2061-21 So long Serrano.. (and Turkes)

[Knucklehead254]

You can tell at this point we have gone into full rebuild mode, we've fallen to an absolutely garbage 10-30 record, and it was clear changes needed to be made. That being said, I still wanted to hold on to Reynaldo Serrano. This season so far has not been kind to him, he's been struggling to hit and has been struggling with injuries and we're only a quarter of the way through the season. But trade away my most successful draft pick since joining the BBA, at 26 no less? Out of the question. But things change, and the most obvious is our roadmap for this season. Playoff expectations are out the window as we essentially begin our second teardown of the roster. Anyone being available, though I have some players that I value quite highly, Serrano included. It's why I was shocked when Montreal, during negotiations for Ziya Turkes, threw down a deal that involved him and Serrano, with the headliner being #36 prospect Juan Hernandez. I didn't want to trade Serrano, but at the same time I was intrigued. Should I? I know we shouldn't get emotionally attached to our players but I know how damn good Serrano can be. and in a more hitter friendly ballpark in Montreal? He may just have another fantastic season if he can stay healthy. IF he can stay healthy. That right there was the moment I started realizing it was time to trade Serrano. There was a lottt of back and forth with Montreal GM Bob Breum, mainly cause we needed the oks on pitchers from new dad Erik. Eventually, as a tear shed from my eye, a deal was made:

Montreal receives:
2B/SS Reynaldo Serrano
RF Ziya Turkes

Vancouver receives:
1B/DH Juan Hernandez (#36 BBA Prospect, #3 Montreal prospect)
LF/RF Phillip Higgins (#91 BBA Prospect, #6 Montreal prospect)
P Abdul-Halim bin Mansur (#7 Montreal prospect)
P Chris Parker (#13 Montreal Prospect)
$2,000,000

Let's start with the main player I got back, Juan Hernandez. Now yes I know, "BuT hE'S JuST a DH". You're right he is, but damn he's got a solid foundation of a bat already and it could get better IF it develops. The plan is to put him in AAA and call up both Javier Valles and Raul Pena to platoon the DH spot in the majors for now. If recent first round pick Royce Hinkle can bring his defense at left up a bit, I'd say next year we'll see them both in Mounties uniforms, which should provide a much needed boost to a team who's main struggle has been offense. In terms of what that means for Greg Clover, I may try him out at second throughout the year.

#91 prospect Phillip Higgins also has the potential to be called up next season. I want to try to work on him as a right fielder but his arm may be just a little too weak for that. We'll see what happens with him but he also looks like he could be a solid hitter.

The two pitchers Mansur and Parker should be nice pickups, though both have some warts in their game that need to be figured out. Parker has an underdeveloped changeup which in turn has been causing him to give up long bombs. Our ballpark may relieve some those burns (I mean hey, Shoutout to 2058 All-Star and K leader Reese Newsome), but if he can do a little better at keeping the ball down, he could be a nice asset either as a starter or bullpen option. Mansur on the other hand reminds me a lot of Sam Fisher. He won't strikeout a lot of batters, but he'll make sure you get the worst possible contact on the ball. His main issue is his control is needs to improve. If it does, I can see Mansur becoming the next Sam Fisher for the Mounties organization.

[Trebro]

That's a really bold move, but it looks like you got the return you needed for Serrano.

[Knucklehead254]

That's a really bold move, but it looks like you got the return you needed for Serrano.

I really hated doing it but I think it needed to be done.