minihouston - contributing reporter
No fun pic on this one. Sorry!
Intro
This might be boring, so feel free to skip over but thought it might be fun to take a look back at my first year's in HBD and some of the moves I made along the way. I've started writing this around the all-star break of Season 51 and don't feel that I'm anywhere close to really knowing what I'm doing.
Covid shut down the MLB and thus my fantasy baseball season. Looking for something else to do baseball related, a friend (our current commish) gave me the down and dirty on HBD and sent me an invite to join Cobbfather. Limited on knowledge or even which team to select, I let our other friend (Pittsburgh owner) select first and I'd take the last option. I selected Florida as my home park because it limited home runs and was a slight pitcher's park. Knowing that I didn't want to overpay for pitching (trying to avoid the inevitable), I thought that was a good strategy. I aimed to build a team of speed guys who could get on base, playing a bit of small ball. Like most HBD teams who have had 3+ different owners in 6 seasons; me being the 4th in the 7th season; I didn't expect much out of my roster. But my biggest goal for my initial season was to learn the rating system and hopefully have a better record than the season prior; which didn't seem too tough as they finished 63-99; third worst finish in franchise history.
Season 44
In true HBD fashion the previous owner signed a few declining players to extensions just a few days before walking out the office door. Seems to be the going rate and I'm making a pact to not do that to any future owners if I ever sale the franchise. Luckily no HUGE long term deals, only a couple were more than a year guaranteed. So I wasn't going to be hamstrung for long, but I took it that they would help me learn the system. I figured if I was going to play this game, I wanted to see what it was like all the way through, meaning I didn't want to jump straight to having a big budget team; I wanted to start with building from the ground up and seeing how the minor league system worked as well. Though tight on payroll from the get go, I didn't have much flexibility if I was going to make use of higher advanced scouting then the franchise had seen in 15 seasons. And little did I know the league would go through a drought in terms of quality prospects over the next few seasons.
Existing Players
My best player, Tony Cespedes (CF) was going to be a free agent at year's end and I had hopes that I could move him by the deadline to a playoff contender or hold out and get a Comp round pick but a month into the season he gets a major injury and placed on the 60 day DL, losing ratings in nearly every category and no longer going to be a Type A/B. Eduardo Ambriz (2B) was the next big name on my team and entering his Arb2 season, so a decision needed to be made quickly on his future with the franchise. As many know, I shopped him around quite a bit with little interest. He was a low end 2B play, more likely deserving to be 1B/COF; and ended up dealing him to Pittsburg for a group of prospects that I felt was a complete win for the franchise. Other big names were Bobby Ray Morgan, who I just referred to as Adam Dunn because he had loads of power but had a career average below .250 after his first two seasons. He ended up hitting 47 HR, 107 RBI, a .223 batting average and 185 strikeouts; not exactly the type of player I was hoping to build around. I tried shopping him but didn't find any buyers. He'd only play one more season on my roster before he'd hit his arbitration years. Omar Guerrero (SS) would go on to win the Gold Glove at SS for Season 44 and became trade fodder after a career year. He wasn't much of a bat, but definitely that all glove type that helps your defense - not something I was really looking at, at that time. Magglio Avila (COF), Albert Neshek (CF), Kevin Peterson (3B), Kenny Mann (3B), and Roger Herman (C) were other notable bats for me that season. Mann and Herman would end up being traded before season's end. Avila the following season, and Peterson the year after. No headliner names but roster depth for a playoff team, so it wasn't a big loss on my side. On the pitching side I had Brad Crosby, Don Martin, Mike Wallace, and Al Gonzalez leading the pitching staff I wasn't expecting much but a bunch of 3.75-5.00 ERAs. Wallace showed promise as a potentially #3 starter.
Free Agency
I resigned a couple of players myself that seemed cheap but thanks to a tight budget of existing contracts, I didn't want to splurge too much. I felt like I needed to try out the process to see how it worked, so I signed 35 yr old Giovanny Stanley to play 1B/COF on a 2 year contract, hoping I could flip him later in the season or the following for some prospects (He ended up being traded the next offseason). Not happy with my rotation I signed what I had assumed would be back of the rotation type, Dante O'Conner to a one year deal. He proved to be nothing like his years prior; only one season in the previous 9 did he have an ERA above 4.00 and he throws for a 6.05 in 7 games for us. I didn't expect sub 4, and maybe I cut him short and based it off a small sample size but we shifted gears quickly. The rest of my Free Agency time was spent refilling my Minor League rosters as they had gotten rather barren. I overspent, placing guys with higher level minor league contracts at lower levels because I needed the depth. Otherwise a mostly quite offseason doing player comps, signing coaches, etc.
Rule 5
Blame it on a busy schedule, being new to HBD, or maybe just blame it on myself; but I missed out on adjusting my 40-man to clear space for a Rule 5 draft, and do not recall any of the names I was targeting; but via waiver picks later I was able to grab: 16th pick Victor Gomez (P) and 24th pick Heath Knight (P); both would see legit time on my majors the next few seasons with Knight even having two sub 3.00 ERA seasons; one as a starter and the second in relief. Neither was going to be a Johan Santana, but looking back I feel they were serviceable for a rebuilding team; Gomez a little less so but decent in long relief and a spot starter as needed.
Waivers
I felt like I checked the waivers nearly every sim. Steve Bootcheck (RF) was claimed from the then Tucson (now Colorado) franchise and was a fill in at 1B until Kondou was called up when he shifted to RF. In full time At-Bats over seasons 45-47 he nearly averaged a 20/20 on a .265 average. He wasn't an all-star by any means, but felt he was a good fit as I learned. Gregorio Sucre was claimed off waivers and saved 26 games.
Trades
Let's start with, I love trading...well I love the back and forth discussion. I despise blind offers. I'm not trying to rip anybody off or for me to "win" the deal. The deal has to make sense for both teams and they each have to feel like they improve themselves in some sense after. Of the 15 trades made this season, I was involved in six of them. (Thank you to Atlanta for sitting this season out on the trade market).
Deal 1: Ricardo Perez (RP) for Armando Melian (RF).
What my team did have was prospect relievers, so I felt dealing from depth made sense. Melian wasn't a power bat by any means but immediately become a top 5 prospect in my franchise. I didn't see him as a long term solution, but should set me up to save some money for decent hitting until I'm ready to compete. Perez ended up going on the DL a month after the trade and was allowed to walk following the season before playing any ML games. I was concerned with Perez's low control rating even though he had two pitch quality ratings in the 80s. Melian made his ML debut the following season, he ended up being dealt to clear IFA cap space during Season 48 - his Arb2 season when his price no longer made sense for his production.
Deal 2: Roger Helling (RP) for James Kondou (1B).
Similar to my first deal, I was moving another relief pitcher which seem to be a dime a dozen. Overall Helling seemed to have decent to good pitch quality for his three pitches, better control than Perez but below him on velocity and a slight flyball pitcher. The splits for the two were opposite and I favored Helling since he was better against Righties. I assumed just like the MLB, there are more righties than lefties in the game. Hindsight, I think this was my best deal of the season. Kondou is still going strong for the franchise and turns in 20 HR / 30 SBs routinely since his call up in Season 47. He's not your typical 1B but I'll take this production. With better bats around him this season, he's definitely having a career year in his first arbitration season.
Deal 3: Eduardo Ambriz (2B) + $1M for Ernest Pritchett (SS) + Don Metcalfe (COF) + Eduardo Cespedes (SP).
Ambriz was already getting expensive, making $6.5M in his second year of arbitration. I couldn't see myself committing more than that to a single player in my second ever season in which I knew my roster would be getting younger and not competing for a playoff spot. I shopped him around, think he's a .270ish hitter with 25-30 HRs and 15-20 SBs, but didn't find too many people interested. I wasn't sure if that was because he wasn't quite a 2B defensively. The year he was traded, he ended up winning a Gold Glove at 1B for Pittsburgh. The main acquisition was Cespedes, or so I thought. He offered 4 pitches above 70 quality, with one up to 80. He also offered great control, though not much velocity and neutral groundball/flyball. Splits were a bit low, but given the wide range of above normal pitch quality for his lesser pitches I thought it might end up making a good difference. He also had the stam to last long into game, which I liked. Reality is, I struggled finding his spot, was he a starter, long relief, or belong in the pen? I shifted him around with some success one year but not the next. He was eventually traded back to Pittsburgh before Season 50 and has found success, throwing below 4.00 ERA ball both last season and this. Still not sure where I went wrong with him, maybe it was the back and forth from the pen though I didn't do it often. Pritchett was added in the trade because his projections had him higher rated in the field; not quite an SS but had him shifted over to 3B as a defensive replacement; he never saw the Majors and retired following Season 47. Metcalfe became a future COF with Melian and Kondou at 1B. I thought his contact and power would get by in the Majors but knew his splits would hold him back even though I ended up cutting him prior to his Arbitration years.
Deal 4: Tomo Hayashi (RP) for Norm Griffin (C)
I stand by my opinion on Hayashi's HoF status, but by this time he was on his 16th seasons and nearly 40 years old. He had an expiring contract and I had hoped to find someone interested in him for their pen as a final push for the playoffs. His splits and control still seemed ML worthy with a mid 80s 4-seam FB. I wasn't asking for much, and found Philly willing to move a Catching prospect who was completely different than Herman the current C on my roster; this one could manage my pitching staff with very good plate calling and an arm to limit runners; though he wasn't called up until the following season. I knew he was more of a bench catcher, but was still trying to figure out exactly the worth of pitch calling after reading a forum post about people using Shortstops as their Catchers who had much lower pitch calling but were better bats and made up for it in the other areas. Many said they didn't see a change in CERA, so I got curious.
Deal 5: Roger Herman (C) + Walt Holliday (SP) for Tucker Jackson (2B)
At the time I thought this was my best deal of the season, Jackson seemed a good future 2B to start a rebuild with. He even made his debut the following season after acquiring him. Being an NL team, I tried moving Herman to an AL team where he could DH but didn't find too many suiters; couldn't blame them because I assumed DH was a pretty easy position to fill. Herman wasn't a Catcher (or Centerfielder) in my eyes with a range below 10, glove less than 20, and pitch calling at 50. But he had 95 power with 83/74 splits, that had to be productive even with a 66 contact rating and 60 batting eye. With full time at bats in Season 47 & 48, Herman went on to combine for 106 HR and 260 RBIs in those two seasons, hitting roughly .270 combined. I think slash was the right owner for this type of player, and seeing how he's done in the positions he's played (particularly RF) has helped me understand some of the game's fielding dynamics....I think. Probably not. Ha! Jackson on the other hand didn't quite pan out as I thought. He would end up being traded his Arb2 season to Montreal where his bat as picked up BIG time.
Deal 6: Kenny Mann (3B) for Ismael Diaz (SP)
My last deal of the season was near the deadline and saw 33 yr old Kenny Mann join Ploppie who was in his first season back in Cobbfather and looking at a division title. I don't recall if he had any injury with his 3B or not but Mann seemed to make sense for his playoff push. Ploppie won the NLDS against Buffalo but lost the NLCS to Honolulu and let Mann walk that offseason. Diaz has his flaws but good control, extremely high stamania, was more of a groundball pitcher which I thought would play well in my slight pitcher's park. Diaz initially thought to be a backend rotation piece, joined the ML team in Season 49. He wasn't quite what I expected, but could see where his splits and low pitch quality would cause issues. Season 50 he came out of the pen more often, but given the bullpen I was building and few acquisitions I made this season, there was no room for him on the ML roster. With plenty of player control remaining but out of MiLB options, Diaz was waived this season to make room for incoming talent and claimed by Portland...back to a rebuild team he goes!
Rule 4
Entering the Rule 4 draft I was excited having the 5th overall pick, at least excited until everyone in the league starts talking about how bad the draft class was. Admittedly I wasn't prepared for this draft because I don't feel like I had a good grasp on what ratings really meant something. And I was left zero Type A/B free agents so no extra picks. I ended up passing over Charles Loewer (P) [who went a pick later] because of his low pitch ratings in favor of Tim Timmons (P) whose Advanced Scouting seem to have pitch qualities much closer to Loewer than his original scouts projected but less splits. I likely handled him incorrectly over the years which may have stunted some of his growth. This year's draft was all about Rip Bromberg going #1 and Shea Crowe slipping to #7. Rip by the way, went to my friend in Pittsburgh; oh what could have been if I had that team! Signing Stanley in FA as a Type A means no second round draft pick for me. I had spent some time looking at the quality of picks in the mid 60s and decided it was worth the chance that I could flip him. And my scouts didn't find Crowe, bummer!
IFA
I knew I wanted to get involved in the IFA bidding process because it seems a good way to build up prospectless franchise. Looking back I picked up too many minimum bonus players and could have saved to land a bigger name, but I can't complain as many of them helped prop up my franchise's minor league title runs. While most may not care about their minors, I like to think of them as a big part of my franchise. My first big spend was for a Chico Calixte (2B) at $5.1M, followed by Norichika Zhou (C) during the last week of the season at $13.2M. Players like Vic Nova (RF), J.O. Avila (SS), and Pedro Bazardo (P) were scouted and bid on but ended up losing out. Looking back, Zhou was a decent add but not worth the money he received as a future AAAA DH / bench catcher. He also quickly became my #3 catching prospect and needed to be moved. Plus side of this season, I learned a bit about the bidding process and started to get a grasp for how much players go for. ...or so I thought. Looking through previous years I was aware it could quickly get into the upper 20s, occasionally high 30s for some players but nobody that season signed for more than $20M with only 4 players going for above $15M.
Results
Record - 74-88 (9 GB), but felt like I was always jumping from one task to the next, trying to figure things out. I may have finished better than six other teams in the NL, but it sure didn't feel like it. Thankfully I found some people willing to give a newcomer advice. I learned a bit and finished with a better record than the year prior after quite a few moves. I was definitely bummed about what I acquired via Rule 4 and IFA; but felt my trades were net positive for the franchise. Gave away guys that didn't have any long term value and picked up some players that could add value down the road.
Spending some time resigning a bunch of minor league talent proved worth it, as they all made the playoffs. Compared to Season 43 where they all finished with sub .500 records and nearly 20 games back from the division winner.
AAA won World Series
AA lost NLDS as #3 seed.
High A lost NL Play In as #3 seed.
Low A lost NL Play In as #3 seed.
Rookie lost the NLCS as #6 seed.
Season 45
While it was fun, finishing better than the prior season wasn't good for the rebuild process as we ended up selecting at pick #12! But I had a lot of contracts expiring so it freed up to make some larger tweaks to the franchise with the big picture in mind. I finished the prior year somewhat strong, so I figured with a few young names coming up, I'd be on pace to win more games than the previous owner did in Season 43, but take a slight step back from what I accomplished in Season 44. Thinking I'd end up with the 4th or 5th pick the following year. Boy was I wrong!
Existing Players
With Bootcheck manning 1B, the promotions of recently acquired Melian (RF), Griffin (C), Jackson (2B), Neshek (CF) among a few other returning players, I knew I wasn't going to make up as many runs as I lost in trades last year or via FA. On the pitching side I called up Cespedes who proved tough to figure out, he started 24 games went 3-14 but had a 3.95 ERA. We also had Wallace, Knight, and Martin returning; they actually outperformed my expectations and combined for a 3.55 ERA over 450 innings. The failure to score runs on the offensive side was definitely my downfall.
Free Agency
I chased after a few of the big name free agents, thinking I'd have one or two big contract(s) on a 4-5 season deal but was outbid for all of them. Big learning curve to signing free agents and their value. I wondered if the weak draft everyone mentioned in the year prior made more people spend towards free agents but wasn't sure. Made a few smaller signings but nothing major. Figured I'd try again next year.
Rule 5
With the 12th pick, I grabbed Pete Barney (SP), snagged Walt Holliday (SP) who I had only traded away last season in the Herman for Tucker deal, Engel Servet (RP), Ellie Witasick (RP), and Ivan Cerda (SP). Witasick and Cerda proved useful this season with sub 3.50 ERAs out of the pen. If you take out Barney's season my team ERA was a somewhat respectable 3.81.
Waivers
Only a few days after being the main prospect in a trade, Rhiner Wilfredo (2B) was released so I scooped him up. It wasn't until this season that he found some fulltime ABs....for OKC where he finally showed some progress and hit above .245 for the first time. He cleared waivers multiple times until another rebuilding franchise needed some help. Also claimed Sandy Rivers Rollers off waivers towards the end of the season, he had just thrown 84 innings out of the pen for a 2.56 ERA and 1.15 WHIP but didn't quite pan out to those levels the two seasons he spent with me.
Trades
Continued trying to be active on the trade market, making 4 deals this season.
Deal 1: Omar Gueerreo (SS) for Kane White (P)
Omar had just come off his second Gold Glove season but struggled to hit Low A right handed pitchers. White had upside but ended up being selected in the Rule 5 two seasons later by another team. No lose, as he had major control issues. The deal saved the team ~$5M, and filled the SS gap with an aging SS on a league minimum contact who was slightly worse in the field but slightly better bat.
Deal 2: Giovanny Stanley (1B) + Magglio Avila (LF) for Carlos Terrero (SP) + JP Mesa (RP)
Giovanny was aging and Avila if he ever made the ML roster was going to set strike out records and not in a good way. I thought both pitchers could be somewhat useful as bullpen pieces, but neither would be close to becoming an all-star, but getting something for Giovanny was a positive. Mesa became LAA's closer the last three season but very mixed reviews. 42 saves with 2.94 ERA one year, 26 saves, 13 loses and a 7.86 ERA the next.
Deal 3: Al Gonzalez (P) for Brett Vitiello (C)+ Will Mitchell (P)
Let's face it, Joey made a lot of bad deals while he was here. Gonzalez was a high OAV player but his control would keep him as a AAA pitcher; not even a AAAA type. Vitiello would be my catcher until Zhou (S44 IFA) and/or Chavez (S45 IFA) were ready to be promoted. I was happy with his production at the plate and had high pitching calling. But his value eventually didn't match his price tag through his arb years. Mitchell was just minor league depth.
Deal 4: Cookie Cruz (3B) for Roy Miles (SS/3B)
Cookie was another one of those HIGH power guys with limited contact and splits. I guess we know the type of player the owner before me liked. I definitely undervalued how much the power can help a hitter get on base. He enjoyed playing on my team so much that he omits the two years he played for me from his card. Miles would spend four seasons with me and playing catcher for the better part of half a season 46 (next season) because of the article on the forums about SSs playing C. Unlike others on the forums, I didn't see an equal CERA (or slight drop) but saw a full run difference between my original C for the season and Miles. I nixed that idea and went back to playing Catchers at their given position. Never thought about playing a C in the field, that just doesn't seem to make sense or feel legit.
Rule 4
If the draft class wasn't any better than the prior year, I was going to be in trouble with this rebuild as I had the 12th overall pick. I also once again didn't have any Type A/B's to give myself any supplemental picks. It definitely felt like the rich got richer. The blog and consensus among owners was we had another bad draft class after the top 4. I ended up drafting Joey Kubitza (SS) and still pretty happy with that pick. He doesn't have the best glove or a top bat but he's serviceable as a roleplayer. Kubitza was called up last year after spending an additional year at AAA. Picks in rounds 2-5 have officially retired. In hindsight there is only one player I likely would have taken that was drafted after Joey, but I don't recall having scouted him.
IFA
Started the bidding early on another catcher, Vic Chavez, won at $13.5M. Chavez enters his first arbitration year next season (S52) and is currently serving as a backup catcher / 1B giving rest to the starters at each position. He's a .280ish hitter with 15 HRs if given full at-bats, he also limits the strikeouts though doesn't walk much either. But he can move runners ahead as a 7th or 8th hitter with that average. Signed my second IFA roughly a week later in Yan Ozuna (CF), who is currently my center fielder; borderline useable as a shortstop. Great vR and base running ability but slightly below average speed. Great health and durability, he fills the need. His first three seasons he was a .260ish hitter, but through 110 games this season he's hitting .280 and shown additional power. Hopefully it's not a career year for him and he can continue to proceed at a similar level as my team moves into competing. Enters Arb1 next season but still has a solid place on my roster. The rest of the players signed are minor league filler, but it's fun throwing some names into the minors and seeing what sticks. Spent my money early so didn't have enough to chase after a few other names that appeared after Chaevz signed. Jair Franco, a late signing, ended up becoming a DITR but is still in AAA at this time but looks like a pretty good power bat.
Results
Record - 50-112, far worse than I thought I'd do. No way I would have ever guessed my team would have finished 24 games behind what I did the prior year. The IFA adds were decent, though no all-star level talent and with another weak Rule 4 draft and a later pick; I picked up some ML depth at best. But I feel like I took a step forward with learning and was looking forward to a team that was a year older; thinking no way it could get worse and I'd only move up from here and I'd have the first pick in the drafts next year so I should be able to add a quality name to build around and get myself out of the gutter. I find myself two years in and while having learned a fair amount still FAR away from adding anything of value to the rebuild outside of Chavez and Ozuna. But I'll take those two pieces!
Down in the minors I continued to sign some valuable franchise depth and improve the farm where I could. But as for building for the future ML, it was once again limiting.
AAA failed to make playoffs.
AA lost NLDS as #5 seed.
High A failed to make playoffs.
Low A lost the NLCS as #1 seed.
Rookie lost the NLDS as #1 seed. (to eventual WS Champ)
Season 46
So one productive and one awful (putting it nicely) season, I enter year 3 interested to see how my young guys will do another year old and a little further developed. I had the youngest team in the league the year prior; surely they will improve upon that awful record. There were at least 20 teams that finished below that record in prior years so at least I wasn't the worst, though I felt like it! But once again, I was left feeling there was no way I could do worse. I really gotta stop feeling that way!
Existing Players
Players like Melian, Jackson, Bootcheck, Vitiello, Neshek would return to the lineup and Cespedes, Wallace, Knight, Holliday, and Barney (oh no!) would return to the rotation. But this year the pitching wouldn't do as well as they did the year prior while the bats performed about the same, even though they were a year older and a little more advanced. Take aways from this season were learning more about the development process and where players stop improving. The late add of Rollers I had hoped could make a difference in my late innings.
Free Agency
After failing to land a big name last year I wanted to shift gears and hopefully save a bit of money. I shifted to what I felt was the second tier that seemed to sign before the first. Another learning curve as I underestimated their value and for the second season I didn't land anyone of value. I definitely started to assume that with the lack of prospects since joining the league is starting to drive up some costs in Free Agency.
Rule 5
I had plans on taking a few names with Davy Oliver at the top of that list. I cycled through the available players and had a few more in mind, but failed to change a certain setting so it skipped all my picks. Not a great way to start out a season, especially for a team that needed much improvement. But I've been sure to check that setting EVERY season since. Bone head rookie mistake #1!
Waivers
Didn't really see much that weren't equal to what I already had or were larger contracts. I continued to check regularly.
Trades
I made two early trades but lack of talent really prevented any other moves.
Deal 1: Kevin Peterson (3B) for Roland Munoz (SS)
I had blown quite a few late leads the year prior and felt an improvement on defense would ultimately help the ballclub, even though Munoz had a limited bat and speed. He was nothing more than a cheap stop gap at Shortstop and even tried him at Catcher along with the C/SS Theory from the forums that Miles (mentioned prior season) also played. Peterson would end up retiring after this season.
Deal 2: Norm Griffin (C) for James Sung (3B)
Happy with Vitiello and Chavez eventually coming up I dealt Griffin for some help at 3B. Sung was a great add though would end up not lasting very long as I moved him the following season.
Rule 4
Curse this season's draft! Only perk of last year's awful season was the #1 pick this year. I figured even if it was a bad draft class for the third straight season, I'd still end up something good with the first overall pick. Though here's where it gets complicated. My choices were between two players, a power hitting + defensive shortstop (Lew Kennedy) from high school where I had a pretty decent scouting budget and figured it was pretty accurate or a college 2B with a TON of speed but limited power and contact (Matty Moss) where my scouting wasn't as high and I didn't trust. Kennedy didn't seem a sure thing to NOT sign, and I had hoped with a larger prospect budget this season that I'd be able to offer him more money and he'd sign; and become the cornerstone of the franchise. What's not to like about that? But then he didn't sign and instantly regretted not taking Moss (you're welcome Atlanta). With that contact and power, I didn't expect to see Moss hit above .285 (hit near .300 this season) but I loved the speed. Probably the best draft I've seen since joining the league, but still nothing great like the years prior. And like the prior years no Type A/B's to help with extra picks, not that the quality was there.
IFA
My feet were wet in the IFA market and with plenty of money to spend I had hopes to land two big names. Not even a week into the season Damaso Ethier (SP) showed up and took $23.5M to land him. As bare as my pitching prospects were he was going to be the lead anchor to my future staff. And finally a name I was really excited about to see develop. A little more then a week later I bid on Al Cervantes (LF) but wanting to save the money for the Rule 4 draft as the price got too rich for me. The steal of the IFA market that year was William Martin (RP) for $1.6M, he's growing into a big stopgap out of the pen. A couple of days later I land Hipolito Maradona (RF) who was likely a platoon (vL) outfielder for $8.6M but I could live with that. I picked up some minor league depth who have helped my franchise over the years. Landing Maradona and Martin helped make up for not signing my top draft pick and the Rule 5 miss. Hip was later traded and could very likely win Rookie of the Year this year, S51. I spent $33.7M on three big names, but felt that was nothing compared to the $50+M I'd seen other teams in the past sign.
Results
Record - 43-119. The pitching fell apart compared to the previous year and I couldn't believe I failed to win as many games as the year prior. This seems to be much harder than I thought as I start bouncing around ideas on trying to figure out how to gauge bats (contact to power to splits to batting eye) to their performance along with the balance for pitchers (control, splits, pitch quality) I filed to sign the #1 pick and missed out on a decent Rule 5 pick; but I picked up someone who I thought would anchor my rotation, a solid bullpen or future closer, and at worst case a solid hitting platoon outfielder / pitch hitter. Not a complete loss of a season and thankfully I'd have another try at the #1 pick thing along with the #2 pick from not signing Kennedy. If it wasn't for having those two picks, I might have actually handed in the towel. My minor league teams were showing well in their respective playoffs but didn't really have talent that would translate to the ML club.
AAA #5 seed as NL Champs but lost the World Series.
AA lost NLDS as #5 seed.
High A WON World Series as #5 seed.
Low A #1 seed as NL Champs but lost the World Series.
Rookie #2 seed as NL Champs but lost the World Series.
Season 47
After catching some slack the previous season due to my record and the 7th lowest all-time record in league history, I was determined to show I could improve and actually run an ML team. To date I felt I wasn't directly trying to tank, just struggled to learn a game many had been playing for hundreds of seasons. At this point I had a full 3 seasons under my belt. I started to wonder if I should just give up on building from prospects and ditch everything going straight big budget. But if you know me, you know I can be stubborn; the prospect route it was!
Existing Players
Majority of the ABs went to Jackon, Vitiello, Neshek, Martin, Melian, Miles, Bootcheck, and Munoz, but James Kondou (1B) was promoted to the ML squad. Surely that addition would help put some runs on the board; he's been a 20/25 guy since his first full season. On the pitching side, Holliday and Knight turned out productive seasons, as I mentioned before I struggled with Cespedes but promoted the one DITR prospect the team had when I took it over in Jesse Fields (RP), and while young there was a future there and I didn't want to hold him back even though I wasn't fighting for the playoffs. I also promoted a young Roy Berkman (RP) who I thought would have performed a bit better but was eventually demoted back to AAA. Things had to be looking up.
Free Agency
I don't recall much about this season's free agency period but I don't recall a ton of names I had been targeting. I wasn't going to spend money just to spend the money and not feel like it was going to help the major league club much. With drafts running dry and not finding a ton of talent in IFA I decided this was the one year I'd go all out for prospects. But I had the #1 & #2 picks since my last season's draft failed big time. That would cost me nearly $8M just to sign the two of them.
Rule 5
I wouldn't let myself make the same mistake as the prior season and grabbed Harry Martin (2B) with the top overall pick. Like quite a few Rule 5 picks, his OAV outweighed his actual value. He wouldn't last long in Florida and not just because the Franchise moved to New Orleans but he was later traded for a big push. But I also picked up Yan Manzanillo (P) and pitched him out of the pen.
Waivers
No real ML contribution via waivers, though I did snag a few in hopes they might find their stride here.
Trades
Few trades were made this season, partially because of the lack of talent showing up but also lots of owners returning.
Deal 1: James Sung (3B) for Allen Van Hatten (RP)
Sung struggled in Florida, hitting .206 over 820 ABs with 35 HR and a 3:1 K to B ratio; he would turns things around in Montreal where for 3 seasons he hit .250 and and 73 HR over 1,245 ABs. I probably gave up on him too quickly but felt I was getting a decent bullpen piece who was highly durable, two pitches that were 80+ potential, 80 control, though lower splits and lower velocity. It was a chance to see how the higher pitch quality would fair even though splits were low. He found his sea legs the following seasons when the club moved to New Orleans.
Rule 4
With the top two picks, I grabbed a highly rated catcher (Gregorio Cordero) who seemed to have some risk in signing but still seemed doable and Douglas Laxton who won RoY S50 and knocked in 160 RBIs for the Old Fashioneds this season. Yet another season without a Type A/B comp pick the draft basically ended there. I could no longer blame the old owner for no Type A/Bs as I didn't have any luck signing any myself. Having Chavez and Zhou as catching prospects, I likely would have steered towards Johnnie Daniels who went #3, had my scouts found him, but it was time to see about dealing one of the two.
IFA
International spending season started early with two players going for $8 & $10.1M within the first few days. Then Nefi Sierra showed up and signed for $16M. Knowing I was lacking pitching I jump at the chance to sign Miguel Park, $18.5M. Fantastic health, stamina, control, with a great first pitch. Hopefully it would balance out his splits but I panicked a bit even though it was early. A few others popped up but I always found a big negative reason why I didn't want to bid on them, low vR, huge flyball pitcher, or low pitch quality. I remember putting a bid in on Orlando Lopez but couldn't work the dollars out as the bidding blew past my budget, he signed for $27.5M. After missing out on Yohan Nova as well (another $25.1M). I did end up adding Ernesto Johnson for $5.5M, he won't be an All-Star but seems he could be productive. Lots of money being thrown around this season in IFA.
Results
Record - 58-104, slight improvement and felt with the two top picks I had to have been moving up soon. But not great as I was still the 2nd worst team in the league. Didn't quite reach the goal of under 100 loses, but I was close! My minor league teams continued to make the playoffs in every level.
AAA lost NL Play-in as #6 seed.
AA #1 seed as NL Champs but lost the World Series.
High A lost NLDS as #5 seed.
Low A #1 seed as NL Champs but lost the World Series.
Rookie #2 seed lost NLCS.
Season 48
Decided to move the franchise to New Orleans after struggling with the Florida stadium. I feel like it was a mixture of better players, but also felt the stadium changed helped. After signing the top two picks in last season's draft I wanted to try my hand at Free Agency again and was determined to have a record above 70 wins. With the division I was in, it was being won by the same big budget team, but they were barely above .500; so I hoped to climb fast when I was finally making progress.
Existing Players
A lot of the same names, all of whom were continuing to develop and I was going to let them continue on their path.
Free Agency
I signed Karim Sanabia with the intent to trade him, and that's exactly what happened 17 days after he signed.
Rule 5
This was an interesting draft. I grabbed Ben Skole (P) with the #2 pick, though I tried waiving him to demote to the minors but he was grabbed by another team. My second round pick that season was L.J. Anna (RF) who was a speedster that would platoon righties. But thinking since most teams passed him over, the he'd easily be waived and then placed on my AAA team to develop; but once again I was wrong. Atlanta ended up claiming him and he hit .275 with 43 SBs in 451 ABs. Pretty decent for a 2nd round Rule 5 guy, and even though I had Metcalfe, Kondou, and Bootcheck; I would have found some of my own ABs had I thought there was a chance he wouldn't clear waivers.
Waivers
Not much available this season, but I always continue to monitor.
Trades
Made a couple of moves with the future in mind.
Deal 1: Harry Martin (2B) for Alfonso Osuna (P)
Martin was drafted the year before in the Rule 5, so trading him wasn't a tough decision. Especially since I preferred Tucker at 2B and felt the expiring contract of Osuna might be trade bait for a playoff team or to finally give me a Type A/B and comp round pick the follow year's Rule 4 draft. Martin was released prior to S51 where he was typically average 10 HR / 25 SBs on a .250 AVG. I ended up not being able to trade Osuna, still surprised I didn't find any interest but people were holding tight to their large name prospects. I was originally packaging Osuna with others to try and increase my return. With Osuna signed with another franchise, I ended up selecting two decent pitching prospects. Osuna would hit the DL so it wasn't all sunshine.
Deal 2: Armando Melian (RF) for Yamil Samuel (RP)
Melian was on his Arb2 year and making just under $4M. This deal was purely about clearing space for an IFA that appeared later in the season. Sadly, if I remember correctly, the move was too late and the IFA signed before I could clear it up. Samuel who had decent numbers but low splits, ended up being waived after 4 games; thinking I could demote him to AAA and hopefully called up after some time in AAA. But Atlanta had something different to say about that, and he pitched really well out of their rotation for two seasons.
Deal 3: Karim Sanabia (RP) for Pedro Encarnacion (CF)
As I mentioned, Sanabia was signed to be traded. Encarnacion is a 20 SB guy, but we'll see what kind of average he ends up with and how much he actually gets on base. He ended up being traded a few seasons later (S51) in a deal that helped my pitching.
Deal 4: Damaso Ethier (SP) for Yovani Bonilla (SS) + Rougned Pulido (SP) + Julian Clay (RP)
It took a lot of thinking for me to deal Ethier and I tried to include Etherton, who has won the last two AL Reliever of the Year awards, instead of Clay but Atlanta wouldn't budge. Hindsight, I thought Bonilla would be a better defensive shortstop than he has been; but he's not the worst option. Pulido hit a major injury in S50 which greatly hurt his value but that couldn't be predicted. I'll end up letting Pulido walk after his third year through arbitration this year, S51. I thought he'd make up a good part of my rotation for quite a few more years; but that's life and you just roll with it. Clay is turning out like Cespedes, I just can't seem to figure out which player I'll get; the stud setup man or the AAA SuB. Ethier on the other hand is 37-15 over two seasons (407 IP) with a 2.92 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
Rule 4
The top player in the draft IMO was Juancito Martin, a highly rated 2B that was going to get on base A LOT! I ranked him #1 and immediately moved on to find who I wanted to rank #2, assuming DC was going to take Martin. After some back room chatter, I found out DC wasn't taking Martin the evening before the draft. I was stoked! My cornerstone was going to be Cordero at catcher, Laxton in RF, and Martin at 2B. I started looking for places to off load Jackson to see what prospects I might get in return. But no surprise, since I wasn't spending in FA; I still didn't have any comp round picks, though this year I got a decent CF glove in the 2nd round with some potential to hit as well, in Brian Lorick.
IFA
While I was determined not to make this linger like some teams have, I wanted to get this rebuild going as I had bottomed out and needed to prove I could stick with it. I made a couple of early grabs for cheap players because I liked certain parts of their game. whether it was a potential DITR or their glove. A bunch of $3-8M players go in the first few weeks and I start to wonder if any big names will show up this season. When Javier Quevedo shows up I jump at him but know he won't end up playing SS. I decide to have him be the future 2B while Martin shifts to LF. he's got great speed, excellent health and seems like he'll get on base. Maybe the perfect 1-2 combo with Martin in front of Laxton/Cordero. S51, he'd go on to nab 55 doubles, good to tie for the 5th all time single season record. Later I also add Edgard Seguignol (RP) who I think will make a great bullpen arm for a cheap $2.5M. He was so cheap because while he has 77 stamina, his durability is only a 10. Still good for 60-80 innings a year if managed correctly.
Results
Record - 74-88 - nearly a 20 game improvement with some of the guys I had started to acquire my first few seasons. This is also the same record as what I accomplished in my very first season. No real big adds, just further developed players who were finally coming around. Surprised that most of these guys played on the team that struggled to win 50 games. I guess sometimes HBD likes you and other times he hates you and the mother who birthed you. But big news in the Minors as they win three of the five World Series. Those prospects are starting to prove themselves and I'm ready to start a big push. I ended just 13 games out of the division lead, but only 7 games below .500.
AAA lost NLDS as #6 seed.
AA WON World Series as #1 seed.
High A WON World Series as #1 seed.
Low A WON World Series as #1 seed.
Rookie #2 seed lost NLDS.
Season 49
Okay so I was starting to see a lot of improvement, but this was the year my goal was to be above .500 and compete for the division. I felt like I had a better grasp on free agency and was ready to make a splash.
Existing Players
Was planning to have a full season of Jackson, Ozuna, Chavez, Kondou, Pulido, Clay, Fields, and Bonilla. Promoted prospect Diaz to the major league club. A decent core, maybe not a playoff group but something to build on.
Free Agency
Knowing that I'd start making a push for the division, I signed Doc Cortes (SP) to my largest contract ever, 5/$100M, S51 he went 20-2 though is worst ERA in years. He still has two more seasons on his contract but I'm expecting good things from him. Added Ron Steestra (RP), the reigning NL Fireman of the Year to my bullpen on an 3/$17.8M deal. He struggled my first season because I had adjusted for the closer to come in, in noncloser situations but S50 I tweaked and he once again won the NL Fireman of the Year. Stevie Ross (C) was added to help manage the pitching staff to a 2/$3M, he averaged .270 with 16 HRs for those two seasons; very serviceable until Cordero could be called up.
Rule 5
This season I picked #11 and grabbed Paulie Rivera (2B) who has some power for a 2B but lacked contact. He stayed with the team through the entire year but hit VERY poorly. I still believe in his progress but he found himself demoted after 27 games in S50 to make room for other prospects, like Laxton. In the second round I nabbed Alfonso James (RF) who was claimed after being wavier and is still getting ABs for a struggling Huntington team. He did however 24 HRs in 577 ABs on a .236 AVG this year. In the third I picked up a purely defensive player in Lariel Figureoa (SS), even though he lacks at the plate; he'll see some time in S52 as a defensive replacement late in the game.
Waivers
None worth noting.
Trades
Deal 1: Ernest Johnson (SP) + Edgard Seguignol (RP) for Yuudai Park (SP)
Similar to my deal for Osuna the previous year, I traded for Park thinking I'd trade away an AAA pitcher and a decent reliever who required A LOT of monitoring to make his durability work and get a guy to help make a push on the division or trade bait by the end of the season if I wasn't close and get a few prospects in return. Park ended the season still on my team
Deal 2: Cookie Rodriguez (3B) for Teddy Leon (3B)
Pittsburgh needed a power bat to add to their lineup who was looking to make the wildcard this season and I picked up a right smasher who would either become trade bait or find his way into my starting lineup as my future 3B.
Rule 4
This would be the first season that I had a Type A/B and comp pick. With the #11 pick, I snagged a potential ML starting pitcher in Hooks Mateo (SP), with Chris Sinclair (P) and Robin Motte (P) as compensation for losing Osuna in free agency. Sinclair was a first round pick, #28. All three will be available for trade this upcoming season as I continue pushing for that ultimate prize. No second round pick as I picked up Cortes this offseason. This would hopefully be the last year I'm picking in the first 16 picks
IFA
Only worthy pickup I grabbed this season was Gonzalez Liriano for $10M. He seems a great glove to have on the team and should be able to hit in the back of the lineup. I just need to decide if I want to trade him for parts or use him in the field/lineup. He could definitely allow me to trade Ozuna (CF) as he enters his arbitration years.
Results
Finished with the exact same record as the year prior even with all those adds and the young guys even further developing. Sometimes I still don't get it and feel HBD can be a little too random. I get that it doesn't want to be so formula driven that it's purely a game of numbers and easy to play the system. The randomness, just like baseball is good for it. But for the first time I didn't finish in last in the division, due to the tie breaker rules I ended up in 3rd place. Things are starting to look up.
Record - 74-88
AAA NL Champs lost World Series as #1 seed.
AA lost NLCS as #1 seed.
High A WON World Series as #2 seed.
Low A lost NLCS as #2 seed.
Rookie WON World Series as #1 seed.
Season 50
I was definitely starting to like where the franchise was going and really starting to piece together expected cost for different types of players in free agency. A lot of the older teams started to move into a rebuild so definitely time to hit the gas.
Existing Players
A lot of the core returned, but also saw the promotion of Douglas Laxton, Juancito Martin, and Javier Quevedo. Quevedo was promoted late into the season because I saw how close I was in the division and didn't want to lose an opportunity, even though I originally hadn't planned to call him up until 20 games into S51. The arbitration years of those three might hurt a bit, but it helped shore up the front of my lineup, shifting Kondou, Bonilla, Ozuna, and Chavez to the back. Jackson was there but would eventually be traded. Joey Kubitza was quietly promoted as well and helped defensively. Pulido would end up going down with an injury and greatly drop his ratings, with how late in the season the injury occurred, he'd likely miss the start of next season as well. Martin would also be promoted to the ML and added to my bullpen.
Free Agency
Without many pitching projects that were near ready, I signed Rico Bonilla (SP) to a 3/$24M contract to pair with Cortes, Wallace, Pulido, Diaz/Park. He started 40 games, going 17-13 but had a 1.35 WHIP and 4.72 ERA; higher than the years he spent in the extremes of Colorado.
Rule 5
40 man was tight, but thankfully didn't really see anyone worth adding either.
Waivers
None worth noting.
Trades
My goal in trades this season was to look at S51 and beyond. I wanted to trade some of the depth I had for improvements to the ML roster and people who would be called up before too long.
Deal 1: Eduardo Cespedes (SP) for Daryle Wilkinson (SP) + Daniel Barrett (RP)
I was tired of trying to figure out Cespedes and he was going to start getting expensive for what I felt I was getting out of him. Wilkinson would only play for the franchise for one season before being returned to Pittsburgh in a deal the following year; but he was a high groundball pitcher that I thought would be useful late in the game to keep the ball on the ground when my defensive gloves came into the game. Barrett was a future ML bullpen piece and potential closer. Even though Cespedes finally started playing well, I'm still calling this a win for the franchise.
Deal 2: Hipolito Maradona (RF) + Eric Mashore (C/DH) + Ronn O'Toole (LF) for Adam West (3B)
With Kondou, Martin, and Laxton set to cover 1B/RF/LF, there was no place for O'Toole even though he was still cheap with a year of control before his Arb years. Mashore was a DITR who could backup C, DH, or man 1B. With Cordero, Chavez, and no DH being in the NL; he was tradable just like O'Toole. Hip looked to be a GREAT lefty platoon that could go everyday in the right lineup. Which he did S51 and is up for AL Rookie of the Year. West was the #3 pick in S49 and even though I had plenty of depth in my lineup and needed pitching I still went after him. The thinking was to package some players for him and then package some players with him for a top tier pitcher but never everyone seems to be holding their pitching tight. He was promoted this season and while started VERY rough, he came around strong and ended the season with a .296 AVG and was in the running for NL Rookie of the Year, even though he had under 400 ABs. He wouldn't get it, but would be nice to see the two Rookie of the Years dealt for each other in the same deal the season prior. I hope both teams are happy with this deal.
Deal 3: Tucker Jackson (2B) + Allen Van Hatten (RP) for Brooks Jarvis (SS) + Ronald Yearwood (SP)
I felt it was time to move Jackson who I thought at one time would be a longer term solution at 2B for my franchise. And like any player I seem to trade to Montreal, they start to perform the second they leave. His team was also looking at what might their last chance at the playoffs before a rebuild so he was interested in adding an RP for his pen and wouldn't hit his first Arb season until S51. My return was a future back of the rotation starter in Yearwood and another highly defensive guy who would struggle to hit A+ pitchers. But he'll be cheap for a few seasons and help close out many games.
Deal 4: Juan Acosta (LF) for Ernest Paulson (3B)
I was decently close enough in the division and lead it for quite some time that I felt like making a win now play with a team entering a rebuild. Paulson would man 3B quite well for me. I'd sign him to a 2/$2.6M extension that expires after S52. Once West was promoted in S51, Paulson would move to a bench role. I couldn't see Acosta making the ML roster and his low arm strength / accuracy would prevent him from even being a late inning guy.
Deal 5: Norichika Zhou (C) for Rickey Kohn (RP)
It took awhile but finally moved Zhou who I thought was the lesser of the two between him and Chavez, though neither are really catchers and belong as backup options if you ask me. Pittsburgh was looking to move Kohn's contract and I had room, especially since Pitt picks up a good portion and the final year (S51) would be the lowest of all his years. I've been very happy with his production and use as a fantastic set-up man. He may have cost $9M this season but he went 12-1 with 3 saves and a 0.93 WHIP with a 2.67 ERA over 91 games and 118 innings. He may be 36 but he didn't drop much in ratings during the season. Depending on what he drops going into his age 37 season, will depending if I target him again.
Deal 6: Jose Rodriguez (SS) for Sal Thompson (SS)
Thompson was going to be a FA but DC covered his price tag. After a hot start to the season, I was going to have my first winning season so I thought I'd pick up a defensive replacement to fill in late while Bonilla struggled to man the field this season. Ended up faltering late and lost the division by 6 games. Rodriguez likely wouldn't even make it to the ML, let alone AAA. So it was a no brainer for me. I targeted Sal in the offseason but his price tag was higher than I wanted to pay. Big budget NY ended up signing him to a 1/$3.8M. We'll see what he costs this coming offseason and if he finds his way back to my franchise.
Rule 4
Same record as last year and same draft position. But unlike last year, Type A FA Park comp turned into a late 2nd round pick. Not sure that was worth the gamble, but I still don't feel like I gave up much and he gave me a chance at a hopeful run this season. At #11, I picked up Harold Foltynewicz (SP) who could see some time at the majors in S52 if he's not traded before then. Comp round pick was Jeremy Choice (RP) and good ML depth. The late second Type A pick ended up going to James Bryne (1B), who could be decent depth at the ML level or trade options. 11th rounder, Kyeong Aoki (SP) would become a DITR that our franchise is watching develop, though his control and lower pitch qualities will likely keep him from achieving much.
IFA
Didn't spend a whole lot in IFA this season. Biggest contract went to Vladimir Domingo (RP) for $2.6M, though he would be traded the following season. He has great numbers but very minimal staminia and durability which limit him to only 10 pitches a game with lots of time off between games. Yoervis Macias (SS) was signed as a late inning defensive replacement, with potential in the 90s defensively across the board. Ariel Lee (LF) signed for a mere $51K and turned into a DITR who has good splits, good eye but last contact and power.
Results
Record - 83-79 - first winning season and it took long enough, but finished 6 games out of first place in the division. But things are looking up with only Park being a FA at the end of the season. Cordero and the recently acquired West would likely see promotions next year.
AAA NL Champs lost World Series as #1 seed.
AA lost NLDS as #1 seed.
High A NL Champs lost World Series as #2 seed.
Low A WON World Series as #1 seed.
Rookie WON World Series as #5 seed.
Season 51
This was going to be the season New Orleans captures the division. I was shooting for 95 wins. There was a lot of win now trade talks, but I wasn't going to sacrifice so much long term since I was just coming out of my rebuild. I get going for it, but I wanted to go for it for more than a single season.
Existing Players
I was excited to see a full season of Martin, Quevedo, and Laxton at the top of my lineup; especially knowing Cordero would be up a few games into the season. Kondou was still producing well at 1B, Bonilla at SS. West would be promoted a few games after Cordero to cover 3B. And Ozuna was having a great year at CF with all the new bats around him. Pulido was still on the shelf and likely miss 10-12 starts. Cortes and Bonilla would lead the rotation. Steenstra, Martin, Clay, and Fields would make up the returning bullpen.
Free Agency
I focused on pitching, knowing...hoping, my young bats would be just fine. I tried to add some defensive guys to improve my chances late in the game and to rest the starters. Having made the trade for Swann + Andrews, I still wanted to add another starter but was more than comfortable with my bullpen. 30 year old Birdie James (SP) who would have a career year on his 1/$5.8M deal. Adding James to Cortes, Bonilla, and Swann; I was able to get by with just 4 starters for much of the early season until Pulido returned.
Rule 5
Didn't see anything worth adding this year with the depth I felt I had, but was also tight and no extra room on the 40 man.
Waivers
For the first time I found myself not checking waivers daily but couldn't imagine a player would drop that would shift into being an ML starter.
Trades
I knew I had a chance to win the division since it'd only take 88ish wins. Once again I got busy looking at trades for some long term improvements.
Deal 1: Pedro Encarnacion (CF) + Vladimir Domingo (RP) + Daniel Barrett (RP) for Bennie Swann (SP) + Ronnie Andrews (RP)
Fantastic deal on my end, Encarnacion was acquired a few seasons prior in a trade for a one year contract I had signed and didn't fit into the long term plans of the team with Ozuna manning the starting position and more depth in the minors for defensive replacements. Domingo's ratings look good but he'll struggle to get through a single inning and has a low pitch quality. Barrett looks like he could be a future closer on certain teams but he was more years out than I wanted to deal with. Ronnie Andrews ended up taking over the closer role for my team from the reigning Fireman of the Year (Ron Steenstra - who would be a FA at year's end) and would win the FoY this season, saving a ML high 46 saves. Fingers crossed he's able to do that the next 3 seasons that he's currently under contract for. Swann proved a useful part of my rotation and even got the start of Game 1 in the NLDS before getting injured in the game. Even decided to sign him to an extension, keeping him in New Orleans for the foreseeable future.
Deal 2: Daryle Wilkinson (SP) for Ed Lewis (3B)
Pittsburgh was moving into a new strategy where Wilkinson's high groundball rate made sense with the gloves in the field. Lewis has a decent glove and bat, finding quite a few innings at 3B with Paulson.
Deal 3: Ted Elmore (LF) for Tike Cosby (RF) + David Suarez (P) + Rafael Ciriaco (RP)
I had extra space and look on contracts for OKC who was likely clearing money for a HUGE IFA signing. Suarez gave me pitching depth that I ended up needing. Tike rode out the rest of the season in AAA but provides OF depth for next season and cheaply. After some roster moves, he'll be up with the ML team next season. Ciriaco has potential and finished the year with a promotion to AA. Cosby has the chance to be a Type B when he leaves, got some useful innings out of Suarez, and Ciriaco is TBD and since I had the room this year the only lingering cost was $1.6M in Cosby's S52 salary.
Rule 4
With the 21st overall pick I had hoped I might get lucky and find someone useful, even if it's a bullpen piece that has limited stam or durability. Wasn't too happy with my pick, Kolten Gonzalez (P), but that's because I had adjust financial plans for this season. Second round pick, David Corbin (RP) might prove some use as well.
IFA
Limited my budge and didn't include anything for IFA, though I picked up some potential future DiTRs if I'm lucky. These adds were more about depth needed in the minors. After seeing the IFA class, one could only dream of landing Wei-Yin Wan (1B). I'd have him called up before he turns 20; moving Kondou to the bench.
Results
Record 114-48. Ended up setting the Franchise's record for regular season wins. A lot went right this season and ended with the #1 seed entering the playoffs. I may have finished 17 games ahead of San Juan and I went up 2-0 heading into Game 3 of the NLDS; I ended up blowing it big time and lost three straight to send my guys home for the rest of the playoffs. Birdie James, Roughned Pulido, and Rickey Kohn are the big names hitting FA and will need to be replaced. David Saurez was a good filler who will also be a FA. Steenstra too, but he had limited use this season and I don't think he'll be missed much; even though he's won 2 of the last 4 NL Reliever of the Year awards.
Season 52
Looking forward to the offseason and seeing what I can do with the available money. I have a few plans for FA, but I know full well that could go any direction. Time to make some trades!