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In what is becoming a rather frequent event in the recent years, the Chiefs and Cougars have agreed to a trade. 26-13 and riding an 11 game win streak, the Chiefs bolstered their lineup and it's weakest spot, picking up second basemen Freddie Jones for a young pitcher and two draft picks. Jones will replace another former Cougar in Pete Asher, who was filling in for injured former Cougar Sam Orr. Asher was just claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh, going 3-for-18 in his first week as a Chief. Jones is a major upgrade, coming off a season where he hit .330/.430/.479 (170 OPS+) in 256 plate appearances last season. It was actually one the seasons he stayed relatively healthy, but Clark Car has emerged as an elite second basemen, leaving Jones for the at bats against lefties. Now, Jones will get to play every day and bat in a really strong lineup that already includes Ron Rattigan (.321, 2, 22), Tom Bird (.342, 2, 23), Jim Watson (.435, 2, 24), Frank Davis (.309, 1, 24), and Bob Martin (.275, 5, 1).

Formerly one of the best hitters in the league, Freddie Jones went straight from second overall to second base, skipping the minors all together and entering the Pioneers lineup in 1932. As a rookie, "Frederick the Great" hit .349/.419/.447 (130 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers, and 82 RBIs. It was the first of six consecutive seasons with a WRC+ above 135, including a 1935 season when he took home the Whitney Award for the Fed. The then 25-year-old star hit an astronomical .389/.511/.500 (173 WRC+) with 27 doubles, 8 triples, 8 homers, and 89 RBIs while leading the Fed in average, OBP, walks (148), and WAR (9.9). His .511 OBP was the third highest mark all time, and he's the only player in FABL history to reach .500 twice, with an exactly .5000 OBP the previous season. He did fall off in the 1938 season, which came after two injury shortened years, but he finished his Pioneer career with an impressive .348/.449/.440 (138 OPS+) batting line. With the Pioneers starting to struggle, already having moved Fred McCormick, they were able to receive a five player package for their star, headlined by Tommy Wilson and Danny Hern, who were both All Stars last season (Hern was in '41 too). Freddie was injured and inconsistent for the Cougars, but his first year went well, hitting .305/.388/.453 (125 OPS+) with a career high 13 home runs in 144 games. Unfortunately injuries hit him rather hard, and his 112 in 1941 was his next highest total, and he didn't pass 400 PAs after his first season in Chicago. All told, Jones hit .291/.384/.404 (119 OPS+) as a Cougar, which is still a very productive triple slash. This year, however, he got off to a cold start, with a below average .250/.344/.321 (93 OPS+) line in 32 games.

Cougars fans don't have to worry too much about a drop in production for their lineup with Clark Car's emergence as a top 10 hitter in the FABL. The 29-year-old is not only a significantly better fielder then Freddie, but Car is hitting .302/.374/.479 (146 OPS+) on the season with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 6 steals, and 13 RBIs. Since coming over from the Stars last January, Car has slashed .294/.339/.449 (132 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 9 triples, 6 homers, 14 stelas, and 50 RBIs with twice as many walks (27) as strikeouts (13). He's also a tremendous defender, already accumulating a 4.1 zone rating and 1.176 efficiency at second. Car can hit both lefties and righties well and he deserves every day at bats. When Billy Hunter comes back, he'll get some games at second to give Car the occasional off day, but he'll spend most of the remainder of the season in the two spot of the lineup.

Of course, the Cougars also get three pieces back for Jones, picking up the Chiefs 4th and 5th Round selection and 21-year-old lefty Ed Fisler. Taken in the 10th Round of the 1939 draft, Fisler has made 8 starts in A ball this season, going 4-1 with a 3.61 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.58 WHIP, 26 walks, and 43 strikeouts. The Cougars have a lot of talented pitchers in the farm, but there are not many lefties and a lot of pitchers' names are being floated in trade scenarios. Fisler has advanced stuff for his age, already sporting a decent fastball and average slider and change. He's one of those hard workers who continues to throw fast as he ages, going from 84-86 to 93-95, and there might still be a little more left for him. He has huge strikeout numbers which really help him keep runs off the board. OSA thinks he could pitch his way into a back-end rotation role and he currently ranks as the 217th rated prospect in baseball. The return for Jones is far less then the lofty price given to acquire him, but it's still a nice haul for the inconsistent, and often injured Jones, who deserves to play far more frequently then he has.