The Cool Of The Grass 2050.3: Yokoyama and Yang are Yesterday's News

[aaronweiner]

When you lose 105 games and you trade away the core of a lineup that finished 13th in the Frick League in runs, what have you really traded away? The Des Moines Kernels will find out in 2050, as they traded away two of the more popular and well-known players on the squad, Norihisa Yokoyama and Chua-kah Yang, for a pair of prospects, Pedro Hovzen and Jorge Costa. The Kernels retained 50% of each player's salary as well.

"This is a tale of two cities, and one of them just saved $25 million and the other one just got two sluggers for the same amount," said Des Moines GM Aaron Weiner. "This is the sort of deal that sends a team from the red into the black and we also are very excited about Pedro joining our organization."

Yang is the big loss here. The infielder is a former home run champ who has been a mostly consistent performer for the Kernels since originally being acquired from Phoenix in 2042, and he has a career 249 home runs. He suffered through a down year in 2049, but many people expect him to bounce back.

"The team is obviously going to miss Chua-kah," Weiner said. "But he didn't fit into the team model we're building here around pitching and defense, and he seemed pretty angry to be here, and he's surely earned a chance to thrive elsewhere."

Yokoyama, on the other hand, was purely a salary move. The team will save $15 million on his deal trading him to Phoenix, which they will likely pocket and play someone else in his stead. The outfielder had been a consistent slugger and somewhat underrated because of his atrocious defense.

"I'm going to say this as nicely as I can," said Weiner. "Norihisa doesn't belong in any outfield, anywhere, and he knows it, too, and he's grateful to go to another team where he can DH. We're trying out different players at DH next year, and he's earning too much to be a bench player for us."

The big return for them is Pedro Hovzen, formerly a top 100 prospect who could be a legitimate slugger in his own right. Hovzen struggled badly last year in his first minor league exposure, but he just turned 19, and has a lot of talent. Jorge Costa, almost 25, was supposedly a throw-in.

"We think Pedro just needs a little seasoning and some practice time," said Weiner. "We think the world of the young man. We also are excited about Jorge, who we think is just a little coaching away from being a productive player for us."

The Kernels are not likely done dealing, as they still have a number of players on the team available for trade.

"We're looking to change a few things up," said Weiner. "We've got a big hole to dig out from."