Arbitration Period has Begun.
We have 12 players filing for arbitration this season. I will have to make some moves at some point, because we can't handle the salaries of all these guys.
The List:
Sun Ho (SP) - $750,000
Ron Reilly (SP) - $3,200,000
Ron Harris (MR) - $1,995,000
Elmer Hawkins (MR) - $850,000
Julio Romero (C) - $5,000,000
Mauro Candelaria (1B) - $5,775,000
Jesus Rivera (2B) - $4,800,000
Pablo Freitas (RF) - $11,250,000
Derek Campbell (OF) - $5,775,000
Kent Davis (CF) - $6,600,000
Cody Johnson (UTL) - $750,000
Jose Rodriquez (RF) - $7,700,000
Free Agency eligible players:
Joe Parker (SP)
Gilberto Ramos (1B)
Off-Season Plan:
I will hopefully be able to trade the following players this off-season:
Sun Ho, Ron Harris, Julio Romero, Pablo Freitas and Jose Rodriquez.
Doing htis will free up a huge chunk of salary and give us some flexibility.
Cody Johnson will be our new "utility" player and Gilberto Ramos will be let go and into free-agency. Johnson hasn't hit, but we still have faith, plus his $750,000 salary fits nicely into our plans.
Step 1 fill out the starting staff
1: Miguel Contreras
2: Jose Matos
3: Ron Reilly
4: ???
5: Arturo Ramirez (R)
Ho isn't the pitcher he once was, so I'd like to move him. We have Vaughn Griffith who is another rookie, but do I want two rookies in the starting rotation? Arturo Otero and Joe Gould could fight, but Otero will be of better use in the pen and Gould is a good #6 or 7 man. With no options I will have to act on Gould though.
I'd like to sign Joe Parker, but we don't have the money to do so, maybe I can pull off a big trade before he files for free agency.
Our bullpen is pretty solid:
Dalton Whitaker (C)
Will Rose (SU)
Jamie King (SU-L)
Elmer Hawkins (MR-L)
Ivan Pineda (MR)
Ron Harris (MR)
Derek Carter (MR)
If I can get rid of Harris we will be able to slip Otero into the middle relief roll and be set. We also have Dan Nelson who is ready to pitch for us. He is more of a closer, but he would fit our staff very nicely.
Once we move those guys we will need a plan to fill in the holes. As of right now here is our
proposed position players for next season:
C - Ed Duke
1B - Mauro Candelaria
2B - Jesus Rivera
SS - Augusto Rodriquez
3B - Roberto Perez
LF - Derek Campbell
CF - Kent Davis
RF - Javier Janchez
DH - King Brock
UT - Jose Escamilla
UT - Cody Johnson
I like to carry 13 or 14 players so to fill the gaps I will need:
One or two outfielders and a back-up catcher. Then another infielder. Looking over our minors we really don't have any one ready. Maybe Yasutoki Ine, but he only plays 2B and do I really want to carry 2 players that only play 2B?
So we will go into this off-season with a plan we will see if we can make it happen... on a bright note our owner, Bill Parker, has decided to bump up our budget for 2018 to $110,000,000. We have some work ahead of us, I don't want to go into August without any money to sign "emergency players"... so we will see.
News Around the league:- Frank Shafer, the Salisbury Ports interim manager was let go. He finished the season 11-28. This was Shafers first managerial position.
- Simon Peters the only manager the Washington Senators have ever known has been let go. Peters has a career record of 433-377, he won the title in 2013, lost in the Championships in 2015. He won the Manager of the Year in 2015.
- Don Olson, the Virigina Surf Dawgs manager was let go. This was Olson's first managerial postion and he finished the season 55-107.
- Chesapeake Blue Crabs have fired their manager Kyle Williams. This was Williams second year at the helm of the Blue Crabs. He has a career record of 169-155.
- Jorge Zambrano the manger of the Ocean City Tourists for the past 5 years has been fired. Zambrano made the playoffs one time in 2014, and has career record of 440-370.