Rakeville Times: Reed on the clock

Aaron Nola is the newest Rakeville pitcher, but can he save this depleted staff?

By Hernandez Firstname,

Rakeville Times

RAKEVILLE - In a first of it’s kind move, Jack Reed called general managers from around the league together for trade forum on the eve of the 2015 Minor League Draft as the struggling Rockets franchise looked to find a bright spot on this dark season.

The negotiations centered around Rakeville star Jose Abreu, but by the time the dust settled, Abreu was the only trade chip that was still with the team.

“We put just about everyone on the block,” said Reed.  “We knew Abreu would bring offers, and the other teams didn’t disappoint.  Despite our poor performance, we feel our offense is very close to being a playoff caliber squad, so building depth in the rotation was a priority.”

To do that, the Rockets traded away four pitchers to gain five, headlined by Weymouth’s Mike Leake.  Surprisingly, Abreu didn't move.

“We wanted to get younger with our staff,” said Reed.  “Owens, Shipley, Nola and Snell are four potential top-of-the-rotation talents that hold minor league protection, but are close enough to joining the big club in the next two years.  Hopefully our bats will have matured by then.”

Reed also made waves this week by demoting two of his top young players.  Kris Bryant and Kolten Wong were sent back down to Stackerville to free up space on the big league roster. 

Aaron Nola could be the biggest get for Rakeville.  Topping their draft board heading into the night, they were able to snag the hurler with the fifth pick.