Dealing Aces

There were were only 29 trades made in 2012, which doesn't seem like a lot -- compare that to last season, when there were 29 trades made before the end of spring training!

However, the last year -- and 2010 and 2009 -- really were anomalies when it came to trades. As you can see, over the last 15 years, the number of trades in 2012 is actually much closer to the historical average (27 trades per year) than the previous three seasons.

But while 2012 wasn't notable for quantity, it was a big year for quality. Of the 29 trades made in 2012, 12 involved an eligible starting pitcher -- almost all of them current or former aces, including three former Ben McDonald Award winners and the reigning Bud Black Award winner!

Let's take a look at the "dynamic dozen" who were dealt this season.

Vancouver got the ball rolling on December 9 when they dealt 2010 Ben McDonald Award winner Zack Greinke to Bridgewater along with a 4th Round pick in 2012 in exchange for Todd Helton, Ryan Zimmerman, and two picks in the 8th Round in 2012. Greinke, after his phenomenal 2010 season (21-3, 2.80 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) was solid last year (17-6, 3.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) but the Iron Fist needed offense and, with young guns Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Jamie Garcia, and Derek Holland, had starters to spare. Unfortunately for the Mallers, the 28-year-old Greinke took another step backward this season (5-4, 4.84 ERA, 1.43 WHIP), and at the moment looks no better than a middle-of-the-rotation guy for next season (3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP).

Philadelphia dealt a pair of aces on January 28. The Endzone Animals won the Morris Division last year but felt they wouldn't be able to compete this season. Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy as they immediately set about dismantling their team! The Endzone Animals sent C.C. Sabathia to the Rowdy Roddy Pipers (formerly known as the Carolina Mudcats) in exchange for 2nd and 3rd Round picks in 2013. Sabathia has been a workhorse throughout his career, topping 200 innings four times in 10 years, but has never had the kind of lights-out season that his owners have expected (106-91, 4.99 ERA, 1.46 WHIP entering 2012). It's been more of the same this year -- C.C. is on pace to pitch more than 200 innings again, but he's 8-8 with a 5.04 ERA, 1.55 WHIP. Aside from name recognition, the 31-year-old lefthander wouldn't be anybody special on next year's protected list (3.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP).

That same day, Philly sent another big-name starting pitcher to his other brother, the owner of the Amityville Ant-Slayers. (Who says brothers can't play fair?) Philly dealt the well-traveled Jered Weaver -- who has played for four organizations in five seasons -- to Amityville along with Howie Kendrick and a 9th Round pick next year in exchange for Mike Trout, Ike Davis, a 7th in 2012, and a 1st and 4th in 2013. That's quite a haul for a 29-year-old pitcher who to this point has had just one good season (12-15, 3.15 ERA, 1.04 in 2011). Weaver has been so-so with Amityville this year (9-7, 4.82 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), but looks like an outstanding keeper for next year (11-1, 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP).

On Draft Day (March 3), there were two deals that stretch the limit of the word "ace", but we'll include those deals as well. Bridgewater sent 29-year-old righty Jeff Karstens to St. Louis in exchange for a 7th Round pick (used to take reliever Josh Spence). Karstens has been mediocre for St. Louis -- 8-9, 4.55 ERA, 1.43 WHIP -- although, come to think of it, his numbers are comparable with Greinke, Sabathia and Weaver, so maybe he's an ace after all! It remains to be seen if Karstens will be a keeper for next year -- he has a 4.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in seven MLB starts this season after missing two months with a shoulder injury.

That same day, Hoboken landed Jair Jurrjens and a 9th Round pick in 2013 from Blue Ridge in exchange for slugging third baseman Wilson Betemit. The Cutters already a third baseman in Jose Bautista and a designated hitter in David Ortiz, so dealing Betemit for a pitcher was a no-brainer -- especially Jurrjens, a 25-year-old righthander coming off his best MLB season (13-6, 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). Jurrjens has been solid this year (12-8, 4.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) but doesn't look like a keeper for next year (4.97 ERA, 1.66 WHIP).

The first starter to be moved during the regular season was Bridgewater's Wandy Rodriguez, sent to St. Louis on June 18 in exchange for Jeff Francouer. Rodriguez has had a pretty awful DMBL career (20-29, 5.94 ERA, 1.71 WHIP), and St. Louis is his fifth organization in five seasons. Wandy was bombed in his only two starts with Bridgewater (9 ER, 18 H, 7 BB in 10.0 IP) and, remarkably, has been even worse with St. Louis (11 ER, 18 H, 9 BB in 10.1 IP). The 33-year-old lefty has mediocre numbers for next season (3.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Nothing to see here, move along.

Last year's Bud Black Award winner as the World Series MVP, 28-year-old Tim Lincecum was thought by many to be the face of the Rat Pack organization for years to come. But Las Vegas was in the midst of another rebuilding campaign, and the righthander didn't look like he was going to be a part of it next season (5.93 ERA, 1.52 WHIP). And while Lincecum wasn't having a great season for the Rats (9-5, 3.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP), he's had three huge seasons in a row, including a truly remarkable 2009 campaign (19-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). Lincecum was paired with Francisco J. Rodriguez -- a former two-time Eck Award winner -- and dealt to Bridgewater on June 23 in exchange for a 10th Round pick and 23-year-old lefthander Chris Sale (11-2, 2.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP). Lincecum has been solid for the Mallers so far, with a 3.48 ERA and .600 QS% in five starts, though he has just one win to show for it.

Just six days later, another former award winner was dealt when Philly shipped 2009 Ben McDonald Award winner Roy Halladay plus a 6th Round pick in 2013 to Hoboken for Giancarlo Stanton. Halladay has been steadily moving up the career leaders list for several years now, beginning the 2012 campaign ranked 10th in wins (153), 5th in ERA (4.06), 6th in WHIP (1.32) and 10th in Ks (1,732). Doc was having an outstanding season for the Endzone Animals (9-4, 2.45 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and the 35-year-old righthander looks like a probable keeper for next year (3.98 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), so in order to land him the Cutters had to give up a big chip -- Stanton, a 22-year-old outfielder who could be one of the league's top sluggers for the next 10 years. The results haven't been pleasant for Hoboken so far, as Halladay has gone 1-2 with a 5.02 ERA and 1.36 ERA in his first four starts.

Not satisfied with Greinke and Lincecum, the Mallers picked up yet another ace in Javier Vazquez, coming off a four-year run with the Sugar Bears in which he went 52-19 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. But the soon-to-be 35-year-old missed all of last season and appeared to be at the end of his career. Sardine City surprised many when they took him with the 12th overall pick in this year's draft, but he proved the doubters wrong by going 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and making the All-Star team. But Vazquez appears to be retired from MLB, and though the Straphangers are in the battle for a wildcard spot, they decided to deal him to Bridgewater for a 3rd Round pick next year, a 4th Round pick the year after that, and 29-year-old Doug Fister, who was 3-9 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Interestingly, Fister has gone 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in his first three starts for the Straphangers, while Vazquez has gone 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in his first three starts for the Mallers.

When you think "ace", you don't think Bartolo Colon. But the beefy right-hander has had some very good seasons in the DMBL. Granted, he hasn't pitched in the league since 2006. But Colon, who was drafted by Blue Ridge in the 5th round of the Supplemental Draft (#288 overall), was having a flat-out amazing season for the Bombers -- 2.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 61 K against just 16 BB in 73.1 IP. Alas, Blue Ridge never got going this year, and the 39-year-old's numbers are on the fence when it comes to being a keeper (3.80 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), so on July 12 they shipped him off to Rowdy for a 3rd Round pick. Bartolo was solid in his first start for the Pipers, picking up the win after allowing just one earned run despite giving up 10 walks and 2 walks in 7 innings.
Cliff Lee put up terrific numbers for a lousy Arkansas team last year, going 12-10 despite a 3.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The 34-year-old left-hander was 6-5 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season for a Golden Falcon team that again appears headed for a high lottery pick, and is on the bubble as a keeper for next year (3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). So on July 13, he was dealt to Rowdy -- the third starting pitcher they've acquired this season, joining Colon and Sabathia -- in exchange for young hurler Jonathan Niese, prospect Matt Harvey, a 4th Round pick next year and a 5th Round pick in 2014. He was pounded in his first start with the Pipers, giving up 6 ER on 10 hits in just 4.2 innings.

The final deal of the year, made minutes before the July 15 deadline, sent 37-year-old Tim Hudson from Rowdy to Amityville for a 5th Round pick in the 2013 draft. Hudson, a member of the Carolina/Rowdy franchise for his entire 12-year career, came into 2012 with a 128-112 career record, a 4.28 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, numbers that put the 2004 Ben McDonald Award winner on the bubble for the DMBL Hall of Fame (13th in wins, 13th in ERA, 11th in WHIP). Although he wasn't having a great year by his standards (5.26 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), he was 9-6 for Rowdy this season, and is a borderline keeper (3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP).

Ohh, Ahh! A big July 4th trade!

While the rest of America was chilling and grilling this Independence Day weekend, the Arkansas Golden Falcons and Philadelphia Endzone Animals pulled off one of the biggest deals of the season. Let's break it down.

Philadelphia Endzone Animals -- Traded Mike Leake and Ryan Franklin, pitchers, Pablo Sandoval, third baseman, and their 1st and 2nd round picks in 2012, to the Arkansas Golden Falcons for David Wright, third baseman, Johan Santana and Joakim Soria, pitchers, Ryan Raburn, outfielder, and their 3rd round pick in 2012.

Mike Leake was drafted in the first round of the Supplemental Draft (#221 overall) by Vancouver, but released in Spring Training. Philly signed him as a free agent in April, released him two weeks later, and then signed him again two weeks after that. It's no surprise that the 23-year-old right-hander has had an up-and-down season in MLB, with a 6.94 ERA and 1.97 WHIP in May, but a 2.63 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in June. At the moment he looks like a keeper, with a 4.03 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The Reds drafted Leake with the #8 overall pick in the 2009 draft and immediately promoted him to the majors, the first starting pitcher to make that jump since Jim Abbott in 1989, so he definitely has some potential. Leake is eligible for this season in DMBL, but has yet to make his debut.

Ryan Franklin was having a bad year for the Animals, posting a 4.68 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. Acquired from the Amityville Ant Slayers during the off-season with Nelson Cruz and a 10th Round pick in 2011 for Andre Ethier, a 6th Round pick in 2011 and a 3rd Round pick in 2012, Franklin has had a long career as a journeyman reliever, starting in 2003 with Tijuana; he's also pitched for Las Vegas, Carolina, Hillsborough, Philadelphia,
Amityville, Philadelphia again, and now Arkansas. His best year was probably 2008, when he posted a 3.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in middle relief with the Mudcats. At age 38 and having a brutal season in MLB (8.46 ERA, 1.84 WHIP), it appears Franklin has no keeper value. It's unclear why the rebuilding Golden Falcons would even want him on their roster; in his first appearance with his new team, he took the loss after giving up a walk and a home run.

Pablo Sandoval might be the heart of the deal for the Golden Falcons. "Kung Fu Panda" was drafted in the second round (#26 overall) as an ineligible prospect by the Blue Ridge Bombers in 2009. He made his debut the following year, hitting .272/.330/.445 with 42 2B, 17 HR and 73 RBI.
Blue Ridge traded him to Philadelphia in the first deal of the 2011 off-season, sending him to Philly along with a 6th Round pick for Victor Martinez. But Sandoval had a big-time sophomore slump this year, hitting just .256/.298/.383 in 277 AB, forcing Philly to look for an upgrade. But the Golden Falcons can afford to be patient with the 24-year-old switch-hitting third baseman, who is hitting .302/.343/.509 for next season.

So that's who the Endzone Animals gave up... who did the Golden Falcons send them in exchange?

Johan Santana was drafted with the #3 overall pick in the 2003 draft by the Endzone Animals, and would remain there for the next seven seasons. He had monster years in '05 (17-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) and '07 (20-2, 3.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), and overall went 83-53 for Philly. During the 2009 off season, Santana was traded straight up to Arkansas for Alex Rodriguez. But Santana couldn't recapture his previously form and had two brutal years for the Golden Falcons, going 8-16 with a 5.70 ERA, 1.59 WHIP in '09, and 8-9 with a 5.82 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in '10. But this season, Santana was finally having another big season -- 12-5, 3.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and an All-Star selection -- and now he's back with the Animals. For next season, though, Santana is 32 years old and still isn't eligible for 2012 as he rehabs from a shoulder injury. If he comes back in mid-August as expected, he just might get the 10 starts he needs, but it will be close.

David Wright is the surprise player in the deal. The Golden Falcons made a huge deal to trade up to the #1 pick in order to land him in the 2005 draft, and he's spent his entire career with Arkansas. A career .289/.347/.496 hitter, Wright was regarded as the "face of the franchise" by many in the organization. But the emergence of minor league sensation Mike Moustakas apparently made Wright expendable. Wright was having a fine season for the Golden Falcons, hitting .276 with 24 HR and 69 RBI. However, just like Santana, Wright isn't eligible for the 2012 season at the moment, needing 78 more plate appearances. The 28-year-old third baseman is currently rehabbing a stress fracture in his lower back. If he can get back to the majors by early September, he'll likely qualify for 2012. A bigger question may be if he'll be usable -- when he got hurt, he was hitting just .226/.337/.404. But given his age and past performance, it seems likely that Wright will be on someone's protected list next season.

Another career Golden Falcon, Joakim Soria, also was taken in the first round (#7 overall in 2008) by Arkansas. He's had three outstanding seasons for Arkansas, going 10-8 with 41 saves with a 3.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 272.1 innings. This season represented his first bump in the road, posting a 4.17 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, with 14 saves but 8 blown saves -- just one less blown save than he'd had in his entire career! Soria's outlook for next season isn't rosey -- 4.37 ERA, 1.29 WHIP -- and the Golden Falcons already have their next closer lined up with youngster Drew Storen.

With three former first round picks heading to Philadelphia, the final player in the deal from Arkansas's side is easy to overlook: Ryan Raburn. Drafted in the 8th Round (#105 overall) in 2010,
Raburn hit .250/.297/.495 last year and just .220/.323/.358 this year. Unless he has a Hall of Fame second half, the 30-year-old corner outfielder is likely not a keeper in 2012 (.207/.242/.344). Like Franklin, the inclusion of Raburn in the deal left many scratching their heads. Any guesses? A source inside the Arkansas organization said that Raburn and Santana share a "special relationship" and left it at that.

Arkansas also received two draft picks in the deal, Philly's 1st Round pick in 2012 and 2nd Round pick in 2012. But Arkansas also sent back its 3rd Round pick in 2012. Considering their current placement in the standings, Philly's 2nd is likely to be at the end of the 2nd and Arkansas's 3rd is likely to be at the top, so it might be a jump of only five or six places.

So who won the trade? At the moment, this deal clearly favors the Endzone Animals, who are chasing the Vancouver Iron Fist for the Morris Division lead and the Hoboken Cutters for the top wildcard slot. They already had one of the best rotations in baseball with Adam Wainwright (10-8, 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP), Travis Wood (5-1, 2.59, 1.22), Roy Halladay (11-6, 2.94, 1.17) and Jered Weaver (7-9, 3.37, 1.09); now they add Santana (12-5, 3.24, 1.26). They upgrade their offense and defense at the hot corner by turning Sandoval into Wright. And even in an off year, Soria is a huge improvement over Franklin. Even if all three turn out to be non-keepers -- a distinct possibility at this point -- they have dramatically improved their team for this season.

However, Arkansas clearly made this deal with an eye toward the future. They gave up four players who, at the moment, are either ineligible or not worth keeping in 2012 (although Wright will probably be protected no matter what). But even if those players had little or no value to a rebuilding Golden Falcons team, they did have value as trade bait. Did the Golden Falcons get enough for Santana, Wright, and Soria? (Let's ignore Raburn.) Sandoval is four years younger than Wright and so far is having a much better year. Leake is a young starting pitcher who has had a roller coaster season, but could be a good pitcher for years to come. The two picks (or one and a half, from the bottom of the 2nd to the top of the 3rd) are nice, but if Sandoval and Leake don't turn out to be long-term keepers, Arkansas fans may not remember this deal fondly in years to come.

Dunn da dun dun

Is this another sign that the world is about to end? Adam Dunn has been traded!

Eh... that's probably not a sign of the apocalypse, as Dunn has been swapped before and the world kept on turning. In fact, it's the fifth time Dunn has been traded! Interestingly enough, each time Dunn has been dealt, a pitcher has gone back the other way.

January 4, 2008: Hillsborough Hired Hitmen trade Dunn, Alex Rodriguez, Jeremy Bonderman, Ian Snell, and Jonathan Broxton to the Arkansas Golden Falcons for Dan Haren, Nick Markakis, a 7th round pick in 2008, 4th and 7th round picks in 2009, and their 5th round pick in 2010.

July 16, 2008: Arkansas Golden Falcons trade trade Dunn to the Philadelphia Endzone Animals for Jonathan Sanchez and their 3rd round pick in 2010.

November 4, 2008: Philadelphia Endzone Animals trade Dunn and their 9th round draft pick in 2009 and their 6th round pick in 2010 to the Hoboken Cutters for Scott Kazmir.

February 5, 2011: Hoboken Cutters trade Dunn and Hillsborough's 5th round pick in 2011 to the Amityville Ant Slayers for Matt Cain and their 6th round pick in 2012.

May 20, 2011: Amityville Ant Slayers trade Dunn and their 12th round pick in 2012 to the Blue Ridge Bombers for Cole Hamels and their 4th round pick in 2012.

Dunn was initially drafted way back in 2002 as an ineligible prospect, taken in the 4th Round (#50 overall) by the Phoenix Dragons. He had a miserable rookie year in '03 (.198/.316/.333) and the Dragons didn't protect him; he then went to Hillsborough in the '04 draft in the 2nd Round (#23 overall), but he struggled again, hitting just .170/.228/.377. But the Hitmen stuck with him and he finally broke out in '05, hitting .290/.377/.618 with 55 HRs and 150 RBIs. He's never been left off a protected list again.

The 31-year-old slugger began the 2010 season with a career .245 batting average (but .866 OPS). His 2011 season is pretty typical -- .259 BA, .860 OPS. However, Dunn's outlook for 2011 isn't promising at the moment -- he's hitting just .203 (.689 OPS), and at the moment only qualifies at DH. But there's still four and a half months left in the season, so he has plenty of time to turn it around... or be traded again!

Tuesday trade roundup

Two deals went through yesterday as Las Vegas and Vancouver both tried to upgrade their lineups for a playoff push.

After faltering and losing 6 straight and losing control of the Morris Division, Vancouver has actually turned things around and won 4 straight. Their anemic offense - ranked 13th in OPS (.723) - needed a punch. The Fist grabbed Jason Kubel from Amityville to help provide that punch. Kubel was only hitting .249/.312/.444 this season for the Ant Slayers, but Vancouver thinks he can help the team score some more runs. The Fist gave up pitcher Chad Billingsley, who has been lingering all year in the minors. Billingsley was 11-11 with a 5.12 ERA and 171 strikeouts last season for Vancouver. Billingsley is still young, however, and Amityville thinks that he will rebound. In addition to the players, the two teams exchanged draft picks - Amityville gets a second rounder, and Vancouver gets a 4th.

The bigger trade involved Las Vegas sending a boatload of draft picks to Hoboken in exchange for outfielder Brad Hawpe, reliever Nick Massett, and starter Edwin Jackson. Jackson may be best remembered for being dumped unceremoniously by Blue Ridge a few months back despite having solid numbers. But the Bombers were vindicated by Jackson's putrid record in Hoboken (2-5, 9.14 ERA in 8 starts). Massett was another player that was struggling (2-0, 5.27 in 40 appearances), but Vegas thinks both players could be assets. Outfielder Hawpe is a solid player who was hitting .274/.351/.510 for Hoboken with 12 homers and 32 RBIs. The Cutters received three picks in the 2011 draft (3rd,6th, and 10th) and 2 in 2012 (5th and 12th).

Not content to just make a trade, Las Vegas decided to clean house and parted with some interesting players. Rich Harden, a player that Vegas paid a lot to acquire several years ago from Vancouver, was jettisoned as owner Eric Wickstrom had grown increasingly frustrated by his lack of production. "It's the end of an error" said Wickstrom. Harden was joined on the way out by veterans Jose Contreras, Jeremy Guthrie, and Gary Sheffield. Another interesting castoff is young first baseman Chris Davis. Davis was a high draft selection in the 2009 draft (#2 overall), but his knack for striking out had put him in the Rat Pack's doghouse (or rathouse?). Also joining Davis on the curb is outfielder Scott Hairston. The purge left room for the Rat Pack to sign retreads Randy Wolf, Juan Pierre, and Gabe Kapler. "They may not sound spectacular" said Wickstrom, "but each one has a key role to play on this squad."

Blue Ridge gets ready to take on Morris Division

Blue Ridge made a big trade with Carolina, acquiring two bats that they hope will propel them to the top of the playoff contenders. Blue Ridge acquired third baseman Aramis Ramirez and outfielder Grady Sizemore from the Mudcats for Carl Crawford and a 2nd round pick. Ramirez is batting .302/.387/.527 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs for Carolina. Sizemore has 15 homers and 38 RBIs though he has struggled with a .228 batting average. Blue Ridge is only 1 game behind Vancouver in the Morris Division standings and they are currently the #1 wild card seed.

Vancouver took back the Morris Division lead with a 3-0 blanking of Amityville. Jake Peavy pitched a complete game, 1-hit shutout, walking 4 and striking out 10. Vancouver, in response to Blue Ridge's deal perhaps, picked up their former first baseman Lyle Overbay off the scrap heap. Overbay is expected to take over first base duties against righties, while Michael Cuddyer will slide back into the outfield.

It was a busy transactions day as Newark became frustrated with trying to spell Marc Rzepczynski's name correctly and cut him in favor of recent Amityville castoff Scott Feldman. Feldman will make a spot start for injured Javy Vazquez and the club will reassess their needs over the All-Star Break.

Bridgewater made the other move - a minor one. The Mallers cut utility player Jose Lopez and picked up journeyman Brett Myers. Myers was assigned to the team's minor league club.

Trades keep rolling in...

Sardine City and Blue Ridge confirmed a deal today that sent infielder Alexei Ramirez to the Bombers in exchange for their 4th round pick. Ramirez was a much-criticized first round pick from last year's draft. But Ramirez struggled for the Straphangers, hitting .246 with a .607 OPS. The Bombers hope to improve on the young Ramirez's hitting.

Busy day of deals

Teams are wasting no time in making deals.

Las Vegas and Philadelphia agreed to a deal in which the Endzone Animals get veteran reliever Trevor Hoffman and Vegas gets their 4th round pick back. Hoffman had a very rough year last year for the Pack, going 1-8 with a 9.21 ERA and 7 blown saves, but the Animals believe he can bounce back. Philadelphia wasn't done dealing though and dealt away pitchers Brandon Webb and Scott Kazmir along with outfielder Michael Cuddyer to Vancouver for catcher Victor Martinez. Martinez mostly played a platoon role for Vancouver this year, but Philly intends to give him a fulltime gig. "It was tough to leave the Pacific Northwest" said Martinez in a tearful press conference, "but it'll be good to get another chance at another ring." Martinez had been with Vancouver since 2004. Webb was acquired by Philly in 2006 from Westwood and has been a fixture in the rotation since, but suffered an injury at the end of the season and will miss the entire 2010 campaign. Kazmir was another acquistion, nabbed from Hoboken last offseason. Vancouver hopes to work with Kazmir to find his groove again.

The results for the Lottery have been posted. More to come on that...

More trades

Seems as though Newark and D.C. have broken open the floodgates.

Immediately following the other day's Abreu deal, D.C. has acquired shortstop Erick Aybar from Vancouver for their 3rd round pick in 2011 and prospect Cameron Maybin. Aybar was a trade deadline pickup for the Fist this past season, but his solid play earned him the main part of a platoon role down the stretch. However with young Elvis Andrus as the apparent shortstop of the future for Vancouver, Aybar was deemed expendable. Maybin has been a hot prospect for a while now, even had a stay in Vancouver's farm two years ago. The Fist hope that maybe he'll finally put it all together and live up to the hype.

Today, the third deal of the offseason was consummated between Philadelphia and Hillsborough. The Hitmen traded lefty C.C. Sabathia to the Endzone Animals for their 1st and 5th picks in 2011 and reliever George Sherrill. Sabathia was 14-9 with a 3.92 ERA for the Hitmen this season and has been a solid starter for most of his career (though the 3.92 ERA was his career low). Sherrill had a rough 2008 season, but he should be a good candidate for a bounceback in '09.

Newark executes first trade of offseason

The final drops of champagne weren't even out of the bottle before Newark pulled the trigger on the first deal of the offseason. After the Series was over, an irate Butch Garretson pulled Bobby Abreu into his office and went on a 20 minute tirade. Apparently, the veteran outfielder had been playing video games in between innings of Game 7. "No wonder he went 0-4" said Garretson. Abreu, who had been with the team since 1999 was swiftly dealt to D.C. for first baseman Nick Johnson, second baseman Howie Kendrick, and D.C.'s 6th round pick. Johnson, a former Mitchell Award winner, had played with the Sugar Bears from 2005-2007. Johnson missed the entire 2008 season, forcing Newark to make a difficult decision to release him. But D.C. took a chance on Johnson in the 2009 draft and is now able to cash in. "Now Nickie Boy, that's a fine young lad who wouldn't be playing Call of Duty in between pitches" said Garretson.

Reunited, and it feels so good

The Hairston brothers are back together...Hillsborough completed a deal with divisional rival Vancouver to bring Jerry Hairston to the Hitmen in exchange for a draft pick. Hairston will immediately take over shortstop duties, formely held by Ryan Theriot. Upon hearing the news that brother Jerry is coming to Hillsborough Scott immediately called "top bunk". Scott has been on the bench this year, only getting into 10 games and seeing 7 at bats, but the club has plans for the young outfielder next season.

There were only two games in the DMBL yesterday. Carolina knocked off Hoboken in the first game 6-4 as newly acquired Alex Rios was 3-4 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Carlos Delgado hit two home runs in the game, unfortunately for him, they were both with the bases empty. Roy Halladay gave up all 4 runs, but they were all unearned. Shortstop Mike Aviles' two errors both led to the 4 runs.

In the other game, Braden Looper blanked the Mighty Men, pitching 7 innings of 7-hit ball, striking out 6. Looper improved to 6-3 but was rewarded by a pink slip in his locker. Looper at first thought it was a practical joke, but it was learned that he was, in fact, being replaced by David Bush. "What the f---" Looper screamed. "How the f-- can you bring a Bush onto the O-Bombers???"

Endzone Animals begin fire sale

We're almost at the halfway mark and it looks like Philadelphia seens to be packing it in for the season. The Endzone Animals announced this morning that several of their players were up on the auction block. It didn't take long for the moves to start being made. The Animals shipped off catcher John Baker and reliever Huston Street to the Las Vegas Rat Pack for their 4th round pick next year. Shortly after that, the Animals sent starter Shawn Marcum to Marietta for their 5th round pick. It doesn't seem that they're quite done either, as several other players have been rumored to be available, including star third baseman Alex Rodriguez. The Animals are 40-42 and sit in 8th place overall.

We forgot to mention that Sunday, in a 5-3 win over Las Vegas, D.C.'s Jose Reyes tied the record for career triples with 77, held by Kenny Lofton. The next active players on the triples chart are Carl Crawford (58) and Carlos Beltran (57), so Reyes has a bit of a cushion.

The All-Star voting results should be up some time tonight. We had an extremely good turnout this year in terms of votes!

Carolina-Sardine City double shutout ends in OT

Carolina and Sardine City were scoreless for 13 innings in yesterday's standoff. Tim Hudson left the game early with undisclosed pains, but the Carolina pen had held the opposition to only 5 hits. Meanwhile, Dustin McGowan was doing the same thing on the other side, pitching 8 innings and holding Carolina to 5 hits as well. Because of Hudson's early departure though, the team had burned through their relievers early and had to call on starter Daisuke Matsuzaka in the 13th. In the top of the 14th, the shutout was broken as Carlos Delgado popped a homer over the centerfield wall. Dice-K seemed to be cruising, striking out the first two batters, but appeared fatigued when he walked Stephen Drew. Manager Mark Carreon elected to go to Roy Halladay. On his second pitch, Conor Jackson deposited the ball into the left field bleachers, ending the game by a 2-1 count.

Las Vegas edged Newark yesterday 3-2, taking their 5th straight victory. Tim Lincecum improved to 8-1 with 7 innings of shutout ball. Lincecum held the Sugar Bears to 5 hits and 2 walks and struck out 7. The Rats scored all three runs in the 6th inning, then held off the Sugar Bears who tried to claw back in the later innings. Richie Sexson was 3-4 with 2 RBIs in the game.

D.C.'s Jose Reyes hit two triples in yesterday's 11-6 loss to Vancouver, giving him 76 in his career and 10 on the season. Not only did that break a tie with Roberto Alomar (74) for 4th all-time, but it also passed Deion Sanders (75) and put Reyes within one of the all-time mark, held by Kenny Lofton (77). The 25-year old Reyes should easily obliterate the old mark.

New Jersey and Amityville agreed to a swap for disgruntled outfielder Alfonso Soriano. Soriano had been limited to a platoon role this season, but excelled in the limited time, hitting .353 with a 1.193 OPS in 51 at bats. With Amityville, Soriano should get more playing time. New Jersey receives Philadelphia's 2nd pick next year as well as Amityville's 6th round pick.

Not a creature was stirring, except an Endzone Animal

Yeah I know we said we'd take a vacation, but the Endzone Animals just had to wake us out of hibernation.

The Animals have been extremely busy on Christmas Eve Eve, completing three deals in the span of a few hours. The first deal sent third baseman Troy Glaus to division rival Vancouver in exchange for a 5th round draft pick. The acquisition of Glaus likely spells doom for incumbent third baseman Mike Lowell.

Next on the agenda, and the biggest deal of the three, was sending ace pitcher Johan Santana to another divisional rival, Arkansas, in exchange for superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez. Neither player performed up to expectations last season (yes the Falcons expected even more out of A-Rod than a .993 OPS!), so a change of scenery may work out well for both.

Finally, in another deal with a divisional foe, the Animals acquired pitcher Shawn Marcum from D.C. in exchange for two mid-level draft picks. Marcum was 11-8 with a 4.93 ERA last year for the Bushslappers and should slot in to the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation.

Bedard dealt for bag of potato chips

D.C. cashed in Blue Ridge's 2nd overall draft pick, acquiring Erik Bedard from Las Vegas along with their 1st pick in 2010 in exchange for the pick. Bedard was probably the ace of the Rat Pack's 2008 staff, going 15-3 with a 3.47 ERA, but frustrated Rat Pack owner Eric Wickstrom decided that it was time to jettison the left hander. Bedard had his breakout season in 2007 with Philadelphia, going 17-9 with a 3.94 ERA for the Morris Division champions, but he was soon dealt in the offseason to the Rat Pack.

Vegas has announced that they are now shopping that 2nd pick. A few teams are rumored to be interested, according to unnamed sources. Meanwhile, Bedard may have made righty Shawn Marcum expendable in D.C. The club has reportedly already offered the starter to other DMBL teams.

It's like discovering plutonium...by accident!

The first three-way deal in league history was executed over the weekend when Las Vegas, D.C., and Philadelphia exchanged commodities. And yes, you read that right, Marietta was NOT involved!

Here's a breakdown of who got what. Las Vegas acquired uber-prospect David Price formerly of Philly, D.C. got pitcher Chris Young, and Philadelphia got 2 2nd round draft picks for this year.

Price, drafted in round 7 of the 2008 draft, made headlines by pitching well in that "other league's" playoffs, but will likely spend the 2009 season in the minors. Young, who started with D.C. back in 2006, returns home after 2 1/2 years in Vegas. Young was probably the only decent pitcher in the '07 Rat Pack rotation and had a solid, unspectacular season in '08.

Meanwhile, the Endzone Animals, who looked like they could almost skip the draft coming into the offseason, get some valuable picks early on in the draft.

Marietta keeps wheeling and dealing...

Yesterday the Mighty Men made their 4th deal of the offseason (on 4 consecutive days, mind you), acquiring Ryan Dempster from Team Buddah for three draft picks, including Las Vegas' first round pick this year. Wait a sec...this just in...make that 5 deals in 5 days... Marietta has just confirmed a deal with Blue Ridge that sends third baseman Edwin Encarnacion to the Bombers for a 3rd round pick in 2010.

Dempster has had a rocky DMBL career so far, fluctuating between starting (2001-2002) and relief (1999,2006-2008) roles. Marietta envisions Dempster as a cornerstone to their rotation, seeing as Dempster's best DMBL season was as a starter back in 2001 with Philadelphia (7-14, 4.91).

Meanwhile, Encarnacion now finds himself with his third team in three years. Encarnacion started as a highly-touted prospect for the Rat Pack - so highly that the Rats dealt away fellow third bagger Ryan Zimmerman. Encarnacion's rookie season was solid, if unspectacular and the Rats traded him away to the Mighty Men for a 7th rounder. While Encarnacion showed a bit better improvement in his power in his second DMBL season, his other numbers fell a bit. Nevertheless, his stock seemingly improved as he now was cashed in for a 3rd round pick.

Marietta insists that they will go "into hibernation for a while" now, so a 6th consecutive trade is unlikely, but one can never count out a Landsman when it comes to making deals.

Another day, another Mighty deal

The Mighty Men have kept the trade wires steaming with another pair of deals. Last night the Mighty Men acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the Amityville Ant Slayers in exchange for pitcher Jon Lester. Lester was taken in the second round of last year's draft by the Mighty Men and was probably the ace of the staff in 2008, for whatever that means. Nevertheless, scouts liked what they saw in Lester and think that 2009 could be a breakout year for the youngster. Meanwhile Gonzalez was seen as expendable, considering the Ant Slayers already had James Loney on the roster. Gonzalez had a very good rookie year for the Honolulu Sharks in 2007, but regressed slightly with Tampa Bay. With the acquisition of Gonzalez, recently-acquired Kevin Youkilis will likely be shifted over to third base. This looks like bad news for incumbent third baseman Edwin Encarnacion though.

The Mighty Men followed that up with a morning deal sending farmhand Todd Wellemeyer to the D.C. Bushslappers for a 7th round draft pick. Wellemeyer was disastrous in a relief role for the Mighty Men, but he still has some upside. The Bushslappers seem to think that he would do well in the starting rotation, so he will get every chance to make the staff.

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.

Second trade already...

That's right, the DMBL World Series is barely a few weeks over and now the second trade of the offseason is completed. Hoboken traded young lefthander Scott Kazmir to the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in exchange for Adam Dunn, their 9th pick in this year's draft, and a 6th rounder in 2010. Hoboken drafted Kazmir in the 5th round of the 2004 draft (64 overall), but kept him in the minors until the 2006 season when he got his first cup of coffee. Kazmir started 6 games that year, but was bombed to the tune of a 7.99 ERA. Things improved the next season for Kazmir, earning a full-time rotation spot and amassing a 14-13 record with a 4.64 ERA. Kazmir took a big step back in 2008, going 8-19 with a 6.10 ERA, but Philadelphia thought he may have just needed a change of scenery. Meanwhile, Adam Dunn, who had been a mainstay with Hillsborough for many years was part of the Alex Rodriguez deal that sent him and A-Rod to Arkansas. The Falcons, sensing that a playoff appearance was not in the cards, sent Dunn to Philadelphia in July in exchange for Jonathan Sanchez and a draft pick.

Glaus ousted from Newark

The champagne bottles haven't even emptied before the first trade of the season was completed. Newark sent platoon third baseman Troy Glaus to Philadelphia for outfielder J.D. Drew. Glaus returns to the place where it all began. Glaus began his career in 2000 for the Philadelphia Eagle Wings, sharing time at third base with Scott Rolen before being sent in a trade to Columbia before the 2003 season. Newark, who just lost in the DMBL World Series, said they couldn't get Glaus out of there soon enough. "It's all his fault" said Sugar Bears skipper Don Mattingly. "If it wasn't for that miserable bastard, we'd be the ones celebrating." Glaus hit a pathetic .182 in the playoffs, but with a respectable .763 OPS in 11 at bats. "I'm tired of making excuses for Troy" said an irate Butch Garretson after the Series. "Every day 'Oh I didn't get enough at bats' or 'What about Salty? It's downright pathetic." Glaus was puzzled by the statements. "I don't even think I got in enough games to be the sole reason we lost, but I guess they're entitled to their opinions" said Glaus on his way out of the stadium. Incumbent third baseman Chipper Jones is looking forward to taking on both ends of the platoon once more. "At least now I don't have to split my time with that has-been" said Jones. "By the way, he's also a terrorist and he kicks puppies for fun."