Seattle Continues to Wheel and Deal

Stung by the bitter thrashing administered by Maui in the Cecil Cup, the Seattle Monarchs continue to wheel and deal, sending two top prospects to Hickory in exchange for a top starting pitcher, James Turner.  The Huskers receive two players ready to make their debut in the major leagues in infielder Dani Gutierrez and outfielder Bo Rice.

'We think very highly of Gutierrez and Rice and are confident they will be great players for Hickory," said Seattle Owner/GM Mack Shultz.  "It was hard though to see where they would slot in for us.  We like our young line-up a lot, even though they went through some growing pains this offseason.  With the addition of Lucio Muniz this coming year, we just thought we needed to send Dani and Bo somewhere that they could get the opportunities they deserve."

When asked why Seattle would acquire a starting pitcher, Shultz hemmed and hawed a bit.  "Well, we could always go to a six-man rotation this year if need be.  Realistically though, we've got a couple of all-time greats who are getting up there in age and we need to plan now for their absence."  Shultz was presumably referring to the 37-year-old Ronald Placencia and Christopher Hester, who will turn 35 next month.

Shultz ducked the question of whether this deal made starting pitcher Nicholas Vargas, long rumored to be available in trades, the next man out the door. "Obviously, we're continuing to constantly try and improve our organization," said Shultz.  "This likely won't be the last deal we make this offseason."