1976-77 Offseason News and Notes
2 days after losing the final game of the World Series, the
Twins dump
Rick Sutcliffe.
OK, they didn’t really dump him, but he’s gone, to the
Expos as part of a package for
Randy Jones, who they hope can be an ace.
Jones has been very good in
Montreal, but he’s probably a notch below ace status, and
Sutcliffe does have ace level upside. Nice deal for both teams.
Commissioner Kuhn has announced baseball will expand by two teams for the 1977 season. The
Seattle Mariners and the
Toronto Blue Jays will play in the American League.
As a result of the relocation of the
Seattle Pilots to
Milwaukee in 1970, Seattle,
King County and the state of
Washington sued the American League for
breach of contract. The 32.5 million lawsuitproceeded until 1976, when at trial the American League offered the city a franchise in exchange for dropping the suit. The
Mariners were born.
On 9 January 1976, the owners of the
SF Giants, established an agreement to sell the franchise to a consortium owned by Labatt Brewing Company $13,250,000. The
Giants had failed to repay a $500,000 loan from Major League Baseball, and had experienced declining revenues since the relocation of the
KC A's to
Oakland in 1969.
The new owners of the
Giants planned to move the team
Toronto. The team would be known as the
Toronto Giants and would begin play in 1976. The deal was scuttled by a
Superior Court of California, which issued an injunction blocking the sale on 11 February 1976.
The American League provided another opportunity for a
Toronto franchise for a franchise fee of $7 million. After the city was awarded the franchise,
U.S. President Gerald Ford attempted to pressure Major League Baseball to instead award the franchise to
Washington, D.C., which he claimed should have a team before
Toronto. Both the American League and National League dismissed his request.
Here is the top 5 picks from this years expansion draft by the
Mariners and
Blue Jays.
The 1976 Rookie draft is the final year without compensation and supplemental picks as free agency will be in full swing this year. Another very talented field, with
Paul Molitor joining the
Cardinals as the #1 pick. I love
Dave Henderson ninth.
Another reigning MVP has been traded.
This is a gutsy deal.
George Brett just had his breakout year at 23, and the
Brewers deal him to the
Indians.
Milwaukee gets top prospect
Mike Scott, who has great upside, and this years first round pick,
Mookie Wilson. Still, dealing a 23 year old who just hit .346?!?!? I don't think its the best move.
No Hall of Fame inductions this year, and i did not go back and induct anyone who was denied in the past. It's a busy offseason, so i just moved on.
Joe Morgan has declined to a backup who can get on base. He's been on a downward spiral since his trade from the
Mets a few years back.
Thurman Munson remains an impact player for a contending team.
Free agency has indeed begun. Arbitration and qualifying offers are now apart of every offseason. Baseball will never be the same. Money now matters more then anything. Here are the top 7 free agents available this year, where they went, and how much they got paid.
The
Astros loose their best 2 pitchers, including
Jon Matlack, who just won the Rube Waddell award.
Tom Seaver shocks the city of
New York by joining the
Cubs, but at the same time, doubles his lifetime earnings. The
Blue Jays add two
Phillies vets, who give them instant credibility.
Houston is deemed the big loser in year one, while the city of
Chicago and
Toronto are very excited!