Seattle-Danville trade

SEATTLE (March 2, 2011):

Seattle and Danville reached agreement on a major trade today, on the eve of spring training. Seattle traded outfielders Franklin Jackson and Peter Garlow (acquired earlier this offseason from Walla Walla), catcher Stephen Herbert, and infield prospect Fred Echeverria to Danville in exchange for impending free agent outfielder David Kerry and next year's first round pick.

"It's going to be hard replacing Stephen Herbert," said Monarchs Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "Catchers are in high demand and he's been a valued member of our team. Waylon Blassingame is likely going to shoulder more of the load, rather than just platooning. We may also let three-time MVP Greg Mudge catch a few games behind the plate.

"We're also going to miss Franklin's presence," explained Shultz. "He's an original Monarch, picked in the expansion draft. However, he's going to get a chance to start in Danville and that's an opportunity we just haven't been able to give him on a consistent basis.

"In the end though, we're thrilled to add a talent like David Kerry. He's going to have to compete with "Rimfire" Cedeno and Lonnie Machen for a starting position. Frankly, we expect David to be a starter for us and provide some right-handed power to the line-up. We're also going to try our darnedest to re-sign him for the long haul."

When asked what the long-term plan is for the outfield, since the Monarchs have added Kerry to the already sterling collection of Cedeno, Machen, Sean Arant, and "Bingo" Stelly, Shultz just grinned and said, "I don't know, but it's a nice problem to have."