Mounties Trade Improves Financial Outlook (2035 #17)

[scottsdale_joe]

Rick Ward Traded to Calgary
Vancouver Financials Improve Dramatically
by Caitlen Sullivan
Vancouver Sun Sports Reporter
June 30, 2035

This morning Vancouver Mounties Assistant General Manager Rafael Méndez announced a trade that has major significance to the team. Rick Ward and three pitching prospects (José Dyola, Manuel Ferreira, and Jorge Alonzo) have been shipped to division rival Calgary in exchange for veteran 36-year-old pitcher Juan Rodríguez and $6,000,000 in cash.

The on-the-field benefits of the trade, now and in the future, will not be particularly significant for the Mounties. Ward has been a decent enough reliever and occasionally starter for the Mounties since his acquisition from Yellow Springs last November, a deal which seemingly made little sense at the time. Rodríguez, who will replace Ward on the Mounties roster, is 36 years old and is having a tough year as a starter. It is expected that he will be used out of the bullpen. And the three prospects that head east towards Calgary, while offering some future potential to Calgary, did not figure prominently in Vancouver’s plans.


The big benefit of the trade from the Vancouver perspective is financial. Ward makes $10 million per year (this year and, at his option, next year as well). Rodríguez makes exactly half that ($5 million) this year and the same next year if he meets a vesting option of a minimum of 160 innings pitched this year. He currently has 75 innings, and, if used in relief as expected, he will not make the 160 inning plateau and will become a free agent at year end. Vancouver will save $2.5 million (half of the difference in their salaries) in salary payout for the remainder of this year. Vancouver will no longer be on the hook to pay Ward’s $10 million player option next year and will not have any commitment to pay Rodríguez either.

Given Vancouver’s tenuous financial situation, those facts are significant in and of themselves. In fact, according to Méndez, the original deal discussed was simply Ward for Rodríguez. The additional $6 million in cash, combined with the salary savings for 2035, means that the projected $8-9 million negative cash balance at year end will be much closer to $0. Add the Mounties plan to withdraw some rainy day bonus funds next year, and the team will have a positive cash balance on the books for 2036. That means a lot to the team’s financial opportunities regarding free agents, contract extensions, salary arbitration needs, and general overall financial stability.

Ward can help Calgary in their playoff aspirations this year. The prospects might help them in the future. Being cash rich, the $6 million is not a significant loss for the Pioneers. The Mounties get no on-the-field benefit but do get a truly significant financial boost. It looks like a winning trade for both teams.

Bertram Hahn, I'm sure, will regard the trade with envy.

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