IAL TRADES
MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS send SS EVERTH CABRERA to the RISING BAMM BEANO’S in exchange for SS RAFAEL FURCAL. Don’t really like either player. Cabrera is younger and is likely to get older. While Furcal is older and might retire sooner.
MARAUDERS 5, BAMM BEANO’S 5 – EVEN
MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS send 2B JEFF KEPPINGER to the GREEN ROCK BOMBERS in exchange for P CARLOS ZAMBRANO. Keppinger is a utility infielder. But this year he is a fulltime secondbaseman, the Bombers needed one of those, thus the trade. Gonna miss Papa Bunch’s swearing @ BIG Z, when Carlos walks the bases loaded. Zambrano has the talent to be a front-end starter.
MARAUDERS 7, BOMBERS 3 – ADVANTAGE MOLLY PUTTS
CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS send 2B HOWIE KENDRICK & #3DC (P BRIAN MATUSZ) to the THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS in exchange for P* BRIAN SANCHES & P* CRAIG BRESLOW. Look at what Molly Putts got for a regular secondbaseman and then look at what the Highlanders got for a regular secondbaseman, and Kendrick is better than Keppinger, this one is a real head scratcher! A couple of journeyman relief pitchers for a starting secondbaseman and a starting pitcher.
HIGHLANDERS 2, GAMBLERS 8 – ADVANTAGE GAMBLERS
TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS send IF JULIO LUGO & P* JOSE MIJARES to the CHICAGO CHAMPIONS in exchange for IF FELIPE LOPEZ & P* HIDEKI OKAJIMA. Julio Lugo is a better fielder than Felipe Lopez, Lopez is the better hitter of the two & he gives the T*Chix more coverage at 3B. Okajima is closer to becoming a draft pick, while Mijares, although limited, is the better pitcher.
THUNDERCHICKENS 4, CHAMPIONS 6 – SLIGHT ADVANTAGE CHAMPS
GREEN ROCK BOMBERS send IF RONNIE BELLIARD to the KENTUCKY KERNELS in exchange for P DAVE BUSH. Both are bums! This is strictly a coverage trade.
BOMBERS 5, KERNELS 5 – EVEN
MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS send SS JOSE REYES to the RISING BAMM BEANO’S in exchange for P ADAM WAINWRIGHT. This trade was made after Wainwright hurt his elbow & would miss the upcoming season with Tommy John surgery. It was also known Reyes was an alcoholic & would be an underperforming shortstop. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Reyes when he first came up, but that was long before the luster wore off. Three things I don’t understand about trading Wainwright. 1) He’ll still be a good starting pitcher when returns in a year. 2) Why not shop him around for the best offer (there are six teams competing for four playoff slots), rather than settling? 3) Why not just draft SS Starlin Castro & keeping Wainwright than trading for SS Reyes & drafting P Jaime Garcia?
MARAUDERS 8, BAMM BEANO’S 2 – ADVANTAGE MARAUDERS
COLONA UPPERDECKERS send C JOHN BUCK & P* RAFAEL PEREZ to the TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS in exchange for 3B CASEY McGEHEE & OF MIKE CAMERON. McGehee was stuck behind Ryan Zimmerman with the T*Chix, while Buck was behind Mauer with the Upperdeckers. This trade was on the table for a long time, I give both teams credit for doing what was necessary to get this deal done. Perez was cannon fodder, while Cameron was dropped. This trade helps both teams.
UPPERDECKERS 5, THUNDERCHICKENS 5 – EVEN
CHICAGO CHAMPIONS send P* RYAN PERRY to the COLONA UPPERDECKERS in exchange for OF DEXTER FOWLER. Recently the Champions have traded outfielders Shane Victorino, Matt Kemp, B.J. Upton, & Delmon Young, so they needed some outfield help. Fowler also gives the Champs much needed speed. Perry throws 100 MPH, so he’ll fit nicely into Colona’s pen. This trade helps both teams.
CHAMPIONS 5, UPPERDECKERS 5 – EVEN
COLONA UPPERDECKERS send 3B EDWIN ENCARNACION to the NORTHSIDE HITMEN in exchange for P* MATT LINDSTROM. Lindstrom will replace Perez in the pen for Colona, while Encarnacion provides a nice bat off the bench for the Hitmen.
UPPERDECKERS 5, HITMEN 5 – EVEN
DROPS
OF JACOBY ELLSBURY – TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: Jacoby stole over 100 bases in two years, scoring over 100 runs & batting over .300 last year, besides that he’s a gold glover. Some things are a mystery, why wouldn’t you protect this guy?
OF CHRIS COGHLAN – MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS: Coghlan batted .311 as a rookie & he’s out of Tarpon Springs, FL. If you don’t want him, why not shop him around?
P BRANDON WEBB – GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: The Bombers protected Webb last year, after trading World Series MVP, Alfonso Soriano to get him, now he’s getting ready to pitch, why not protect him? Ryan endured his former skipper throwing his card around, he managed a 3.60 ERA over six years, averaging 33 starts & 200+ innings per season, with a disappointing record of 64-78.