Omaha finds backend help for back end of season in trade with Vegas.(44.28)

[niles08]

With continued issues in the bullpen, it appears Omaha is less than content with letting it work itself out. Today, Omaha announced the acquisition of back end reliever Raul Gonzalez and outfielder Adam Neal from the Las Vegas Hustlers organization.

The lefty Gonzalez, has been exceptional during his past 2 seasons with Vegas, having a career 2.22 ERA through 73 innings pitched. His HR/9 of 0.6 should be exactly what Omaha needs along with his ability to keep runners from getting free passes at under 2 per 9 innings pitched. Is BABIP of .341 this season is extremely high and should be expected to come down with luck and better defense behind him.

Las Vegas’s defense currently ranks dead last in the Johnson League with a .674 efficiency and a negative 35.1 zone rating. Omaha’s defense currently ranks 2nd in the Frick in both, with a .737 defensive efficiency and a positive 23.2 zone rating.

Gonzalez at age 24, comes with just over a year of major league service time effectively giving Omaha the team rights through the 2049 season.

Also coming to Omaha is outfielder Adam Neal. Neal, also with control through 2049 is likely to spend some of this season in AAA despite his current triple slash of .302/.327/.491 through 55 at bats with Vegas. It is likely Neal will become a critical 4th outfielder next season for the Cyclones with the opportunity to hit regularly against left handed pitchers.

Heading to Vegas are catcher Toshikazu Noguchi, shortstop Jose Montano, OF Prospect Pedro Mendoza, and a relief pitcher in Short-A named Luis Antonio.

While fans will recognize Noguchi and Montano’s names, the prize here is likely Pedro Mendoza. Mendoza has crushed right handed pitching every step of his journey as a professional. This year in AAA he has an OPS+ of 187 and is slugging .677. Mendoza can also cover a corner outfield spot with ease and looks like a lock to make an impact in Vegas in coming seasons. The biggest with Mendoza is that the team likely had nowhere for him to play with a crowded outfield already. It was likely that either Mendoza was going to need to be moved or another outfielder would have to have playing time reduced.

Noguchi was acquired from Louisville last year in the same trade that brought Donald Miller however he simply never caught on posting a OPS+ nearly 50% lower than average hitter. His defense was also not spectacular and while he appears average in AAA, at age 23 you would be hopeful he would be doing better than average. With the acquisition of John Todd from Wichita and the supplement of Angel Garcia, Omaha simply wrote Noguchi off as the odd man out.

Montano looks to be in the same boat after the team acquired Roberto Beltran. Montano finally looked to be putting it together last season with a 1.4 WAR and 79 OPS+, which was doable because of his glove. This season that dropped by more than half with Montano putting up just a 32 OPS+ through 191 at bats before being demoted out of the starting lineup.

Several youthful members of the club are leaving town which is somewhat concerning knowing that Omaha is going to be facing a potential budget crunch over the next few years in which these young guys on minimum contracts could have helped.