TROY – There’s always talk about which team won or lost a particular trade.
But what if a player was traded for himself? That was the unusual situation when the Tri-City ValleyCats reacquired first baseman Zach Biermann in February from the Evansville Otters.
Biermann was the “player to be named later” to complete a Frontier League trade from last year, when the ValleyCats dealt Biermann to Evansville.
“I think I got traded for myself, so it was a very interesting trade,” Biermann said. “It’s definitely weird. … You don’t really think about it when the first trade happens, and then the second one happens and you’re like, ‘Oh crap, maybe it was for myself.'”
Whatever the circumstances, the ValleyCats are pleased to have Biermann back for what’s actually his third time in a Tri-City uniform. He hit two homers on Thursday night in the ValleyCats’ 9-2 loss at Sussex County.
Biermann was back in the lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Washington Wild Things at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
He played for the ValleyCats in 2019 as a Houston Astros 23rd-round pick out of Coastal Carolina in Tri-City’s final season as an affiliate.
After being released by the Astros in 2021, Biermann re-signed with the ValleyCats and he batted .312 in 38 games. But Tri-City traded him to Evansville because there wasn’t enough playing time for him in a strong lineup.
Now he’s back in Troy with a starting job. The ValleyCats got back Biermann shortly after they traded first baseman Brad Zunica to the Chicago Dogs of the American Association and he subsequently retired.
“It puts your mind at ease, for sure, because you’re ready to go,” Biermann said. “You don’t have to worry about when you get to the field you might be playing, you might not be playing, and stuff like that.”
Biermann took advantage of…
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