[Westheim]

Our 2006 budget was also outlined in the material from the satanic envelope. The Prick explained that he was consistently being disappointed by my outrageous inability to produce a winning team with the generous financial grant I was being given year in and year out, and while other teams were winning, we were merely existing. Our 2005 budget, $18.2M, was being raised to $18.4M in the hope that, as the Prick said, that would finally get me to sign the top player with the extra $200k to push those Osos Lavadores back into the playoffs and to a World Series rather now than 12 months from now.

And people keep wondering why I break into tears at seemingly random moments.

Our budget isn’t even half that of the Titans. It’s almost 10% less than the next-smallest (the Rebels’). It’s 25% less than any other team’s in the CL North.

But we have to win the World Series. Of course we have to.

Prick.

The following players are arbitration eligible or soon-to-be free agents. Last salary, arbitration estimate, and service time or compensation is given after the brackets.

SP Felipe Garcia (6-16, 4.57 ERA) – minimum - $230k – 3.060
MR Marcos Bruno (2-4, 2.36 ERA, 10 SV) - $300k - $340k – 5.000
MR Dave Williams (2-3, 4.43 ERA) - $225k - $250k – 3.134
C Curt Cooks (.179, 0 HR, 4 RBI) - $200k - $230k – 3.126
INF Brad Sheehan (.279, 2 HR, 28 RBI) - $190k - $230k – 3.113
OF Dave Wheaton (.276, 1 HR, 22 RBI) - $258k - $290k – 4.034
OF Edgardo Fernandez (.257, 4 HR, 39 RBI) - $326k - $360k – 3.166
OF Matt King (.181, 1 HR, 7 RBI) - $230k - $260k – 3.107
OF Edgardo Torrez (.202, 2 HR, 10 RBI) - $150k - $380k – 3.000
OF Christian Greenman (.245, 24 HR, 82 RBI) - $1.12M - $1.3M – 5.154

SP Ben Carlson (8-10, 4.48 ERA) - $300k – type-B free agent
MR Ricardo Huerta (8-4, 2.82 ERA) - $375k – type-B free agent
C León Ramirez (.253, 6 HR, 30 RBI) - $240k – no compensation

We have to cut down on the molasses at the bottom of the barrel. That means that we will non-tender Dave Williams, Matt King, and Eddie Torrez, as well as Leon Ramirez.

Williams had a good first season as a rule 5 pick, but blew up last season, first in the majors, then in AAA. With Moreno, Bryan, and Lucas all trying to fit into the bullpen, Williams no longer has to be paid. King is not remotely useful in any way, and Torrez seems completely washed up after the concussion he suffered late in the 2004 season. It breaks my heart, but we can’t feed him. We’re not the Salvation Army. We are probably a case where we need help from the Salvation Army ourselves.

Ramirez didn’t do anything meaningful, and we might go on with Bob Wood and pick up a backup for cheap, while watching the slow development of prospect Erik Ruff in the minors. Ruff hit .239 between AA and AAA, his 20 dingers in AA, but none in September in AAA.

We will make an arbitration offer to Carlson and Huerta. While I fear that Carlson might accept, I’m sure Huerta will look for a contract. We are still well stacked in AAA relievers, and while this also breaks my heart, we have to let him go to save money, all in order to help us land an impact bat.

How about a slugging shortstop?

Further plans for the offseason include unloading a few of our big contracts to find spots for Adrian Quebell and Bob Mays to compete in in the 2006 season. We could use a quality starting pitcher between Brownie, the Fat Cat, Ford, and whatever you want to make of either Garcia or Watanabe. Oh, sorry, my bad. Those cost money.

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Yet maybe we won’t non-tender Eddie Torrez after all…

November 1 – The Raccoons and MR Marcos Bruno agree on a 2-yr, $680k contract extension that buys out Bruno’s last year of team control and one year of free agency.
November 6 – The Raccoons trade 28-yr old AAA OF Edgardo Torrez (.265, 32 HR, 122 RBI) to the Warriors for 26-yr old SS César Pena (.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI in 16 AB) and 21-yr old AA LF/RF Roberto Pacheco.

The Warriors came up with the trade. It was either this one, or Alejandro Rojas and Keegan Crabtree for their not even remotely useful shortstop Pena, who has a bat like Yoshi Yamada, minus the glove and the legs. Pacheco is rather immobile with bad range in the outfield. Not sure whether we will get much from this trade. At least Pena has options.

In salary arbitration, we offered $240k each for Garcia, Cooks, and Sheehan, $290k for Wheaton, $360k for Fernandez, and $1.2M for Greenman. Turned out to be the right dose of no money and trying to hold on: we went 6-0, and not one extra dollar was wasted.

Ben Carlson and Ricardo Huerta both declined arbitration, making us eligible for two compensation picks in the supplemental round. But mind that Carlson wasn’t going to get signed last winter if not for the desperate critters.

Apart from that, raccoon life is hard. With significant raises to Brown, Brady, Martin, Ford, and others, we have about zero dollars available to make free agent signings. All improvement will have to stem from trades.

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The Great Old Man of Baseball, Dale Wales, retired at the age of 42. He appeared in 2,981 games in his career, batting .315/.383/.457 with 173 HR, 1,557 RBI, and 3,673 career hits. He was an All Star nine times. He was part of both Gold Sox championship teams in 1985 and 2003.

Wales at his retirement leads the ABL in games, hits, runs, RBI, and doubles. He retires 2nd in triples to Cristo Ramirez.

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2005 AWARDS

Player of the Year: WAS LF/CF Victorino Sanchez (.366, 16 HR, 80 RBI) and NYC OF Martin Ortíz (.311, 31 HR, 111 RBI)
Pitcher of the Year: NAS Carlos Castro (20-8, 2.64 ERA) and VAN Pedro Alvarado (9-3, 1.13 ERA, 38 SV)
Reliever of the Year: TOP Ryosei Kato (5-2, 1.13 ERA, 43 SV) and VAN Pedro Alvarado (9-3, 1.13 ERA, 38 SV)
Rookie of the Year: PIT C Bartholomeu Pino (.290, 15 HR, 73 RBI) and VAN OF Jose Gonzalez (.238, 10 HR, 60 RBI)
Gold Gloves (FL): P RIC Jesus Cabrera, C NAS Felix Hernandez, 1B NAS Antonio Esquivel, 2B DEN Jose Correa, 3B SAC Sonny Reece, SS DAL Armando Rodriguez, LF SAL Fernando Guerra, CF DAL César Morán, RF DAL Tim Austin
Gold Gloves (CL): P POR Felipe Garcia, C VAN Fernando Diéguez, 1B OCT Tomas Cardenas, 2B MIL Bartolo Hernandez, 3B TIJ Nelson Chavez, SS SFB Juan Barrón, LF NYC Martin Ortíz, CF BOS Rudy Garrison, RF NYC Stanton Martin
Platinum Stick (FL): P DEN Victor Bernal, C DAL Rafael Garza, 1B RIC Paco Batlle, 2B DAL Hector Garcia, 3B NAS Cesar Gonzalez, SAC SS Dave McCormick, LF WAS Victorino Sanchez, CF WAS John Alexander, RF WAS Jose Gomez
Platinum Stick (CL): P VAN Joe Hollow, C IND Jose Paraz, 1B OCT Tomas Cardenas, 2B LVA Oliver Torres, 3B IND David Lopez, SS NYC Gary Rice, LF NYC Martin Ortíz, CF ATL Jose Morales, RF NYC Stanton Martin