Wheeling and dealing...

The third trade of the offseason has been completed. This may be the most trades committed in such a short period since the season ended. This time it was Marietta trading with Sardine City. The Mighty Men acquired Kevin Youkilis from the Sardines for Conor Jackson and Brandon Morrow. Jackson was acquired in an offseason deal with Vancouver prior to last season and once again finds himself shipped off during the break. Morrow, taken in round 12 of last year's draft, pitched an incredible 131 games in relief. The 24-year old may have a future in the rotation, but will likely spend the upcoming season in the bullpen. Youkilis had a subpar season with the Straphangers in '08, but is a potential star. Known familiarly as the "Greek God of Walks", Youkilis is an OBP monster who hopes to improve on his (so far) lackluster DMBL career. The trade seems to indicate that the Mighty Men, who lucked into a first overall pick with this year's draft lottery, see themselves as playoff contenders. As for Sardine City, the jury is still out. The team has a solid core of players that could be competitive, but it'll be up to the team's management if they want to go for it this year or play it conservatively and try to build up one more year. This trade certainly can play both ways.