Hartford works the phones...BIG time Febuary 11, 1998
The Hartford Whalers have been working the phones and networking non-stop since
claiming the first ever PVBL championship title only a week ago. So far, 11
players have been released and 6 have been traded away. In the process, the
Whalers have obtained 11 new faces and 2 first round free agent draft picks.
Here's a summary (followed by the GM's comments):
Traded Away: P Ben McDonald, P Aaron Sele, P Ed Simmons, 3B Scott Brosius,
C Hector Villanueva, and RF Mark Whiten
Obtained through trades: DH Joe Carter, IF Ryne Sandberg, 3B Chris Sabo,
P Tim Wakefield, C Mike Stanley, LF Derrick May,
RF Derek Bell, SS Jay Bell, CF Billy Hatcher,
P Castillo, P Mimbs...and 2 Top 20 1st Rd Picks
Chrabascz was approached for comment on his way to Whalers headquarters this
morning:
"Well, we felt we had some major gaps to fill and a definite lack of depth
overall outside of our pitching staff. We used our tremendous pitching staff
to gain some leverage on the market. Many are going to question letting Aaron
(Sele) and Ben (McDonald) go but I'm either going to end up looking like a
genius or a complete moron when all is said and done. One thing's certain,
we're probably not making any more trades this offseason. Our team should
start taking some shape and solidifying this evening after the draft."
When asked about how he felt about his new faces, Chrabascz replied, "Great.
To tell you the truth, I'm a lot more confident with this new roster going into
the season then I was at the beginning of last season and LAST season I thought
we could win it all. I think we certainly have improved our offensive
capabilities in Stanley, Carter and both Bell's. We're definitely more deep
than we were, especially in the field. I couldn't ask for more than having two
shortstops the caliber of Jay Bell and Kurt Abbott or two catchers the caliber
of Mike Stanley and Joe Girardi."
Dan Shapiro will be picking on behalf of Chrabascz at tonight's free agent
draft. The defending World Champions managed to obtain 3 Top 20 picks in the
1st Round tonight at #5, #19 and #21. Hartford has instructed Shapiro to make
4 picks total (the last being #21 in the second round, #49 overall).
