Can Aurora Now ‘Zoom’ To The Top?
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer
July 28, 2020: Duluth, Minnesota – Happy Birthday Will Topham.
Aurora’s young, but battle-tested GM has had a trade history based on a small number of premises: holding onto those prospects you value most, those you do trade net Aurora draft selections, and don’t kill the long-term budget unnecessarily.
For a 27th birthday present, he broke all three premises.
Aurora announced a shocking move today as a team that has been mired most of the season in the middle of the pack, keeping an eye on the wild card race, made a move to bolster the weakest points of this years team: the pitching.
In a deal that saw the Borealis send three members of the 25-man roster to the Duluth Warriors, Aurora acquired long-time Topham target Dave ‘Zoom Zoom’ Barker and reliever Gerardo Rivera – the same ‘Zoom Zoom’ who awoke this morning expecting to take the mound against Aurora. Heading with bats and gloves in hand from the visitors clubhouse to the home side will be C Miguel Gálvez, 1B Miguel Salinas, SP Michael Ladner and AAA OF Joe Kenny.
Aurora’s starting rotation has struggled this season with the loss of Martín Francisco. Hopes were high that his late June return would be the catalyst the rotation needed to make a title defense run. With his subsequent injury – after all of one inning, it became apparent that Aurora had two choices: make a weak run at the title, or bring in a new arm to bolster the rotation.
Barker, whom Topham confessed to having coveted for many seasons, dating back to the Larry Roof administration in Duluth, is having another fine season in Warrior green. His 4-4 record is a far cry from the 21-5 mark that netted him a 5th place standing in the Golden Arm voting, but his current ERA of 2.99 is a big improvement over his 2019 mark and in keeping with his career average. He is also an innings eater – on pace for his 6th 200 IP season in his 7-year PEBA career.
‘Zoom’ will take Junior Cook’s spot in the rotation, and though Cook may lead the Sovereign League in K/9 (10.20), he also leads all of the PEBA in BB (91). That’s where the deal for Barker becomes an instant improvement for Aurora as they replace Cook’s 1.70 WHIP with ‘Zoom’s 1.05. Cook is expected to be shipped back to AAA Thornton to continue pitching on a regular basis, as the Borealis still have hope that he’ll harness his control.
Barker also becomes a nice little insurance package for Aurora, even if it comes at a cost: $36.1M over the next 3 years (plus a team option for a fourth at $15M). That gives Aurora Provost, Anastasio López and Barker all signed through 2024, potentially forming a solid rotational core. This is particularly important with the possibility of ‘Sawmill’ not returning after 2021 – or before, as the Borealis hold a team option for 2021. That will also give Aurora an expensive, yet aging rotation come 2023/24.
Rivera, who has of late filled the closer role for Duluth, is a young leftie with 2-years (and $12.9M) left on his contract. His 11.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 averages and 3.57 ERA should be an immediate improvement over Jon Dyke who, sporting a 6.43 ERA, a near 2.0 WHIP and identical 5.5 BB & K/9 figures, was quickly shown the door to the AAA locker room. For Dyke, it’s been a nightmarish season after three extremely solid and dependable years – including 27 saves in 2017. Rivera has been a workhorse for Duluth, averaging 80 appearances and over 90 IP over the past 6 seasons. Gerardo will join set-up man extraordinaire ‘Stork’ Holbrook and ‘Sleepy’ Kuhn, giving Aurora three outstanding relief arms from the left-side. That doesn’t do much for Aurora’s sad state on the right-side, with it’s collective 5.14 ERA and 4.4 BB/9.
Aurora gives up a major prospect in Miguel Galvez. The obvious choice to take over for Scott Vinson, Galvez had already hit 2 HR and .345 in 24 AB since being called up – along with some of the best defensive skills in the game. The other major prospect included in the deal, OF Joe Kenny, was a minor league free-agent signed for the whopping sum of $15M – money that now appears to have been thrown away – short of Barker leading the way to a second straight Rodriguez Cup. Kenny’s numbers at AA Gatineau and AAA Thornton were, frankly, stunning – although his defensive skills left a little to be desired. Aurora needs every ounce of potential playoff money to offset this financial ‘blunder’ – and one can imagine that the GM’s father will be looking very closely through his microscope on this deal.
Miguel Salinas, so pivotal during last year’s title run, has struggled mightily this year – hitting a measly .220 with only 4 HR and 26 RBI, before being benched. He also saddles Aurora with another year’s worth of a $13.2M salary, so his inclusion in this deal clearly works to balance out the financials of both teams balance sheets – somewhat.
Talk Show hosts and callers alike were instantly abuzz over the deal – and the general consensus was mixed. Many feel Aurora acted out of panic and fear of not making the playoffs after their 2019 championship, while others lauded Topham for taking a chance and going ‘all in’. Grading this deal, in the end, will depend on if and how far Aurora’s post-season run goes and what Barker does in the future. It’s pretty likely Galvez and Kenny will shine in Duluth. With Barker, will Aurora shine brighter?
