fielding shortsop Jose Reyes couldn’t handle a Balfour grounder, which scored Aramis Ramirez with an insurance run. With the victory, Pottsylvania continued to “creep” closer to Casselton in the Central standings.

NEW ENGLAND 6, LOS ANGELES 1

WP: Ricky Romero (10-4, 2.44)

LP: Homer Bailey (1-9, 5.63)

Homer Bailey lived up to his name, allowing three homers to West-leading New England. Bailey matched Yankee Stompers starter Ricky Romero’s goose eggs until the fourth, when Carlos Beltran and Miguel Montero hit solo shots. The hosts broke the game open in the fifth, when an error on Starlin Castro extended the inning and Corey Hart hit a three-run blast. On the bright side for Los Angeles, Stephen Drew is hitting well in his return from a serious injury.

In other news, Frostbite Falls and Sin City completed a small trade of injured relievers, with Rafael Perez going to Frostbite and Nick Masset traveling to Las Vegas. The Aces then released Masset, an established player, and signed shortstop Rafael Furcal to start in place of injured Ian Desmond.

ARIZONA DEALS TWICE: STAR CALIBER AND DEPTH

As is his wont, Ronald Melkonian was back at it on the trade circuit in June. The Rattlesnakes GM made deals about two weeks apart and was rumored to be in serious talks on a third swap late in the month. Arizona also made a number of free agency moves.

Oddly enough, these were the elder Melkonian’s first two in-season trades of 2012. But as usual, neither was a small deal.

The first deal came about quickly—completed in less than 24 hours, according to the Arizona front office. The partner was just to the north: the Riverside Rum Runners, and the major piece was Riverside ace Josh Johnson.

Alex Coffman apparently finally found the right package for Johnson, a player coveted by many BARB teams for years. Headed to Riverside are righties Chad Billingsley and Bud Norris in addition to infielder Mike Aviles.

Melkonian was ecstatic in his acquisition of Johnson, crowing that the big, burly righty was instrumental, along with Jake Peavy, in rebuilding a rotation that could “be our anchor in retaking the Central Division soon.”

Alas, as with most “Trader Ron” plans, the 1-2 punch was suddenly broken down. Soon after his deal with Riverside, Melkonian agreed to swap Peavy to Sin City in exchange for a gaggle of players. Anthony Guerra was enamored enough of Peavy’s talent (and hopeful in his health) that he sent 1B Ike Davis, OF Brennan Boesch, prospect righties Jameson Taillon and Anthony Renaudo and veteran southpaws Jeremy Affeldt and Ted Lilly to the south.

Yes, the ol’ six-for-one trade.

No press releases were available from either side.

In addition, Melkonian cut a number of established players and signed free agents in their stead:

RELEASED: OFs Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter, LHP Jonathan Sanchez, 2B Alberto Callaspo

SIGNED: IF Chris Davis, OF Alexis Rios, LHP Andrew Miller, RHP Jonathon Broxton

Sin City quickly snapped up Hunter as well as Roy Oswalt. In other moves, Brooklyn recently came to terms with Craig Breslow, Frostbite Falls picked up Tony Sipp, and injury-beleaguered Pottsylvania signed Jose Lopez and Andruw Jones while Central California added Kurt Suzuki when both of their eligible catchers went down with injury.