First offseason trade

The Wild Things have made their first offseason trade, sending starting pitcher Casey Barnes, first baseman Michael Bando and a player to be named later to the River City Rascals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Albert Ayala, first baseman Chris Andreas and left-handed pitcher Cory Caruso.

Barnes, pictured, spent two seasons with Washington, posting an 11-12 record and a 3.11 ERA in 32 starts. In 2011, Barnes was third in the league with a 2.34 ERA but didn't finish the year with Washington as he had his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies and spent a brief stint with their Williamsport affiliate in the New York-Penn League. Barnes had signed a contract extension with the Wild Things during the 2012 season.

Bando, the son of Washington manager Chris Bando, struggled at the plate in his only season with the Wild Things, batting .172 last year with one home run and eight doubles in 180 at-bats.

Ayala is a career independent leagues pitcher. He has spent six seasons in the Indy leagues, posting a 12-17 record with a 4.94 ERA and 17 saves in 155 games (20 starts). Last year, he played for River City and Southern Illinois, finishing with a 0-0 record, 9 saves and 2.95 ERA. He also played in the Frontier League in 2007 with River City and 2008 with the Midwest Sliders. Ayala turned 26 years old earlier this month.

Andreas is a 24-year-old first baseman who was a 39th round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2011 out of Sam Houston State. He played one year of rookie ball in the Mariners' system and hit .336 but did not have a home run in 116 at-bats. With River City last season, Andreas batted .261 in 79 games with 6 home runs and 11 doubles.

Caruso was a 50th round draft pick of the Miami Marlins in 2011 out of Cal State-San Bernardino but did not sign. He returned to college and last spring had a 3-4 record and 3.19 ERA, but he struck out only 51 in 90.1 innings, which suggests he's not a power pitcher. He signed with River City and pitched in 29 games (one start), going 0-2 with a 4.45 ERA. He struck out 25 in 28.1 innings. Caruso still has Rookie status.

By Wild Things standards, this is early in the offseason to make a trade, but River City and Gateway generally build their rosters sooner than the league other teams in the league.

Washington also signed pitcher Dominick Ruscitti, a rookie out of Kutztown University.

Yevoli signed

Washington relief pitcher Alfonso Yevoli has had his contract purchased by the Atlanta Braves.

This is not a surprise. If there was one Wild Things player I expected to be picked up this offseason it was Yevoli, a hard-throwing lefty.

Yevoli finished his senior year at Tennessee Wesleyan last spring, went undrafted and signed with Washington. He struck out 34 in 34 1/3 innings and allowed only 11 walks and 25 hits. Yevoli has a 90-mph-plus fastball, which is hard to find in a lefty. he got better as the Wild Things' season progressed, allowing a run in only one of his last 17 appearances. During that late-season stretch, Yevoli struck out 24 batters and walked only two.

Mason manager in York

From the York Revolution website:

ANDY ETCHEBARREN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT SEASON’S ENDMarks end of 51-year career in uniform for “Etch”Pitching Coach Mark Mason to become Revolution Manager

York Revolution manager Andy Etchebarren has announced he will retire as manager at the conclusion of the 2012 season. His retirement marks the end of a 51-year career in uniform in professional baseball. Following his retirement, “Etch” will remain with the organization as a special assistant to chairman Peter Kirk. In a related announcement, the Revolution named Pitching Coach Mark Mason to succeed Etchebarren as manager when his retirement becomes effective.

Etchebarren directed the York Revolution to their first two Atlantic League Championships in 2010 and 2011, becoming just the second Atlantic League franchise to win the title in back-to-back seasons.

The appointment of Mark Mason to Manager will make the transition to 2013 especially smooth. Mason, who has managed more than 400 professional games in the Frontier League, has been at Etchebarren's side the last three seasons as York’s Pitching Coach. Mason came to York after a successful stint as both a pitching coach and manager in the Frontier League, beginning in 2002. That season he joined the Washington (PA) Wild Things as pitching coach, where he remained for three seasons. In 2005, he was named Frontier League Manager of the Year in his lone season at the helm of the Ohio Valley Red Coats. He also managed the Chillicothe Paints, also of the Frontier League, for two seasons, and then returned to Washington as Manager before coming to York for the 2010 season.

Mason's pitching staffs led the Frontier League in wins in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. He is very well-versed in all aspects of the job, from managing the club between the lines, to player acquisitions and transactions throughout the season and scouting for talent throughout professional baseball, all of which are keys to building contending baseball clubs from the ground up. As Etchebarren's top adviser the last three seasons with York, Mason's connections to and knowledge of the professional baseball landscape have proven to be invaluable to the York Revolution's successes on the field. Before joining the pro game, Mason spent 16 seasons from 1987 through 2002 as the head baseball coach at Washington & Jefferson College inWashington, PA. As a player, Mason pitched in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, ascending as high as the Double-A Lynn (MA) Pirates of the Eastern League.

“I’m excited for us and for Mark as he assumes the Manager role,” said Menzer. “He’s been a critical part of our success, and he’s also a proven winner. Mark has made York his permanent home, and he has the same feeling about our fans and our town as Andy has.”

“I am honored to be the next field manager for the York Revolution. I want to thank the owners, Eric and Etch for this great opportunity. I will do everything possible to continue the high standard of excellence that we have set here for our loyal fans,” said new Revolution Manager Mark Mason.