Omaha stuns fans by announcing 11 player trade with Heartland rival.(43.26)

[niles08]

Did the 0-12 start in Omaha stun you? What about Emilio Morales and his .171 batting average? Or the Omaha team being dead last in runs scored and runs allowed in the Frick? Well, you better sit down for this one.

Omaha fans and the sports world alike were stunned as news broke that Omaha had agreed in principle on a deal with a fellow Heartland team by the name of the Louisville Sluggers. And oh boy, not just a “deal” but as news broke regarding the players involved, it seemed that for a good 20 minutes there were more and more names being thrown around on social media as being involved in this deal.

When the dust settled, 7 current Omaha Hawk players were told to pack their bags as they would be heading to play for the Sluggers. Among those 7 were 5 current BBA level players.

Breaking it down as simply as possible, it looks like this:

Going to Louisville:

SP In-Sung Yi
SP Stephen Clulow
1B Edgardo Diaz
OF Marin Marin
OF Brett White
OF Human Bin Nuti
3B JR Browne


Coming back to Omaha:

C Toshikazu Noguchi
OF Donald Miller
SP Andres Salinas
SP Egbert Behner

In-Sung Yi may be the biggest piece involved. Yi only played a year in Omaha after being acquired from Yellow Springs. Last season he had a 4.19 ERA and a K/9 of 11.79, placing him second in the Frick. Brett White was another, leaving town after spending only 67 games in Omaha having been acquired at last year’s trade deadline. He has done well since in Omaha, hitting 19 home runs in those 67 games, and having an OPS+ well over average.

Edgardo Diaz is a bit of a wild card heading to Louisville having struggled early on in his career. Now at age 25, and batting primarily against lefties , he only seems to have figured it out for the most part however he has struggled in the field.

The saddest name involved that have Hawk fans reeling is Stephen Clulow. Clulow has been the well-known anchorman and ironman and "manly man" of the rotation for the past 10 seasons. He has a career 2080 innings, a 4.94 ERA, and a 20.7 WAR. He has caused 1,511 strikeouts over this innings. Clulow’s 94 wins in an Omaha uniform were the 9th most for any pitcher in the franchise. It’s a two way street as his 93 losses were the 5th most. Clulow had 1,614 innings for the club, 9th most and likely would have been in the top 5 by the end of this season had he not been moved to Louisville.

Someday, there may be a time when Stephen Clulow finds himself being welcomed back to Hawks field to go into the Cyclone Hall of Fame.

Clulow also could find himself back next season if he decided to opt out of his final year of his contract. It’s worth noting that of the guys moved at the BBA level, only Yi and Diaz are signed to contracts next season. The only 3 may very well find themselves in free agency.

Now, just who did Omaha receive?

Omaha has the services of another new catcher in young backstop Toshikazu Noguchi. Noguchi has some room to grow behind the plate, but appears to be a tick above average at the plate. Nohuchi has just 14 days of BBA service time, so expect team control for the next 6 years. Noguchi and the other acquired catcher from the off-season Cheron, should have a nice battle behind the plate.

Also heading to Omaha is likely the biggest piece in this deal, outfielder Donald Miller. Miller, just 22 years old, exploded onto the scene last year and hasn’t missed a beat this season. Miller, has just over 1 year of service team and should remain a very cost effective youngster for Omaha. He is likely to take over designated hitter duties that White was covering.

Also heading to Omaha is AAA starting pitcher and Louisville’s #5 prospect Andres Salinas. Salinas, who is 21, projects out as a mid to back end rotation piece when fully developed. He throws from the right side, but coincidentally enough has fared better against left handed batters. Salinas spent 7 days on the roster earlier this season, posting a 2.70 FIP over 10 innings. He is likely heading to AAA for a bit longer before coming up in Omaha.

We couldn’t wrap this up without mentioning that Omaha is also taking on Egbert Behner and his $15 million salary for this season. Behner fell off a cliff before showing up in Louisville, and has a $30 million vesting option on his contract that is clearly not going to vest, meaning Behner is likely to ride the pine in Omaha until the end of the season, potentially even finding his way to AAA as a $15 million dollar attraction.