TRADE - Benitez In To Lock Down 9th Inning

The Baltimore Stouts completed a blockbuster trade over the weekend, acquiring RP Armando Benitez and RF Larry Walker in an eight-player trade with the New York Rippers.  It's a bold move that has made it clear that Stouts management is serious about putting a winning team on the field as soon as possible.

The Stouts sent outfielders Shawn Green and Rondell White as well as pitchers Joe Mays and Turk Wendell to New York in the trade.  Baltimore also acquired outfielder Ruben Mateo and first-baseman Eduardo Perez to complete the deal.

The centerpiece of the trade from the Baltimore perspective was closer Benitez.  With a bullpen that had already blown five saves in eight chances in the first 18 games of the season, the team was in the market for someone who could get the job done in the 9th inning.  Benitez fits the bill and then some.  He had yet to allow a single run in 10.2 innings of work prior to the trade from the Rippers.  He will replace Antonio Alfonseca in the closer's role for the Stouts.


Also into the fold is Walker, who brings his cannon of an arm to town to man right-field.  He was batting .249 in 20 games for New York.  A career .313 hitter, Walker will man a middle of the order spot in the batting lineup.  Mateo and Perez look to provide depth on the bench for the Stouts.

Gone is Shawn Green.  Baltimore's 4th round selection in the recent Millennium League dispersal draft, Green was looked at as a cornerstone for the franchise.  He ends up being traded before the team has played 20 games.  For the season, Green was hitting .250 with a pair of homers and 18 RBIs.  New York will not be Green's final destination though.  He was dealt shortly after his acquisition by the Rippers in a multi-player deal with the Arizona Apaches.