L.A. Spinners trade for Mike Stagner
Mike Stagner was the first player chosen in the 1966 draft and in 1973 won the SJL Pitcher of the Year award with a record of 20-10 with a 2.94 ERA.
In 1974, at the age of 30, Stagner had his worst season in the bigs. He was 7-17 and had an ERA of 4.95. And with his team, the Milwaukee Cadets, finishing in last, and Stagner being eligible for free agency at the end of the 1975 season, it was nearly inevitable he would be traded soon.
And sure enough, the L.A. Spinners, with one of their key members of the 1974 rotation, Jesse Hartong, a free agent and almost surely not to re-sign with the Spinners, brought the L.A. born and raised Stagner back home by sending the Cadets veteran slugging outfielder Rigby Muckenfuss and 20-year old pitching prospect Chris Way.
Stagner is durable, a power pitching ground ball specialist, and most believe his skills are relatively undiminished. The feeling around the league is that the move to the pitching-friendly environments of Avalon Park and as a member of the one of the most accomplished rotations in the game should lead to a bounce-back year for Stagner.
In a related note, a few weeks later the Baltimore Lords announced they had signed Hartong to a 6-year deal.
(EDIT: Oh, and I probably should have mentioned that the Cadets offered us Stagner for Oscar Vargas and reliever Eric Marino. Which probably would have been a pretty good deal for us and certainly had my assistant G.M. salivating. I said no, having my sights set elsewhere.)