The Kraken Release 2001.05

[cheekimonk]

The Kraken Release
May 1, 2001
Charlotte, NC
**********************************

After an offseason with almost literally no movement, GM Ben Teague stunned all of MBBA by executing two eye-raising trades one month into the season and with the Kraken already 7 games out of first place in the FL Atlantic Division. The Kraken Release sat down with Teague to discuss the trades and what they bode for the future.

Trade:

Carolina sent 4-star pitching prospect and former 1st-round draft pick Mack Milholm to Greenville for SP Gregorio Gonzales and P Chris Rowe

With your team coming off a 100-loss season and quickly falling out of contention, why trade away your top prospect?

Milholm is, indeed, an elite prospect. There is no denying that. But, at only 19, we don't have the luxury of time to wait for him to be ready 3 or 4 years from now. Gonzales is 31 and Rowe is just entering his prime at 27. With the maturation of some of our offensive prospects, we feel like the sweet spot for returning to contention is one or two years away. It is much more likely that Gonzales and Rowe will have the ability to be effective in that time period than it was for Milholm. Make no mistake that Milholm will most likely be a star long after Gonzales and Rowe have hung up their spikes, but our team is really hurting now and needs some hope for the more immediate future.

Trade:

Carolina sends prospects CL Finley Nickerson, CF Esteban Diaz, and two minor leaguers to Seattle for SP Bjorn Nepal

In this deal, you gave up two prospects to reach for a mid-range starter?

Honestly, we weren't satisfied that the profile of Nickerson would meet our needs when he was ready. Even moreso, we've been alarmed at the development track of Diaz whom we had looked at as our CF and leadoff hitter of the future. Nepal is 28 and has room to grow with a high work ethic. Again, we think he'll be an integral part of what we hope we can achieve in the next couple of years.

All of these trades involved acquiring pitchers, but your offense is struggling?

That's true, but we have some key offensive contributors coming up through our minor league system. They will be ready next year or in 2003. In the meantime, we've put a lot on the shoulders of our young guns like Kim Rodas, Cleo Blanco, and Lloyd Reece. Getting them exposure to major league hitters has been good, but getting pounded consistently is not helping their confidence. We needed to give them some room to breath and, if necessary, experience some success in AAA.

[recte44]

Both of these trades are risky, but you are getting proven talent in return for potential. It's a roll of the dice, certainly.