Washington Trades McDonald, Merced next? August 7, 2000
(AP) WASHINGTON--In one of the biggest trades in PVBL history, Washington
traded Ben McDonald and a package of draft picks and prospects for the
privilege of owning the PVBL's best pitcher, Joey Hamilton.
"This is both a sad and a joyous day in the Sea Dogs history," Washington
GM Aaron Weiner said.
McDonald, the staff ace, was Washington's second major acquisition, back
in 1998. His presence along with the presence of Barry Larkin carried the
Sea Dogs to the wild card that year.
However, Washington parted with their ace and Opening Day starter to try
to help them achieve another goal - winning the World Series.
"We feel that Joey Hamilton is one of the finest young pitchers in the
game today, and though it pains us to lose Ben McDonald, a fine man and
pitcher, we feel that Hamilton will aid us in our future attempts at
championships," Weiner said. "He is a class individual and one of the few
players for which we would have surrendered McDonald."
The Sea Dogs have recently found themselves in a race for the wild card, a
race they thought they had won two weeks ago. However, Washington has
dropped eight of their last ten games while Binghamton has been winning at
an unprecedented pace, and their once buoyant lead has emaciated to 1.5
games.
Because of this, Weiner felt that he had to attack the offensive situation
as well as the pitching staff.
"We were thinking about just Joey Hamilton, but we realized that we needed
another bat if we were going to contend," Weiner said. "We've been
dropping because of Binghamton's hitting, and we felt we needed something
to counter."
Reggie Sanders may not be the answer for all the Sea Dogs' woes, but he
will help. The former MVP is hitting .271 this year with 18 homers, and
more importantly, is slugging .481.
"It's our sincere hope that Sanders is a help to our offensive problems,"
Weiner said. "We're just looking for him to do what he's been doing this
year, which is playing good defense and hitting for power."
The price for the two players, outside of McDonald, was enormous.
Washington surrendered what is potentially the #1 pick in the free-agent
draft, along with pitching prospect Paul Walsh and minor-league second
baseman Frank Catalnotto.
"It was a steep price, but we're going to sign Hamilton to a long-term
contract, so it should work out evenly," Weiner siad. "He's already
agreed to terms, so it's not a problem."
Sanders seems like a mercenary, however, but it's a role he's used to.
The EL's initial MVP has bounced from team to team since leaving Galena
two years ago, and another new home would just be par for the course.
"Weiner said that he'd like to keep me aboard, but that the Sea Dogs
already had a lot of money committed to players like Larry Walker and
Chuck Knoblauch," Sanders said. "I haven't been quite as productive as
those two, but I know that I'm one of the league's best players."
If Sanders ends up being as productive as Matt Williams, the Sea Dogs have
a difficult choice. Williams has hit 20 homers as a Sea Dog, but has
been outslugged by Sanders this season and lacks Sanders' athleticism.
Williams is also two years older than Sanders.
"I don't really feel too much pressure from Sanders; he's here to help us
win a championship, and that's enough for me to support him," Williams
said.
McDonald, who was quickly traded to Montreal, expressed sorrow over
his Sea Dogs departure.
"I've enjoyed playing here, and I hope that they enjoy the same success
that they have when I was here," McDonald said. "As for playing in
Montreal, it's a good opportunity to try to pick up a struggling
franchise like I did in Washington in 1998. I think I'll blend well with
the players over there."
The deal was protested once, predictably by Binghamton, but passed as no
other owners stepped up. Weiner, however, seemed to almost wish that
they had.
"Maybe if the deal was protested, we'd still have Ben," Weiner said. "It
hurts me deeply to lose him, but this was an opportunity that might not
have arisen again."
This is the twelfth trade between Deadwood and Washington since the
league's inagural season. Washington currently stands at 64-49, a .566
winning percentage.
