S57 An Open Letter to the Owner

Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter

(starting a new series on the blog that I'm thinking we will post once a season with a new team. Starting with New Orleans given the recent trade and my familiarity with the players - more so than any other team.)

Dear Owner of the New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers, 

Your franchise was just hit with a Category 6 hurricane, so much for dodging this one and from one New Orleans based business to another we felt the need to share this open letter with you. This is your sign to rebuild! The franchise has won two of the last three world series, but your latest move has left the fanbase reeling and a third title for this core group now out of the question. Yes the playoffs shouldn't be tough, but the franchise is currently in one of the; if not THE weakest divisions in Cobbfather at the moment. After all your competition had picks #3, 12, and 13 in this season's draft - all protected first round picks. With no offense to them, as they are retooling from high contract seasons, just winning the division isn't enough for this great city of New Orleans, for the birthplace of Jazz! That's like choosing Roseanne Barr to single the national anthem over Whitney Houston. Just because she knows the words doesn't mean she should sing it. Take a page out of the Columbus Corgis handbook, build on top of this first trade and have a quick fire sale to replenish the young talent in your organization and be back to a championship contender in no time. After 36 seasons (1-17, 24-25, 27-32, 44-47/47-52, and your current run of 55-57) we all know, or rather hope, you have a few tricks up your sleeves from all that experience! Moving into a fire sale just makes sense, as this first deal was quantity over quality very similar to what Columbus received a few seasons ago. 

We assume part of the reason for this deal is resetting and/or lowering the team's payroll; but for what? We don't anticipate you shifting to the International market given the recent price tags and based on your IFA spendings over the years - once over $10.3M on a single player and only 7 times spent over $3M. We haven't seen too high impact draft signings after pick 20, but there are some if you decide to shift that savings into College and/or High School scouting. But did the team clear enough payroll that gives the New Orleans scouts enough budget to find those players? You'll generally be adding role players, which isn't bad to keep payroll down and supplement the main roster with talent whether it's a pitch hitter, bullpen arm, or defensive specialist. 

Steer into the skid, make that move to sell. Deal CF Yan Ozuna (.270, 15 HR, 15 SB), 2B Javier Quevedo (.295, 25 HR, 50 SB), 1B Keith Halter (.270, 35 HR, 20 SB), RF Douglas Laxton (.310, 40 HR, 7 SB), and C Gregorio Cordero (.295, 40 HR, 2 SB - second best pitch caller in all of Cobbfather) and the market; and that's not mentioning some of the older pitchers like Costilla, Andrews, and Martin that could be packaged with those hitters to improve the prospects returning to you. Slicing payroll and quickly rebuilding! We can only imagine the type of prospects you'd get for some of those names - specifically Laxton whose been on the MVP ballot multiple years since his call up. Looking back at the last power rankings on the blog, Columbus, Oklahoma City, and especially Philadelphia are top tier teams who appear good fits to improve their bats. Philly ranked as a 45/80 and currently tied for their division; though they might not have the prospects to come back your way as they've been competing in the top of their division for a few years now. Salem should be your first target, they are just 2 games back and young. Add a power bat like Laxton who hits .300+ would pair nicely at 1B with 2B Rojas, CF Bonk, LF and All-Star MVP Timothy Wright. Checking in on Tacoma to see just when they are expecting to turn the corner and hit the NL North hard would be ideal too. Hartford and Chicago are getting older, Montreal isn't ready to compete just yet; convincing them next season is their year and dealing for some top names to pair with some of their rookies could go a long way in moving them from 4th in the division to a wildcard contender to a division winner.. A plus to Tacoma, they've drafted a lot of pitchers in the recent early drafts.

Let's take a look at the latest deal. 

• GOING
•  Juancito Martin - S53 Co-MVP, 3x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger, and 2x Champion who has a career .313 batting average, averages 20 HR w/ 25 SBs, and has 4 200 hit seasons under his belt out of 7 and one of those non was 5 hits short. 
• Josh Hunt - 1x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, and 2x World Champion whose averaged 35ish HRs a season on a .278 average with 24 stolen bases. He once gave the franchise a 40 HR / 35 SB season from the hot corner. 
• S58 salary: $18.3M
• S59 salary: $17.8M
• Analysis: Martin was the perfect leadoff/#2 hitter paired with Quevedo and Hunt has been great in the 5 hole slotted behind other power hitters like Laxton, Halter, and Cordero. Hurricane row as the fans reference them. The offense has struggled a bit over all and dealing two of the main bats will hurt going forward. Who knows if either man will be willing to sign an extension to continue their careers in NO, but now we'll never know!
• COMING
• Roger Stinnet (2B) - 2x All-Star, .250 hitter, 35-40 HR but strikes out nearly 130 times a year. 15 SBs. Quevedo is the better defender so he likes shifts to LF to replace Martin. He's the lesser version of Hunt - slightly less power, about 20 points lower in average, 2/3rds the SBs, and weaker defensively.
• Mike Lobstein (SP) - 1x All-Star who has been a 1.30-1.35 WHIP, 3.50-4.00 ERA; though this year (his age 35 season) is up at a 1.41 WHIP and 5.14 ERA. I'd expect him to improve on those numbers for the second half in NO, but just how much is to be determined. The control isn't great and keeps him at the back of the rotation. 
• Rubi Pujols (SP) - With Gutierrez, he's the other prize of the deal and looks a lot like SP Danys Solis who already pitches for the NOHD or even Buffalo's Miguel Castillo. 1.20ish WHIP, 3.30 ERA, 20-30% better than league average it seems. Though Castillo's numbers are out of the pen. 
• Giancarlo Gutierrez (3B) - He's been labeled as a Shortstop but not quite league average; either he or current SS Bubba Alexander will shift over to 3rd to fill Hunt's void. He doesn't offer much power, but neither does he have the speed to supplement that lack. He's basically a 3B/SS version of Turner Pryor - who funny enough traded Hunt for back when he owned the Mexico City franchise (then in El Paso) back in Season 52. In a good season he's a .270 hitter with 15 HR and 10 SB. 
• S58 salary: $13.8M (saves $4.5M)
• S59 salary: $8.2M (saves $9.6M)
• S60 salary: Beginning of Arb years for Pujols and Gutierrez.

$5M next season and $10M the following isn't much of a savings but could mean the world of difference in scouting, assuming that's where it's going. Overall still a solid return if you are selling two All-Stars, but was it enough and is it the right direction for the franchise? Only time will tell. But if you do decide to sell, please for the sake of the NO fans; go against your norm - go for quality over quantity!

To Martin and Hunt, we wish you both the best of luck in Salt Lake City. Looks like they might be hitting #2 and 3 behind Paco Garces and in front of Ehire Cruz. As it stands today, SLC is outside the playoff picture looking in but they only have 2 games to make up in the division and were 5 games out of the wildcard with 67 games to play. 

-a New Orleans fan through and through

S57 - The demise and rise of Alex Tarraga

Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter

First it was first ballot Hall of Famer Gregor Lopez signing with Nashville for one last hurrah, now it's future first ballot Hall of Famer and fellow Buffalo Bison Alex Tarraga. He just signed on for his 19th major league season with the lowly rebuilding New York Empire. The team is guaranteed to win less than 62 games this season and vie for the S58 #1 Rule 4 pick. Vegas has them as the early favorite for both. His contract is just a single season, at $675k. Pocket change from the over $210M he made in his career. That's not even talking about his endorsement deals with Depends and Crocs. 

Over the offseason his power took a major hit and will likely continue to drop over the course of this season. Last year was the first time in his career that was his league average in OPS and managed a lowly .327 wOBA. Maybe it's New York big market or maybe the rumors are true and Tarraga's interest in becoming the next big Broadway star are true and he's going to be staring in the Off, Off, Off-Broadway musical number about Gregor Lopez's The Perfect Catch tv series. AT's accomplishments:

• Top 15 in Average (.310)
• #2 in GIDP at 384 behind Jorge Johnson's 405
• #4 in Hits at 3,065; 50 more hits and he moves up a slot.
• #1 in HRs at 844
• #2 in Intentional Walks, just 5 behind Albert Cruz's 206.
• #5 in ISO Power, trailing only younger active players like Kyle Crain, Omar Gonzales, Bonk Burnett, and Shea Crowe (in that order). But will any of them maintain the higher rates over their career or does it become the eventual #1 record holder? 
• #5 in Number of Pitches Seen, 25 behind #4 and 1,366 behind #3. 
• #4 in Runs, trails #3 by just 40 runs. Though NY might be lucky to put that up all season.
• #1 in RBIs
• #1 in Runs Created, and #2 in Runs Created per 27 Outs behind active player Omar Gonzales.
• #3 in Slugging % behind only active players such as Kyle Crain and Omar Gonzales. 

Hands down he has to be the greatest player in Cobbfather history. 

The Gazette photographers caught a photo of AT taking batting practice at t-ball field nearest his home. Lopez held his own his last season, but this could easily be the sad end to an otherwise fantastic career. 

In other news/rumors around the league:

• 5-time and current NL Fireman of the Year , Ronnie Andrews of the New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers is rumored to be pushing HoF voters to elect Jace Sale into the Hall this year, likely with hopes that if/when he wins his record 6th Fireman of the Year award it helps his own cause being included in the Hall. 
• Teams in on 32 yr old Bonk Burnett's services appear to be: Tokyo, Houston, Dover, Columbus; with only Tokyo being possible for a near max offer. Still plenty of time left. 
• Many Cobbfather insiders wonder if there's something going on in New Orleans clubhouse between the position players and the pitchers. Or maybe it's the new Owner, either way 75% of their starting rotation decided to leave in Free Agency rather than return to defend their title. Louis Combs choosing Tokyo, Miguel Park going to Helena, and Bennie Swann showing some love to Philadelphia. What's worse is, with that payroll, everyone knows NO-HD doesn't have the scouting department to make all those plus picks into quality prospects. 
• Lots going on in Pittsburgh too, many players seem to think or rather hope they are on the move including Hugh McMillan (LF - 30 HR .293 AVG), Jordany Solarte (CF - 13 HR, .295 AVG), Julio Pascual (COF - 30 HR .270 AVG), and Nicholas Cornely (2B - 16 HR .290 AVG). Bring your buggy, you nebby jagoffs every player up and down this franchise's roster is available. This owner started to redd up last season when they move franchise cornerstone Rip Bromberg to Huntington. 
• Rumors say the Commissioner is thinking about banning the entire state of Oklahoma from playing baseball. If you can't beat him, ban 'em appears to be his new motto.  

S55 - The demise and rise of Gregor Lopez

 Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter

Future first ballot Hall of Famer Gregor Lopez has signed on to pitch for his 22nd major league season. There are many who do not even get that many Pro years, let alone Major league seasons. Signing for an astounding $480k, his ratings immediately take a two point drop when he realizes his agent didn't tell him it was with another team, only his second team ever. 21 Seasons in Buffalo and he finds himself pitching, mop-up for a rebuilding franchise. Emotionally he feels like a rookie but his body tells him otherwise. With many claiming he's washed up he's met a younger aspiring country singer in Nashville, his new home for the season. Forget the George Lopez show, this new rom-com, The Perfect Catch the series, is coming to the Hallmark channel. Set your DVRs!

The Gazette photographers caught a photo of Lopez warming up during one of the Spring Training games. Let's hope some of those all-time career marks, like #3 ERA, #1 WHIP, #2 Winning %, & #2 OBP allowed stand the test of a rough inning. This could be the sad end to an otherwise fantastic career. 

In other news/rumors around the league:

• 4-time and current back to back NL Fireman of the Year , Ronnie Andrews of the New Orleans Smell is rumored to be demanding new owner SeniorPloppie trade him after being demoted away from the closer role. A 5th Fireman of the Year would tie him with Al Balentien & Jace Sale for most all time and he was looking forward to chasing that record until the previous ownership sold the team.
• After a disappointing second half of the season, post trade to Anaheim; our insider who saw Alan Harris enter a building with big neon signs and no exterior windows, say he is faking the groin injury because he does not want to finish out his contract in Anaheim. His wife is rumored to not be so pleased, pun intended, with the choice of injury either. 
• S54 NL Rookie of the Year Nash Washington landed himself on the 60-day DL due to a shoulder sprain. The hopeful in Tacoma are counting on him regaining form and coming back fresher than ever for the rest of his age 26 season!
• What would a rumor season be without hearing of an Atlanta Expo player being close to be ing traded? If we are correct, this deal will surely shake up the AL if not more than that. 
• The Gazette has heard no more rumors about a possible Omar Gonzales deal. With his new old team currently 0-4 and bottom of the NL West he might be in for another long season. But it's 4 games in, no need to hit the panic button yet. 
• In no surprise the AL North is completely tied up, with every team being 2-2.
• The Chicago Gunslingers are proving they are sticking with the Power plan, and are tied for the lead in HRs with 10; compared to the league average 5. 
• With 42 strike outs in 4 games, Montreal is on pace for 1,701 for the season. If they can keep that up, they'll top the previous best, set by Philly in S48 & 49 by a 250 strikeouts. Odds in Vegas are setting the over/under, make sure you hit up your local bookie. 
• Rumors say the Commissioner is thinking about calling the season short, giving himself an undefeated record and the NL West title. Without some trades, it's about the only way he wins that title and makes the playoffs. 

In The Lab Exposè - S54

Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter

Steroid use is running rampant throughout Cobbfather and the commissioners office has very little to say about it! We went undercover to Dr James Keggi's office and gained access to a few clubhouses around the league, with the most prominent being the Oklahoma City Barons and the defending World Champs, Atlanta Expos. And in the wake of the William Thompson injury, we are hearing rumors around the league about the NOOFs sending him to Oklahoma City to visit their 'lab'. 

• Oklahoma City
• Midre Benavente - If Midre wasn't the ace of the staff before seeing the "doctors" he definitely is now. Word has it, he's improved his stamina, 4 points on his control, 2 on each of his splits, and even the quality of his two primary pitches, a sinker and a slider. Those kind of improvements are almost underheard of for a 33 yr old. The sinker went from good to down right nasty!
• Nefi Sierra - The Nefi we all see today isn't the same as the one who played for Columbus at the start of the season. Since benefiting from OKC's "doctors", Nefi has seen two stints on the DL, each time recovering better than when he went down. By the ratings of our scouts, he's gone from an 82 at the start of the season to an 84! Though most of that growth has come in the field as he's getting to balls faster. His health and durability were said to improvement but maybe the OKC doctors were trying out a new serum because you ask "Hey Catherine, if his health improved why did he land on the DL a second time?" And I'd suggest the second stint was another ploy to try out a new batch of their power serum. Rumor has it, given their pitcher's park; the team is looking for ways to improve their power hitting.  
• Stretch Story - What Midre did as a starter, Story did as a reliever. This 29 yr old saw a 4 point bump in his control, 2 vL, 3 vR, and 2 bumps in all three of his pitches; putting his 4-seam above quite a few others in the league. Story saw a 4 point bump in his overall ratings by the Blog's scouts. The lab seems to work it's wonders!
• Rafael Rodriguez - Like Nefi, Rafael saw a big jump in his range, durability, and health. Unlike Neif, Rafael also saw a 4 point ratings bump in his speed. I'd expect a small uptick in his average since he's a tad bit tougher to throw out at first. 
• Pedro Puello - Yet another starter who comes back from the DL healthier than ever before! Pedro's increases were minimal but across the board. When a playoff team's SP1 and SP2 see these kind of increases when they shouldn't be improving, every medical person raises an eye brow. 
• Atlanta
• Alan Street - Atlanta liked what they saw so much like OKC with Sierra, they sent Street back to the labs for "tendinitis". The Expos are hoping for another 1-2 points in Control, Splits, and maybe even a little bit on the velocity. Going on the 60 day now, should have him back for the ALCS...assuming Expos put an end to their current losing streak. 
• Steve Etherton - Yet another pitcher who picked up control and splits, righties will have an even tougher time getting a base hit off him. And that velocity! The lab is working for Etherton!
• Chicago
• Eduardo Cespedes - EC may not be starting anymore, but the 33yr old is guaranteed $8.7M next season and has a $10.7M mutual option the follow season, so the Chicago owners are vested. Rumor has it, he was sent down to OKC for 'a second opinion' and like Puello and Benavente before him, saw increases across the board. 

Mr. Comissioner, the ball is in your court. Think of the kids who look up to these players! Soon American kids will be bottle fed steroids, think of the kids! Oh wait, he loves Canada more than America. BOO!!!!

Rumor Mill

 Catherine Trammell - Contributing Reporter

Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but....

With Season 46 coming to a close, we look ahead to Season 47. If the rumor mill is correct, and it rarely is; here are a few rumors we've heard over the last few days:

• In Hall of Fame news, err rumors; it's been said Dizzy Leonard is paying anyone that will listen to his case for the Hall. It's a $5 gift card to Applebee's, which is why he must not be getting much reaction. Come on Dizzy, at least do McDonald's so people can get a McRib!!
• The commissioner has been spending a lot of time playing golf in Augusta, and some owners are starting to worry that he'll start playing favorites to the hometown Squeeze. 
• We expect to see a new team in the mix for big spending this offseason, but who will it be? Of the bottom 10 payrolls, Columbus, Vancouver, and Iowa City were close to a playoff spot. While Jackson actually made the playoffs with a low payroll. This writer expects to see them spend big in hopes to get past the first round next year. 
• A certain 33 yr old NY lead-off hitter and 1B is expected to hit the open market and looking to sign one final long term deal. He's coming off a max contract, but will New York owner alexng6888 be able to resign him?  
• Reports have numerous players being seen in Miami. Could this mean Florida is ready to make a run or are these players just on vacation in South Beach after a long season? The latter has the better odds in Vegas. 
• Cobbfather executives are rumored to be discussing forcing Vancouver to move to a US city due to the dispute of Bacon vs Canadian Bacon. Players seem excited as they are tired of making it rain with Loonie and Toonies. Just doesn't have the same effect and causes more injuries. Tim Horton himself is said to have been in contact with daubs2334 in an effort to keep them in Canada. Could that extra money translate to a big signing this offseason? 

If you have any future rumors that you'd like to be considered, please site mail then to minihouston.