[ayaghmour2]

I know seven Continental Association General Managers experiences a huge collective sigh of relief once the Rabbit Day trade was announced. I'd bet all 15 other GM's wanted him, but obviously more then anything they didn't want to ever have to face the greatest strikeout pitcher of all time and the best pitcher (a few others you could argue) in the FABL.

But wow, what a return the Cannons got!

I'm guessing most GM's sent an offer in for Day, and while there were rumors of a deal last July for Day that was almost finalized, that deal was not nearly as big of a return. Granted, the return looked much different as it involved an established player going back to Baltimore, but I don't think I possibly could have matched the return.

But don't think that's a bad thing for the Gothams...

Before the trade, the Gothams were one of the bigger threats to Philly threepeating the Fed. The last team to win the Fed was the Gothams, who have yo-yo'd first to worst a few times recently. While this will be a good race for first, I can say with certainty the Gothams will not finish below .500 this year and if anyone can hit Rabbit Day it's Rankin Kellogg, Bobby Barrell, and the Philadelphia Keystones. Oh yeah, and the Pioneers are looking much improved while Detroit and Pittsburgh have the talent to make things really interesting in the Fed, so it makes sense the Gothams wanted Day.

And I don't care how many good prospects they gave up! They held onto Curly Jones! And instead of giving Jim Lonardo a co-ace to help solidify the rotation, Lonardo gets to become the co-ace. It's relatively obvious who the best staff in the league is (good thing they didn't get Day...), but it's hard pressed to find a more dangerous 1-2 then Day and Lonardo. I'd say that's the general consensus in the league and even as biased as I am, I'll put Lonardo and Day ahead of Wilcox and whoever you want to call my 2 (doesn't matter as Lonardo is better then all of them sans-Wilcox).

Back to the Gothams though, it's not like the rotation was weak before either. Hardin Bates, Walker Murphy, and Al Allen all have had success in the past and the Gothams park isn't impossible to pitch in like some of the other Fed parks. In fact, pitcher's generally hold the advantage in every category except doubles. In 1933, the Gothams allowed 704 runs with a team 3.95 ERA that was third best in the league. It may be hard for them to surpass Pittsburgh (righty power literally dies there with the 359-404-407-408-377-352-348 dimensions left to right), but it will be really tough to hit in New York next year.

Of course, every ace has a cost. Tommy Wilcox cost a pair of #1 overall picks, Milt Fritz cost a huge package of prospects (twice), and Charlie Stedman cost a trio of quality top prospects. Other then that, we haven't seen many aces moved in their primes. We have also never seen a trade package like this:

SP Rusty Petrick (20th Overall)
LF Jim Mason (23rd Overall)
SS Oscar King (73rd Last Year, Graduated)
RF Billy Marshall (177th Overall)
1st, 2nd, and 4th Round Pick

So yeah, Baltimore got a haul. But just as their is a ton of talent, there is a ton of risk:

Rusty Petrick had to have been the most polarizing draftee in the recent draft. The 18-year-old did not put up the greatest numbers in high school, but he showed a ton of strikeout potential. He was 3-11 with a 5.84 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, and 39 walks, but with 110 strikeouts in 123.1 innings pitched. He's a really raw prospect who looked looked really overmatched at times during the season, but his velocity has trended up. In a calendar year he went from throwing 84-86 to 88-90, and most of this happened after the college season ended. At least to me, it was clear that he wasn't the same prospect that pitched March to May, but a lot of the league did not feel like Petrick deserved to be a first round pick. He's super risky with how raw he is, but the ceiling is immense. He's either going to be the Cannons Ace for 15 years or flame out before his 25th birthday. There's going to be no in between here, which makes this trade so interesting.

Of course, there's still a lot more left then just Petrick. Looking at the rest of the return, there's a lot to be excited about if you are a Baltimore fan. Where they went risky with Petrick, they went pretty safe with the co-star. Jim Mason is the exact opposite, which is perfect for the Cannons. He's a 25-year-old outfielder ranked just below Petrick in the top 100. After not signing as a 3rd Rounder in 1929, he was a 1st Rounder (15th) in 1930. He made it up to AAA at the end of the year, but I think Mason could be plugged straight into the lineup for a team like the Cannons who expect to finish at the bottom. He's got All-Star talent and with how developed he is, there is a very high floor. The defense does need work, but he's got a really bright future and is the perfect co-headliner to Petrick.

Oscar King and Billy Marshall are also both 40-man players, but are 23 and 22 respectively. King was formerly a Brooklyn King, and came to the Gothams in the 1932 Offseason. He debuted last season and hit .241/.323/.326 (86 OPS+) with 4 homers and 63 RBI's. He's an elite defender, but they the bat hasn't quite developed. Shortstop is a weakness for the Cannons, and King can start right away. He's got a lot of upside and room to grow, and his glove will always provide value. Marshall has yet to debut and needs some additional seasoning. He's a former Cougar 10th Round Pick who's got experience in all three outfield positions. It hasn't gone well in center, and he's spent most of his time in right the past two seasons. He profiles as a 4th outfielder with the upside to start. Power is really his only weakness, as he's got speed and a strong hit tool.

The Verdict: This trade is going to change the league. Unlike the huge Kings-Cougars blockbuster last season, I feel like this trade could go really bad for one of these two teams (or just really well for both) as there is just so much going on. I can't really see this ending as an even trade, as there is just so much talent moving. Day is one of the most valuable players in the league, and he got a huge return both in quantity and potential upside. It's worth it for the Gothams if he keeps up his trend and worth it for the Cannons if at least one of the prospects blossoms and a second (or one of the picks, don't forget about those) becomes a productive big leaguer next time the Cannons are competitive. There's a whole lot of holes on the team. Now that Day is gone, I'd expect Lou Kelly is next. It could be a long rebuild for the Cannons, but they needed to move Day sooner then later. And with the talent the Gothams have now, Day gives them a huge chance to bring home a pennant. I think the Gothams won't be unhappy with this trade. Day is a stud and will produce, so as long as he stays healthy/consistent while the Gothams window is open, they'll call it a win. Sure, the prospects may be great in a year or two, but that doesn't matter if you win now. The Cannons have to hope the guys develop, and risk the inevitable "bust" that every prospect fears. They have so much more to gain, but they take on a huge amount of risk. The addition of the draft picks is nice, but with the feeder leagues on their way out, there is a lot of uncertainty for how this year's draft will go. I'd expect the Gothams to be picking towards the end of the rounds, but an extra 1st and 2nd still give the Cannons two more pieces to add to what is going to be a really strong system.

All I know is this got me really excited for Opening Day! Back to the phones looking for a new trade piece (he he he)!