History Made as First PEBA-LRS Pact is Announced!

March 26, 2014

History Made as First PEBA-LRS Pact is Announced.

In what was a surprise to many, the very first PEBA-LRS trade occurred today, mere minutes after the new rules kicked in. The deal is between the Kalamazoo Badgers and Hyakujuu Shinkansen. Many figured GM Charlie Cooper would be the first to test these rules, but I’m not sure anyone expected it this quick.

The deal agreed upon by the two clubs is as follows:

Kalamazoo receives:

Hyakujuu receives:

MR Juan Romero

The move looks to be a solid one for Hyakujuu, as they have now found their centerfielder of the present and future. Sato is a 25-year old, power hitting outfielder, originally selected by the Duluth Warriors in the 2015 amateur draft. Coming out of Indiana, the Japanese outfielder was regarded highly, leading to his second round selection, 41^st overall. After just 3 short seasons in the minors, Sato made his PEBA debut in 2018, hitting .151 with 2 homers in 73 at bats. He faired much better this year, hitting .236 with 10 homers in 331 at bats, between Florida and Kalamazoo. The power has always been there for Sato, but it seems like when he plays in the PEBA, he forgets how to make contact with the ball. Sato will slide into the middle of the Shinkansen lineup, and should more then likely feast on the weak LRS pitching, compated to the PEBA. HYA also grabbed SP Alex Martinez and MR Juan Romero in the deal, who will combine to make $15.7M in 2020, something Kalamazoo will have no problem re-allocating. Martinez and Romero weren’t property of HYA for long, as multiple reports have them pegged as going to the West Virginia Alleghenies.

Stateside, the Badgers pick up one of the best hitting prospects in the world in 1B Jorge Esparza. One scout views him as the next coming of Rob Raines, someone who will hit 30+ HR, hit above .300, and drive in 100+ runs. If Esparza had played a position other then 1B, he would be one of the most valuable players in the world, considering hits tool set at the plate. Kalamazoo also gets SP Angelo Morales in the deal, someone who could very easily slide over to the PEBA and succeed. After missing a good amount of time do to elbow ligament reconstruction surgery, Morales seems to have finally bounced back to being a solid pitcher, here in Hyakujuu.

Many ask, what’s next? How many PEBA-LRS trades will be made? Or who will be involved? At this point, we don’t know, but who thing may be for certain, GM Charlie Cooper will be involved in some sort of way. With rumors currently flowing in that he has just completed another trade with a PEBA team, expect madness during this 2019-2020 offseason, as Hyakujuu has set its goals high for the 2020 season; Taking down the Evas, and bringing Hyakujuu it’s first Neo Tokyo Cup.