[Westheim]

The 1998 offseason immediately commenced once the champagne spots had been removed from the visitors’ clubhouse in Nashville.

Bad news first, our head of medical staff for 18 years, Michael Dempsey, chose to go fishing at age 65. Thanks, Dr. Mike, for the countless times you screwed Daniel Hall back together. We will miss you. (Actually, all of our major league managerial staff is 60 or older, so Chad Klein and Hollis Case, who have both been here over ten years as manager and hitting coach, respectively, will soon go fishing as well)

Our budget was set at $15.59M, only slightly higher than last year, and sixth-to-last in the league. That’s a bummer, because it really puts a dent into my ambitions to go after a slugger with a name.

It will even be extremely difficult to keep the few talented people we actually already have. F.e. Werner Turner. He’s a free agent, and he had a good season. I already tried to talk contract with him when the playoffs started. We sadly can not match his 5-yr, $5M demand. There’s no way we can keep him if those are his demands, and he wasn’t going to lower them a teeny weeny bit. So, we are catcherless once more, and neither Castillo, nor McDonald, are an option as primary backstop.

Our arbitration personnel this time encompassed 11 players, including four free agents, which shall be mentioned first:

SP Manuel Movonda, 34, 219 IP, 12-12, 2.84 ERA) – type A free agent
C Werner Turner, 30, .288/.322/.438, 9 HR – type A free agent
CL Scott Wade, 36, 65.2 IP, 1-9, 3.02 ERA, 33 SV – type B free agent
MR Brad Tamburrino, 28, 57.2 IP, 5-2, 2.50 ERA, 1 SV, - no compensation

Also, these players are heading for salary arbitration (service time) - current salary / estimate:

SP Jose Rivera, 25, 188.1 IP, 14-8, 2.44 ERA (3.003) - $120k / $310k
MR Antonio Donis, 26, 42 IP, 2-6, 4.29 ERA (2.167) - $120k / $189k
C Ricardo Castillo, 31, .237/.304/.373, 2 HR (4.096) - $120k / $180k
1B Liam Wedemeyer, 29, .195/.258/.322, 12 HR, 5 SB (5.118) - $500k / $577k
INF/LF/CF Jai Utting, 31, .188/.257/.252, 2 HR (3.169) - $200k / $220k
OF Luke Newton, 27, .198/.275/.282, 3 HR, 6 SB (3.116) - $120k / $180k
RF/CF Jorge Villegas, 27, .215/.328/.350, 5 HR (4.095) - $171k / $180k

Isn’t it wonderful how many .200 and below batters the 1998 Raccoons produced? I am amazed. Amazedly in shock. I am also amazed that there are *43* players on the payroll right now. Where do they all come from!?

We have no money to keep Movonda or Turner. I need a slugger, and not more pitching. The 1998 Raccoons had the best pitching in the world and couldn’t stay above .500. We need OFFENSE. Sadly, Turner, with the second-highest average and a .760 OPS, still goes out.

Wade and Tamburrino should be resigned (in fact, Tamburrino as an offer from us right now). Both can probably be kept for cheap, besides, I don’t want anybody to touch Scotty after a 17-year professional career all in our system. And then it is imperative to keep Jose Rivera amused. And the other six? Can’t they just go to hell?