May 6, 2057
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
On the heels of a perfect week of sweeping the Sluggers and Tropics, the Bluebirds did not take their foot off the pedal. Nashville is currently in first place in the Heartland with a 22-9 record, which is satisfying for most. Not Chad Nason. The savvy GM saw an opportunity when Boise announced a fire sale and he pounced on one of the league’s most elite pitchers, David Molina.
LHP David Molina
The bullpen in Nashville has been a patchwork of sorts in 2057 after Ollie Lowry signed with the Robins in free agency.
“Ollie was an amazing pitcher for us,” said Nason. “He came into the game whenever we needed to get out of a jam and eased our nerves countless times. We still got Roddy, but we’ve been saving him for strictly late inning scenarios. We signed a few vets to compete for some open bullpen positions and came away with some quality candidates, but we really wanted that absolute lockdown guy. I like heading for the showers early.”
True, the Bluebirds have signed several veterans to free agent contracts, including Hector Fuentes, who will be heading to Boise in the deal, but Tak-keung Liao isn’t exactly a household name. Cristo Munoz has had a solid career, but his best days are behind him. The club recently signed Ivan Molina (no relation), but now the bullpen should be rock steady with Roddis and the Molinas at the end of games.
The Bluebirds will also receive veteran outfielder, Cinema Jones, who is currently nursing an injury, but looks to serve as a 4th outfielder when he returns. Going with Fuentes to Boise are SP Jeremy Nickerson, LF Eduardo Morales and prospects SP Samir Qasim and LF Nihat Gurler. Nickerson is the headliner of the deal for Boise, but he is also nursing an injury. Once he returns, he should become an immediate impact pitcher at the top of the Spuds rotation, though he was limited to relief duties for the Bluebirds.
While the Spuds used Molina as a starter, the Bluebirds view him as a shutdown stopper out of the bullpen. He’s got a history of serious injuries, including Tommy John surgery and shoulder inflammation that shut him down for five months last season. Durability will be an issue, so having Molina pitch out of the bullpen may limit his injuries. If he is used as a stopper, he will likely have the same stress on his arm, so Nashville will have to be careful with his usage.
Molina has a 2.01 ERA in 6 GS this season.
