Let's get the big number out of the way: despite a massive trading block and enough roster churn to make an entire pitching staff out of butter, this year's Tradestorm features only 22 deals. We suspect 1902's 28 will be a record for some time, especially as teams get used to picking up good FA signings.

As with last year, for each trade, we'll give you the positions, ages, and overall/potential ratings (if there's a gap) for each player, and then offer brief comments on the thought process behind the move.

We'll rate each trade as one of the following:

Push: neither team benefits much.
Balance: both teams benefit.
Win: one team benefits more than the other.
Fleece: one team benefits absurdly more than the other.

With all that said, let's get started.

Morovis ⚕️ sends:
RHP Eugenio Chávez ( 34 / 45 OVR )

Isabela 🧀 sends:
RF Julio Martínez ( 18 / 20 OVR / 43 POT )

Ooh, a bullpen guy that won't see any use for a speedy young outfielder who, uh, won't see any use either. Wow.

Our rating: Push.

Manatí 🏛️ sends:
3B Naughton Robinson ( 34 / 48 OVR )

Vega Baja 🍬 sends:
LHP Faro Ruiz ( 22 / 34 OVR / 41 POT )

Ooh, a bullpen guy that won't see any use for a third baseman who couldn't hit a lefty to save his life. Wow.

Our rating: Push.

Morovis ⚕️ sends:
LF Teucro González ( 34 / 49 OVR )
RHP Víctor Morán ( 22 / 49 OVR / 61 POT )

Ceiba 🐟 sends:
LHP Cecilio Castillo ( 22 / 22 OVR / 48 POT )
2B Chris Holmes ( 22 / 28 OVR / 45 POT )

Ooh, two bullpen guys that won't see any use and two bench players. Wow.

Our rating: Do we have to say it? Push.

Las Piedras ⚒️ sends:
C Erasmo Vásquez ( 31 / 37 OVR )

Yabucoa 🐝 sends:
RHP Natán Quintanar ( 16 / 51 OVR )

In an era where bullpens got used more often, this would be a Las Piedras win. But that'll be some other time.

Our rating: Push.

San Sebastián 🥒 sends:
RF Daniel Ramírez ( 37 / 46 OVR )
2B Camulógeno Vélez ( 24 / 46 OVR )

Ceiba 🐟 sends:
LHP Gervasio Torres ( 19 / 45 OVR )

Vélez immediately took over the DH and leadoff spots in Ceiba, which is good, because that's all the value the Picus are getting in this trade, since Ramírez is still out with an elbow sprain.

Our rating: Balance.

Comerío 🕷️ sends:
LHP Leopoldo Reyes ( 23 / 40 OVR / 43 POT )

Jayuya 🏔️ sends:
C Gualberto Navía ( 31 / 44 OVR )

The Guabas get a second catcher, and the Cerros get another arm their bad fielding can ruin.

Our rating: Balance.

Dorado 🛡️ sends:
1B Hugh Spurr ( 35 / 80 OVR )

Humacao 🌧️ sends:
1B Ángel Pelay ( 17 / 20 OVR / 44 POT )
LHP Quentin Taylor ( 24 / 34 OVR / 74 POT )

We can't believe we're saying this about a trade including Hugh Spurr, one of the greatest all-around hitters in the LNP of the 1900s, but Dorado finessed such a decent return for him that we don't think Humacao actually won this one.

Our rating: Balance.

Mayagüez 🎖️ sends:
LHP Marco Pomares ( 16 / 20 OVR / 80 POT )
RF Juan Valles ( 23 / 32 OVR / 42 POT )

Salinas 🎣 sends:
RHP Mike Bellenger ( 34 / 65 OVR )

Mayagüez stays ahead of Rincón for the division, and in exchange, Salinas gets another pitching prospect to work with.

Our rating: Balance.

Guaynabo 🌎 sends:
RHP Álvaro López ( 21 / 35 OVR / 80 POT )

Cayey 🐂 sends:
CF Julio Montilla ( 30 / 57 OVR )

Since Cayey is clearly uninterested in winning games right now, this is a good move: getting outrageous future value for one of their best players.

Our rating: Balance.

Patillas 🍞 sends:
RHP Alberto González ( 28 / 61 OVR )

Juana Díaz 👑 sends:
C Silvio Hernández ( 30 / 45 OVR )
CF Marco Antonio Murillo ( 22 / 35 OVR / 45 POT )

Premier pitching for a decent price; Patillas restocks its catching situation and tacks on a talented outfield glove that could one day also destroy dreams at the plate.

Our rating: Balance.

Cataño ⚓ wins:
CF Arquímedes Guevara ( 24 / 42 OVR )
3B Tarasio Lovato ( 39 / 46 OVR )

Guánica 🤝 sends:
CF Lorenzo Santillán ( 20 / 26 OVR / 43 POT )

This doesn't seem like it should move the needle, but if you've seen the outfield Guánica's been rolling out, you know this was a great idea.

Our rating: Guánica win.

Culebra 🐢 sends:
RF Pedro Muñiz ( 17 / 20 OVR / 65 POT )
RF Felipe San Juan ( 24 / 48 OVR )

Jayuya 🏔️ sends:
RF Caleb Pilgram ( 34 / 70 OVR )

You don't often see a multi-player trade where all three guys are the same position. The two newest Cerros will develop into great players. In exchange, Culebra gets a guy who's a bit old and rather one-dimensional.

Our rating: Jayuya win.

Aguadilla 🦈 sends:
RHP Evaristo "Acierto" Domínguez ( 30 / 53 OVR )
1B Eduardo Quiñones ( 17 / 45 OVR )

Aibonito 🧊 sends:
LHP Rubén Arbizu ( 19 / 20 OVR / 42 POT )

The Fríos got Aguadilla to take a future pitching development nightmare off their hands while acquiring a semi-ready bat.

Our rating: Aibonito win.

Patillas 🍞 sends:
C Miguel del Carmen ( 23 / 41 OVR )
C Noé Esquivel ( 19 / 20 OVR / 48 POT )
RHP Duarte Flores ( 21 / 36 OVR / 52 POT )

Orocovis 🪙 sends:
RHP Celedonio Soto ( 30 / 64 OVR )

The Cuervos didn't give anything up that they can't replace this winter. It'd be a fleece if we didn't think Soto will be an annoying pitcher for the Patillas catching staff.

Our rating: Patillas win.

Trujillo Alto 🥟 sends:
SS Odiseo Gener ( 21 / 27 OVR / 36 POT )
RF Adrián Peralta ( 22 / 34 OVR / 46 POT )

Salinas 🎣 sends:
RHP Luis "Baboso" Almonte ( 32 / 77 OVR )

The only thing keeping this from being a fleece is that Almonte, as a two-pitch guy, is likely slated for bullpen work. Meanwhile, the two twentysomethings aren't going to amount to much.

Our rating: Trujillo Alto win.

Ponce 🦁 sends:
CF Amérigo Sandez ( 19 / 29 OVR / 58 POT )

Manatí 🏛️ sends:
RF Isidro Pérez ( 33 / 47 OVR )

Yes, Sandez will take a bit to get ready, but when he's done cooking, he will be an impact player on a team that's already putting together a lot of pieces. Pérez is in a not-particularly-fantastic prime.

Our rating: Manatí win.

Ponce 🦁 sends:
RHP Lucas Smith ( 39 / 66 OVR )

Culebra 🐢 sends:
RF Diego Espinosa ( 31 / 49 OVR )
1B Reece Milne ( 23 / 25 OVR / 80 POT )

If we thought Smith could last another 2-3 seasons in the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, this would be a balance—but he'll be gone before Milne becomes the monster power hitter we all know he's on his way to being.

Our rating: Ponce win. And you know we hate to admit that.

Dorado 🛡️ sends:
LHP Ed Ostrom ( 32 / 48 OVR )
RHP Álvaro Rodríguez ( 21 / 53 OVR )

Utuado 🌄 sends:
C Isaías Peña ( 22 / 28 OVR / 37 POT )
2B Rosendo "Sendito el Bendito" Romo ( 17 / 21 OVR / 42 POT )

In general, good pitching matters more in acquisitions, but Ostrom and Alvarado aren't good enough to outpace what we think is a horrendously-underrated catcher and a decent enough infielder.

Our rating: Dorado win.

Toa Alta 📜 sends:
C Ken Fitzsimmons ( 31 / 47 OVR )
RF León Gamboa ( 24 / 34 OVR / 44 POT )
CF Egidio Gurule ( 23 / 35 OVR / 41 POT )

Humacao 🌧️ sends:
3B León García ( 39 / 53 OVR )

Unlike with Picard downthread, we're not sure García is retiring after this year, but Humacao managed to restock several positions in its cupboard for the cost of what may be the last few productive months of a career.

Our rating: Humacao fleece.

Bayamón 🥛 sends:
1B Nereo Flamenco ( 23 / 32 OVR / 44 POT )
SS Ricardo Vásquez ( 28 / 44 OVR )

Carolina 🪓 sends:
RHP Guillermo Dolgonos ( 29 / 68 OVR )

This would've been a balanced situation if Dolgonos were a starting pitcher, but he's an utterly conventional fastball/slider reliever, i.e., he'll see as much use as Caleb Pilgram's glove.

Our rating: Carolina fleece.

Coamo ♨️ sends:
3B Frank Casey ( 19 / 29 OVR / 67 POT )

Florida 🚦 sends:
3B Eduardo Maestas ( 38 / 50 OVR )

Coamo must think its coaching staff is built different, because otherwise we're not sure why they gave up a great future player for a worse version of the guy they already had at third.

Our rating: Florida fleece.

Guaynabo 🌎 sends:
RHP Francisco Peña ( 19 / 20 OVR / 50 POT )

Dorado 🛡️ sends:
1B Paxton Picard ( 36 / 67 OVR )

Yes, Guaynabo needs to score more runs in a hurry, but trading for a few months of a player who already said he's retiring at season's end is a choice, especially if the price is a young pitcher with absurd upside.

Our rating: Dorado fleece.

The second half awaits. Some of these players will be extremely successful with their new teams; some will, undoubtedly, fail to lift them out of the doldrums.

Of course, too, the trade deadline looms, large and terrifying, and it too may seismically reshape the present of the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña. We shall have to see.

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