The Bullwhip - 1996.2 - Menne Jr. Dumped

[DoubleB]

The Record
July 21st, 1996
Hackensack, New Jersey
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Wasting no time in dealing with a difficult situation, new Hackensack Bulls GM Brian Boulton has moved quickly to address the salary cap albatross that is 3B Rashardo Menne Jr's remaining 3 1/2 years at $11.5 Million per season contract. Menne Jr. has been traded to Des Moines in exchange for SS Tim Naehring, with the Bulls greasing the salary dump by including prospects C John Baldwin, SP Cletus McGriff, RP Juan Deguzman and the Bulls 2nd round pick in this winter's MBBA amateur draft. Menne Jr., 34 years old, was hitting .240 with a .672 OPS and a .945 fielding percentage for Hackensack this season, a staggering 248 point drop off in OPS from last season. Given his age, the fact that the Bulls were pressed up tightly against the salary cap and the depth at third base on the roster, Boulton no doubt was terrified of what Menne Jr.'s contract could mean for the long term financial future of the Bulls. In giving up Baldwin, McGriff and Deguzman.. plus the 2nd round pick, Boulton has paid a hefty price for financial stability, but no doubt felt no emotional connection to his predecessor's draft selections.

"Baldwin, McGriff and Deguzman are highly rated prospects, no doubt," said Boulton to the media this morning. "But we'll be putting a premier on defense with this club going forward and considering he's a young catcher, I'll be honest and say that Baldwin doesn't fit the profile. McGriff will be a solid starter and Deguzman is almost ready to pitch in the MBBA right now... but you have to give up something to rid yourself of a contract like that. Naehring is a nice acquisition for us. He has the experience of playing Major League Baseball in Boston and gives us excellent defense and solid depth through the infield."

Insiders close to the team have predicted that the arrival of Naehring will mean positional changes for Rafael Rodriguez (to 2B), Carl Tawk (to 3B) and Alistair Sharpe (to 1B full time). All of these moves figure to improve the Bulls' infield defense, already the best in the Frick League.

[lynchy34]

Please retire. Please retire. Please retire.