Rumors started circulating last week that a big trade was potentially coming to fruition with the Fargo Dinosaurs involved.  Whether this meant the organization would be trying to add a hitter to the disappointing lineup or possibly selling off some of its stars, this was undetermined.  Well now we have our answer.  Earlier today it was confirmed by team officials that the Dinosaurs have come to terms on two separate deals, and that the principal players being traded include both Dinosaurs’ ace Armando Gallegos and no.2 starter Javier Sáenz departing the organization.  With the team in full-on sell mode, might we see more fan favorites dealt before the league’s trade deadline?

There is no arguing that 2019 has been an extremely disappointing season for the Dinosaurs.  The defending division champions were expected to contend again for the playoffs and had hoped that they would be in position to finally make it out past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in organization history.  A few key injuries and outright terrible play by the supposed starts of the team has the Dinosaurs below .500 and 7 ½ games behind first place in the division, with Duluth, Crystal Lake, and the surprising Kalamazoo ahead of them in the standings for the division, and even more teams ahead of them for the wild card spots.

Despite this disappointment and apparent lost season, it is still surprising to see team ace Armando Gallegos being dealt.  Gallegos was in the midst of one of his best seasons, and his ERA+ of 147 is at its highest since 2016 (149).  The 35 year old will now join the Kentucky Thoroughbreds in their attempt to secure a playoff berth.  Kentucky is currently 8 games behind division leading Florida in the Dixie Division of the Imperial League, but are holding the top wild card spot in the league, a game ahead of Arlington and 1 ½ games ahead of San Antonio.  Gallegos will most certainly bolster the Kentucky rotation who has suffered injury to that part of their team this season.  Thus the move is likely bittersweet for Gallegos, who’s been a Fargo Dinosaur his whole career up to this point, and had expected to finish out his career in Fargo when he signed his last contract that will carry him possibly through his age 37 season (Gallegos has a player option for that season).

Javier Sáenz was brought to Fargo in trade during the 2017 season from Arlington.  He had his best season of his career that season, and in particular was outstanding pitching down the stretch for the Dinosaurs.  Last season he came back down to Earth a bit, but still finished with an above average ERA and a 15-9 record in 30 starts, helping the team make the playoffs.  He got off to a poor start this season and is currently working his way back towards league average with his ERA.  Sáenz will now be pitching for New Jersey as they try and make up the 3 ½ games they are a back of the final wild card spot.  It is possible that both Sáenz and Gallegos may end up facing each other in the playoffs if both of their respective Imperial League teams are successful in their playoff pursuits.

The return for these two front line pitchers includes a number of prospects and New Jersey’s 2020 1^st round draft pick.  In the trade for Armando Gallegos, Kentucky gave up a trio of pitching prospects.  Bernardo Moreno is a 22 year old starting pitcher that has made it to Kentucky’s AAA squad this season.  He has not really broken out up to this point, but with his young age and ability to hold his own at the advanced levels, the hope is he can transition into the majors within a year or two.  A right-handed pitcher, he has shown most of his progress against same handed batters, but overall has struggled with control.  Scouts do praise him for his ability to keep the ball down and avoid home-runs though.  He does not project to be a major strike-out guy, so he’ll have to develop that control for him to be effective in the major leagues.  Along with Moreno, Fargo acquired 24 year old middle-reliever Jesus Ramirez, who has pitched well in AAA for Kentucky the past couple of seasons, and looks to be ready for the majors.  Also acquired is 21 year old AA starting pitcher, Ernesto Molina.  The knock against Molina is that he has yet to develop a third pitch in his arsenal and it may be doubtful if he can continue to remain a starter unless he does so.  He has also struggled with control similarly to Moreno, but having been able to hold his own at AA at the age of 21, there is plenty to like about him.

In the Javier Sáenz trade, in addition to the 2020 1^st round pick given up by New Jersey, Fargo acquired 20 year old AA center-fielder Dale Sabean, 20 year old AA pitcher Miguel Vega, and 22 year old A right-fielder Jerome Sandford.  Sabean projects as a speedy, decent fielding outfielder who should be more of a “gap hitter”.  He will be more valuable if he can stay in center-field.  Sandford has less power, but may be better at getting on base.  Between the two outfielders, if one can turn into a major league regular the team would likely be happy.  Vega looks like he’ll ultimately end up in the bullpen.  Though young, he seems to be the biggest long-shot to make it to the majors.

When looking at the players acquired in these two trades, the theme seems to be a valuing of youth as the ages of these prospects seem to mostly lie between 20-22 years old, and with the exception of Jerome Sandford, all of the prospects are at AA or AAA level, indicating that the hope will be that these trades begin to contribute to the major league team within the next two seasons.  Time will tell, if anything can be salvaged from mini-fire sale that has occurred this disappointing season.