Arod and Tex Head South; Soldiers Send Stars Packing
From Lp2 Wiki
Many expected the South Side Soldiers to remain status quo after putting together the best regular season the Lp2 has ever seen. However, after a surprising exit in the first round of the 2005 Postseason at the hands of the Bristol Academicals, the Soldiers wasted no time reshaping their roster for the 2006 season. In a gutsy and some may say insane move, the Soldiers sent superstar Alex Rodriguez along with Mark Teixeira, David Bush and a 6th round FA in the 2006 stats draft to the Homestead Pythons for Joe Nathan, Garret Atkins, Chien-Ming Wang and Matt Cain. “Wow,” was all Accies GM Geoff Haddock could say when he was informed of the deal. In the blockbuster, the Pythons get a name, a face and a talent in Rodriguez that can put fans in the seats. “I’m shocked by the deal, but it’s really hard to say who will benefit more in the long run,” said one GM, “but the Pythons have to be happy with this trade.”
However, before sending the Soldier owner to the insane asylum for moving a marquee name like A-Rod and a rising star in Teixeira, note that one of the best closers in the game is coming to the South Side, in addition to a rising power hitting third baseman in Atkins and a talented young arm in Cain. “When I first saw the deal, I nearly fell out of my chair,” stated the Florida Christian’s owner, “but, the more I look at it, the more I can see the South Side point of view, especially since the Soldiers recently acquired Jim Thome and Tex wasn’t expected to see much playing time in 2006. But, I still like the deal for Homestead. I think they made a deal that really helps them right now, especially when it comes to putting butts in the seats. ”
For those second guessing the Soldiers GM Matt Bracken, “I don’t care,” stated the vocal owner. Bracken, who has always been critical of A-Rod’s performance in the Lp2 and a long believer in the “good pitching beats good hitting” philosophy, acquires two more young arms to add to an already ridiculously talented core. “I expect them to try and move a few arms in the coming months,” said one league scout, “it’s going to be difficult to sit on all of those guys, only using half of them when they know they can use them to get some help on the offensive side.”
With a flurry of moves, Homestead is looking to gain some ground on the elite teams in the Bambino Conference, the Christians and Ybor City Rollers. “They definitely gained some ground with this move, at least in the short-term,” stated a league official. I’m very happy with this deal,” stated Christian Espinosa of the Pythons, “we needed some players to put people in the seats and win some games.” Well, Christian, you definitely got that.
Let’s Play 2!
Lp2 Reporter, Joe Chapman
