The Cloverdale Clovers are facing increased pressure as the Lunatic Fringe and Spokane Fightin' Fish have moved past the Clovers, leaving the club in 7th place and out of the current playoff picture. With Rafael Devers, Juan Soto and Mookie Betts in the final year of control, GM Chris Shelley is reportedly stepping up his pursuit of immediate help with a focus on the Asti Grape Stompers available stars.
The Grapes moved from seller to buyer last week, but have followed up their breakout week with a league-low 88.5 points in Period 9 including -3.5 points on Friday. That could be the final nail in the coffin for GM Terry Shelley who entertained deals for George Springer (3/$34), Freddie Freeman (3/$48) and Walker Buehler (3R/$5) among others.
As of last week, the Lunatic Fringe were the odds on favorite to land Springer and Freeman with an aggressive offer of top prospects Kyle Harrison and Jordan Walker according to sources while the Lake Merced Goutfish were actively pursuing Buehler.
At first glance, the Clovers would likely have the most interest in Buehler given Betts, Devers and Xander Bogaerts currently lead their respective positions in scoring, but the club has had middling production from Joey Votto and Jonathan Schoop at 1B and CI making Freeman a potential fit as well.
The Clovers entered Friday 4th in hitting and fifth in pitching as breakout seasons from Miles Mikolas, Michael Kopech and Nick Pivetta have stabilized the rotation though the final spot, currently held by Justin Steele, remains a revolving door.
According to sources, the Clovers had hoped to continue conversations Friday evening with a shared invitation to a graduation party but GM Terry Shelley was forced to miss the event as he remains in isolation after a recent positive test for COVID.
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