By Connor Jackson, DDStaff

With the announcement that Matt Higgins would be moving to take on the challenge of converting a LRS team to compete in the PEBA, local real estate prices in Laredo, Texas were on the rise. Some properties tripled in value as players began to feel comfortable buying rather than just renting. Higgins, who received affectionate name “Trader Matt”, was known as a GM who could make just about any deal happen. While some players felt that he showed an extreme lack of loyalty, others felt it was just simply the business side of the game.

The new GM, Adam Dee, certainly has high hopes after Higgins led the team to back to back seasons of being above .500, the first time the team has accomplished that since the 2007-2008 seasons of the PEBA. The current thought seems to hold the line and let the youth develop and push closer to the top of the division. The Calzones were able to push across 734 (good enough for fourth in the IL) runs in 2019 which was 28 more than they allowed. Some experts think that with more experience both the lineup and rotation will make great strides. Calzones fans are certainly hoping so.

San Antonio has had a mostly quiet off season acquiring mostly minor league players through free agency to bolster their organizational strength. The only trade worth noting was the acquisition of former Trendsetter center fielder Pablo Cabrera.

Confident in his current youth movement, Higgins spent last season trading away San Antonio’s picks in the first five rounds of the draft (all of them are in New Orleans’ possession). Draft depth and prospect development will be used to judge the wisdom of spurning the draft, as well as the production of the players received in the trades.

“Worst news of the year, “ stated Hank Handley. Handley is currently in the process of building upscale rental properties and condos in order to meet the needs of the oft moved Calzones. “I guess I could relocate to cater to the soon to be Ocelots, but we had such a good thing going here.”

“Not sure I want those baseball “rock stars” moving into my neighborhood,” commented Ida Grodel, resident grandma and current oldest person alive in Laredo. “When I go to bed at 6 in the evening, I don’t like to be disturbed. Especially not by baseball players and all their shenanigans.”