Bears, Jackals Complete August 18th Trade; Ness Returns to Newark
September 25, 2012 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Newark Bears News Release
The Newark Bears announced that they have completed an August 18th trade with the New Jersey Jackals.
The Bears received RHP Marc Rutledge and two players to be named later in exchange for RHP Mike Ness. On Tuesday, Newark selected OF Carlos Guzman and RHP Jimmer Kennedy to complete the deal.
The agreement also called for Ness' rights to be returned to the Bears upon the conclusion of the 2012 post-season. Newark now possesses the contractual rights to the ace pitcher for the 2013 season.
Ness pitched in 17 games for the Bears in 2012, earning a 3.25 ERA over 122 innings. He made headlines for his no-hitter on July 11, when he worked around six errors in the field to pitch 11 hitless innings in a win over the Quebec Capitales. He started three games for New Jersey, and joined the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League for two starts following the conclusion of the Can-Am League season.
Guzman batted .288 in 97 games for the Jackals last season, slugging 11 home runs and 51 RBI. The left-handed hitter was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Mets in 2007, advancing to as high as Double-A Binghamton while with New York. He played for York and Pennsylvania of the Atlantic League in 2011, as well Minatitlan of the Mexican League. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Guzman attended Brookdale Community College.
Kennedy pitched in 42 games out of the Jackals' bullpen in 2012, posting a 4.32 ERA over 43.2 innings. He struck out 47 batters, allowed 48 hits and 11 walks. The righty entered independent ball in 2010 and made stops at Brockton, Sussex and Fort Worth in his first two professional seasons. The Levittown, Pennsylvania native played collegiately at Rider University.
• Discuss this story on the Canadian American League message board...
Canadian American League Stories from September 25, 2012
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
