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CivicEvo · 01-28-2016, 12:27 AM

UNITED STATES BASEBALL LEAGUE

Expansion and Rule Changes

With San Francisco now in the fold, the USABL is looking ahead towards their next expansion. This is expected to occur in time for the 2006 season. An investment group out of Houston, TX has expressed interest in joining the league. While nothing is confirmed, the league does seem to be aiming to proceed with this.

For the 2004 season, the following changes will be made:

A 50 game schedule will be implemented, a 6 game increase over the previous 44 game schedule. Additionally, service time per season has increased to 65 days with the season running from July 1st through September 7th.

The salary cap again increased by 10%, with the upper limit at $36,602 for the 2004 season.

Staff Changes

In Dallas, rookie GM Tim Henry was signed to take over the reigns for the club after a disappointing 2003 season. His first move was hiring a manager, Fred Jordan, a former USABL player from 2001-2002 for Philadelphia. Jordan, a third baseman from Florida, finished his career with 0.1 WAR in just 39 games, hitting .213.

Jordan is also the first former IBF player to become a manager in his post-playing career.

In San Francisco, Angelo Sanchez was hired as the team's first General Manager. Sanchez was previously the GM of Philadelphia, lasting only one year (2002), compiling a 16-28 record overall. Rookie manager Jason Freitag takes over the reigns.

Retirees

No big retirements this season, as only four players left the league. Most notably here was the exit of 24 year old Burt Francis, who decided to leave the league after donating his kidney to his sister.

Top 10 Contracts Signed

Free Agent: Nolan Griffin (SP - DAL): 4 Years, $16,480
Extension: Reid Landry (LF - NY): 6 Years, $14,240
Free Agent: Glenn Glendenning (2B - SF): 2 Years, $7,160
Free Agent: Tim Davis (RP - DAL): 3 Years, $7,140
Extension: Calvin Miller (3B - CHI): 4 Years, $6,460
Free Agent: Mark Carr (1B - SF): 2 Years, $6,240
Free Agent: Liam Chattan (1B - PHI): 4 Years, $5,980
Free Agent: John Taylor (RP - CHI): 3 Years, $4,780
Free Agent: Burton Young (RP - PHI): 3 Years, $4,620
Free Agent: Gary Bower (RP - SF): 2 Years, $3,640

Key Trades

Players By Country: January 2004

United States: 248
Canada: 37
Mexico: 32
Cuba: 3
Costa Rica: 2
Dominican Republic: 2
Japan: 2
Curacao: 1
Panama: 1
Trinidad & Tobago: 1
Sint Maarten: 1
Puerto Rico: 1

During the 2003 off-season, the league introduced 25 eligible international free agents for signing into the teams' development systems. All but two were from Mexico and Canada, with the other two coming from Japan and Cuba.

The IBF is satisfied with the overall growth of the universe, and is starting to outline plans for a Canada Baseball League (CANBL) and a Mexico Baseball League (MEXBL), likely to open up within the next 7-8 years.

Now... onto the 2004 season!

01-28-2016, 12:27 AM	#16
CivicEvo All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 672	2003 Offseason Report UNITED STATES BASEBALL LEAGUE Expansion and Rule Changes With San Francisco now in the fold, the USABL is looking ahead towards their next expansion. This is expected to occur in time for the 2006 season. An investment group out of Houston, TX has expressed interest in joining the league. While nothing is confirmed, the league does seem to be aiming to proceed with this. For the 2004 season, the following changes will be made: A 50 game schedule will be implemented, a 6 game increase over the previous 44 game schedule. Additionally, service time per season has increased to 65 days with the season running from July 1st through September 7th. The salary cap again increased by 10%, with the upper limit at $36,602 for the 2004 season. Staff Changes In Dallas, rookie GM Tim Henry was signed to take over the reigns for the club after a disappointing 2003 season. His first move was hiring a manager, Fred Jordan, a former USABL player from 2001-2002 for Philadelphia. Jordan, a third baseman from Florida, finished his career with 0.1 WAR in just 39 games, hitting .213. Jordan is also the first former IBF player to become a manager in his post-playing career. In San Francisco, Angelo Sanchez was hired as the team's first General Manager. Sanchez was previously the GM of Philadelphia, lasting only one year (2002), compiling a 16-28 record overall. Rookie manager Jason Freitag takes over the reigns. Retirees No big retirements this season, as only four players left the league. Most notably here was the exit of 24 year old Burt Francis, who decided to leave the league after donating his kidney to his sister. Top 10 Contracts Signed Free Agent: Nolan Griffin (SP - DAL): 4 Years, $16,480 Extension: Reid Landry (LF - NY): 6 Years, $14,240 Free Agent: Glenn Glendenning (2B - SF): 2 Years, $7,160 Free Agent: Tim Davis (RP - DAL): 3 Years, $7,140 Extension: Calvin Miller (3B - CHI): 4 Years, $6,460 Free Agent: Mark Carr (1B - SF): 2 Years, $6,240 Free Agent: Liam Chattan (1B - PHI): 4 Years, $5,980 Free Agent: John Taylor (RP - CHI): 3 Years, $4,780 Free Agent: Burton Young (RP - PHI): 3 Years, $4,620 Free Agent: Gary Bower (RP - SF): 2 Years, $3,640 Key Trades Players By Country: January 2004 United States: 248 Canada: 37 Mexico: 32 Cuba: 3 Costa Rica: 2 Dominican Republic: 2 Japan: 2 Curacao: 1 Panama: 1 Trinidad & Tobago: 1 Sint Maarten: 1 Puerto Rico: 1 During the 2003 off-season, the league introduced 25 eligible international free agents for signing into the teams' development systems. All but two were from Mexico and Canada, with the other two coming from Japan and Cuba. The IBF is satisfied with the overall growth of the universe, and is starting to outline plans for a Canada Baseball League (CANBL) and a Mexico Baseball League (MEXBL), likely to open up within the next 7-8 years. Now... onto the 2004 season! Last edited by CivicEvo; 01-28-2016 at 12:48 AM.