That quote from Omaha front office GM Justin Niles confirms the rumors that the team was indeed just a split second away from trading for another back end bullpen arm. Just moments later, they now must deal with the fact that the bullpen arm they actually were counting on will now miss the remainder of the regular season, and potentially the playoffs.“We were just seconds from pulling the trigger to acquire a second bullpen piece to pair with Gonzalez, but at the same time we just didn’t want to mortgage more of our future in order to get the job done today.”
Raul Gonzalez is out for the next 5 weeks after straining his hamstring. Gonzalez, who was acquired from Las Vegas just weeks ago had a cool 2.51 ERA through 32 innings pitched, shutting down opposing teams in the late innings.
Now with the club missing Gonzalez, there is no clear closer on this team although Patrick Whitlock looks to be the most realistic option. Behind him, the club could always consider shifting Norio Hayashi back from the rotation, but he has pitched very well since entering the rotation just 11 starts ago."Gonzalez is going to be a tough guy to replace. We obviously showed how highly we thought of him when you look at the package of players we sent to Las Vegas. Now with him out, it's truly an all hands on deck situation for our bullpen. I have confidence that our guys are going to step up and get the job done." ----Omaha manager William Cole.
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