The Jacksonville Wolf Pack, who have just moved into a tie with Boston for second place in the SJL, added a bit of depth to their rotation when they traded away power hitting right fielder Alex Reyes to Baltimore for 34-year old right-handed starter Pablo Bernal. Reyes got off to a great start this season with the power bat but with the emergence of Shane Tokarski and Reyes' own battles making consistent contact (plus he falling apart 32-year old body), he was expendable. While the Wolf Pack starting rotation is strong it also includes several pitchers, including ace Juan Maldonado, who are considered strong injury risks. And with Bernal's leadership qualities, this is thought to be a good move for the Jacksonville club.
It is a little less clear what Baltimore's motivation was here. Bernal's absence opens up a whole in the rotation for which there is no clear cut option. The Lords do have a few veteran starters at AAA who could suffice in the short-term but no real good starting pitching prospects. They are second in the league in homers so there was no real need for Reyes power bat and it is hard to see how he fits in to the Lords outfield picture. The other player they received in the trade- 20-year old middle infielder Landon Bates- is a tremendous fielder but doesn't look to have a big league hit tool and reportedly has a poor work ethic.
