In a major off-season move, the California Roadrunners sent slugger and OPS monster Jose Bautista to the Metropolis Avengers in exchange for Josh Beckett, Mitch Moreland, Jason Motte, and Jarrod Parker. Roadrunners' GM Brendan Conrad held a press conference this week to try and explain the organization's position in trading arguably one of the best BRASSball players.
"Listen: we were about to enter the off-season free agency period with only 2 1/2 legitimate starting pitchers, no DH or first baseman, no catcher, and no bullpen. With one trade, we were able to get a 30-game starter, an actual glove at first base (no offense, El Caballo), a closer, and a top pitching prospect. I don't know where else we would be able to secure upgrades in all of those spots without having to spend our entire bank account in the free agent market.
Jose had a great year for us, but he was only under contract for one more season and he expressed interest in exploring other opportunities. Yes, he let us know that he was not interested in signing with California after 2012. That played a huge factor in our decision to move him now. We feel that he'll have an outstanding opportunity to play for Drew and Metropolis."
Bautista put on quite and offensive performance for California in 2011. However, there was a segment of the front office that felt that he actually underachieved. Bautista put up 44 home runs and 126 RBI. However, he struck out 132 times and ended the season with only a .244 batting average. A 55-homer season, and a .260+ average would have probably put California in the post-season. The club led the AL in one-run victories with 32, and 16 extra-inning wins. However, Bautista and the team fell apart in September, as they stumbled towards the finish line with an 11-11 record. The Roadunners missed the wild card by three games, and many blamed Bautista for not living up to the hype.
While many were surprised by the move as the Roadrunners were all set to return a formidable offense for 2012, it's time to move on and take a look at the new members of the team and where they might contribute next season and beyond.
Beckett did not perform well during an injury-plagued 2011 with the Avengers. An 8-14, 5.44 season does not look good on paper. However, Beckett has a solid track record, and is ready to rebound for California in 2012. He will be penciled in for 30 starts as the #2 starter behind Ian Kennedy. This will push Bud Norris to the third spot, and Ivan Nova to the four.
Moreland played sparingly for Metropolis in 2011, batting only .224 in 143 at-bats. His 7 home runs project well, but is most likely to settle in somewhere around the 15-20 range for a full season. Moreland bats left, and his splits work out nicely and compliment John Mayberry, Jr. In essence, California now has its first-baseman with this platoon.
Motte threw well in the Avengers bullpen, tossing 52 solid innings in relief with a 3.44 ERA in 2011. But there's more to Motte than just his nice beard. He also picked up a couple of saves, showing that he can finish games if need be. That's exactly what California needs. After a falling out with closer Brandon Lyon, Motte will be asked to close out games in 2012.
Parker was drafted third overall by Metropolis in the 2011 BRASSball draft. He will be signed to a minor league contract for 2012, but is expected to begin starting for California in 2013. There will be high expectations for Parker, who will join Gerrit Cole and Christian Freidrich as the top starting pitching prospects in the organization.
