IN A surprising transaction between rival teams, San Miguel Beer and TNT KaTropa completed a trade that they thought would benefit their respective teams.
Despite having a solid season, RR Garcia was dealt away by the Beermen to the Tropang Texters in exchange for third-year swingman Matt Ganuelas-Rosser.
The one-on-one swap was finalized yesterday with the papers already reaching the office of the commissioner.
Garcia was actually having a productive season with San Miguel thus far, serving as a reliable back-up to the 1-2 backcourt punch of Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross.
However, Garcia was having difficulties carrying his momentum as he was normally in and out of the line-up as he couldn’t stay away from injury for good.
On the other hand, Rosser, after having a respectable rookie campaign in 2014-15, saw his minutes go down the past two seasons as he got lost in the Tropang Texters’ rotation during the stint of then coach Jong uichico and current mentor Nash Racela.
This forced TNT to move him and get Garcia, someone who can play backup to ace playmaker Jayson Castro.
As for Rosser, a former National team member, he is expected to be a utility wingman for the Beermen and take the place of Chris Lutz, who transferred to Meralco midway the Philippine Cup.
Even without Garcia, San Miguel Beer still has Brian Heruela playing reserve for Cabagnot and Ross.
Still yet to find a home, TNT is now Garcia’s fifth team in the league in four years after having stints with GlobalPort, Barako Bull/Phoenix, Star and recently, San Miguel.
For Rosser, San Miguel will only be his second team.
The Beermen currently lead the league with its 5-0 card in the Commissioner’s Cup, while the Texters are likewise having a burly campaign with their 5-2 mark.
This came as a surprise to many as San Miguel Corporation teams (San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra and Star) and Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) Group squads (TNT KaTropa, Meralco and NLEX) rarely transacts with one another at all given the intense rivalry that they continue to have both in the sporting world and in business.
Also, both teams are doing well in the current tournament and this trade might probably be for purposes down the road as both are looking to strengthen their already deep line-ups further.
