[Westheim]

Really early in the offseason the Raccoons had to gauge which cards they were actually holding in those grabby and usually sticky paws. Because I didn’t have to ride up to the winter meetings with my five-odd loaded contracts (for practical purposes we’d include Jose Corral’s rather unmerited $3.2M salary for 2071 with the big four earners) only to get snickered out of the room immediately. What were teams actually willing to trade for all of them, or any of them?

Not a whole ******* lot.

All five of them were shopped in late October, and the only offers we got back were from the Rebs, offering Juan Licona (for Katz), certainly not a *bad* outfielder to have after hitting .308 with 13 homers and while missing just half of Humphries’ amount of games this year; and the Crusaders, who put up infielder Robert Ortiz, who was older, on a longer contract, and didn’t fit with the rest of the crew, and only for Yocum or Corral.

No offers for Humphries. No offers for Wharton.

At this point the fork was in the team because even if we tried to unload, nobody would let us. No, they were mocking us instead, like the Stingers, offering Mike Pinault for five prospects including Noah Newhard and Jack Hamel, who was a bust alright, but can you at least try to be serious?

We tried to talk extension with Danny Nava, and Danny Nava talked up a 6-year, $15M contract, at which point the discussion ended.

By the start of November, the Raccoons signed extensions for one year each with Ricky McMahan ($1.1M), Gabriel Rios ($750k), and Vinny Morales ($700k).

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October 25 – The Miners claim MR Gabe Gomez (0-0, 15.43 ERA) off waivers by the Raccoons.
November 2 – The Crusaders deal SP Jarod Nesbit (42-45, 3.80 ERA), who led the CL in losses with 20 this season, to the Stars for 2B Chris McNulty (.260, 9 HR, 61 RBI) and a prospect.
November 7 – Boston acquires LF/CF Jeff Hawkins (.276, 18 HR, 91 RBI) from the Canadiens in exchange for veteran MR Travis Davis (44-44, 3.91 ERA, 63 SV) and a prospect.

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Jake Flowe and Rafael Murcia were non-tendered and left the team at the free agency deadline to save a couple of coins. J.P. Gallo declined salary arbitration, so we were eligible for a supplemental round pick once he signed with another team.

Minor league free agency was obtained by outfielders Marquise Early and Carlos Matas, as well as catcher Andrew Farlow, a former #13 pick that had just not amounted to anything in the end. The seventh-round Early had appeared in 295 games for the Raccoons between 2065 and 2069, batting .236 with eight homers. In the same timeframe the former scouting discovery Matas had batted .229 with four homers in 159 games. They’d not be missed.

26 players remained on the “extended” roster after the free agency deadline, half tossers, half pokers. This included at least three pitchers deemed not fit for service, and burners like Willie Jalomo and Dan Gomez, as well as seven outfielders in total.

Six of the 26 leftovers had contributed a negative WAR in 2070, in increasing order of uselessness: Holzmeister, van Otterdijk, Guerrero, George, Centeno, and Jalomo. Another six had produced less than half a win above replacement: Brown, Dan Gomez, Hunt, Colter, Corral, Gutierrez;

After additional cuts at the free agency deadline, Steve from Accounting had cleared the books and reported that there were $4.55M available in the budget and $1.37M in cash.

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November 17 – The Raccoons acquire C Gabe Rivas (.290, 13 HR, 76 RBI) from the Warriors in exchange for INF Josh Mireles (.235, 6 HR, 33 RBI).
November 24 – 35-year-old SP Ray “Crabman” Walker (172-111, 3.30 ERA), who had been a type-A free agent, resigns with the Rebels on a 3-yr, $19.8M deal.

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This idea came from the Warriors, and I was not opposed. Mireles wasn’t hitting, but Rivas was at least catching. Both made the minimum so the books were not affected. The team was down to three infielders, though.

The thrice-defending champions from Cincy offered a trade for Katz while awards were given out (we didn’t get any, calm down) and asked for outfield prospect Charlie Langohr while offering Mike White and two dim prospects themselves. White could actually hit (42 doubles and 19 homers between two teams this year), but that was not the type of prospect haul I was imagining.

The Indians had taken to the idea we’d want LF Wade Griffith for Jose Corral. Griffith was older, limited to leftfield, hitting only marginally better, and he somehow made even more money, which was why the Indians, who were *$8M* underwater to begin the offseason needed to get rid of him. And also a reason why we couldn’t do any trades with the Indians this winter.

And the former Critters newswire: Pedro Mendoza signed with the Thunder for $1.46M at age 40; and Justin Dowsey signed with the Miners for $3.74M over two years and was probably just glad to not be stuck in this hellhole any longer. Those were the only former Critters to sign a minor contract in the first week of the hot part of the offseason.

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2070 ABL AWARDS

Players of the Year: LAP LF/RF John Miller (.296, 30 HR, 98 RBI) and MIL C Manuel Rodriguez (.315, 33 HR, 120 RBI)
Pitchers of the Year: SFW SP Alex Diez (19-4, 2.35 ERA) and ATL CL Erik Swain (2-3, 1.22 ERA, 47 SV)
Rookies of the Year: DAL 2B Chris McNulty (.264, 8 HR, 48 RBI) and ATL OF David Mendoza (.283, 21 HR, 84 RBI)
Relievers of the Year: DAL CL Jerry Washington (8-3, 2.39 ERA, 45 SV) and ATL CL Erik Swain (2-3, 1.22 ERA, 47 SV)
Platinum Sticks (FL): P NAS Tony Marquez – C CIN Jorge Arviso – 1B DEN Juan Gutierrez – 2B SFW Jared Duhe – 3B SFW Matt Roller – SS SAL Tyrese Armstrong – LF LAP John Miller – CF SAC Mike Pinault – RF DEN Chris Tuck
Platinum Sticks (CL): P TIJ Bryan Farris – C MIL Manuel Rodriguez – 1B OCT Ian Stone – 2B MIL Fidel Carrera – 3B BOS Danny Miller – SS LVA Koji Hatakeyama – LF MIL Carlos Dominguez – CF BOS Eddie Marcotte – RF ATL David Mendoza
Gold Gloves (FL): P SAL Lupe Chavez – C SAL Fernando Contreras – 1B NAS Orlando Reyes – 2B LAP Willie Peralta – 3B DEN Beau Metz – SS TOP Jason Turner – LF SFW Jordan Lopez – CF PIT Anthony Schneider – RF CIN Fernando Cruz
Gold Gloves (CL): P NYC Jarod Nesbit – C NYC Ryan Marty – 1B LVA Leonardo Jimenez – 2B OCT Carlos Gutierrez – 3B LVA Matt Rodewald – SS CHA Trent Taylor – LF TIJ Josh Rugar – CF MIL John Parrish – RF TIJ Jake Elliott