Squirrels get there man...and then some.

We'd all been led to believe Adam Anson and the Flying Squirrels were set to take Jimmy Rollins at pick 1.7 in the eMLB draft. Fans were abuzz about the prospect of solidifying, arguably, the best infield in the eMLB, and all signs pointed to this being the case. The moment came and with no hesitation, Anson pulled the trigger...acquiring CC Sabathia. Many mock drafts around the league revealed other owners intent, and Anson felt the opportunity to get Sabathia and Rollins was there. "We looked over all the mock drafts out there, gathered as much information as we could and took a calculated risk." The risk paid off and Rollins was there for the Squirrels at pick 1.12. When asked what would have been done had Rollins come off the board, Anson stated flatly, "We had several options. All the moves we made in the Winter Meetings gave us great flexibility in the draft. Had Rollins gone to another team, we would have added another top flight SPer in all likelihood."

With the addition of Sabathia, the Squirrels now have a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation in Sabathia and Liriano. Look for the Squirrels to continue to add pitching in the draft as the offense is all but set at this point.

Rollins finalizes a potent Squirrels offense. The projected opening day lineup looks like this:
C- Montero, 1B- Morneau, 2B- Uggla, SS- Rollins, 3B- Beltre, OF- Bruce, OF- BJ Upton, OF- Abreu, OF- Bay, Util- Prado

Mock Draft 1-18-11

Round One

1.1- South Texas Heat: Prince Fielder
--This pick has been pretty obvious for a long time now. Berg puts the 5yr on the big man.

1.2- Mid-Michigan Tigers: Chase Utley
--Everyone else has a SPer going here, but Utley is the only superstar at 2B in this draft that has one thing going for it...SPing.

1.3- Charlotte Orios: Tim Lincecum
--Broskey pairs up Lincecum with Verlander and forms one of the most dominant 1-2's in the league.

1.4- San Antonio FireAnts: Roy Halladay
--With Utley off the board, Sankey snags the best pitcher in the game.

1.5- Olivet Killer Eagles: Matt Kemp
--Easy pick for Larry here. The best OFer available comes off the board.

1.6- Arizona Desert Swarm: Adam Dunn
--In a draft short on big power, Abramson nets the only 1B with guaranteed 40+ HR power.

1.7- Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic: Jimmy Rollins
--Rollins solidifies a strong Squirrels infield.

1.8- Hackensack Bulls: C.C. Sabathia
--Femmel stays true to his game plan and adds Sabathia to Lester/Wainwright to form a devastating top three.

1.9- Olivet Killer Eagles: Kendry Morales
--With Dunn off the board, Larry takes the lone remaining star 1B.

1.10- Rochester Red Sox: Jayson Werth
--A talent falls and Rich snatches him up and adds him to CarGo and Braun to form a SOLID outfield.

1.11- Rochester Red Sox: Clay Buchholz
--Call it homerism if you want to, but this is where Buchholz should go and Rich is glad to add him.

1.12- Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic: Mat Latos
--It's Latos or Kershaw here...today it's Latos.

1.13- Olivet Killer Eagles: Clayton Kershaw
--Larry grabs his top of the rotation SPer here in what will be one of the steals of the draft.

1.14- South Texas Heat: Kelly Johnson
--Berg grabs the underrated Johnson to go with Fielder as he builds his infield.

1.15- Dallas Redbirds: Shane Victorino
--Another talent falls and Doyel is the beneficiary.

1.16- Hackensack Bulls: Heath Bell
--Femmel takes the top RPer in the draft with the final pick of round one.

Looking to the Draft

What an offseason it was for the Squirrels. Dealing like a man possessed, GM Adam Anson has put the 2011 edition of the Squirrels in position to compete for the eMLB title. Big bats were added in Jay Bruce, Justin Morneau and Bobby Abreu. A true top of the rotation ace was brought in in Francisco Liriano, and in the late hours last night, Anson added the 1.7 pick of the upcoming draft. The Squirrels, unfortunately, had to take on one albatross of a contract in Nate McLouth, but the addition of 1.7 looks to make the move worthwhile. "In a draft with very few superstars available, we felt it was more important to lock up two of the top twelve players than it would be to give contracts to more questionable picks made in the 4th and 5th rounds," said Anson.

The move to acquire pick 1.7 almost certainly assures the team of taking a SS in the first round. Speculation is that the move to attain 1.7 was ownership's best effort to ensure that they land Jimmy Rollins. SS is obviously the glaring need for the 2011 squad, but Anson has made it clear that they would not overpay for a SS simply to fill the position, "A first round selection has got to be first round talent, and someone we can lock up. Derek Jeter is a star, but at this point in his career, we could not see giving him a contract."

Assuming Rollins is available in the 1.7 spot, the question now becomes, who will the Squirrels target with the 1.12 pick? Experts expect the team to address the thin SPing at that spot, but if a major talent falls, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the Squirrels to draft the best available talent. It's been an exciting winter in Republic...one that looks to get more exciting as we approach the 2011 eMLB draft.

Teixeira out...Morneau in...

The Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic announced moments ago that slugger and 2010 team MVP Mark Teixeira has been traded to the North Texas Rangers. After much speculation and rumor, GM Adam Anson has confirmed the report. "Mark is an outstanding player. He's without a doubt irreplaceable, but when you have the opportunity to add significant depth to your ballclub the way we were able to today, you have to seize that opportunity." The Squirrels received an extensive package from the Rangers including Jason Bay, Jay Bruce and North Texas' 2nd and 3rd round picks (2.8, 3.8) in the upcoming draft. Going back to North Texas along with Teixeira were the Squirrels' 2nd round pick and 6th round pick (2.12, 6.12).

In an unexpected second move, Anson turned the 2.8 pick around to the Hackensack Bulls in return for Justin Morneau and the Bulls' 8th rd selection (8.9). Morneau has been a consistent source of power and average and should fill the gap left by Teixeira admirably. "In Morneau, we get an extendable player, whereas Tex was an expiring 5yr player. It's pretty much as simple as that. We're ecstatic to bring Justin in."

The Squirrels have dramatically changed their roster overnight...the only spot left on offense is a SS. Here is a preview of the 2011 Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic.

C-Miguel Montero, 1B-Justin Morneau, 2B-Dan Uggla, SS-Open, 3B-Adrian Beltre,
OF-BJ Upton, OF-Bobby Abreu, OF-Jay Bruce, OF-Jason Bay

SP-Francisco Liriano, SP-Josh Beckett, SP-Wade Davis, SP-Open, SP-Open
RP- Carlos Marmol, RP-Open, RP-Open, RP-Open, RP-Open

Winter Meetings Start off with a BANG!

Flying Squirrels owner and GM Adam Anson had pledged this would be a busy offseason, and on the first morning of the winter meetings, that pledge came to fruition. The roster of the Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic will look dramatically different headed into the draft than it did prior to the meetings. Three deals were announced this morning, with Anson quoted as saying "Two more deals are imminent...big ones."

The three deals announced were as follows:

In the first small move, the Squirrels have agreed to send SPer Scott Kazmir to the Michigan Miracles. This move was primarily to rid the team of a contract they never wanted to take on in the first place. "Kaz was taken on in a trade that netted us several key contributors last year. This move will allow us to be more flexible and gets Kaz in a better situation and on a team that made it clear they wanted him," stated Anson. The Squirrels netted the Miracles final draft pick in the swap (22.6).

Next, the Squirrels will be sending their fourth round draft pick (pick 4.12) to the Atlantic Surge for OFer Bobby Abreu. Abreu brings a good stick with moderate power and speed to the table. With a weak OF class in the upcoming draft, Anson felt this was a deal he couldn't pass up. "Bobby brings a veteran presence to our clubhouse and will be a solid contributor to the team in the upcoming season. Our front office felt that in the 4th round, we wouldn't be able to obtain a player with Bobby's all around game, so this was a move we had to make."

The final of the first three trades sees promising young OFer Drew Stubbs headed to the Olivet Killer Eagles along with the Squirrels third round pick (3.12) in exchange for SPer Francisco Liriano and the Eagles' fourth round pick (4.10). "We can't say enough about what Drew Stubbs meant to this team," said Anson, "but when you have the opportunity to add an ace like Liriano, you have to be willing to make some concessions. We're all in hopes that this will take some pressure off of Becks to be that No. 1 and let him focus on being the dominant pitcher he can be." If Beckett can return to form, the move would give the Squirrels a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.

The other two deals should be announced later in the meetings, possibly as early as this afternoon, but speculation and heavy rumor have Mark Teixeira headed out of Republic and Justin Mourneau coming in...stay tuned.

Pre Winter Meetings

It appears the Flying Squirrels are going to be significant players at the upcoming eMLB Winter Meetings. While unconfirmed, rumors out of Republic are flying that young OFer Drew Stubbs has been handshaken away for a potential top of the rotation pitcher. Other rumors are swirling involving players all across the roster including Mark Teixeira, Dan Uggla, BJ Upton and Scott Kazmir. When asked about potentially moving such important pieces of last year's third place squad, Adam Anson stated flatly, "No one is untouchable. Obviously we have to feel good about the deal to move our high end players, but honestly, we feel that way about all of our guys." Anson also said the team has mild interest in moving up in the first round of the upcoming eMLB draft. "If the opportunity was presented in a way that didn't destroy our entire draft strategy, then we would certainly look into it. I would like to state however, that we are not, are not, looking to trade out of the first round. We have some pressing needs and those needs do not look to be addressable via trade."

With the acquisition of a top flight SPer, the obvious pressing needs for the Squirrels look like OF and SS. Anson has stated already that the team plans to address SS in the draft, so it looks like the aquisition of an OFer is going to be the team's top priority in the meetings.

More to come...