Back on July 1, the Flyers made a trade with Jacksonville to acquire 6 time All-Star closer Alejandro Chavez. He has been mostly good, with 10 saves in 12 opportunities and 23 strikeouts in just 21 innings. Today, Charlotte made another deal with Jacksonville for another pitcher. This time, they added 2 time All-Star starter Juan Marroquin to bolster their starting rotation. Marroquin is 8-8 with a 3.98 ERA for Jacksonville so far this season, with a FIP- of 90. Only one current Charlotte starter has a FIP- lower than his at this point in the season. Charlotte gave up outfield prospect Thomas Blanchard in the deal.
The other move made today was with Des Moines. The Flyers acquired shortstop Elvan Masuki in exchange for three prospects, catcher Masakado Matsunaga, first baseman Artunro Sandoval, and pitcher Sharif Qutuz. This move became necessary when it became clear that both Robert Menzies and Andy Bishop will be unable to play for the big league club for at least a few weeks. The team lacked a true option at shortstop with those two injuries and had to do something. Masuki is an excellent defender at both short and second. His offense is not as good as Menzies or Bishop but it is at least passable. Combined with his defense, Masuki is a clear upgrade over anyone currently in the Charlotte organization as an immediate solution to filling out the roster. His shortstop defense is much better than Bishop’s, so he may still see time behind Menzies even after Bishop returns.