2048.6: Aztecs Acquire Swallows
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2021 11:04 am
The champagne in the Hustler clubhouse hasn't dried yet but the offseason has begun in earnest for the BBA, evidenced by a flurry of transactions as the calendar flipped to November 8th. The Aztecs were involved, somewhat surprisingly, swinging a trade to jumpstart the rebuild of their staff before 2049. In a deal involving all BBA players, the Aztecs have acquired 25 year old knuckleballer Amos Swallows from the Charlotte Cougars in exchange for SP/RP Brady Miller and C Felipe Delgado. Swallows will be tasked with improving a staff that struggled behind Dave Corfield in 2048 but how suited is he to that task? Swallows has been enigmatic at best throughout his BBA career, alternating between above average and below average seasons in odd and even numbered years but isn't far removed from an exceptional 2045 in Edmonton. The Aztecs will perhaps be hoping that a return to the familiar confines of the Frontier will help him find his form once again.
On the other side of the ledger are Miller, who has never quite carved a role out for himself in Mexico City, and Delgado who took advantage of the struggles of Kyle Baker to capture the starting catcher gig this season and didn't look back. Baker is a free agent, and Delgado was expected to come into 2049 as the unopposed starting catcher. Those plans have now obviously changed, and will probably require a subsequent move to backfill his spot as Jai Porter is now the only catcher in the org with big league experience. Miller is a young, cost controlled swingman who has never quite lived up to his promise. A 4th round pick in 2041, Miller quickly proved his ceiling to be higher than what scouts initially thought when we came out but plateaued and could never quite fulfill the promise that he showed in the minors. Perhaps, as with Swallows, a change of scenery (and maybe a permanent move to the bullpen?) will give some life to a player who has underwhelmed overall.
So what does this deal do for the Aztecs? It creates a hole at catcher for sure but, aside from that, it gives them a young-ish SP with some genuine upside. The rotation has 4 slots up for grabs and the Aztecs have only a few proven BBA commodities. The bullpen struggled mightily last season, and bringing a guy like Swallows into the fold allows Mexico City to keep a guy like Vassilis Zorba in the bullpen. It might allow them to put Pat Lefebvre in the pen for his rookie season as well, which could be the best thing for his acclimation to the big leagues. It gives the Aztecs options, which is what every GM loves to have. The catcher hole is a problem, yes, but with close to $40 million in available cap space and the budget to use it, there should be answers to be found there.
On the other side of the ledger are Miller, who has never quite carved a role out for himself in Mexico City, and Delgado who took advantage of the struggles of Kyle Baker to capture the starting catcher gig this season and didn't look back. Baker is a free agent, and Delgado was expected to come into 2049 as the unopposed starting catcher. Those plans have now obviously changed, and will probably require a subsequent move to backfill his spot as Jai Porter is now the only catcher in the org with big league experience. Miller is a young, cost controlled swingman who has never quite lived up to his promise. A 4th round pick in 2041, Miller quickly proved his ceiling to be higher than what scouts initially thought when we came out but plateaued and could never quite fulfill the promise that he showed in the minors. Perhaps, as with Swallows, a change of scenery (and maybe a permanent move to the bullpen?) will give some life to a player who has underwhelmed overall.
So what does this deal do for the Aztecs? It creates a hole at catcher for sure but, aside from that, it gives them a young-ish SP with some genuine upside. The rotation has 4 slots up for grabs and the Aztecs have only a few proven BBA commodities. The bullpen struggled mightily last season, and bringing a guy like Swallows into the fold allows Mexico City to keep a guy like Vassilis Zorba in the bullpen. It might allow them to put Pat Lefebvre in the pen for his rookie season as well, which could be the best thing for his acclimation to the big leagues. It gives the Aztecs options, which is what every GM loves to have. The catcher hole is a problem, yes, but with close to $40 million in available cap space and the budget to use it, there should be answers to be found there.
