I usually don't like using both of my trade tickets early, let alone before the season has even started - they are a nice little insurance policy against the unforeseen.
Still, I got a call from the Browns offering Hank Leiber, whose big bat caught my eye early on and has kept catching it with increasing vividness ever since - he mashed 35 taters last season. They didn't want anything we weren't willing to lose, and so the following deal was struck:
TRADE 2 OF 2 (12/20/37)
P Chet Brewer, C Hank Garrity and OF Hub Walker traded to St. Louis (AL) for OF Hank Leiber and minor league P George Gill.
Brewer's metrics deteriorated badly last season, and I was more than happy to part with him and his $16k salary. Walker had been OK for us but was landlocked down at AAA, while Garrity became expendable with the addition of Tresh. Gill's ceiling is AAA. Again, this was a slightly net positive salary flip for us, although there is some risk involved with Hank a FA at the end of next season. We'll have a sit-down at some point and see if we can nut out an extension. He'll be our starting LF with Little Poison relegated to the bench.
On the topic of catchers, we've had a bit of a surprise development with Don Padgett, who used to play the position in the early part of his career but had given it away. He came to me and raised this point with the thought of him perhaps getting more game time with this extra feather in his cap. So he'll certainly see some innings in that capacity, and should O'Dea not lift his game, may even slot into the backup role.