Myatt traded to San Jose
July 30, 2083
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
With the Broncos seemingly in cruise control right now, few Denver fans were expecting general manager John Mounts to be active at this year's trade deadline. After all, the Broncos have authored the league's best record so far this season, leading the Miami Dolphins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Rochester Rhinos by a whopping 13 games, and they lead division rival Tucson by an astounding 22 games. What weaknesses could they possibly have? What needs could there be to fill?
Well, Mounts found one that concerned him. The Broncos have traded 28 year old, left-handed pitcher James Myatt to the San Jose Sharks for left-handed hitting outfielder Masahachirou Shunji and left-handed pitching prospect Carmelo Dros. The 27 year old Shunji is expected to provide some power off the bench for the Broncos, which was an area that Mounts said was "severely lacking." Those who are more cynical may offer the suggestion that the addition of Shunji may provide Mounts some leverage in his discussions with Asbel Fuentez regarding the veteran outfielder's impending free agency. Shunji has hit .262/.339/.456/.795 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 homeruns in 103 at bats this season coming off the bench for the Sharks. In 214 career at bats, Shunji has 7 homeruns and a .784 OPS. However, it should be noted that San Jose's ballpark is known to be death to left-handed power hitters; none of Shunji's 4 homeruns this year have come while playing at home and, in fact, he has just a .521 OPS while playing in San Jose this season. Mounts said that the Sharks were willing to part with Shunji because their outfield was simply too crowded to allow for adequate playing time for him.
As for James Myatt, Mounts admitted that he was reluctant to trade the towering southpaw, but that it would have been unfair to Myatt not to do so. "We like James, and think that he will be a very good starting pitcher in this league, but that is an opportunity that is unlikely to happen here in Denver," Mounts said. Mounts pointed out the respective ages of the Broncos' current starting five, which range from 28 to 31, saying, "The group we have right now is very good, and we'd like to keep them together for awhile. But where would that leave James? He deserves better than to be a reliever, which is what we have been forced to use him as." Mounts added that having too many relief pitchers was also making it difficult to get Myatt playing time, while also leaving manager John Wilkerson with too few position players for his bench. For Myatt's part, he was not exactly unhappy about being traded. "Of course I enjoyed my time in Denver, but I'm a starting pitcher, not a reliever. I wasn't going to get to be a starter here, but I will in San Jose. I'm excited to get a chance to really prove myself." The Sharks, who have surged into first place in the wild West over the last month, have been in search of starting pitchers because veterans Barry Gowen and Benito Ortiz have both gone down with injuries, Ortiz for the remainder of the season. For the Broncos this year, Myatt has posted a 6.47 ERA in 13 games. Three of those games were starts, and in those, he has a 5.40 ERA. In 23 career appearances, 12 of which are starts, Myatt has a 6.83 ERA.
The other player the Broncos will receive in this trade is 23 year old starting pitcher Carmelo Dros. The left-hander was a third round draft pick by Knoxville in 2080. He was traded to Tucson, who later traded him to San Jose. Dros has a decent fastball and good control, but has had little success as a professional. In this, his fourth season at A ball, he has posted a 4.38 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. These are his best numbers to date. Dros will be a welcome addition to the Broncos' single A affiliate, which has seen its starting pitchers ravaged by injury this year: 20 year old Christopher Hicks suffered a torn bicep muscle in the first game of the year that is believed to be career-threatening, 23 year old Rafael Alvarez tore a tricep muscle on July 14th and is not expected to be throwing again until September, and 22 year old Tony Hernandez has missed a total of 9 weeks with both bicep and tricep injuries.
With Myatt getting traded, manager John Wilkerson announced that reliever Larry Waltz will make a spot start in today's game against Grand Rapids in place of George Buentello. Buentello left his last start after pitching two innings because he experienced tightness in his shoulder, and is being held out of this game as a precaution. "At this point in the season, we don't want to take any unnecessary risks," Wilkerson said. Waltz has posted a 3.68 ERA in 13 relief appearances this season. Back in 2081, Waltz made 17 starts in the second half of the season due to injuries, and was crucial in the Broncos being able to win the division by a single game over Tucson.