Moscow, Russia: The Hunt for a new Center Fielder began the moment that Moscow declined to extend the contract of former CF Yoshitoki Goto.
Goto played in 153 games for the Thunder Bears, hitting 16 HR and driving in 72 runs while batting just.218 with an on-base percentage of.320
He struck out a whopping 135 times, which was the 6th worst in the GBC.
"This feels like hunting for a submarine in the vast ocean," said manager Dashevsky.
And given the less than stellar pool of candidates, he may be correct.
This year's pool of centerfielders who are willing to sign in the GBC may be the worst it's ever been. Johannesburg just snatched up Al Garrett, who spent the last five seasons with Sao Paulo and London. Garrett was a target for Moscow, but given his injury-proneness, they ultimately decided to pass on the 35-year-old right-hander who was asking for a 1-year deal north of 1.1 million.
Moscow was rumored to have been heavily pursuing Bill Bowers, who spent last season with New Orleans in the BBA, but Bowers agent has informed the team that he has absolutely no interest in playing in Moscow.
A reunion with Goto is not completely off the table said GM Brandon Tucker. Moscow will continue it's due diligence to find it's starting Centerfielder.
Navigating through a sea of floating garbage, Moscow hopes to find a player who can provide adequate defense as well as being able to contribute offensively.
