C-Notes 2043.01 - Not Your Boring Old Thursday

[GoldenOne]

Thursday, 20 November 2042 was not a boring day for the Charlotte Cougars organization. Two massive trades happened within hours of each other that could make the day fairly infamous in the history of the Cougars. Whether that infamy is a good thing or a bad thing is obviously still up for debate and no doubt will be a topic of many bar-side conversations throughout the upcoming season.

The first trade seemed innocuous enough. GM Golden traded one of the best hitters on the team, OF Jaime Geerdinkck and to the newly minted Omaha Cyclones for IF Tu-fu 'The Beast' Yong. Asked why he would trade a promising young hitter with two seasons of arbitration left for a 31-year old infielder with 2 years at $11M each, GM Golden had this to say:

"First, I liked Jaime. He's a good hitter and plays some okay defense. But I still cant pronounce his last name and I'm not here for the media taking shots at me for getting it wrong every time. Next, you saw what happened when Richardson went down last season. I've know Tofu (yes, that's what I call him, that's not me getting it wrong) since my days in Nashville. I know what he can do for a team. He's not the shortstop he used to be, but he provides some good flexibility, excellent defense, and he still has a good bat. From both sides of the plate."

The second trade has seemed to stir up more discussion in Charlotte. For the second year in a row, GM Golden has traded the overall #1 pick, both of them having the potential to be Hall-of-Famers one day. This time it was the 21-year old Dave Lee to the Yellow Springs Nine in return for 2B Roberto Viramontas, RP Carlos Elías, 1B/DH César Torres, and SP Kandy Soufax. While it was not quite the trade that was being rumored about, this trade seems to have some immediate value for the Cougars while also adding some depth to the organization. In his comments, GM Golden had this to say about the trade:

"Yes, two years, two #1 overall SPs, and two trades. Lee might have made it to the BBA later this season, most likely (for the Cougars at least) not until next season. And then, you only get to see him every fifth day. We've got a proven, cornerstone 2B, and he may even see some time at 3B this season, in Viramontas. Our Bullpen was worked hard last year; they did a great job for the first half of the year but got worn down after that. Elias will be able to help out there this season. Torres - not much for defense, we'll see what kind of first baseman he can be, but boy can he hit! Between Torres and Andrew Gallagher, good luck keeping those guys quiet in a couple of seasons. And Soufax.... Well, Kandy's got some control issues but look, he's smart, young, and very hard working. If he can work on his movement or his control, just a little bit.... well, he wont make you forget about Dave Lee but you wont care as much about his loss."

"Overall, with these two trades, our infield defense, already one of the tops in the JL, should be even better this year. Our offense certainly got better. Our depth is better. With the younger guys we brought up and saw some time in the outfield in September.... Well, I'm excited to see what this season's Cougars can do. We might just shock some people."

[recte44]

No risk, no reward. Right?

[GoldenOne]

No risk, no reward. Right?

The Plan® is in motion.

[7teen]

No risk, no reward. Right?

The Plan® is in motion.

The Master PlanTM may have stolen a chapter from The Plan

[GoldenOne]

No risk, no reward. Right?

The Plan® is in motion.

The Master PlanTM may have stolen a chapter from The Plan

Hopefully it works for one of us.