Manchester Maulers and New Jersey Hitmen

November 6th, 2008

New Jersey receives:
CF Daniel Ríos (32, ML) - $11.0/$11.0/$12.0/$12.0/$12.0/$15.0
SP Jesús González (27, ML) - $3.2/$3.2
RF Alejandro Alemán (24, AA) - minor league contract
Manchester's 11th round 2009 draft pick (C Germán Collazo - 9th pick)
Manchester's 13th round 2009 draft pick (1B Pedro Durán - 9th pick)

Manchester receives:
RF José Cortéz (26, ML) - $8.3
MR Dan Mosley (34, ML) - $6.4
2B Naizen Nakayama (31, AAA) - $1.9/$1.9
$3,000,000 cash

Since Then:
Ríos' career continued to downspiral in '09. The highly overpaid outfielder batted .215 with 6 homers and 46 RBIs in 136 games with New Jersey. These days Ríos is nothing more than a contract albatross.
González had a solid '09 season with New Jersey. He went 12-10 with a 3.41 ERA. Overall, he grades out as a dependable number 3 type starter.
Alemán struggled at New Jersey's AA affiliate after being promoted in July '09 from his splendid Class-A performance. He has plus defensive skills and average offensive skills. His mediocre hitting skills will prevent him from being an established big leauger. He is a fringe bench player at best.
Collazo quit baseball to rock out on Rock Band.
Durán disappeared and was presumed dead while traveling to Panama to celebrate his great uncle's 58th birthday.

Cortéz was traded to Connecticut a month later for a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick(12/29/08). He has since then been traded to New Orleans in prior to the trading deadline (7/12/09). A former All-Star, Cortéz has gradual declined in production but is still capable of putting up productive numbers.
Mosley had his best season as a pro in '09. He delievered a 5-3 record with a miniscule 1.38 ERA. He also compiled 4 saves while pitching mainly in the setup role. The aging veteran has shown no signs of slowing down and has gotten better with age. He is one of the league's best setup men.
Nakayama has provided solid bench play for Manchester in '09. In 106 games, the utility infielder batted .277 with 2 homeruns and 18 RBIs while playing primarily filling in at SS and 2B. It appears he has found a home and niche in Manchester serving as an invaluable utility player.


Commentary: This will likely be my favorite pre-Winter Meetings trade. First, it's a bona fide blockbuster. Second, it's a challenge trade: My top outfielder for your top outfielder, let's see who's better! Third, it involves a player (Rios) that everyone said was untradeable, proving once again that there's no such word as "untradeable" (there really isn't, actually). Fourth, it's the first trade to involve draft picks from our newly added rounds 11-20. - Commissioner John

New Jersey responds to the trade.