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The Philadelphia Freedom completed a controversial trade today with the Virginia Colonials sending the heart and soul of the lineup, CF Mel Woodbury, to Virginia for SP Joe Arredondo and 3 other players.
The move seemingly came out of left field (or perhaps center field would be more appropriate) and has left the fan base wondering exactly what this move means for the future of the franchise.
“I’m not sure what to say,” said one fan on the street after hearing the news. “You can prepare yourself for a lot of things when you choose to follow a franchise, but there are certain players that you think are going to be here forever. He was certainly one of them. What is everyone going to do with their #13 jerseys?”
“This was a move designed to keep us competitive in the near term while trying to keep an eye on the future success of the team,” said GM Brad Zabel. “I know the move may not be viewed positively by the fans, but if you take a look at what we’ve done you can see what we’re trying to do.”
“Last year we were somewhat reliant on a “big inning” style offense. This offseason we’re losing two veterans, Fortin and Rochs, who were big parts of that “big inning” offense. So, the obvious question is, 'You’re going to make up for the loss of two offensive weapons by trading away the best offensive force on the team?' which is obviously not what we’re trying to do. We’re putting a huge emphasis on pitching. We’re taking another team’s #1 pitcher and essentially placing him in our #4 spot. With a front four of Aurillo, Irving, Nathan and now Arredondo we’ll be happy to take our staff and match it up with just about any staff in the BLB. Don’t forget we had the #1 rated bullpen last season and just about every one of those pieces is back.”
When pressed further on how exactly the Freedom will be scoring runs this year Zabel said, “Look, you don’t get guys like Arredondo for your staff without giving up something. Don’t forget it’s not just Arredondo either. Take a look at Takahashi’s skill set. He makes good contact, he hits the ball hard and he’s still growing. We think he’s going to be a good power/good OBP kind of guy. He’s 22 and under club control for the next 5 to 6 years. Will we score as many runs as we did last year? Probably not, but we’re betting that we won’t have to with this pitching staff . . . and, come on folks, this offseason isn’t over, you know? It hasn’t even really begun.”
When asked if Woodbury’s injury history factored into the decision Zabel said, “Listen, Woodbury is a top 3 player. We fully expect him to have huge numbers the rest of his career. Actually, I’ll go ahead and predict an MVP in his future. Virginia’s a better place to hit than our park. This wasn’t a question of being concerned about his health. I guess it did give us a bit of a look at what things would look like around here without him when he missed the last two months of last year. Maybe that helps the guys mentally get over his absence going forward, you know, making the playoffs with him on the shelf.”
When reached for comment SP Ben Irvin said, “We’ve been teammates since ’80. I’m going to miss him. We’ll welcome the new guys in and we’re looking forward to getting started when pitchers and catchers report.”
When asked about the pressure the pitching staff will be under with a seemingly reduced offense Irvin said, “Yeah, we’ll all have to step up, but we’re also expecting more out of a couple of holdovers too. Josey should bounce back this year and I don’t think a lot of people are actually aware of just how good Geoff Scott is going to be. He’s already got two full years under his belt. I predict a breakout year for him this year.”
Wherever the runs come from (whether from players already on the roster or potential acquisitions) one thing is for sure, there is seemingly a huge hole in the middle of the Freedom offense. The front office has a little over 4 months to figure out a way to fill it.
LINK
The move seemingly came out of left field (or perhaps center field would be more appropriate) and has left the fan base wondering exactly what this move means for the future of the franchise.
“I’m not sure what to say,” said one fan on the street after hearing the news. “You can prepare yourself for a lot of things when you choose to follow a franchise, but there are certain players that you think are going to be here forever. He was certainly one of them. What is everyone going to do with their #13 jerseys?”
“This was a move designed to keep us competitive in the near term while trying to keep an eye on the future success of the team,” said GM Brad Zabel. “I know the move may not be viewed positively by the fans, but if you take a look at what we’ve done you can see what we’re trying to do.”
“Last year we were somewhat reliant on a “big inning” style offense. This offseason we’re losing two veterans, Fortin and Rochs, who were big parts of that “big inning” offense. So, the obvious question is, 'You’re going to make up for the loss of two offensive weapons by trading away the best offensive force on the team?' which is obviously not what we’re trying to do. We’re putting a huge emphasis on pitching. We’re taking another team’s #1 pitcher and essentially placing him in our #4 spot. With a front four of Aurillo, Irving, Nathan and now Arredondo we’ll be happy to take our staff and match it up with just about any staff in the BLB. Don’t forget we had the #1 rated bullpen last season and just about every one of those pieces is back.”
When pressed further on how exactly the Freedom will be scoring runs this year Zabel said, “Look, you don’t get guys like Arredondo for your staff without giving up something. Don’t forget it’s not just Arredondo either. Take a look at Takahashi’s skill set. He makes good contact, he hits the ball hard and he’s still growing. We think he’s going to be a good power/good OBP kind of guy. He’s 22 and under club control for the next 5 to 6 years. Will we score as many runs as we did last year? Probably not, but we’re betting that we won’t have to with this pitching staff . . . and, come on folks, this offseason isn’t over, you know? It hasn’t even really begun.”
When asked if Woodbury’s injury history factored into the decision Zabel said, “Listen, Woodbury is a top 3 player. We fully expect him to have huge numbers the rest of his career. Actually, I’ll go ahead and predict an MVP in his future. Virginia’s a better place to hit than our park. This wasn’t a question of being concerned about his health. I guess it did give us a bit of a look at what things would look like around here without him when he missed the last two months of last year. Maybe that helps the guys mentally get over his absence going forward, you know, making the playoffs with him on the shelf.”
When reached for comment SP Ben Irvin said, “We’ve been teammates since ’80. I’m going to miss him. We’ll welcome the new guys in and we’re looking forward to getting started when pitchers and catchers report.”
When asked about the pressure the pitching staff will be under with a seemingly reduced offense Irvin said, “Yeah, we’ll all have to step up, but we’re also expecting more out of a couple of holdovers too. Josey should bounce back this year and I don’t think a lot of people are actually aware of just how good Geoff Scott is going to be. He’s already got two full years under his belt. I predict a breakout year for him this year.”
Wherever the runs come from (whether from players already on the roster or potential acquisitions) one thing is for sure, there is seemingly a huge hole in the middle of the Freedom offense. The front office has a little over 4 months to figure out a way to fill it.
LINK
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