[Bub13]

...10/11...Sign former minor league catcher Chase Blackwood as the new manager for the Boone Mountain Cats in the Appalachian League. Best of luck, Chase, as I have a long track record of awful rookie ball teams in my history.
...10/18...Sign Nori Shiroishi as our new hitting coach in AAA Kansas City. Good ratings, and a balance approach to hitting. Just what I like.
...11/01...Aaaand Shiroishi announces his retirement from coaching. Well, it was a fun two weeks, Nori. I know I'll never forget them. Back to the drawing board. We also let go Assistant GM Jorge Bermudes and Trainer Mike Davis from the big club.
...11/01...TRADE! We pull the trigger on a big one, getting a top-notch 2B. We send OF Ian Hoppmann and SS Tony Castro to Toronto for 2B Phil Clarke and prospect OF Mitchell Masse. Clarke is coming off a big year for the Jays, with a 7.7 WAR, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at second. He's not likely to repeat that production, but he's still a top-ten player at his position. Masse is 23 and spent the last three years in Mexico. He's got a good bat, won't strike out, average power, and a poor eye. Speedy, and a dynamic fielder. Salaries just about balance out: Hoppmann (9M) and Castro (2.9M) vs. Clarke (12.6M).
...11/08...Trainer Jordan Villalobos agrees to a five-year contract. This will be his first gig in the US; he's previously been in Italy, Mexico, and Japan.
...11/15...Asst GM Jonathan Myers signs a three-year deal. This is his first job.
...11/22...Arbitration Day! CL Jay Yates goes from minimum to 3.75M. Yikes. We had offered 2M...RP Jack Shewmake goes from minimum to 2.75M. Also offered him 2M...RP Alex Lopez goes from 2.48M to 3.3M. We had offered 2M. This bullpen is getting expensive...RP Adam McAdam goes from 1.8M to 2.48M. We'd offered 1.5M...OF Robbie Christopher goes from 1M to 1.6M. We offered him 1M...We did win a few: RP Sonny Balderston gets 1M, but wanted 1.75; RP Ryan Key gets 950K, but wanted 1.21M...If you're keeping score at home, that's six relievers at 14M combined next year.
...11/25...International free agents hit the market! The only one worth looking at, to me, is Korean pitcher U-ram Wu. We start him at 750K.
...12/03...Hitting coach Danny Espinosa signs a three-year deal for our AAA team. He's coming off three seasons with the Padres. And he's got the best 'stache in the system now.

...12/10...TRADE! More infield upgrading, this time for the bench. We send SP Brent Adams to the Mets for INF Ervin Miranda. Adams should be better than he's performed these two years; maybe a change of scenery is what he needs. Miranda is an average hitter with no power, but has speed to burn and is a top-notch fielder with a big arm. For someone who spent last year in AA, he's also extremely popular.
...12/15...TRADE! We cut a bit of salary, trading OF Robbie Christopher to the Cardinals for a draft pick. First day of the Winter Meetings. There are eighteen other trades during the meetings, no others by us.
...12/19...We do, however, claim SP Robby Clark on waivers from Richmond. Clark is 28, decent enough ratings and four pitches, but only two of them rated above average. He'll likely spend the year in AAA.
...12/27...Rule 5 time! We lose two players: SP Michael Bridenbaker, a waiver pickup last year, and a low-stamina/big stuff/low control starter; and, sadly, OF Mitchell Masse, who we just acquired from Toronto on 11/1. I didn't think he was rated highly enough to stay on a big league squad next season, but I guess I was wrong. Dammit. He goes to New Orleans, who desperately needs decent players. We do make one claim: SP Jamie Bell, from Texas. Big guy, power pitcher, mediocre control, good stamina. If he washes out, at least he's free.

ELSEWHERE...SFG signs SP Billy Heine for 151M over 7 years. He's coming off two seasons of 4.8 WAR for CLE...LAD gets SP Brady Dunne for 28.8M over 2 years...Power-hitting OF Riley White goes from the Braves to the Cubs, 23M over 5 years...SP Jason Davis hasn't done much over his career, but is worth 15M for the next 2 years...Seattle loses star SP Chris Varo to MIN, for 132M over 6 years...SP Zach Setaro leaves the Expos for the Red Sox, at 15.4M per for six years...The Sox keep going, getting SP Tommy Dahlen for 105M over six years...SS Alex Guerrero signs with OAK, 86M over seven years...Quality starting pitching is costing an arm and a leg this off-season, so it's not likely we're going to sign anyone MLB-worthy after all.

...1/02...We claim RP Adrian Bolin on waivers from Montreal. Decent but standard ratings for a reliever. He's cheap, making minimum, which is great for us.
...1/08...Hall of Fame voting results are in, and no one makes it. Lewis Thorpe comes closest, at 70%. Giancarlo Stanton gets 53%, and Aroldis Chapman 41%. Is Thorpe Hall-worthy? 61.4 WAR, 2317 K in 2839 IP, 192 wins, 2019 Cy Young winner. Meh. I did think about making a veteran's committee selection, but couldn't find anyone I liked.
...1/09...2B Ki-Nam Kim wanted 6M from me in the fall, but now he signs with the White Sox for 3.28M, a one-year deal. Our fans are mad.
...1/11...TRADE! 2B Jamie Forbes, our surprise batting star from 2034, gets traded to CIN for INF Eddie Aguilera. He's got good contact and avoid K's, but is below average elsewhere. His primary asset is his outstanding fielding, and his ability to play second, short, and third. The deal saves us a few hundred K.
...1/15...We sign RP Vicente Ixcoy for one year at 1.05M. Not as cheaply as I'd hoped, but good enough. He'll likely start on the big club, as he's well rated across the board. He pitched poorly for BAL last year in 26 appearances.
...1/15...Another big pitching signing: ARZ signs star CL Vince Bell for 10.3M per for three years. He won the Hoyt Wilhelm award with Montreal last year. Montreal is losing a lot of pitching talent this off-season.
...1/16...SP Jake Metz signs a minor league deal with us. Really more of a 4A player, as he'll pitch in KC and be an injury insurance policy.
...1/16...One more waiver claim: RP Jonathan Sarabia from OAK. Minor leaguer, on a minor league deal. Most of our AAA staff from last year left last fall, so we're grabbing decent AAA talent where we can.
...1/16...ATL signs CL Brent Radcliffe for 20.8 over three years. I'm feeling better about our Yates and Shewmake contracts all the time. Three days later MIN signs CL Chris Elliott for 19.5M over three years.
...1/23...RP U-ram Wu signs with Chiba in Japan for 1.3M. No international free agents for us this year.
...2/02...A message from fun boy owner Alexis Pagan: we still have 94M available as our budget this season. Yes, yes, I know that. No change here.
...2/08...Among a plethora of minor league free agent signings, I re-sign one Nate Hullinger, 1B. Hullinger was a reliever in our system the last two seasons, and split time between AA and AAA last year. He pitched well, but with his so-so ratings and a desire for a 750K salary, I let him walk. Checked out the available batters recently, and only just noticed his ratings: 13 contact, 13 gap, 17 power. Wow. I manage to get him for a minor league deal, so he can go pound homers in AAA.
...2/13...Okay, one more waiver claim: SS Jim Mullen from the Cubs. Decent contact, excellent gap and avoid K's, bad eye. Good fielder with an adequate arm. Rated at short, second, and third. Pay is minimum, very attractive to me.

......

Spring Training
Our lineup is pretty much set, at least in the field. Pitching will be another matter. We didn't sign any SP free agents, but did add to our bullpen depth, and grabbed a couple of AAA-rated starters who could pitch in Hawaii if we run into injury problems. We have six starting pitchers rated for the majors, so we'll have a decision to make come April.
...3/07...SP Rich Rivera suffers forearm inflammation, and will miss three months. Decision made for us.
...3/09...2B Phil Clarke sprains his elbow and will miss a month. Without a setback, he'll be back a few days into the season.
...4/07...Owner Alexis Pagan actually drops by the office (!) to remind me to "stay respectable" this season. Does he mean me, or the team?

We win 20 games during Spring Training, rather unexpected. More important, our pitching is decent in March, for what that's worth. With Rivera's injury, we have five starters, and so I don't have to make a move until he comes back. Barring injury, that is. Below is our roster to start the season. Newbies in italics.

DH Erik Hodge (also 1B)
C Austin Collins, Willie Zamorano
1B Jeremy Dunklee
2B Phil Clarke
3B Ryan Hebert
SS Jim Mullen, Ervin Miranda (also 2B, 3B)
OF Travis McArthur/Josh Drayton/Chris Wiggins, Kelvin Moreno, Marc Ferenczi

SP Ken Clark, Bobby Anderson, Steve Brock, Jimmy Wunderlich, Jamie Bell
RP Jack Shewmake, Adam McAdam, Ryan Key, Vicente Ixcoy, Adrian Bolin, Roberto Castillo
CL Jay Yates

Preseason Predictions
MLB says we'll finish 88-74, second place, 11 games behind Oakland. We're slated to be the top wildcard team. Seattle won the division last year with 105 wins; this year they're picked to get 84. The Angels, a perennial powerhouse, figure to win just 77. Toronto and Minnesota are the other predicted division winners. Detroit looks like a 60-win team. Jeremy Dunklee and Josh Drayton make the top ten hitter list, while Ken Clark makes the pitcher list.

In the NL, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and the Dodgers get the top marks. San Diego and the Mets figure to be the wildcards. New Orleans won 49 games last year; MLB says they'll manage 72 this year. Nice jump. Pittsburgh figures to be the best of the lot, with 102 wins.

What is this thing I'm feeling? Ah yes: Optimism! Nice.

......

Minor League Report
Despite "losing" our top five prospects to the pro team, our prospect system still comes in at #5. Our top ten, according to OOTP:

Adam Groff, SS/3B, #8 overall. Still has some room to grow, but is ready for the big time right now. I'd like him to play half a season or so in AAA, but I may not be able to resist temptation and call him up early.

Bobby Little, SP, #20 overall. Probably good enough to be our #5 starter now, but I want him to develop a little more, especially his stuff. Finally moving up in ratings after a couple of sluggish seasons.

Rob Hart, SP, #49 overall. Potential stuff got a boost in March, now rates as a quality power pitcher. Control still needs a lot of work. Just 19, will start in A ball.

Mel Carrillo, OF, #166 overall. Still a project, but has a high ceiling. Just 18, but good enough for A ball already. If he develops, will be a perennial all-star at the plate.

Ayahito Yoshimoto, SP. Big time stuff, no movement, fair control. Two pitches, two more could develop. Long shot at this point: 23 and still in A ball.

Keith Dennis, RP. Marginal prospect, biding his time in rookie ball. Not sure why OOTP loves him so much.

Rob Holden, SP. Came over from Cleveland in 2034. Ceiling is probably AAA right now, but intangibles could drive him higher. Control needs the most work. In AA to start the season.

Mark Phillips, SP. Looks a lot like Yoshimoto, but with a better selection of pitches. Lack of movement, and a flyball pitcher. Off to A ball.

Eddie Aguilera, INF. Light hitting but golden in the field. Acquired from Cincy in January. Will see time on the islands if/when injuries strike.

Carlos Quintero, 1B. Decent enough hitter, but lack of big time power will probably hold him back in our system. Has a good eye, something of a rarity among my prospects. AAA to start, also on 40 man roster.


Next up: Play Ball!