After a flurry of trade activity the day prior, the Valencia front office hit the trade market once again. This time it was 30 year-old catcher Luis Gonzales who was traded for AAA second baseman Kusalin Rakhi. Terms of the deal were rumored to include Valencia retaining 20% of Luis' $3.6M salary.
Luis continues to be a defensive mastermind behind the plate with his 10-rated cannon arm and double digit ratings in blocking and framing pitches. However, Luis' production at the plate has been dismal with a .164 average which resulted in a WAR to date of -0.5.
On the other side of the coin, Kusalin is a 40/40 overall player with a 5 contact/8 eye set of ratings and speed to burn as he has stolen 33 bases to date in AAA while hitting .268/.331. Kusalin's defense rates from average to slightly above average at second base while he also has had time at the other three infield positions.
All in all, Kusalin may not be one of the more exciting prospects to get, Gonzales' declining offensive production along with the anticipated arrival of Bernd Helwich and Bradley Russel from AAA made Gonzales' $3.8M team option contract for 2063 more of a hindrance than a help for the Valencia rebuild.