C-Notes 2051.11 - Cougars Strengthen the Pack

[GoldenOne]

In what can only be considered as a panic move for a team that is on pace to win 102 games this season, the Charlotte Cougars made a couple of trades on August 4th, almost 4 full weeks before the trade deadline. Cougars GM Brett Golden was obviously shaken as he saw the team's 6.5 game lead diminish to trailing the Division-leading Crawdads by a game.

Golden had this to say: "When your team goes 14-12 in July and the other team goes 20-5, it might be time to try and fix something."

One of those items that needed fixing was the steady decline of Charlotte's strong pitching staff. While SP Dan Small started off his Cougar career in a form that saw him sign a 1-year extension with the Cougars just a couple of months later, since that signing Small's ERA ballooned.

Small quickly found his way out the door, along with 2B Damodaragoun Neela, Util Carlos Benítez, and DH George Washington, all headed to division-rival Atlantic City. Coming back the other way are a couple of pitchers the Charlotte scouting staff seem to have high praise for.

Joining the Cougars directly is P Fernando Rodríguez. While Rodríguez still has some potential left in the tank, he is putting up some good numbers in the Cougar bullpen. There is no doubt he will be stretched out and be in the Cougar rotation next season.

Another exciting addition to the Cougars is SP Curt Fields. While Fields never really lived up to his potential in Atlantic City, GM Golden felt "Curt wont feel as much pressure to be a star in Charlotte, he can just go out and pitch. He's got the talent and we are going to get him comfortable enough to show it off."

Time will tell if this move will help down the stretch and into the post-season.