Just five weeks into the inaugural Roger Dorn Baseball League season in 2013, Adler's Man Crush and the Asti Grape Stompers completed a blockbuster deal that hasn't been talked about nearly enough in the almost 8 years since its completion. Late on a Thursday evening on May 3rd of 2013, a forwarded email entitled "Trade" came over to the RDBL Commissioner's Office with the simple words from GM Dave Adler, "make it happen."
Expecting a minor deal this early in the season, I scrolled down to see who was involved in the move only to be blown away by the names set to be exchanged. Mike Trout was headed from AMC to the Grapes in exchange for Clayton Kershaw and a well-regard pitching prospect Gerrit Cole. It was not only an exchange of two titans in the sport, but the two highest paid contracts in the Auction Draft just five weeks before.
In total, the negotiation took all of 15 minutes with an initial offer from the Grapes at 8:20pm followed up by an "I'm game with that. Lets do it." from Adler at 8:35pm.
At the time of the deal, the Grapes were riding high in the top position in the overall standings while Adler's Man Crush sat in 11th place while shuffling through Luke Harrell and Doug Fister in a less than stellar starting rotation. Watching starting pitching dominate the standings, Adler felt the need to address their rotation in a big way which motivated the deal.
What Followed in the RDBL
Trout and Kershaw would do little to disappoint either side for the remainder of 2013 with historical performances while Cole would play a big role in future title holders.
The Grapes would continue to float at or near the top of the standing through late May and tried to strike while the iron was hot, acquiring Felix Hernandez from the Cloverdale Clovers. The asking price was high for King Felix as he was shopped heavily across the league. The prospect that made the difference in sealing the deal was Gerrit Cole who joined Christian Yelich in the return to the Clovers.
Trout would continue to mash, eventually earning the RDBL Hitter of the Year Award for 2013 while slashing a ridiculous .323/.432/.557 with 27 home runs, 39 doubles and nine triples. His 625.5 points would not only pace all hitters that season, but still stands as the most points in a full RDBL Season in League History. Despite Trout's heroics, the Grapes would fall short in their quest for League Title, finishing in 3rd place behind the Danville Aristocrats and Maltese Falcons.
Kershaw's performance was legendary as well despite a last place finish from AMC. In 236.0 innings of work, the future Hall of Famer compiled a 1.83 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while outscoring the second highest pitcher (Adam Wainwright) by 194.0 points. His 841.0 points still stand as the highest output for a pitcher in RDBL League History.
The Lasting Ripple Effect
The Clovers addition of Cole along with Yelich sparked a historic activation class for GM Chris Shelley as the duo was joined by 2013 Reserve draftees Jose Fernandez and Masahiro Tanaka. The group was dubbed the "Core Four" and would go on to lead the Clovers to the 2014 RDBL Title while blazing through the rest of the league.
As part of that run, the Clovers re-engaged with the Grapes on another blockbuster deal, acquiring Trout and (re-acquiring) Hernandez while sending an injured Jose Fernandez back to the Grapes along with well regarded prospects Gregory Polanco, Rymel Tapia and Braden Shipley as well as 2015 2nd Round Pick in return.
Trout would go on to lead all hitters in scoring again in 2014 for the champions while leading the Clovers to a runner-up in 2015 as the fourth ranked hitter in the RDBL. His three year run produced 1,726.5 points, a mark that stands as the best span in League History.
Kershaw would remain with the AMC organization for 2014 and most of 2015, finishing as the 3rd ranked pitcher both seasons. The left-hander would go on to be traded twice in 2015, first to the Aristocrats before landing the with Mt. Diablo Devils who would go on to win the League Title that season.
Kershaw's three year run was as equally mind-blowing and historic as Trout's as he compiled 2,367 points over the span of his first contract. That still stands as the best 3-year run in RDBL League History for a pitcher.
That 15 minute "negotiation" on a random Tuesday night in May of 2013 would see our league's best hitter and best pitcher ever exchanged along with a pitching prospect would go on to help win a League Title in his activation year and sits as the top Free Agent entering our 2021 Draft.
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