On Monday, the Ottawa Titans completed a trade with the Sussex County Miners, sending infielder and slugger David Maberry to Sussex County in exchange for a player to be named later.
Maberry saw action in 11 games for the Titans prior to the trade, hitting a respectable .282 with a home run and seven RBIs. In the past, Maberry has proven to be a formidable middle-of-the-order power hitter, but for one reason or another, things haven’t worked out between him and Ottawa.
One of the reasons things got complicated was the play of Brendon Dadson, who shares a position with Maberry. In the field, Dadson has been really good for Bobby Brown’s Titans, and with the bat, he has come up with big hits time and time again. Dadson’s play has held Maberry out of the lineup on more than a few occasions this season, and playing time was at a premium for him.
If there’s one big question mark around this trade, it’s why Maberry didn’t get a chance to be in the lineup each day as a designated hitter. Currently, Luke Navigato has been handling those duties, but with his average below the Mendoza line and not much power being generated with his bat, could Maberry have played there?
Probably, but the question would be for how long? The Titans have been playing shorthanded for the majority of the season, and their roster, when healthy, has a lot of mouths to feed. Between their regulars and players who can rotate around their field, there was little room for Maberry when all was said and done.
Additionally, Maberry doesn’t have the positional flexibility that the team might have with other players. Maberry could really only give the Titans games as a first baseman or designated hitter, two roles they have happily filled.
Ultimately, this is a trade that is going to be good for the player, and maybe down the road, it can help the club. Maberry is far too good to be riding the pine in Ottawa, and the team likely knew that. With his new team in Sussex County, Maberry should have the chance to get some meaningful at-bats.
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