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ayaghmour2 · 04-25-2020, 09:40 PM

We're back in action as our bug has been patched and the league has officially been converted to OOTP 21. Sims will start again the coming week, but the Cougars are already back in business with a trade!

Chicago acquired veteran lefty Steve Castellini from the New York Gothams for young right hander Ben Turner.

Castellini, 36, was a former 5th Round selection of the Cougars back in 1915 and he debuted just 2 seasons later. He was in the Cougars organization until July of 1925 (the season before human GM's) when they traded him to the Gothams for RF Richie Marhsall. It looked like a bad trade at the time, and as time went on, it just kept getting worse. Castellini is coming off the best season of his career, where he went 19-7 with a 2.67 ERA (172 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 242.2 innings in the Gothams rotation. He's been a dependable starter his whole career, working to a 3.55 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, and 701 strikeouts in 2,157 innings with the Cougars and Gothams.

Despite his age, Castellini is still a top of the rotation starter and he'll top a rotation with five starters who had ERA's between 4.00 and 4.99 for the season. Before the trade, our rotation ranked 9th in the FABL, but Castellini is ranked as the third best starter in the league, behind former teammate Jim Lonardo and Baltimore's Rabbit Day, a pair of 26-year-old superstars. Our best starter, Max Wilder, ranks 19th on the list, so Castellini is a huge upgrade.

Turner, 22, was a 9th Round selection of mine in the 1926 draft and he ranks 4th in our new list of top prospects and 70th in the league. This year with Mobile, he was 10-13 with a 4.54 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts in 200.1 innings pitched. He's still a year or two away from the majors, but he has a lot of potential. He's a finesse pitcher with excellent control and four effective pitches. I may regret getting rid of him, but we are in position to win now.

I could have picked up Castellini or Ray Rinehart from the Keystones last offseason and I held off to protect the farm. Considering we missed the playoffs by just 4 games, I'm not going to hold off making a move (or moves) like this that puts us in a prime position to win. I'd love to pick up a center fielder and perhaps move a starter. I'm okay with having Jim Crawford start the season in AAA, but I would much rather find a new home for Tommy Russel or Dick Lyons.

04-25-2020, 09:40 PM	#103
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,134	Breaking News! We're back in action as our bug has been patched and the league has officially been converted to OOTP 21. Sims will start again the coming week, but the Cougars are already back in business with a trade! Chicago acquired veteran lefty Steve Castellini from the New York Gothams for young right hander Ben Turner. Castellini, 36, was a former 5th Round selection of the Cougars back in 1915 and he debuted just 2 seasons later. He was in the Cougars organization until July of 1925 (the season before human GM's) when they traded him to the Gothams for RF Richie Marhsall. It looked like a bad trade at the time, and as time went on, it just kept getting worse. Castellini is coming off the best season of his career, where he went 19-7 with a 2.67 ERA (172 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 242.2 innings in the Gothams rotation. He's been a dependable starter his whole career, working to a 3.55 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, and 701 strikeouts in 2,157 innings with the Cougars and Gothams. Despite his age, Castellini is still a top of the rotation starter and he'll top a rotation with five starters who had ERA's between 4.00 and 4.99 for the season. Before the trade, our rotation ranked 9th in the FABL, but Castellini is ranked as the third best starter in the league, behind former teammate Jim Lonardo and Baltimore's Rabbit Day, a pair of 26-year-old superstars. Our best starter, Max Wilder, ranks 19th on the list, so Castellini is a huge upgrade. Turner, 22, was a 9th Round selection of mine in the 1926 draft and he ranks 4th in our new list of top prospects and 70th in the league. This year with Mobile, he was 10-13 with a 4.54 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts in 200.1 innings pitched. He's still a year or two away from the majors, but he has a lot of potential. He's a finesse pitcher with excellent control and four effective pitches. I may regret getting rid of him, but we are in position to win now. I could have picked up Castellini or Ray Rinehart from the Keystones last offseason and I held off to protect the farm. Considering we missed the playoffs by just 4 games, I'm not going to hold off making a move (or moves) like this that puts us in a prime position to win. I'd love to pick up a center fielder and perhaps move a starter. I'm okay with having Jim Crawford start the season in AAA, but I would much rather find a new home for Tommy Russel or Dick Lyons.