Why Did Outlaw Stand Pat?

Outlaw Josey Wales ended block II with a decent lead over division rival Lehigh Valley and a solid lead in the Tastes Great wild card race. The team got some good trade offers that would have improved our chances of making and succeeding in the playoffs.

So why, oh why, did the Wales stand pat while contenders Lehigh Valley and Springfield were making aggressive moves to close the gap? Why are the Wales now 5 games behind the Iron Pigs and fighting neck-and-neck with Springfield and Lake Champlain for the wild card after block III?

What was management thinking?

The answer is .983 .976 .970 .965 .872 .852 .823

Those numbers are the current 2011 MLB OPS for Big Papi Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Nelson Cruz, and Adrian Beltre. Manager Hildebrant is salivating at the thought of putting together lineup cards with those guys names next year. The pitching staff might not be spectacular next year, but with Justin Masterson, Tim Hudson, and Scott Baker all having good MLB campaigns it should be solid enough to give the lineup a chance to outslug the opposition and overcome all of Elvis Andrus's errors.

And never forget our most potent weapon, the ageless legend Omar Vizquel! About the only 2011 MLB disappointment is Joakim Soria who is struggling this year, maybe leading to a Venters vs. Soria closer controversy next year.

Outlaw officials looked at this year's pitching staff vs the oppositions' and made the tough decision to stand pat. Rumor has it that management actually considered being the first team in NASBL history to be sellers in the trade market while leading their division after 2 blocks! The 2011 Wales players will just have to keep overachieving if they want to go anywhere. Their record this year shows evidence that they can do just that.

So while Outlaw fans may not be happy with this year's lack of moves, management says the team still has a great chance to make the playoffs this year and expects even better things to come next year.