[Bub13]

2046-67 OFF-SEASON PART THREE

Welcome to 2047! We start things off with the annual Hall of Fame announcement. This year only one player gets in, Orioles/Blue Jays catcher Devlin Ransberger. He didn't quite reach 2000 hits during his 15-year career, but during his prime was so productive (earning 82.4 WAR) that he is probably the most offensively-gifted catcher in MLB history. He finished with 490 HR and a .280 AVG, winning two MVP titles, a Gold Glove, 8 All-Star nods, and won three World Series titles. He got 98.1% of the votes, because even in the 2040s there are "Dimaggio wasn't a first ballot guy" voters. (Even Stephen Strasburg, whose career was outrageously good, earned "only" 99.3% of the votes in his election year.) OF Kelvin Robinson (70.2) fell just short, losing a few % points from last year. Second-year-eligible catcher Tyler Markey was the only other player over fifty, at 52.7. Both of those guys should definitely get in one day.

The Veteran's Committee declined to elect anyone, although 71-year-old David Ortiz keeps showing up at the meetings...

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More off-season thrills and spills:
...I forgot to mention that the Masuda signing by the Astros brings us a Supplemental 1st round pick. We've still got two offers pending on guys right now; I'm not real sure about either one, but with some spare change still hanging around, I thought I'd take a chance... More to come on this.
...Miami signed 1B/3B/DH Matt Anderson to a $38.4M, 3-year deal. He entered 2046 as the reigning AL batting champ, still capable of putting up big numbers, and signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers...who promptly nailed him to the bench until trading him to the Yankees in July. He's 38 but still looks good at the plate (but not in the field, yikes), and should revive a moribund offense for the Marlins. A good year should see him reach 2700 hits and 500 HR.
...the Dodgers make more non-RP news by signing former AL home run king Coby Sandu on the cheap: $8.3M over 2 years. Sandu has reached 40+ HR four times, but doesn't do much else either at the plate or on the field. He should probably DH somewhere, but maybe the Dodgers need another power bat to sit on the bench this year, a la Anderson last year.
...a lot of junky little signings happening now (early January), but Philly makes a splash by inking former Nationals closer Roger Estrada for $15.9M over 3 years. They're turning into the Dodgers of the east coast, with three big closers in the bullpen: Sam Berisford (379 saves), Tim Friddle (371), and now Estrada (175 in 5 seasons). Plus 34-year-old former Isle Jeff Tanner, who has 252 saves of his own.
...you wouldn't think a last-place team would be interested in a 36-year-old injury-prone 2B for $9M. But then you don't run the White Sox, do you. Cuban Tony Zapata, who has shown some power and average since coming to the US six years ago, is clearly in decline and maybe is not the guy who's going to put your 70-win team over the top. Prove me wrong, guys. Remember, tho, that this is the team that signed their catcher to a $37M per year deal, then next summer went and grabbed an international slugging catcher for another $15M per season.
...the Yankees upgraded big time at catcher, inking Gabe Lafferty for $51.3M over 5 years. A five-year starter in Houston, Lafferty is good for about .280 and 20+ HR per year; not an all-star, but definitely the best catcher they've had in over a decade.
...Cubs owner and billionaire capitalist David Wronski has died. Rumor has it that they have managed to rustle up another billionaire capitalist--son Matthew Wronski--to replace him. Amazing how these billionaire businessmen somehow beget billionaire sons. (But not daughters?)
...somehow the Indians have managed to flout league salary rules by signing RP Eddie Salinas to a one-year, 292K deal. As league minimum is still 500K, I guess they're getting around this by claming Salinas will make up the difference in tips.

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Pitchers and catchers have reported! And there'll be one more addition to those guys already getting spring training started:

...HAW signs P Dave Henderson to a one-year, $3.35M deal. Henderson, 39, is not nearly the same pitcher who won four Cy Young awards (including three in a row from '34 to '36) over a 17-year career. He was looking like a potential Hall of Famer after winning his 4th trophy in 2040, but injuries have killed the latter part of his career: in only two of the last six seasons has he made over 20 starts. He's lost a lot of his stuff and control--which do remain decent--but still has wicked movement. He's a groundballer, still with three good pitches and strong stamina. If he stays healthy, I think he'll be a capable 4 or 5 starter, or long relief at worst. He probably won't stay healthy, but he's worth the risk.
...we also add the backup middle infielder I was looking for, by re-signing last year's backup-of-all-trades, John Canning. He has no power, and doesn't walk much, but is a decent contact guy and also won't strike out. Best of all, he's a whiz in the field, rating well across the infield and the outfield. He'll make $1.21M, with a team option for $1.5M for 2048. Welcome back, John!
...Philly continues to become the "Dodgers of the East" by signing four more relievers (all for at least $2M per season) over the last week.
...KC keeps acquiring former Islanders, signing our old 2B Josh Robertson for two years. Major injuries have ruined his last two seasons, but he can still hit, although he's gotten somewhat immobile in the field. He joines 1B Jeremy Dunklee, OF Andy Sanchez, RP YT Yaung, P Jayden Grant, and Original Islander(tm) RP Raleigh Vance. Quite a group.
...We're at it again, adding another pitcher. This time, it's reliever Justin Crowley, 4 years for $7.9M (he'll start at 1.6 in '47, and escalate by 300K each year, with a player option for 2050). The fans love this signing, as he's described as a "Fan Fav!" by our scouting department. Crowley has been Oakland's closer for the past five years, racking up 149 saves over the time, with an 11.5 K/9 and less than 1 HR/9. He had a bad ERA last year--4.56 in 71 IP--so we're hoping for a bounce-back this year. He's 28, with great stuff, good movement, and good-enough control. Good clubhouse guy too. He looks good enough on paper that his contract seems super-cheap. That can't be a bad sign, can it?
...Detroit signed one of last year's rotation-disappointments, Khalil Palmer, to a one-year $2.52M deal. I swear, if he wins a game 7 from us in October, I'm gonna...
...of course SF signs a power-hitting 1B named Willie. This time, it's Willie Jaramillo, with 412 HR to his credit over a 13-year career. Also: 2540 strikeouts. Sweet.
...Detroit added another fomer Islander who will probably rise up and kill us in the playoffs: OF Travis McArthur, aka "my first ever draft pick." He hit .271/17/62 with the Angels last year, and signed for a (too high) $2.64M deal. Might make a serviceable DH, but he's really not fit for the outfield anymore.
...and another long-time Islander is gone: Brooklyn inks pitcher Rob Hart to a 2-year, $13.2M deal, hoping that his horrible 2046 was just an aberration. Hey, good for him if he's got anything left, but I'd be surprised if he does. For me, the most telling stat was the twofold jump in his BB/9, while his K/9 dropped by about a third. He's lost a lot of speed and movement on his pitches...but who knows, maybe my scouts are all wrong. Our fans are mildly upset about this, but them's the breaks, kids.

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And with that, we're into Spring Training. The things I'll be watching in March for us are, in no particular order:
...how will we hit? Dropping power hitters Masuda, Sanborn, and Davila, and more or less assigning roster spots to 3 or 4 rookies, could end up being a case of "too much, too soon."
...how will those rookies perform? Kenny Welch, Dante Padilla, Cameron Daley, Phil Lasky, Josh Frederick, Jerry Cappuccilli, and Jorge Canales will all get long looks in camp. And those are just the batters. Holdover pitchers Ben Germann, Ben Willard, Nick Kramer, and Nate Moore, as well as youngsters Shamar Jackson, Shaun Gates, Walt Thompson, and Phil Lasky (yes, him again) could all make the squad.
...new veteran pitchers: SP Joe Koval, Dennis Perry, and Dave Henderson; RP Ramon Sanabria and Justin Crowley. I want all five to be there on opening day. That's 5 out of 11 (or 12) pitchers, quite a turnover.
...new positions: Adam Groff moves from 3B to 1B; JJ Simmons from 2B to 3B. Both should be fine...but you never know.

Next up: Season and Team Preview