[ayaghmour2]

Team Transactions:

1/1: I recieved a supplemental selection for the Red Hawks signing of Eric Thomas. More on the deal in the League Transactions section.

1/4: I signed my likely only Free Agent of the offseason, RHP Jose Acuna to a 5-year, $8,300 contract. The 29-year-old came over from Mexico where he was a star in the semi-pro level years. Acuna has elite stuff, plus control, and a little below average movement. He hits 95-97 consistently with an elite fastball and then can mix in an elite curve. He can give you a little more then an inning at a time if needed, but is best used as a one inning guy. He's rated a 4*, so there's a ton of talent, but in my solid pen he's likely a middle inning guy.

1/11: To avoid releasing Cody Hall, I sent him to the Cincinnati Red Hawks with all his salary retained for LHP Gary Stoffel.

Stoffel, 23, was selected 13th Overall in 1901 by the Red Hawks. He's a multi-inning relief guy who keeps the ball on the ground and throws sidearm, making him extremely devastating on lefties. He has elite stuff with a plus-plus sinker and elite fastball. He has slightly below average control, but plus movement. He's got back of the pen potential, but still a lot of development to go.

1/12: Claimed C Miguel Avila off waivers from Philadelphia. A 6th Round Pick out of UCLA in 1901, the switch hitter has yet to make his debut, and has just 8 appearances in Class A. He's not a very good defender, but the durable 24-year-old has plus power and rarely strikes out.

League Transactions:

1/1: The Cincinnati Red Hawks signed RHP Eric Thomas to a 5-year, $3,080 per year deal, with the final season a 25 start vesting option. Thomas spent last year with us, going 10-9 with a 4.12 ERA and 1.28 WHIP while making exactly 25 starts. He's reached 25 or more every full season except 1897 where he split time in the pen and rotation with Brooklyn. The 6th Overall Pick out of Texas in 1892 by Brooklyn, Thomas has a career record of 93-105 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 1,403 strikeouts. He's a solid starter, but he's still recovering from his torn meniscus, and injuries have hampered him a little in the past.

The Chicago Cardinals also inked LHP Danny Geffre to a 3-year, $9,800 deal. The 27-year-old spent his whole career with Cleveland, who took him out of Texas as well, but 24th Overall in 1897. He was never teammates with Thomas, however. In 155 career games (135 starts), Geffre is 57-54 with a 4.48 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 769 strikeouts. is best year was in 1903, where he was 15-8 with a 3.93 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, and 171 strikeouts in 31 starts.

1/4: The Hall of Fame ballot was released, with RF Penn Myers receiving 80.5% of the vote in his 3rd year. Jonathan Brogden inched closer (67.9%) and Alex Gaddi (58.5%) in his first year was the only other guy over 50.

Myers, who was a mainstay in New York for years, is best known for his record 1885 season where he set the single season average record at .380. He sits 4th Time in average with .334 and 3rd for hits with 2,594. He's the all-time leader for singles (1,858) and triples (140). He's the first (and likely last) German player to ever be elected to the Hall-of-Fame. There are 5 other German players active, but none of them are really good or even in the majors.

1/6: Brooklyn added some superstar power in their quest to repeat, adding CF Danny Boekhout to a 2-year deal, although just 1 is guaranteed. He'll make $3,100 this year, and if he reaches 135 games, he'll make $3,500 the next season. Injuries have been a problem for the star, and he's never played more then 135 games, let alone 115. Either way, a career .299/.370/.616 hitter with 156 homers and 399 RBI's in basically three seasons of play is extremely impressive, and a healthy Bouekhout is one of the best in the league.

1/21: Cincinnati sent RHP Humberto Gonzalez to Phiadelphia for C Alexis Garcia and LF Brian Gruschow.

Gonzalez, 35, is a veteran starting pitcher who's faught both age and injury to still be a useful big league starter. In 345 career starts and 5 relief appearances as a rookie, he's 140-104 with a 3.96 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 1,510 strikeouts in 2,243 innings pitched. He spent just one year in Cincy, but was with Washington from 1893 till 1899 where he was moced at the deadline to Boston, where he stayed until 1903.

Garcia, 28, is a dependable starting catcher who never gets hurt. Pitchers love throwing to the former 10th Round Pick, even if he doesn't have the best arm. He spent his whole career with the Freedom, hitting .255/.345/.381 with 26 homers and 97 RBI's in 293 UBL games. Last year was his most complete season, appearing in 107 games with a .245/.348/.403 line as well as 12 homers and 43 RBI's.

Gruschow, 23, tilts the deal in favor of the Red Hawks. A former 2nd Round Pick in 1899, the Philly farm hand profiles as a 4th outfielder, but he's a dependable defender in the outfield with great speed and baserunning ability. He's a well rounded hitter who makes consistent contact and rarely strikes out. He's a lefty, so he could fill the dominate side of a platoon.

1/26: Philly kept making moves, sending LHP Steven Avery to Newark for LHP R.J. Morrell and C Alex Rod.

Avery, 24, was the 18th Overall Pick out of Pepperdine in 1902, and he burst on to the scene quickly with a no-hitter in Class D a little less then three months after being drafted. He's not quite big league ready, but the durable lefty could eventually turn into a #5 in the rotation. He's got plus stuff, with a plus-plus fastball, elite slider, and developing change that could be a plus pitch as well. He doesn't have the best control, but he makes up for it with solid velocity.

Morrell, 25, has been a dependable piece in the Venom pen, coming of a season where his ERA was 2.41 and he struck out 63 in 59.2 innings. In three full seasons, he has a 3.68 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and has struck out 156 in 134.2 innings. A former 3rd Round Pick in 1900 out of Oral Roberts, Morrell boasts 100 rated stuff with an elite fastball and perfect change. He tosses in the 94-96 range out of a 3/4 armslot, and is a perfect late inning guy.

Rod, 20, seems like a thorw in, but there's no downside in picking up catching depth. A plus defender, Rod signed out of the Dominican Republic with Buffalo on a $216 deal in the 1901 IFA period. He was acquired at the deadline in the Sean Till deal, and will now head to his third organization. Last year was his first in affiliated ball, and he hit .240/.279/.363 with 21 RBI's in 54 games split between four clubs.