8 Magic Trades

by Ellis Eyeland

When Omer Mushawar bought the fledgling Richmond Nighthawks franchise, he, like much of the BPLA, thought he was in for a long year.  His timing could not have been any worse.  He missed out on the free agent period; the time when names like Bosque, Nash and, um, Bosque were signed to big money deals.  He didn't have a great minor-league system to turn to.  There really was nothing to do aside from making some deals.

So, in the month or so leading up to opening day, Mushawar made some deals, eight of them.  Eight trades that would take Mushawar's Nighthawks and turn them into the early favorite to take the Atlantic division crown.  Today, we will look at these trades a little more closely:

1. Richmond gets Julian Sanfilippo for Francesco Laureano and Keith Ball

This trade looks good for Richmond on paper.  Raleigh had decided to go with Ortiz in RF and had to move Sanfilippo and his $2,000,000 salary.  Julian has hit .280 with 3 homers and 17 RBI for Richmond, where he has hit third and played mainly as a DH.  He's 4th on the team with 25 runs scored.  Laureano has been backing up Chenard in Raleigh, and has hit .241 with 1 homer in 29 at bats.  Ball, who went 6-15 for Richmond last year, is in AAA where he is 2-2 with a 4.92 ERA in 8 starts.  Neither of these players would have been helping Richmond's cause as much as Sanfilippo has.

2. Richmond gets David Mosby for Joe Johnson, Roy Kirkwood and Marcus Burgos

This is the move that has turned things around for Richmond.  And what a risky, yet brilliant move it was.  Richmond picked up one of the best relievers in the game, David Mosby, and converted him into a starter.  Mosby flourished, going 5-2 in his first 9 starts with an ERA of 1.80.  Though Mosby only averages 6 innings per start, he's pitched so well in those six innings and the bullpen has played so well that Richmond has gone 7-2 in games Mosby starts.  Wichita didn't fair too badly in this deal.  Joe Johnson, who had an ERA of 8.77 in Richmond last year, has a 2.30 ERA in 31 innings this season while Roy Kirkwood has been sensational in A ball.  Burgos has struggled in the minors but is still considered a rather diverse prospect.  All in all, if moving Mosby to the rotation had backfired, Richmond would look bad here.  But instead, they look pretty damn good.

3. Richmond gets Bill Ware for Floyd Quesada

In a trade with division rival Hartford, Richmond picked up Ware, a young catcher with a strong arm.  They dump Quesada and his million-dollar salary on the Hobbits, who assigned him to AAA.  He's put up good numbers in AAA, but unless injuries allow Floyd to play in Hartford, they're essentially paying 1.3 million for a minor leaguer.  Richmond simultaneously picks up a good defensive catching prospect and dumps payroll.  Good move.

4.  Richmond gets Francisco Perez for Robert Martin and Paul Barnaby

Perez has been one of the best offensive players for Richmond.  He plays all three OF spots and has a good arm, not to mention a quick bat and a fair amount of speed.  Martin leads the team with 30 runs scored and has been one of the best leadoff men in the EC, despite relatively no fanfare.  Martin and Barnaby are both minor league caliber pitchers, so it appears New Orleans was just dumping salary here.  Richmond feels Perez is worth the 3 million.

5.  Richmond gets Roger Sheen, Mario Romano, Ambrose Williamson, Jimmy Silverberg and George Phillips for John Mowery, JC Antwerp, Jed Tillet and Alan Lybarger

I don't know how many hours it took to make this deal happen, but it's obvious both GMs were looking to make drastic changes.  Sheen is the key player here, and has put up incredible numbers for his new team.  Teamed at the top of the order with Perez, the duo has been giving EC pitchers headaches all year long.  Romano is a decent defensive replacement, Williamson a 3 star prospect, Silverberg never unpacked his bags, and Phillips could be the next big thing.  This kid has a ton of potential.  Orlando gained Mowery, Richmond's best player last year, who was doing okay until he broke his knee in a 4-1 win over Raleigh.  Antwerp hit 19 homers for the Nighthawks last year, but has been in AAA for most of 2004.  He's hit .120 while in Orlando.  Tillet has moved on to WS, and Lybarger has split time between Orlando and AAA.  In retrospect, it's difficult to see why Orlando pulled the trigger on this deal.  Richmond got both immediate help and some very good prospects, while the Predators got, well, Mowery (and his broken knee).

6.  Richmond gets Bill Hidden for Ernie Hallett and Michael Colligan

Hidden is the rare catcher with speed, and he's been well worth his 300,000-dollar salary for Richmond this year.  Hidden has hit .275 and fired out 40% of attempted base stealers in 34 starts at catcher.  Quite a find for the Nighthawks- Hidden would probably be in the minors if he were still in the Vancouver organization.  Hidden's first BPLA hit was a double off of Pedro Martinez.  Not a bad start for the potential EC Rookie of the Year.  Vancouver received Ernie Hallett, a minor league catcher who's not as good as Hidden and makes four times as much money, and Colligan, a 2 star prospect who may make the bigs some day.  All in all a superb steal for the Nighthawks.

7.  Richmond gets Joel Arana and Brandon Davis for Jimmy Silverberg

Arana has started 33 games at first base for Richmond.  He's only hit .218 with 1 homer and 7 RBI, but has not hurt the team too badly.  Davis has done a fine job as a role player, coming off the bench to run or play outfield.  He's been terrible at the plate, though.  Davis has hit .094 this year.  But he's still managed 8 SB on 8 attempts.  Silverberg never got to play for Richmond, which is lucky for them.  He's batting .167 for Portland in 132 at bats.

8.  Richmond gets David Mastro and Leroy Cooperman for Carlos Aybar and Tom Foster

I'll be brief, because there's not much talent here.  Mastro is in the minors; he'll be a good utility infielder/pinch runner someday.  Cooperman is a 3 star pitching prospect.  Aybar is a decent backup OF, who has never played in the BPLA.  Foster is another backup outfielder.  This trade was clearly a salary dump for Richmond.  They just happened to pick up a prospect in the mix.

So, there you have it.  Richmond GM Omer was able to dump salary, pick up great role players and find some hidden gems.  The gambles paid off, and Richmond is now sitting pretty atop the Atlantic division.  But how long will it last?