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Northwest League Free Agency News

In the first test of a system devised by Northwest League officials, teams and players met collectively over a thirty-day period to negotiate new contracts for players testing the free agent market. Surprisingly, no NWL players chose to jump to the major leagues, though some stars of the first season such as Antonio Delmas threatened to do so. The economic situation in Major League Baseball continues to be poor, or so the league states publicly, and competition from outside sources continues to grow. Emboldened, perhaps, by the success of the Northwest League, other regions of the country are considering forming leagues along the same lines.

The contracts handed out during the 30-day signing period are by no means as lucrative as those awarded to the stars of Major League Baseball, but for players dreaming of a baseball career that have few other options, it is more than enough. A number of stars were up for new contracts, and a few new faces were available to teams in search of talent. Some big contracts were handed out, and of course, with all the teams present at the meetings, a number of trades were made as well.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Without the ability to control contract amounts, I've chosen to report contracts here as 1/50th of what was actually signed in the game. In-game, however, the contracts retain their standard OOTP values)

The largest deal went to 34-year old ace Mark Fernandez, who went 11-4, 3.03 for Twin Falls in 2009. Yakima opened up the wallet and inked him to a 4-year deal worth $410K a year. Major League refugee Robert Brunette also hit it big, signing a 4-year contract with Boise at $345K a year. The 35-year old hacker has to be thinking he made the right decision coming northwest. Other 2009 major league players also signed deals with NWL teams (Clark Robinson to Port Angeles, Shawn Jenson to Bend, Robert Horiuchi to Sandpoint, Brian McHaney to Missoula, Cristopher Francis to Roseburg, Oscar Reyes to Glacier Park).

One of the biggest surprises, though, has to be Brett "Gunner" Hayes. The 24-year old Boise native had offers from as many as 17 of the 24 NWL teams, including his hometown Buckaroos, but in the end, he chose to sign with the Eugene Emeralds for 4 years at $320K a season. With his defensive skills and bat control, the Emeralds are hoping he'll anchor their infield as they make another playoff run in 2010. He'll hit 5th against right-handers and lead off against southpaws. Former Emerald Ariel Diez, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury on July 5th last season, put his name on a 5-year contract with the Longview Trojans. He'll be making $318K a season, but many around the league were surprised at the length of the deal, considering his past injury history. If Diez is healthy, though, he's a perennial Pitcher of the Year candidate.

Two other new faces had opposite fates in the signing period. Young slugging first baseman Uzi Thundakowski signed early, going to the Twin Falls Twins for $52K a year. The switch-hitter will play full time for the Twins, who finished 6 games back of Boise in 2009. 23-year old hurler Shawn Eisenhauer didn't fare quite so well, going unsigned despite positive reviews from league scouts. He'll remain eligible to sign with a team in midseason.