Upon hearing the news from the team trainer that reliever Pedro Uralde went down with a partially torn UCL for 11 months, the front office decided to fill the slot via the trade route. This is the fifth pitcher from the opening day Valencia roster to endure an injury of at least one month during this season.
The trade is bringing in Octávio Gallardo. The swingman pitcher looks good in the eyes of the scouts with an overall potential rating of 60 and a potential stuff rating of 11 to go along with two elite pitches including a fastball (rated 11/11) and a splitter (rated 5/11). Octavio’s stats in 2064 have not set the Aztec world on fire with a 5.01 ERA and 1.49 WHIP but will a change of scenery be what he needs? Look for the front office to leave him in the pen for the rest of this season and send him to the dev lab during the winter to see if he can pick up a third pitch.
The trade also brought In reliever Will Upham. Will is currently pitching in the SA league with a 1.09 ERA and and 1.15 WHIP. Will fits the Valencia reliever mold as he has a 100 mph fastball and has registered 41 strikeouts in 33 innings of work. He also hs minimal control at this point so he may be a devlab candidate as well.
Leaving the Valencia fold is Ramón López. The 19 year old pitching for the A league Redwood City Rocketmen had a 3-4 record with a 3.42 ERA to this point.