Juneau made a fair bit of money in 2014 but still let some good players get to free agency: 3B Bill Seguin (career .249/.287/.396, 197-46 SB-CS), 2B Terry Shannon (see above under Fairbanks), and SP Anthony Sonier (career 3.10 ERA). However, Seguin and Sonier ultimately signed contracts with the Senators, getting pretty advantageous contracts in each case. Only Shannon was lost - to Fairbanks, as mentioned above.
The Senators then went out and grabbed free agent 3B Nick Bedford (career .287/.347/.500 hitter), a loss for Sitka. Bedford is now 33, but he signed a reasonable 3-year deal in hopes of finally being on a winning team (he was a longtime Buc before the Sitka move).
The next free agent they got was outfielder Jim Hanlon. Hanlon is 26 with a career line of .308/.363/.455 in three years with Sitka. He won't be a star but is solid at the plate.
As already mentioned, the Senators pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Glacier Pilots, sending off star SP Don Taggart for OF Keith MacNeill. It's a move that definitely gives Juneau additional financial flexibility.
Finally, Juneau got a backup 2B-3B in Steve Davis, formerly of Mat-Su (career line: .297/.361/.480). He's not a good fielder but will make a fair bit of money ($24,709 per year for 2 years) to hit when called upon. He's 37 years old.
On the first day of the season, Juneau made another signing, bringing in Lower 48 catcher Norm Corson. Corson has never hit at any level, but due to positive scouting reports had made it all the way up to AAA in the Padres' organization before being released. He's now 28 years old & still looking to get a shot at the big time. He will make $22,133 on a 1-year deal.
Grade: A. The Senators weakened their starting rotation but otherwise improved without breaking the bank. There's no reason why they can't dominate the Denali Division once again.
Like Bethel, Sitka, and Whitehorse, Kodiak faces extreme financial constraints, and like the latter two teams, they've never been able to put it all together for a pennant season.
The Grizzlies had to let star catcher Bob Russo go, along with promising young pitcher Steven Henry (career 4.15 ERA, age 24). However, they got Henry back at a substantial cost, paying him $54,000 per year on a two-year contract. Additionally, 1B Tanner Bourque (career .286/.385/.528) voided his player contract, but the team signed him to a hefty three-year extension ($118,000 altogether) before he filed for free agency.
As already mentioned, the Grizzlies made an astute trade with the Jets, getting Harry Harkness for aging reliever John Adams.
Otherwise, it was a quiet offseason for the club - just a few waiver claims to shore up the back end of the bullpen.
Grade: B-. They didn't hurt themselves too much, but they didn't help themselves much either. The Bourque and Henry contracts are pretty expensive for this franchise, and they should probably consider trading either or both of these players if they can't contend in 2015.
2014 was disastrous for the Miners. The club lost almost $400,000, wiping out all the profits from the previous four years.
The team didn't have many free agents up for renewal, which might have been a curse in disguise, because they needed to cut their bloated payroll. Steve Davis, already mentioned, left for Juneau, and washed-up first baseman Don Goodyear departed for AGP.
The Miners couldn't sign anybody, and the only trade they made hardly improved the financial situation. They dealt Newt Langille to AGP for 3B-SS Scott Bradley, improving them talent-wise but bringing on $20,000 in additional salary.
Grade: D. They will probably make money in 2015, but not enough to wipe out their debts. They look set to go into medium-term decline.
North Pole lost money for the second consecutive year and found themselves deeply in debt. This once proud franchise was now brought to the brink of absolute penury.
After firing the GM, the Nicks allowed several key free agents to escape: IF Leonard Marshall, signed by Chugiak; SP Larry Corbitt (disastrous year last year, but has some potential), signed by Fairbanks; and SP Eugene Pond, also signed by Fairbanks.
They did make one good trade, absolutely taking the Glacier Pilots for a ride by dealing SP Jack Skinner (career 5.12 ERA) for RF Elvis O'Halloran (career .283/.385/.488). O'Halloran makes a lot more money, though, so this doesn't help the financial situation.
Other than that, they did very little to reduce payroll, making some minor deals for marginal prospects.
Grade: D+. They look set to lose more money this year, so they might actually be in a worse situation than the Miners. Like the Miners, their biggest asset is a still-dedicated fanbase. But will they stick with the team through the years of losing ahead?
Because of their surprising success on the field last year, the Oilers did well financially, posting their second straight profitable season. As a result, they had a little money to spend in the offseason.
The Oilers voided the team option year of Bryan Kendall, allowing him to sign with the Jets. He's a great pitcher, and was set to make far less than what he eventually signed for. A puzzling move.
Other than Kendall, Peninsula really didn't lose any significant free agents.
They made some nice deals with the Jets, already mentioned, dealing Tommy Lambert for John Horswill, signing Johnny Ledlow then trading him with Bryce Brown for Louis Mays and Mike Gaston, and (less understandably) dealing Dale Eteldrum for Doug Miles.
Their biggest FA signings were to be 1B Zander Sabin (career .266/.339/.420, loss for Whitehorse), SP Harvey Romanov (career 5.13 ERA but still 25 & promising, loss for Sitka), and C Bob Russo (career .274/.351/.449, excellent defense, loss for Kodiak).
A questionable trade came in December, the aforementioned deal sending C Edward Peterson to the Goldpanners for SP Dave Gibbon and OF Terry Hauk. The Oilers can make use of both players, but Peterson has good upside.
Dealing the 38-year-old SP Mike Rancourt to the Glacier Pilots for 26-year-old OF Davis Osborn is an example of the forward-looking moves this club should be making. The team was also alert and later claimed SP Newt Langille off waivers from AGP. Langille is a bit worn down but should be solid on the back end of the rotation.
Grade: A. When looking back over their offseason, you find that they improved significantly even though most individual moves didn't seem that important. This team is making the right moves to stay in the upper half of the Seward Division. It's unlikely that they can hang with the Jets & Pilots yet, though.
Wow, I can't believe I called them to take the Denali Division. They disappointed on almost every level. More worryingly, they lost $150,000, the biggest loss ever for them.
As a result, the team lost some big FAs: Nick Bedford, who signed with Juneau; Johnny Ledlow, who ultimately ended up with Chugiak; Harvey Romanov, who signed with Peninsula; and Jim Hanlon, who signed with Juneau.
The Sentinels didn't sign anybody in the offseason (no money), and they made only two insignificant trades. They didn't even make any waiver claims.
Grade: F. This passive approach signals stagnation and deterioration. And it won't even save them much money - they will probably be in the red again this year.
The Yukoners also lost money in 2014, their first losses since the move from Ketchikan.
Free agents lost included 1B-2B Zander Sabin, who signed with Peninsula (Whitehorse had foolishly used him at first, when he is quite a good second baseman) and OF Dirk Cluett, who signed with Chugiak, as well as a host of bit players.
Like Sitka, Whitehorse did very little during the offseason, signing nobody and making two inconsequential trades and no waiver claims.
Grade: F. See Sitka. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to wonder about the long-term viability of the tiny-market franchises (Kodiak, Bethel, Whitehorse, Sitka).