Malts Move Aguilar in Continuation of Rebuild

[JayA]

At the two-year mark in their rebuild under general manager Jay Amado, the Madison Malts made a second blockbuster with the same Okinawa Shisa team that they moved MVP Pablo Garza to just a year and a half ago, dealing star first baseman Javier Aguilar ahead of the All Star break. Though it has been criticized by fans, many experts have lauded the deal, which Amado stated is a crucial step towards achieving their ultimate goal of not just competing for playoff appearances but eventually for titles too.

The trade involves the acquisition of two pitching prospects, a major league bullpen arm, three draft picks, and about five million dollars for the 25-year-old former all-star. The complete details are as follows:

To Madison:
Okinawa’s 1st, 2nd, and 4th round 2038 draft picks
SP Julio Herrera
SP Michael Johnson
RP Kelsey Buck
$4.9M

To Okinawa:
1B Javier Aguilar

The major league pitcher, the now-32-year-old Kelsey Buck, was previously one of the top relievers in the league. He racked up 129 saves in just a three year period between 2032 and 2034. Buck has a powerful arm and is known for his solid ability to consistently create groundouts. While he won’t be a key piece to the future of the Malts, he should provide some veteran leadership and guidance to a pitching staff with a lot of players who are new to the PEBA limelight.

Julio Herrera is a 6’8″ mountain of a man who throws a hard fastball that can reach the mid-90s and has a repertoire of five pitches that he can use to create outs. At 23-years-old, the right-hander projects as the type of player who could settle into the back end of a starting rotation in the future. The Shisa had him assigned to the AAA Shizuoka Anguirus where he was pitching out of the bullpen and accumulated a 3-0 record and 2.04 ERA in 23 mound appearances. With the Malts, after a brief stop in A ball with the Middle Bass Vinters, he appears primed to settle into a role with the AA affiliate Youngstown Thunder for the rest of this year.

Michael Johnson comes over to the organization after having been a second round draft pick out of Mobile Christian High School just one year ago. The 19-year-old power already has great stuff for a teen, including a fastball-slider-changeup-forkball pitching repertoire and has a rocket arm that allows him to reach three digits with his fastball. He should compete for a long-term spot in the rotation as a starter, but has gotten off to a slow start in rookie ball with the Melbourne Bitters, where he has an ERA north of 6.00 in his first six appearances out of the bullpen.

The trade for these three players is just the latest in a series of moves the Malts have made to rebuild their team. The team’s management has been focused on acquiring young, talented players and draft picks who have the potential to be future stars. Just two seasons ago, the OSA Minor League Report ranked the Malts dead-last in the league with a score of zero. In the short span of time that has followed, they’ve been straddling the Top-5 in the league and currently the AAA Akron Ambers (67-34), A Middle Bass Vinters (71-18), S-A Akutan Island Eagles (42-14), and R Melbourne Bitters (29-10) are all at the top of their respective divisions while the AA Youngstown Thunder (70-31) are second.

“It’s important to have the big name guys who can carry a big part of the workload,” Amado said when asked about moving a perennial all-star without receiving one back.

“But just as important is making sure the team is well-rounded. That you can get contributions from guys across the board. And even more important still is ensuring that you’re putting guys in position to peak in their career at the right time.

“Listen, we’re going to miss Pokey,” he continued. “He was probably the most talented lead-off man I’ve ever worked with. And a consummate pro. But at the end of the day, tough decisions have to be made, and we truly believe we’re gonna be better-equipped to compete for championships soon on the backs of deals like this. You’re already seeing how well these guys can come together at the lower levels. Now we just have to make sure we’re investing in their development and allowing them to compete.”

In the end, the trade provides the team with valuable draft picks that they can use to build a young, talented roster, but it also leaves a big hole in the team’s lineup that will need to be filled. Whether the trade will be seen as a success or a failure will depend on how the Madison Malts use the draft picks they acquired and how they fill the hole left by Javier Aguilar’s departure. Since the deal was made, the Malts have gone 10-12 in 22 games. They recently added Takeo Miyagi in a trade as well, who will look to fill the gap left behind by Aguilar.