[mikev]

Woods Traded To Greenville

After being rumored to be dealt for some time now, reports are surfacing that Crusaders infielder Nick WOods will be traded to the Greenville Moonshiners.

Woods, 31, is in the midst of another solid campaign, batting .301 and anchoring the California defense. Unfortunately, at 24-37, the Crusaders aren't really going anywhere in 2022 and have looked to swing deals in order to reload the team for 2023, when they're going to have nearly $50M in free agency money to play with.

The gem of the deal for California is 21 year old pitcher Franck Berthier, currently in Triple A. Berthier sports 6/7/8 ratings, but throws 95mph and has fantastic endurance. Currently in 11 starts this year he's 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 78 innings. Berthier instantly becomes the team's #1 prospect.

Along with Berthier, the Crusaders will receive infielders Juan Mena and Ricardo Contreras. The 31 year old Contreras has, in short, sucked this year, and is included in the deal simply to give Greenville a bit of salary relief this year. Mena, a Rule V draftee, is a plus defender at first, second, and shortstop. His offensive talents aren't spectacular, and he'll be thrown to the wolves at age 24 as the new starting shortstop.

In addition to Woods, infielder Hans Wirtz was sent to Greenville.