July 25
Millers general manager Erik looked down at his phone. After a few weeks of negotiations, Syracuse was bearing down on Jordan Zimmerman. Gary was calling.
The Orange were aware what it would take to get Zimmerman, and they had been deliberating internally for a few hours before calling back. There were a few proposals on the table, but as we all know, the teams eventually agreed on 3 prospects, River Fuller, Sam Ferri and Curt Hall for Zimmerman.
From a baseball standpoint, the GM was pleased. Zimmerman was a good player, but the team’s farm system was in dire need of some top talent. Of course, he also knew his owner, Ray C. Davis, would be angry. He wouldn’t nix the deal, he wasn’t controlling in that manner, but he had been the driving force behind the Zimmerman extension. Trading him so soon after was a slap in the face of the owner.
When the GM went to ownership to ask approval, Davis refused to speak to him. He signed off on the deal through an intermediary, and Erik was not happy.
“He’s a rich asshole,” one source close to the Millers remembers Erik saying that day. “He needs to let me do my job, sit back and enjoy the wins.”
