Federal League Baseball
Goliaths
Reacquire Brotherhood From Sunsets October 26, 2009 (Federal League Wire Service)
In a scenario that seems
eerily similar to last season's David Cruz affair, the Davie
Goliaths reacquired their ace righty, Eric Brotherhood, in a
trade consummated Monday afternoon.
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The
Sunsets, who claimed Brotherhood's rights after the veteran
hurler was released by the G-Men, will receive a first round
draft pick, a second round pick in the 2010-2011 Fall/Winter
season draft, rookie pitcher Keith Keeler, and the rights to
inactive pitcher Jim Engle.
Brotherhood,
who compiled an 18-4 record, plus 8-1 in the playoffs, in three
seasons with the Goliaths, originally asked for, and received,
his release from the team in order to join former Goliath
manager Jason Silver on a newly formed Original Division team.
Silver's fledgling team never fully materialized and Silver
suspended the club's operation until the 2010 Spring/Summer
season.
At
that point, Brotherhood sought to rejoin the Goliaths. However,
an Expansion Division club cannot reclaim a player it has
released with that player being subject to waivers. The Sunsets,
who finished in last place last season, claimed Brotherhood. The
Twilighters then, immediately agreed to trade the ace pitcher to
the Goliaths.
After
two deals were ruled invalid due to the teams having agreed to
swap draft choices that they no longer possessed, a deal was
struck between the two clubs. Under league rules, the remaining
Expansion Division clubs have a 24 hour period to counter offer
any announced trade. The Margate Sentries submitted three offers
to the Sunsets for Brotherhood that, to the casual observer,
appeared to be stronger than the Goliaths' offer.
The
Sentries' final offer to the Sunsets included a package of five
draft picks, including two first round picks, and highly touted
pitching prospect Eddy Rodriguez, as well as, the rights to
former all-star shortstop Eric Pitts. A former Goliath, Pitts
has been inactive for several seasons.
Last
season, it was also the Sentries that appeared to outbid the
Goliaths for the services of former all star catcher David Cruz
only to have the Sunsets ship Cruz to the Philistines anyway.
Much
like Brotherhood, Cruz had previously sought his release from
the Goliaths and was later claimed on waivers by the Sunsets.
The Goliaths ended up trading a draft pick and two players to
the Sunsets despite the Sentries' offer of a first and second
round pick and two front line players for Cruz.
The
ripple effect of the Cruz trade, and the Sunsets' dissatisfaction
with its results, indirectly led to Carlos Rodriguez's ouster as
manager of the Twilighters. Eric Raskin, who negotiated the
Brotherhood deal, was tabbed to replace Rodriguez as manager of
the Sunsets after last season.
Sentries'
manager Phil Laufman was livid, to say the least, that he was
rebuffed for a second season in a row by the Sunsets.
"I'm
not sure why Raskin would take the Goliaths' deal and not
mine," protested Laufman. "I refuse to believe that he
(Raskin) feels like this trade has helped his team."
In
an ironic twist, the Goliaths and the Sunsets are scheduled to
meet Monday night and it is entirely possible that Brotherhood
will pitch against his former for however brief a period of
time) Sunset teammates.
