Elmer Smith is out of contract at the end of the year, and we start talking about his future. He is stubborn in his request for a long, expensive deal and I just don't think he is worth it going forward. So I go looking for alternatives.
After a few dead ends I throw a line out for a player I have admired from afar since he joined the league, not really thinking we'd have any luck. So I am surprised when we end up getting a counteroffer that is incredibly reasonable, one which I do not hesitate to accept.
TRADE 2 OF 5 (05/01/20)
OF Elmer Smith and P Luther Farrell traded to New York (AL) for OF Ken Williams.
There's always a trade-
off within every trade, and this one is no different. For a bigger and more consistent bat we lose some defensive flexibility, with Ken strictly a LF option whereas Elmer played both corners. He is also 2 years older than Elmer, although that makes him still only 29. But that bat of his, combined with our depth in the deep, makes these more than acceptable in my mind. Elmer always threatened to break out and was runner-up in the NL last season with 10 HR, but never fully delivered on that promise, and never consistently enough for my liking.
As I've been saying, it is evolve and improve or die right now, and this trade certainly puts a bit more oomph into our offence.
At least I hope it does.