The San Fernando Bears made a surprise Opening Day trade with San Antonio after the Outlaws put Sakutaro Kawano on the trade block. In return, the Outlaws receive two BBA players in 1B Michael Schultz and RP Hughie Dunstone. Neither team is retaining any portion of the player contracts meaning the Bears increase their payroll by ~$5.5M.
A long time trade target of mine because of his durability and groundball tendencies, Sakutaro Kawano has been one of the best pitchers in the Johnson League since his age 26 season in 2054. His 2060 season was the first year he didn't amass at least 3 WAR since 2053. More concerning is the three mph he's lost off his fastball but we're confident this is still a very good BBA pitcher. Kawano spent his entire career in San Antonio before the trade. The Bears are on the hook with a 2062 team option for $14.6M or a $4.5M buyout.
The chief return for the Outlaws is Michael Schultz, my first big time prospect. Schultz still held a lot of promise after his 2058 season when he hit 44 homers as a 24 year old, but unfortunately his production dipped in 2059 and he was only a replacement level player in 2060. Limited defensively, Schultz only has two years of arb control remaining and didn't have an everyday spot in the Bears lineup since the Suzuki acquisition.
Hughie Dunstone was signed to a two year guaranteed contract during the 2059-2060 offseason and despite a 3.54 ERA in 2060 he showed troubling signs of diminished skill and concerning FIP metrics. He was included in the trade to help even out the finances.
In his team debut Kawano surrendered 5 ER over 5.2 innings against the Krill thanks to two home runs allowed. More happily he followed it up with 8.1 shutout innings against Valencia in his most recent start.
