[Westheim]

I was quick to execute the $600k option on Kisho Saito’s contract. I consider that bargain at this point. Negotiating an extension this season will probably bring me to tears, since he should be righteously commanding an annual salary easily exceeding $1M.

Juan Martinez voided his contract option, but is still arbitration eligible. People do the strangest things. In addition to him the following players are first-time arbitration-eligible: Burnett, Higgins, Johnston, Lagarde, Martin, Turner; total salary for them was six times the minimum in ’91, $516k in total, while their estimates add up to $1.06M for ’92. There goes at least one third of our budget bump. (Owner = penny pincher; budget ranks 5th of 24?)

However, we also have to take other things into account: players with expiring contracts; these include the following (’91 salary): Salazar ($650k), Arnold ($423k), Carrillo ($300k), Flores ($128k), Reyes ($124k);

The only player of these five that is imperative to retain is Jorge Salazar. We have no promising shortstop in our system, and while he is 31, his batting has gotten better the last two years (and significantly), while his defense was – apart from eight errors, which happen – a wonderful dream last year, with a +15.6 ZR and 1.063 EFF, and these numbers are actually a tad down from 1990. He also bats left-handed, and has to stay here. The cost is almost irrelevant. Almost.

With the exception of Flores, all of these four are type B free agents. Flores is not compensation eligible.

Contract negotiations with Jorge Salazar started immediately, two days after the World Series concluded. I almost fell off my chair at his demands, which basically read 9-yr, $8.5M plus incentives. After we did some hard negotiating, he took a flat 5-yr, $4.5M offer with him into his winter vacation at home in the Dominican to contemplate over it. The last year is a vesting option, requiring 120 games played. Well, it’s half that bad, since it will raise his 1991 salary by only $250k. Since we will part with fifth outfielder Bob Arnold in any case, we’re not spending money yet.

Of our seven arbitration-eligible players, all fill important roles with the exception of Jeff Martin, who was once a prospect, but became superseded by others (Johnston, Reece, Quinn). I don’t quite know why – he is scouted as a very good high-average, low-K batter with admittedly zero power, while at the same time not playing a great centerfield, so he was not suited for a power corner outfield position offensively, and also didn’t fit the basic job description of centerfield with great defense and speed. He didn’t fit anywhere for us, but maybe he could be trade bait? He could also stay on the roster as fifth outfielder, because Vern Kinnear would go back to AAA for next season, but with Johnston projected as fourth outfielder, both our backup outfielders would bat left-handed then. Ugh, choices!

October 1 – LAP OF Lucio Hernandez (.362, 18 HR, 97 RBI) and VAN 2B David Brewer (.368, 8 HR, 75 RBI) win the batting titles in the Federal and Continental League.
October 11 – Our prospect Vern Kinnear is awarded the AAA Batter of the Year title with a .315, 27 HR, 97 RBI season for St. Petersburg.
October 28 – 3B Ben O’Morrissey and SS Jorge Salazar win Gold Gloves for the Raccoons. Salazar takes the CL SS glove for the second year in a row and won the 1987 CL 2B glove splitting time between Tijuana and Indianapolis. O’Morrissey wins his first title.
October 29 – RIC 3B Antonio Gutierrez (.301, 5 HR, 44 RBI) and SFB LF/RF Pedro Perez (.335, 13 HR, 51 RBI) are named Rookies of the Year.
October 30 – Fans in Portland are thrilled as the Raccoons announce a 5-year contract extension to SP Jason Turner for $2.32M, which will clear Turner’s arbitration eligibility and two years of free agency.
October 31 – The Raccoons continue to set their sights on the future by signing MR Jackie Lagarde to a 4-yr, $1.05M extenstion, clearing his arbitration years and one year of free agency.
October 31 – WAS SP Archie Dye (26-3, 2.24 ERA) and TIJ SP Woody Roberts (23-6, 2.57 ERA) are the Pitchers of the Year.
November 1 – At age 40, WAS 2B/3B Hector Atilano has shown the young boys by winning the FL Hitter of the Year award with a .337, 16 HR, 92 RBI line. TIJ OF Preston O’Day (.332, 34 HR, 118 RBI) takes the CL crown. For Atilano it is the fifth MVP honor, spanning all of the ABL’s history, as he won in 1977 (NYC), 1979 (NYC), 1984 (SAC), and 1986 (SAC)!
November 2 – More good news for the fans in Portland, as the Raccoons announce a 5-yr, $4.5M extension to INF Jorge Salazar!
November 5 – And one more: MR Roberto Carrillo and the Raccoons agree on a 3-yr, $1M contract extension.
November 6 – The Raccoons and OF Glenn Johnston agree on a 2-yr, $500k contract extension, deferring arbitration until the fall of 1993.

Jolly Jason came rather cheap for the ceiling I expect for him. He’s rated as 4-star pitcher by our new scout Vicente Guerra – same as before. Lagarde was also cheap for his stuff and all. His 4.5-star rating also hasn’t changed.

Apart from Salazar, the only other free agent pitched an offer was Carrillo. He has an excellent makeup to be used in a wide variety of roles from emergency starting over long relief to 7th and 8th inning duties. He made $300k in 1991, and got a 10% raise. Sounds fair. For me.

Flores got no offer since we have an excellent defensive catcher available at AAA to take over backup duties to Vinson. Reyes is an exceptional 4-position infielder, but we could replace him with Matt Duncan or a free agent with better offensive qualities. Arnold had always been too expensive.

I would have loved to lock Glenn Johnston up for another two years, but he really wanted a short term contract. Well, he’s young, who can blame him, and much looks like he will play fourth string next season. His arbitration estimate was $220k this year.

There is definitively something to this young man. The Gold Sox tried to trade for him in early November, but their offer was really unthrilling.

By the way, one guy regularly overlooked here is OF Raul Castillo, whom we added at the deadline last year and played three games before suffering a concussion. He’s on our 1992 books with $428k and I don’t know what we will get from him AT ALL.

It’s November 7. The arbitration hearings will be tomorrow.