Highland-Seattle Trade

"I don't like seeing good players sitting in AAA when they could be playing in the majors," said Seattle's owner/GM Mack Shultz when explaining the trade with Highland. "It's not fair to the guys who have worked hard to put themselves in a position to live their dream. If I can't find a spot for them here, then I'll find a spot somewhere else."

And with that, Seattle sent three players to Highland, along with an eighth-round draft pick, for Highland's first-round pick in next year's draft.

The brightest prospect among the three players is third baseman Carter Bailey, 24 years old. Bailey is hitting .371 this year for AAA Tacoma, after hitting .389 last season in AAA, and leads all AAA hitters in WAR. This year, Bailey has been learning to play shortstop, in an effort to increase his versatility.

Highland also added corner outfielder Flint Francis, who came up to the majors after a series of injuries to the Monarchs and hit .346 while making 21 starts. Francis won last year's MVP award in AAA. With the improved health of Seattle's starting outfielders, Francis was likely headed back to AAA, where he's hit over .300 for the last five years.

Finally, reliever Ruben Mota changes addresses. Mota has gone 8-2 with a sparkling 1.86 ERA this year for AAA Tacoma. He's also started in the past, and perhaps could slide between both roles for Highland, especially if he is able to polish off his curveball as an effective third pitch.

All three players are expected to move quickly to Highland's major league roster.