[Westheim]

January 5 – Former Rebel INF Bob Hall (.279, 124 HR, 769 RBI) signs a 1-yr, $1.2M deal with the Pacifics.
January 7 – The Stars agree on a deal with 34-yr old SS/2B Juan Barrón (.306, 31 HR, 820 RBI) for 2-yr, $1.92M. Barrón comes off the Bayhawks.
January 18 – 37-year old ex-SFW RF Cristo Ramirez (.327, 69 HR, 1207 RBI) agrees to a 1-yr, $560k deal with the Blue Sox. Ramirez leads all active players with 3,486 career hits, trailing only Dale Wales (3,673) and HOF Jeffery Brown (3,582) all time.
January 19 – Ex-CIN SP Jeremy Peterson (62-90, 4.97 ERA) settles on the Titans’ 6-yr, $12.96M offer.
January 23 – Former Buffalo OF/1B Julio Garcia (.280, 47 HR, 379 RBI) will spend his age 32-34 seasons on a $1.98M deal with the Rebels.
January 25 – Veteran SP Francisco Garza (144-155, 4.11 ERA) signs a 2-yr, $4.56M contract with the Pacifics. He was last with the Thunder.
January 27 – The Gold Sox sign ex-POR LF/RF Clyde Brady (.255, 112 HR, 509 RBI) on a 3-yr, $3.7M contract. The Raccoons receive a supplemental round pick.
January 27 – Ex-NYC CL Charlie Deacon (49-62, 2.75 ERA, 273 SV) agrees to a 1-yr, $1.74M deal with the team that first brought him up, the Aces.
January 28 – The Pacifics sign 31-yr old C Pedro Hurtado (.266, 31 HR, 244 RBI) to a 1-yr, $580k contract. Hurtado was the Knights’ backup in 2006.
February 7 – 32-yr old OF Ramiro Cavazos (.270, 83 HR, 520 RBI) signs with the Titans after two years in Sacramento. He will make $2.79M over three years.
February 8 – Former Knights closer Manuel Reyes (38-39, 3.25 ERA, 223 SV) ends up with the Indians for 3-yr, $2.36M.
February 10 – The Titans sign international free agent C Hideaki Suda to a 1-yr, $790k contract.

I was after Hurtado in late January but he obviously already had L.A. on hand and didn’t fall for my $500k offer, and I wasn’t going to pay any more for an excellent defensive backup. We’re still committed to Craig Bowen and his moustache starting for us behind the plate.

You obviously don’t have to be any good to reveice (not: earn) 13 million bucks these days…

Not a lot of trades going on, and then they are literally for the Butch Kaustrops of the game. (Butch Kaustrop was actually traded…)

I have taken a bit from scouting and development to improve the on-field product. We spent over the league average in these fields last year, but we need a bit better personnel.

Currently there are offers out there for a starting pitcher, a left-handed reliever, and a middle infielder. That starting pitcher is still the one I mentioned last time. He’s having several teams on his hands and I think he’s playing them all against another. But he’s got all the trumps in his hand, since he’s basically the last decent starter on the market.