To Las Vegas:
RP Art "Gramps" Messer
To Montreal:
1B/LF John Catron
RF Weston Fitzpatrick
C Cesar Fuentes
SP Phil Richter
Why has Las Vegas been a perennial championship contender? There's a one word answer: PITCHING.
This season, the starting pitching has been stellar (1st in ERA in the Frick) even with injuries to deal with. The bullpen has been a problem. Their 4.70 ERA is 7th in the Frick League, and far below the expectations of the defending champions.
Before last season, Las Vegas let several prominent bullpen veterans walk and went with younger, unheralded pitchers. This was a gamble, and worked out well last year. This year, not as well RP Dale Harper has elbow ligament reconstruction surgery and will miss the season and then some. Dan Bernard has been up and down. Jerry Bostic is looking to be a bit of a hot mess. And worst of all, Paul "Worm" Hogan has been extremely erratic.
GM Matt Rectenwald knew he would have to make a move, and rather than try to get someone for cheap closer to the deadline, he decided that the time was now. Having already fallen behind the Long Beach Surfers in the Frick League Pacific Division, it was important to get in front of this problem now rather than later.
He set his sights on the veteran closer, Art "Gramps" Messer. He beat out Hogan for the Gunga Oogalagunga Award in the Frick League last year, but this season Messer has had struggles of his own (5.06 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 18 saves with Montreal), so he'll have something in common with Hogan. Messer gives the Hustlers a right-handed "shutdown" reliever to pair with the left-handed Hogan.
To be seen is whether the two can co-exist. Both want to be the closer, but only one will get the bulk of saves. That pitcher appears to be Hogan, with Messer serving in a set-up role for the first time since 2003 (when he was horrendous after being traded from Atlantic City to Montreal, with a 8.37 ERA in 26 appearances).
"I know they want me to be the set-up guy, and if that's what they want, I'll do it," Messer said. "That being said, I'm a closer. I know I'm a closer. I deserve to be a closer. But I'd sure like to win a ring."
The veteran Catron had a solid run with the Hustlers, but was being pushed by younger players and was viewed as expendable. Fitzpatrick is a top prospect whose batting eye seems to be in question. Fuentes' ceiling may be as a backup catcher, and Richter had regressed this season.