2055.09 Nine Trade Struggling Maryadi to Cyclones

[Trebro]

Nine Trade Struggling Maryadi to Cyclones

June 2, 2055
by Valerie Davies, for the Yellow Springs World

Yellow Springs, OH - GM Rob McMonigal hooked up once again with frequent trading partner Justin Niles, sending struggling relief pitcher Adamnan Maryadi to the Cyclones in exchange for minor-leaguers Balbinder Polamreddy and Alfredo Flores.

"I'm always happy when I get a call from Justin," said GM Rob McMonigal, "because I know he isn't calling just to talk. Nor is he going to lowball me. He knows what he needs and he knows what I want, and that makes for great trading partners. I'm well aware that we have connected multiple times through my tenure here and I expect that as long as he's a GM in the Brewster, we'll have conversations."

In this case, the conversation once again sent pitching Omaha's way. Maryadi had played well for the Nine in 2053 and 2054, with an ERA of about 3.50, and even closing out games in 2054, with 12 saves. He was expected to be the closer in 2055 and did manage 13 saves for the Nine before the trade, but his 7.00 ERA finally caused McMonigal to lose patience, moving him out of the role despite only 1 blown save, his only meltdown against 10 shut down appearances.

It wasn't a case of selling low, however, as Polamreddy, a first baseman, is a solid prospect. He was batting .353 with 16 home runs and an OPS of 1.052 at the time of the trade. The former first round pick is killing AA pitching and looks ready for a promotion to AAA – or maybe even the big-league level, if Tahir is moved or injured. He's already won a player of the week and batter of the month award earlier in the year.

Flores is no slouch, either, with a .841 OPS so far in A ball. He's a positive fielder in both left and right field, with the former fourth round pick in 2052 boasting over 18 in zone rating in left field. He won the Pat Carter fielding award in 2053. A Navy graduate, he's got a career average over .300.

"We liked what Maryadi was doing, and clearly, so did the Cyclones. But given our team isn't going to be competing for a championship, any assets we can use to help us build the farm system [ranked near the bottom of the BBA, lest anyone forget. - Ed] are going to be utilized. We have others who can take over in the bullpen, too, so this isn't as big a loss as it might seem."

Asked about the future of the two players, McMonigal just smiled. "That's to be determined by how the young men perform on the field. But I think we'll be seeing them with the Downforce before too long, and I fully expect both to get some reps in Spring Training, with a chance to make a difference in 2056 and beyond."