Hartford, CT (AP)- The Hartford Whalers have just completed the following
trade:
P Bob Ardell 73-86-88, Age 24
P Carlos Castillo 66-85-99, Age 24
LF Henry Rodriguez 53-99-35, Age 28
-FOR-
P Ramon Martinez 85-83-67, Age 27 (81-FB, 68-CU)
RF Jay Buhner 50-99-26, Age 31
GM Peter Gammons had this to say of the deal, "Well, we learned a long time ago
that pitching wins championships, not offense alone. It should be obvious to
everyone in watching Hartford and Galena's championship runs of days past.
Unfortunately, this puts pitching at a premium in PVBL. So, we knew we have to
give something up in order to get something. We're extremely happy to have
Ramon coming our way. All of his ratings went up in the offseason and spring
training ought to do him some good too. It's no secret we needed another
starting pitcher and relying on the draft is too much of a risk. As far as
H-Rod goes, we're sorry to make him switch uniforms twice in one week but I
think he knew he wasn't staying here long. We put a high price on defensive
skills here in Hartford. Jay is versatile. He can play any OF position as
well as 3B and 1B with quite some skill even at 31 years of age. Offensively,
he's almost a carbon copy of Rodriguez. Both are slow power hitters. " When
asked what role the two players would play, Gammons responded, "Jay will start
in right and Ramon will be our #2 or #3 starter behind Hill and/or Flash,"
When asked what he thought of losing Ardell and Castillo, Gammons replied,
"Well, it's going to hurt. I won't lie to you. Ardell was our best
overall pitcher last season. He can start or relieve quite consistently and he
looked great in camp. Castillo never had much success here but he's young and
full of potential. Losing him could turn around and bite us in the (expletive)
someday."
