A Future that Never Was: Continental League Expansion, 2012

[GMLoophole]

Not sure if anyone followed much, but I recently completed a speculative 1969 season here constructed as if the Continental League had indeed launched as planned in 1960 and lasted through the sixties as did rivals to the other major sports (AFL, ABA, WHA) did.

I'll go back to that season, but I want to play with current rosters for a while. So, we'll skip ahead on the CL timeline to Opening Day, 2012 to take a look at the Continental League that never was, as it is today. If today were April 5, 2012.

I'll update this bit when I can with the game settings. I am using the end of 2012 rosters, with a couple of tweaks (some of the owners are listed with 0/0 patience/spending, for example, and many of the markets are oddly-sized). I'll also unretire some players before beginning (Matt Stairs fans take note! ).

Injuries/suspensions are set to very low. No international FA (going with the OOTP all-world draft). No Rule 5 draft, veterans can't refuse minor league assignments. There is a 10/5 rule*, a concession to players in the 1980 association agreement between the teams. Trading is at very low/hard/favor prospects. Since association, the AL/NL blacklist of CL players is no more, so free agents can change leagues (even though such players are still referred to as "jumpers").

I'll go into greater detail on alignment below, but generally I've put the original 16 franchises in the AL/NL (exactly as in my Continental 1969 dynasty). They've never adopted the DH, they never built multipurpose/turfed/domed stadiums, and still mostly use their classic uniforms. They play a 154 game balanced schedule against all league opponents, and the pennant winners of each league still face off in the "World Series". The Milwaukee Braves are now known as the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 14 expansion teams are in the Continental League's two seven-team conferences. Pushed by Atlanta Shamrocks owner Charlie Finley, the CL adopted the DH full time in 1970. CL teams are allowed to trade draft picks. Teams play 154 games, but play a balanced schedule against all teams in the CL. The winner of each division faces off in the Continental Championship. Since the 1980 association agreement (see below), the CL champion and World Series winner have faced off in a seven game series for the Veeck Trophy.

Now, in the last phase of expansion planned in the American Hard Ball Association Agreement more than 30 years ago, the CL is expanding to 16 teams. We'll be following one of those teams closely over this season and, time and interest permitting, future seasons.

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*I realize as writing this that Curt Flood is still on the Cards as of opening day 1970 in my other dynasty, so he may never sue MLB in this universe!

[GMLoophole]

The Continental Baseball League was the first "upstart" league to challenge one of the existing major American pro sports leagues in the sixties and seventies. It was also the last to merge with its rival, for multiple reasons.

First, the CL was successful and popular, buoyed by the success of its New York and California franchises. The ABA, WHA and WFL found themselves in extreme financial straits that forced mergers on the ABA and WHA and sunk the WFL after only two seasons.

Second, the dynamics between the Continentals and the old-line owners were much different than those between owners in the NFL and AFL, which launched at about the same time. The CL* realized early on that they would get little real cooperation from AL/NL owners and pursued legislative help in Washington DC to threaten antitrust actions against the majors. This early belligerence led to extreme bad blood between both sides, and the player blacklist imposed on CL "jumpers" exacerbated that. The powerful "organized baseball" owners, particularly Walter O'Malley, also wanted no part of the large indemnity payments that the AFL had to pay to the NFL to achieve merger at the end of the 1960's.

Finally, the CL outperformed the AFL in a couple of key ways, leading to its financial health and overall success as an independent league through the 1970s. The CL managed television broadcasts early on and managed to capitalize on the AL/NLs audience weakness. Second, their teams in major media markets (Mets, Angels, and Astros) were very strong and popular, broadly outcompeting their local rivals (unlike the AFL where only the Jets became serious rivals to their local adversaries).

But while this all meant the CL flourished quickly and became a strong and unkillable rival, nothing could insulate the Continentals entirely from a conflict that horrified AL and NL owners even more than the CL's success.

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* See my 1969 season thread; the virtual CL owners diverge from their real-life counterparts on this point.

[GMLoophole]

Labor unrest, so prevalent an issue during the postwar period in the US, finally came to baseball in the seventies. The MLBPA hired union organizer Marvin Miller as their executive director in 1966, and his experience and tenacity helped transform the lot of players in "organized baseball".

Minor disagreements over pensions and other non-salary issues boiled up into a potentially season-derailing incident in 1972. Fearing that their players would merely jump to the CL if any work stoppage occurred, the AL and NL owners agreed in 1970 to allow player contract disputes be adjudicated by an outside arbitrator, and agreed to allow players with 10 years' major league experience and at least 5 years on their current team to veto attempts to trade them. Miller was quite sure that an arbitrator would ignore the "reserve clause", a relatively mundane provision in the standard baseball contract that renewed a contract for an additional year if not renewed (which owners had long maintained was in fact an "evergreen" provision renewing the contract into perpetuity). And he believed salary arbitration would ultimately buoy overall player salaries.

In contrast to the AL/NL difficulties with their players, most CL owners enjoyed generally good relations with their players and consequently faced no real efforts to unionize. But CL owners and commissioner Lamar Hunt clashed frequently with Atlanta owner Charlie Finley, who was perpetually embroiled in conflicts over his penurious ways and singlehandedly ruining labor relations for the entire league.

In 1976, this stew boiled over in the form of a decision by arbitrator Peter Seitz. Baltimore pitcher Dave McNally, who had played a full year for the Orioles without a new contract, was therefore a "free agent" open to negotiate a deal with any ballclub that would have him. Overnight, the cost certainty enjoyed by AL/NL owners for a century was gone, and players realized they were no longer bound forever to the team which originally signed them.

Bill Veeck, who had begged (see the Hustler's Handbook) AL/NL owners to refuse arbitration in the first place and to bargain a resolution to the McNally case rather than obtain what was sure to be a negative decision, immediately saw the writing on the wall for his team, his business model, and perhaps baseball itself. He secretly contacted CL Commissioner Hunt to begin negotiating a detente with the Continentals.

The shrewd pair approached Miller and began even more secretive discussions on possible comprehensive solutions to the new free agency problem. The rough agreement pencilled out on a cocktail napkin in a bar at San Francisco International Airport became the basis of fundamental change in baseball compensation. Players could become free agents after 7 years in the league (what Veeck had referred to in the CL antitrust hearings in the late 50s as "the old Hollywood standard contract"), and their salary subject to arbitration after two or three years. Free agents each year would be categorized as A or B types and teams signing them would have to disgorge certain draft picks.

Once MLBPA player reps agreed to the system in principle, Hunt and Veeck presented the owners in their respective leagues with this lifeline. Rather than endure endless bidding wars over players jumping from league to league, players would be bound for 7 years, 5 at a standard minimum salary. Negotiating a settlement with the players allowed the owners to phase in the plan (and merger) over time, avoiding chaos and allowing for adequate planning. Peace between the leagues meant no more bidding wars and no more fears of market incursion from team moves or league expansions.



The association agreement was set to take effect at midnight on December 31, 1979. All players in the CL would become members of the MLBPA. CL expansion would be limited to two teams per year each 11 years, in 1990, 2001, and 2012, until the American Hard Ball Association consisted of 32 member teams organized in three leagues, two of 8 teams each (the AL and NL) and one of two divisions of 8 teams each (the CL). Milwaukee owner Edmund Fitzgerald, a voice of reason in labor negotiations and palatable to the CL owners, becomes the first Association president.

For their parts, the Continentals got perhaps the best gift of all: Charlie Finley was leaving. Willing to battle Hunt and the other owners for his various schemes, Finley had no bankroll (or stomach) for the age of free agency. After reaching their highwater mark with 73 wins in 1976, Finley's Atlanta Shams were purchased outright by TV station mogul Ted Turner, who promptly rechristened his team the Ravens and began showing their games on his "superstation" WTBS.

[GMLoophole]

While the owners of the American and National Leagues went to great lengths to hold their membership at 8 teams per league, the owners in the CL were far more pragmatic. The league's entire existence owed itself precisely to the "old boys'" refusals to admit newer cities to their ranks. With the opportunity to expand into vibrant markets, the CL gradually pushed major league caliber baseball into markets previously without it.

Lamar Hunt and his co-owners felt obligated to balance the needs of new cities and profits to be made there with a concern for always fielding a competitive product. To avoid diluting their own talent too much, or plundering existing teams' hard-won talent, they held off on expansion beyond 8 teams until 1976 when the Montreal Expos and Seattle Mariners joined the league. While both teams struggled until well after association, Montreal has been well-supported by its fans and eventually won two Association championships.

In 1990, the CL returned to Denver which had been abandoned by the now-California Angels in the early days of the CL. To bring both divisions to 6 teams each, and to expand to the vibrant south Florida market, the Miami Marlins joined the Colorado Rockies in stretching the CL further across America. Both teams quickly became competitive, but the Rockies have been better supported by their fanbase. Ownership in Miami has been in flux, and multiple owners have built competitive young teams only to peddle their stars to the highest bidder when they became expensive.

In 2001, the CL expanded to 7 teams per division. The historic city of New Orleans joined the big time with the establishment of the New Orleans Zephyrs, and Phoenix got its team in the form of the Arizona Diamondbacks. While the Zephyrs started out in turmoil, recent ownership has provided stronger support and the team has built a contender despite its limited market base (still not fully recovered from Hurricane Katrina). Arizona also came along quickly, one of the strongest performances from any CL expansion team despite occasionally indifferent fan support.

Finally, in 2012 the CL is ready to implement the final expansion step outlined in the Association Agreement in 1980. Many cities have sought to host an expansion franchise, including Portland, Northern California's Bay Area, San Diego, Vancouver, Tampa, New Jersey, North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle, Orlando, and San Antonio. Eager baseball fans in these cities scattered across the continent await the good (or bad) news bringing them their very own home team to root, root, root for.

[GMLoophole]

2011: Texas Rangers over New York Yankees
World Series: Yankees over Philadelphia Phillies
CL Championship: Texas over Buffalo Bisons


2010: Phillies over Rangers
World Series: Phillies over Yankees
CL Championship: Rangers over New Orleans Zephyrs


2009: Yankees over California Angels
World Series: Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers
CL Championship: Angels over Miami Marlins


2008: Zephyrs over Boston Red Sox
World Series: Red Sox over Chicago Cubs
CL Championship: Zephyrs over Angels


2007: Red Sox over Angels
World Series: Red Sox over Phillies
CL Championship: Angels over Atlanta Ravens


2006: New York Mets over Yankees
World Series: Yankees over Dodgers
CL Championship: Mets over Angels


2005: Chicago White Sox over Angels
World Series: White Sox over St. Louis Cardinals
CL Championship: Angels over Mets


2004: Cardinals over Angels
World Series: Cardinals over Yankees
CL Championship: Angels over Ravens


2003: Miami Marlins over Yankees
World Series: Yankees over Milwaukee Brewers*
CL Championship: Marlins over Seattle Mariners


2002: Angels over Brewers
World Series: Brewers over Yankees
CL Championship: Angels over Toronto Maple Leafs


2001: Mariners over Kansas City Athletics
World Series: Athletics over Cardinals
CL Championship: Mariners over Mets


2000: Mets over San Francisco Giants
World Series: Giants over White Sox
CL Championship: Mets over Mariners

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*= Milwaukee Braves changed mascot in 1992 after meeting with Minnesota/Wisconsin tribes including Chippewa and Menominee, in wake of tribes' protests of appearance of Washington Redskins in Super Bowl played in Minnesota.

[GMLoophole]

1999: Yankees over Arizona Diamondbacks
World Series: Yankees over Brewers
CL Championship: Diamondbacks over Montreal Expos


1998: Yankees over Ravens
World Series: Yankees over Brewers
CL Championship: Ravens over Houston Astros


1997: Marlins over Brewers
World Series: Brewers over Baltimore Orioles
CL Championship: Marlins over Mariners


1996: Brewers over Rangers
World Series: Brewers over Indians
CL Championship: Rangers over Ravens


1995: Brewers over Mariners
World Series: Brewers over Cleveland Indians
CL Championship: Mariners over Mets


1994: Maple Leafs over Yankees
World Series: Yankees over Brewers
CL Championship: Maple Leafs over Astros


1993: Expos over Brewers
World Series: Brewers over White Sox
CL Championship: Expos over Rangers


1992: Expos over Brewers
World Series: Brewers over Athletics
CL Championship: Expos over Astros


1991: Washington Senators over Expos
World Series: Senators over Pittsburgh Pirates
CL Championship: Expos over Rangers


1990: Athletics over Mets
World Series: Athletics over Pirates
CL Championship: Mets over Rangers


1989: Athletics over Expos
World Series: Athletics over Cubs
CL Championship: Expos over Minnesota Twins


1988: Mets over Dodgers
World Series: Dodgers over Athletics
CL Championship: Mets over Twins


1987: Expos over Detroit Tigers
World Series: Tigers over St. Louis Cardinals
CL Championship: Expos over Twins


1986: Mets over Red Sox
World Series: Red Sox over Phillies
CL Championship: Mets over Astros


1985: Twins over Cardinals
World Series: Cardinals over Yankees
CL Championship: Twins over Expos


1984: Tigers over Ravens
World Series: Tigers over Chicago Cubs
CL Championship: Ravens over Twins


1983: White Sox over Expos
World Series: White Sox over Dodgers
CL Championship: Expos over Astros


1982: Cardinals over Bisons
World Series: Cardinals over Orioles
CL Championship: Bisons over Angels


1981: Athletics over Bisons
World Series: Athletics over Reds
CL Championship: Bisons over Astros


1980: Twins over Yankees
World Series: Yankees over Dodgers
CL Championship: Twins over Maple Leafs

[GMLoophole]

NEW YORK (AP): American Hardball Association Commissioner Joe Torre met the press with Continental League President Pat Gillick today to announce that the Continental League had awarded its last two expansion franchises to ownership groups in Northern California and North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham area.

"We're pleased to welcome the Golden State Grizzlies and the Carolina Mudcats into the Continental League. Choosing among all these great cities was difficult, but after a lot of deliberation, the CL owners decided that the San Francisco Bay Area and Western Carolina were the best fit", Gillick said.





Torre noted that the AHBA's interleague committee (including AL and NL owners) was impressed with the way both regions had weathered the 2008 financial crisis and "never seriously considered" triggering franchise location veto powers included in the AHBA Association Agreement. "Silicon Valley and the Research Triangle may be the strongest economic engines in the country, and the deep roots of baseball in both places tell us that support will be strong for these new teams."

"There are always concerns by owners in joint markets, either as a precedent for future expansion or where current teams find their support", Torre noted. "But San Francisco is bisected by a bay, and is such a large media market, especially when San Jose is factored in. Carolina baseball fans have followed the Ravens or Senators for a long time, and our research indicated those teams might even be helped by having more local rivals."

Asked whether previously-expected opposition from owners in San Francisco, Atlanta, or Washington delayed approval, Torre pointed out that the Association Agreement had spread out expansion plans over three decades for a reason. "AHBA and its member leagues had eleven years to look at all the angles and watch these markets over time, and teams like the Giants and Ravens have had many years to solidify their fan bases. And those owners realize that more baseball is better for fans and communities than less.

Gillick also pointed to the benefits the expansion would bring to each location. "Both parks, the new one in Berkeley and the remodeling of Five County Stadium, are being financed with extensive cooperation among business interests, local universities, and economic development agencies. That means no long-term drain on public finances."

Gillick then turned to the proud owners behind him, noting that "they literally need no introduction to sports fans in their home towns, but pro baseball fans will be seeing a lot of them in the years to come as their teams build success. Carolina fans will recognize Steve Bryant*, who the banking and corporate executive investors chose to head their franchise when they acquired local rights and the trademarks they intend to use for the Mudcats. And Northern Californians will know Walter J. Haas*, son of the longtime chairman of Levi Strauss, Walter A. Haas Jr. Their family has been very active in many charitable endeavors, and while Mr. Haas does not consider the Grizzlies to be a charity, the family's longtime support of the University of California continues with the innovative joint-use stadium they've planned on the Berkeley campus, and the family views the team as a kind of public trust that will be of value to communites in the East Bay and South Bay that they serve with community outreach and affordable world-class family sports entertainment in a pleasant environment."

Gillick closed by noting that CL teams had submitted their "protection lists" for the upcoming expansion draft, reserving 15 players. "As with earlier expansions, CL owners refuse to allow uncompetitive teams into the league. We expect that these teams should be able to compete soon, and that quality of play in the CL should be preserved in this expansion."


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*= Editor's Note: On the off chance someone arrives in this thread via a search engine looking for information about either of these men, please note that this is a piece of speculative fiction about an alternate universe of baseball. While no disrespect is intended to either man, and in fact both are chosen to honor them in this small way, please read the piece in the spirit intended.

[GMLoophole]

BERKELEY (AP)- Walter Haas was quoted yesterday in several sources as saying it was the best day of his life. Today, you'll be hearing a lot of the same. The new owner of the Golden Gate Grizzlies hosted reporters at the team's offices on Oxford Street in Berkeley, in full view of workers frantically working on finishing touches to the team's new stadium across the street.

"I'm still kind of shocked at yesterday's news, and we're still kind of scrambling to take care of everything, but I think it's the most fun you can have in a whirlwind", Haas said today.

Tien-Haas Park, named for Haas' father Walter Haas Jr. and Chang-Lien Tien, late former chancellor of the University of California, was the owner's favorite subject today. He led reporters on a tour of all open parts of the ballpark, situated on the southwestern corner of the UC Berkeley campus. Designed by Populous, the park is built from light-colored adobe bricks and ironwork painted navy blue, rather than the customary red brick and green iron so common in other Populous-designed ballyards like Citi Field and AT&T Park. The UC baseball team will play its home dates there, with the Grizzlies scheduling around them (playing those games at newly-expanded San Jose Municipal Stadium).

"We couldn't be more excited, and we think the Cal baseball team feels much the same way. Just last year the university threatened to eliminate the program; now they have the finest home in the Pac-10... uh I mean the Pac-12. Is it still 12 teams? Anyway, we're also glad to be able to play occasionally in SJ Muni... we'll only have to play there a couple of weekends in the early spring, but might add some weeknight games throughout the season too so that our fans in the South Bay can see us up close and personal. We may sacrifice some revenue this way, but we feel over the long haul it will balance out."

At the ballpark, Haas led reporters to the press room and the team's first press conference in its new digs. In the course of showing off its plush confines, Haas introduced the team's general manager, Kim Ng, and manager Torey Lovullo.



Ng needs little introduction to baseball fans, as she is generally well-regarded for her time spent as an AHBA official working under Commissioner Joe Torre and her time as assistant general manager for the Dodgers and Yankees. "It's not a coincidence that we've hired the first female general manager to work in baseball (or any of the other major sports)", Haas said. "She also happened to be the best candidate for the job, which is amazing considering the people that have been hired over her in the past few years. We have to hit the ground running and we needed someone capable enough and motivated enough to build a team from scratch. Jackie Robinson was the right guy to break the color line in baseball- we think Kim is the right woman for our job and to break the gender barrier in baseball front offices too."



New manager Lovullo is a virtual unknown. Haas acknowledged the unconventional choice, noting that "unless you have two or three of one of his old baseball cards, you probably don't know him". Lovullo played a total of 303 games for seven different major league ballclubs, playing every position except catcher or pitcher at one point or another. "What can I say, we didn't expect to hire him either. In fact, we talked to him originally about taking the hitting coach job. But the more we talked to other people, the less we cared about his lack of major league managerial experience. We know he can handle veterans and rookies well. And like with Kim, we want someone who wants to prove himself (uh, herself). He was born in California and wants to be closer to family than he was coaching first base in Montreal. He and Kim hit it off immediately and we think they'll work well together. And they realize that we may be getting new players in before one game and shipping them to another team at the end, and are ready for it."

Haas also broke some more lighthearted news. In a complicated series of transactions, the Grizzlies agreed to pay the San Francisco Giants certain indemnities and obtained other intellectual property rights. San Francisco will be moving their Triple A affiliate to San Jose to become the San Jose Giants, playing in a remodeled and expanded San Jose Municipal Stadium. The Grizzlies will rent SJ Muni occasionally when the UC baseball team plays in Tien-Haas Park. In addition, Golden State acquired the Giants' minor league affiliate in Fresno, also known as the Grizzlies. They'll be reborn as a California League (Hi-A) team; logos and uniforms will be updated and changed, and the parent club will be adopting a modified version of an older Fresno logo. They'll be adopting something else too:



Parker, the longtime mascot in Fresno, has been called up to the big team! Often recognized as one of the best mascots in the minor leagues, Parker will be sharing the spotlight with Oski, the Cal mascot, at many Grizzlies home games. "We're happy to have Parker too", Haas said. "We wanted a mascot for obvious kid and community outreach purposes, and we wanted something much different than Oski (and UC did too). Parker is our first on-field performance acquisition, and we can't imagine a better one for his job either."

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by GMLoophole

NEW YORK (AP): American Hardball Association Commissioner Joe Torre met the press with Continental League President Pat Gillick today to announce that the Continental League had awarded its last two expansion franchises to ownership groups in Northern California and North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham area.
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*= Editor's Note: On the off chance someone arrives in this thread via a search engine looking for information about either of these men, please note that this is a piece of speculative fiction about an alternate universe of baseball. While no disrespect is intended to either man, and in fact both are chosen to honor them in this small way, please read the piece in the spirit intended.

I always like little things like this that help bring an alternative universe to life. Things like this and Kim Ng add a nice touch.

I'll be following along.

[GMLoophole]

[GMLoophole]

NEW YORK (AP): The Continental League's third expansion draft has come to a close, and the Carolina Mudcats and Golden State Grizzlies are getting down to the business of finishing up rosters for Opening Day. Grizzlies GM Kim Ng met reporters to talk about the Grizzlies' strategies and next steps before opening day.

"We're excited with the results, of course," Ng said. "There were many good players available, many good young players available, and we feel like the core of our roster is strong enough to compete for the Northwestern Division pennant. At the same time, we're not afraid of losing games with younger players this year if it means those guys develop to their full potential and help us win for multiple years. There's a big difference between winning 100 games and winning 90 games... not so much between a 90 loss team and a 100 loss team. We'll make the right moves to win, this year if we can, but next year if not."

Asked whether the Grizzlies regretted not taking Zack Greinke with their first draft pick, Ng simply responded that "we got the players we wanted." Greinke is a verified ace, and if not re-signed would likely merit a compensation draft pick which would be valuable to a brand new baseball organization. "It's not that we didn't like him, because we do, but one starter only pitches 30 or so games in a season. We have to fill 10 positions (counting the DH) in 154 games, and we now have some fairly significant budget squeezing as it is. His $13.5M would mean we have to leave two or three other guys unsigned, and while we will lose 100 games if we must, we're not setting out do to it purposely."

"We're fairly pleased with the pitching we managed to pick up in later rounds. Ricky Nolasco and John Lannan are solid pitchers and superior to several other CL teams' starters. Luke Hochevar and Felipe Paulino should be able to eat some innings and might be able to do better than that with plenty of run support. We also managed to pick up real quality bullpen arms... Alexi Ogando, Matt Lindstrom, Bobby Parnell, and Brad Ziegler will all get plenty of work. If the starters can keep us close through 6 innings, these guys can close the door and hope the offense can come through."

Asked about redundancy in the infield, Ng pointed out that injuries can sap that in an instant, and that surplus players can be traded for other pieces. "We felt that the highest value players available in the draft were middle and corner infielders and catchers, and we took those guys. Our scouts love Paul Goldschmidt. We got Mike Moustakas in the ninth round, and Matt Dominguez even later. It could be one of those guys gets some time in LF or at 1B, or maybe gets packaged in a trade. Same at catcher... Salvador Perez is signed for a long time and our scouts made a strong case for him. But they love Josh Thole too, and he was still on the board in the tenth round, kind of the head of the class at that point. Rather than take a mediocre guy as a backup, we'd rather take the best player and trade him for a backup and a prospect if that seems to be what's best for our roster once it's filled in with some free agents we're waiting on."

As for the outfield, Ng again discussed the possibility that selected players may not be on the team too long. "We were happy to pick up David Murphy, Kyle Blanks, and Scott Hairston, and Carlos Gomez will see some time in CF. As I said, it's possible someone from the infield will get some time here, or that we'll swing a trade for someone. We just felt like the outfield was the weakest position on the board, maybe weaker than starters. So we picked the best guys we could find, guys that can field their position and hit a bit too, and if that's not enough to go with our strong infield and catching we can deal from those strengths to improve."

Ng then fielded numerous questions about rumors of budget troubles. "Well, we're learning as we go of course. We've still got a few offers outstanding to free agents, and those coupled with the arbitration futures of some of our new guys (Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis, a couple others) make next year's projections a problem. Other CL teams are in the same boat, so there's not a lot of appetite out there for salary eating. In prior expansion drafts, the expanding teams ended up with a ton of salary room, but that hasn't happened this year. We don't want to be cannibalizing scouting money to float payroll, but we don't have limitless resources either. We'll see what happens with the other free agents we're waiting on, and we're hopeful the problem will resolve itself naturally."

She would not confirm or deny rumors of negotiations with former Giants slugger Barry Bonds or other players including Javier Vazquez. She did announce that lefty starter Erik Bedard had agreed to a contract, but did not reveal terms as Bedard was still undergoing exams with Grizzlies' medical staff. "We're excited to add him if we can, and if he does join us it's likely there will be ripple effects elsewhere in the roster and rotation to make room for his pitching and his salary. But, to us those are good problems to have."

[GMLoophole]

[GMLoophole]

ZEBULON, NC (AP): Baseball fans in North Carolina were excited about their brand new Continental League ballclub before, but now they're wondering if the baseball hall of fame is opening a branch campus in the Research Triangle.
Carolina GM Ted Simmons announced three new Mudcats at an Opening Day press conference, names familiar to anyone who's watched much pro baseball in the past few years.

"Johnny Damon has had a great career, and we like having a veteran lefty bat available as a DH or pinch hitter," Simmons said. Damon signed a 1 year, $3.7M contract yesterday, and expressed excitement at getting a chance to play again. "I've been calling GMs all winter, asking for a tryout or even volunteering to clean up around the stadium in exchange for a spring training invite. So, when Ted said the Mudcats were interested and that I wouldn't have a job involving coveralls with my name on the chest, I jumped at the chance! They even promised I could play every fourth game in left field!"

Simmons also sang the praises of Vladimir Guerrero, who the 'Cats inked to a one-year, $3.69M deal the previous night. "Vlad is no stranger to the Continental League, and he's glad to return after his only season in the American League with Baltimore last year." The former Maple Leaf, Angel, and Ranger slugger will provide righty power off the bench, and will start in right or left field every 5 games or so. Guerrero added, "I'm glad to be back in the CL and look forward to seeing fans in Toronto, SoCal, and Texas again."

Saving the most controversial for last, Simmons introduced new left fielder and three hole hitter Manny Ramirez, resplendent in his oversized red, white, and black Mudcats jersey numbered 99. "Southerners love colorful ballplayers, and we felt like Manny being Manny would be a great addition to our new Mudcat family," Simmons gushed. When asked about scouting reports claiming Ramirez has a "me-first attitude" and "is not very bright", Simmons defended his new slugger. "We know Manny has had some problems over the years fitting in in some places, like Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, and New Orleans, but we really think the team we're putting together here will gel and perform. And yes, we're not hiding the fact that we think Manny and the other two guys will be gate attractions for our new team, but we wouldn't have brought them on just to sock dingers and lose ballgames." Ramirez signed a 1 year, $7.5M contract, and refused to answer questions about his signing, recent PED disciplinary actions, or anything except his new jersey. "I like the fish a lot, maybe I'll get a catfish for my aquarium", Ramirez commented.




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*Note to anyone using the end of 2012 quickstart: player injury flags for the guys drafted by Carolina appear to have confused the AI; they had a bunch of guys out for several months in their lineup, including two starting pitchers. They were about to start Greinke on short rest.

[GMLoophole]

Mariners fans are hoping that the new CL alignment means more success, maybe the first-ever Northwestern Division pennant, with the Rangers and Angels in their own division and only the rebuilding Twins and Rockies and the expansion Grizzlies in their way. But the Mariners seem to be entering the last few years of a five-year plan ready to embark on another five-year plan. That plan lasts to 2014, which is the end of ace/cornerstone Felix Hernandez' contract. Any success the Mariners have in the division race or the postseason necessarily depends on the health and success of King Felix. While they appear to have budget room to afford an extension when the time comes, the M's may choose to retrench if they haven't found success by then.

The rest of the rotation is adequate, but probably not enough to lead a charge to the Veeck Trophy if Hernandez falters. Hector Noesi came over from the Yankees after a solid 2011, and may prove to be a solid number 2 in the future, if not now. Jason Vargas and Hisashi Iwakuma look capable of 15 or so wins a piece with adequate run support, but Kevin Millwood might be past his use-by date despite 9 good games pitched for division rival Colorado last year; while he'll be helped by Safeco's environs he'll now be making more trips to Target and Coors Fields, and the results may be ugly. Veteran Gil Meche is currently serving mop-up duty and will likely make some spot starts, and could get pulled up into the rotation if need be.

Young Shawn Kelley will serve as the closer, headlining a solid bullpen including righties Blake Beavan, Tom Wilhelmsen and Juan Cruz and lefty youngster Danny Hultzen. They should be able to hold any leads the starters get them, especially at home.

Getting the leads may be the problem, as the position players may not be the right guys for the park, or any park. The catching corps is a good demonstration of the challenges facing the Ms... they signed venerable Jason Kendall just days before the season opened, and while he is still defensively solid, he slugged just .296 in only 118 games for the Kansas City Athletics two years ago and did not play in 2011. He's slated to get the bulk of the starts with Miguel Olivo now in the backup role. Olivo is defensively adequate but is coming off a down year and at age 33 may be entering the twilight of his career. Jesus Montero, Yankees phenom obtained with Noesi for Michael Pineda, is probably never going to put on catchers' gear absent a meteor strike in King County. He hit marvellously in his September callup in the Bronx, and immediately steps into the three hole and takes the weight of the Seattle offense on his very young shoulders.

Around the infield, the doubt clouds are heaviest around first base after the disappointing Justin Smoak moved to Carolina in the expansion draft. GM Jack Zduriencik has summoned versatile non-hitter Scott Savastano to platoon at first with Alex Liddi, the pride of Italy. The M's start the season as surely the only team platooning 1B in the 9th spot in the batting order. Look for the M's to be active in the trade market and waiver wire, or perhaps convert an outfielder.

At SS, the Mariners again turn to all-glove Brendan Ryan every day. Disappointing Chone Figgins is the starter at 3B for now, but Kyle Seager and Alex Liddi are promising bats that will probably play their way into the lineup by the All-Star break (if they don't have to play at 1B). Dustin Ackley enters his first full season as a Mariner as the cleanup hitter at 2B, joining Montero in their quest to turn the five year plan into the this year plan.

Franklin Gutierrez starts in CF again after hitting poorly in 92 games in 2012; this would be less of a problem if the bats at SS and C were better bets but instead Gutierrez will be expected to man the 5th spot in the batting order. Casper Wells finally gets a shot as an everyday player in RF, and his solid defense and powerful bat will see him batting cleanup against lefties. A good season from Wells would go a long way towards getting Seattle some success. Lefty slugger and future DH Mike Carp starts the season on the DL for two weeks, so LF will be manned by a platoon of glove man Michael Saunders and non-Beach Boy Mike Wilson, coming off another solid year in AAA at Tacoma. If Montero and Ackley can hold up the tent in the center of the lineup, one or two of these OF will need to come up with surprising seasons to give the pitchers enough run support to win ballgames.

On the farm, the Mariners are ranked 2nd overall by BNN, but with Montero, Liddi, and Hultzen filling in the ranks after the expansion draft, not much immediate help lurks on the horizon. 3B Fernando Martinez is probably most likely to get some time this year, especially if no deal can be made for a 1B. SS Nick Franklin starts the year as a Jackson General, and with only 22 games to his name above A ball likely won't be up this year.

Freed from the combined curses of the Angels and Rangers, the Mariners face a put-up-or-shut-up year competing against the disheveled Twins and pitcherless Rockies. But the expansion Grizzlies field a powerful lineup, and even a weaker division may not cover the blemishes in the offense and in any case the Angels or Rangers probably lurk in the conference final series. It may be time to start drafting the new five year plan.

[GMLoophole]

[Editor's Note: we'll be previewing the teams as they come up in the Grizzlies' schedule rather than by division strictly.]



If Mariners fans are excited at the new divisional alignment, new Astros owner Jim Crane may be forgiven if he is less than thrilled with the position his team now finds itself in. Already in disarray, they now must right the ship in a division with the powerful Angels and Rangers and surprising Diamondbacks. Implementing the unbalanced schedule for the first time likely means an insurmountable hurdle for the Houston nine in the short term. About the only good news is that the Astros lost little in the expansion draft, but the expansion squads may have found enough talent among the scraps of the CL to make even that a hollow victory.

The first challenge will be finding starters that can survive the sluggers and hitter-friendly confines of CL Southwestern Division ballparks. The Astros start the season with Tim Stauffer as their ace, and while he posted a solid 109 ERA+ in 31 games started with Atlanta last season, expecting him to stop losing streaks every five days may be a lot. Bud Norris posted similar numbers for the Astros last year in his first full season, and should be able to eat innings at a similar rate this year. Lucas Harrell pitched well in a few games last season and may have some upside left to explore at only 26 years of age. After that the rotation is anyone's guess, with GM Jeff Luhnow elevating 21 year old Jarred Cosart from seven starts in Corpus Christi to get on the job training against Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Justin Upton. Ominously, Norris, Harrell, and Cosart are not known for their ability to last deep into games. Well-travelled Livan Hernandez comes from Toronto to man the third rotation spot, which says a lot about the Astros' rotation in itself. He is a workhorse, and will get plenty of it.

The bullpen will likely see a lot of work, and that will in turn probably mean lots of work for the Astros' outfielders. Wilton Lopez gets the call as the closer, and may be fortunate that those calls may not be frequent. He is probably better suited for middle relief, but that duty will fall on many shoulders this season in Houston. The Astros may be unwise to rely on a six man bullpen, especially with the poor stamina of many of their starters. Jordan Lyles pitched himself out of the rotation into mop-up work, and should have plenty of chances to fight back into a starting role. Other pitchers currently in Houston uniforms include Sam Demel, Aneury Rodriguez, Wesley Wright, and Fernando Rodriguez. There may be paths worn into the grass between the mound and bullpen this year, and a similar path from the clubhouse to Houston Hobby Airport.

There is hope in Houston in the everyday lineup, but not much comes from the catching corps. Landon Powell and Jason Castro are adequate defensively but have never shown any hope with the bat. They'll be platooned, but even a theoretical statistical advantage probably won't be enough to make the spot productive in the lineup. Carlos Corporan starts the season in Oklahoma City but seems like a better bet than either of these two; look for him to move to Houston this summer.

Hope blooms in the Houston infield. Tyler Greene is the shortstop, fast and powerful enough to man a corner eventually when a better defensive choice arises. He pairs with Jose Altuve at 2B, another fast gap hitter that should play well for years in Minute Maid Park. Switch-hitting Jimmy Paredes is cut from the same pattern at 3B, and should make for some exciting offense. Unfortunately all are weak defensively at their positions, and coupled with the scruffy pitching staff untimely errors may spell disaster- often. The Astros will trot out another odd couple platoon at 1B, with lefty Brett Wallace and his iron glove paired alongside righty utility man Matt Downs. They best the Mariners here, with only half of their platoon (Wallace) slated to bat ninth. Utility man Jed Lowrie will be back in a couple of weeks, but is likely most valuable as a trade chip at this point.

The outfield is in even more disarray than the pitching staff. Young JB Shuck will man LF, and is another speedy gap hitter but also solid defensively, with upside to boot, likely batting leadoff most games. Journeyman Justin Maxwell gets his shot in CF (and, oddly, DH against lefties) and could be a surprise if his speed, power, and glove finally all come together as scouts have always expected. Former Mets phenom Fernando Martinez will platoon with former Cubs phenom Brad Snyder in RF; like Maxwell both hope that regular playing time will prove to be the spark their careers need. Superglove speedster Che-Hsuan Lin will play in CF against lefties, and could easily play himself into a key role in this outfield.

Like the Mariners, much of the cream of the farm system has been promoted to fill gaps at the major league level. Unlike the Mariners, the Astros don't have much else in the cupboard and while the new ownership is dedicated to rebuilding the farm system, that will be a daunting task as BNN has their system ranked 13th out of 16 CL teams (with two of those expansion systems that haven't even filled their minor league rosters yet). Delino DeShields Jr. is a highly-touted CF prospect, but skips all the way past the Texas League to start the season in AAA. 24 year old starter Paul Clemens begins his first season in AAA with every chance to pitch himself to the majors in short order.

Which likely means more good news/bad news for the Astros... they'll probably look forward to a couple years of very high draft picks, but also have to endure some ugly beatings on the road to respectability. If Crane and Luhnow invest their large budget surplus in scouting and player development, the Astros' star will be on the rise again.

[GMLoophole]

After a record 6 CL Western Division pennants in a row, the Angels have missed the playoffs for the last two years as the Rangers ruled. With realignment and expansion, the Angels still face the same hurdle to the postseason but without a few key personnel lost in the expansion draft.

The biggest loss by far was Zack Greinke, the first player taken by the Carolina Mudcats in the expansion draft. In his wake, the Angels will feature a rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, ex-Ranger CJ Wilson, newcomer Garrett Richards, and retread Jerome Williams. The first three are among the best starters in the CL, and the back two will likely scuffle for much of the year, although Richards certainly looks to prosper in years to come. If any team can withstand the loss of a Greinke, this is it.

The bullpen is a similar mixed bag of youth and age, with 24 year old Jordan Walden pencilled in at closer and young righties Ernesto Frieri and Bobby Cassevah backed with vets Jason Isringhausen, LaTroy Hawkins, and token lefty Scott Downs. While not the strongest part of the team, the pen should be capable of holding leads built up by the still-punishing offense.

Catching is in a bit of flux as the Angels seem to be souring on prospect Hank Conger, once expected to be an all-world hitter. Instead Anaheim will go with capable vet Chris Iannetta who will hold down the fort until Conger finds his bat again.

In the infield, the Angels manage to withstand loss of their starting SS Erick Aybar and their prime infield reserve Maicer Izturis to the expansion Golden Gate Grizzlies. But when the lineup is built around future hall of fame 1B Albert Pujols, these sorts of concerns are muted. Alberto Callaspo will step up across the diamond to play full time at 3B. Aybar will be replaced with a light-hitting platoon of lefty Cory Aldridge and righty Andrew Romine, at least until the Angels sign or trade for a new SS. Howie Kendrick returns at 2B to offer his plus defense and high contact bat. Kendrys Morales returns from a year-long injury to find Pujols in his spot, and will likely be the primary DH.

The outfield is loaded, for now. All-everything Mike Trout steps into everyday CF and the leadoff spot. Torii Hunter returns for what may be his last year in RF, pairing with Trout to provide some of the finest outfield defense in the league. They'll try to cover for the persistent Vernon Wells who pounded 25 HR last year even as his batting average sank to .218 with only 20 walks. They'll be hoping to stay injury-free, as the backups are AAAA names like Ryan Langerhans. Peter Bourjos starts the season on the DL but should be back by the end of April to provide speed off the bench.

And that may be it for a while, as BNN has ranked their farm system 15th out of 16 CL teams. CF Travis Witherspoon is the top of the prospect list but will probably be blocked until the next ice age by Trout and will likely end up as trade bait. 3B Kaleb Cowart is skipping A ball as the Angels scramble to fill in the infield again. But no real impact players seem to be nearing readiness.

Like a lot of teams in the CL, the Angels have a tight budget, and with not much on the farm to replace them, have to believe their time is now. If they can hang with the Rangers into September, they have to like their chances to slide into the pennant and past the Northwestern division champ into the CL championship and back to the Veeck Trophy matchup for the first time since their 2009 loss to the Yankees.

[GMLoophole]

BERKELEY (AP): The first major league baseball game in the history of Alameda County resulted in a just-barely loss for the home Golden State Grizzlies.

Golden State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a solo homer by RF David Murphy, a triple from red-hot catcher Salvador Perez, and a triple from Alexei Amarista, making his first start of the season.

Lefty John Lannan got the start for the Grizzlies, and worked out of trouble during the first three innings with the early lead. The Angels were unable to score until the fifth when they managed two runs off singles by Vernon Wells and Angel Sanchez and a sacrifice fly from Mike Trout to tie the ballgame at 2. The next inning the Angels tacked on two more when the much-maligned Wells bashed a two run triple down the third-base line to score Iannetta and Hunter.

The lead was short-lived, however, when the resilient Grizzlies came back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a single from Izturis, a double by Paul Goldschmidt, and a sac fly from the productive bat of Murphy.

Lannan left in the top of the seventh after allowing a leadoff single to Angel Sanchez. Bobby Parnell came in and served up an RBI double to Howie Kendrick to put the Angels back up 5-4. Parnell settled down immediately and held the Angels hitless in the 8th as well. Matt Lindstrom relieved in the 9th and gave up another run on a double to Morales, and was only saved from disaster by a fine throw from Amarista in LF to nab Albert Pujols at the plate and keep the deficit at just two runs.

The Grizzlies still fought in the 9th, with a solo homer from Danny Espinoza bringing them within a run before Jordan Walden got Erick Aybar to ground out to end the game. Espinoza had doubled earlier in the evening, and the homer lifted his batting average to just .194 for the year.

Manager Torey Lovullo was upbeat in the clubhouse after the loss. "Well, of course you want to win a close game like that, especially against a ballclub of that caliber." But he was pleased with contributions from Salvador Perez and Amarista in his first start of the season. "We're just going to be in a lot of close games this season, or at least that's the hope", Lovullo said. "Some of them have to go our way."

It's probably still too soon to tell which way that split is going to work for the Grizzlies, as this loss pushes them to 3-4, under .500 for the first time in their young existence. The excitement of taking two of three from Seattle to open the season was tempered with two surprising losses to Houston, two games decided in extra innings and the third with a walk-off single by Jose Altuve as the Astros won behind a five hitter from Tim Stauffer.

Grizzlies GM Kim Ng appeared briefly to discuss a minor trade with Miami, who had just announced the signing of Javier Vazquez to a return engagement. The Grizzlies sent reserve catcher Orlando Mercado to the Marlins for 1B prospect and San Jose native Mark Canha. "We saw Canha many times when he played in college here in Berkeley, and he had a good season in Greensboro last year." Canha pounded 25 HR in only 107 games, and has been assigned to the Single A squad in Fresno. Ng added, "Nothing against Mercado, but we picked up JD Closser and Koyie Hill to fill out the roster in Portland when we realized we didn't have a catcher older than age 20 in the system. So, they get some catcher depth and we pick up a prospect. Not a huge deal, but we hope that these kinds of moves add up over time to keep us improving all year."

[GMLoophole]

BERKELEY (AP)- Just after the Golden State Grizzlies finished their first home postgame press conference, absolute bedlam erupted when Angels General Manager Jerry DiPoto took the podium to announce the signing of 47 year old Barry Bonds to a 1 year, $13.1M contract.

"We're really pleased to have the all-time leading home run hitter in an Angels uniform", DiPoto gushed. "We're installing him in the cleanup spot and he'll be playing left field as often as he can. It's great for Angels fans and we think our team is improved too. He may not have the same legs he once had, but that eye is still the best around."



Bonds smiled as reporters kept crowding into the room and camera flashes blazed. "Man, I'm glad to be back in uniform and I can't wait to see all my fans in Angel Stadium and be close to home." When asked what that meant in light of his many previous statements claiming San Francisco as "his city", Bonds angrily reminded the assemblage that he's lived permanently "in SoCal for a long time now, mostly to get away from all of you."

When asked if the signing was timed to the Angels' first trip to the Bay Area in their history, Bonds claimed that "ain't got nothing to do with it. I just want to play ball man, here, LA, El Segundo, I don't care. I missed being with the guys and can't wait for batting practice tomorrow." Bonds stormed off the podium abruptly when the next reporter (from the San Francisco Bay Guardian) asked if the signing was timed to correspond with the hearing schedule in his appeal of a federal conviction for obstruction of justice.

[GMLoophole]

BERKELEY (AP): Over the past few months, positive tests for performance enhancing drugs have sparked many debates over baseball's history, hall of fame voting, and innumerable other subjects.

None of that mattered in the top of the second inning when the Angels' new left fielder Barry Bonds stepped into the batters' box with the bases loaded and one out, wiping the rain from his bat and batting helmet. The capacity crowd of Bonds fans from San Francisco and Barry haters from all over the state all screamed as Bonds crushed the first pitch from Luke Hochevar 356 feet to deepest left center and into Oxford Avenue beyond.

Bonds had grounded out weakly in the first inning to kill the Angels' first scoring burst, but his blast the next inning made the score 8-0 and handed starter CJ Wilson a laugher. Golden State eventually managed three runs on two doubles by Murphy, a double from Perez, and a triple from Alexei Amarista, starting today in center field to rest Carlos Gomez.

"Well, I guess it makes for a great day for you guys writing the article, but sucks for me", Hochevar said. He became the 450th major league pitcher to surrender a homer to Bonds, and Tien-Haas Park became the 37th major league stadium in which Bonds has homered.

Tom Gorzelanny made his first appearance of the year in mop-up work and allowed two runs over three innings.

[GMLoophole]

Another team excited to be removed from the orbit of the Angels and Rangers, the Rockies hope that this is the year they finally can get into the postseason. While as always they will pose a challenge to opposing pitchers, their pitching staff is still a work in progress.

The starting rotation of Jhoulys Chacin, Juan Nicasio, Drew Pomeranz, Tyler Chatwood, and Alex White holds promise for the future, but with Nicasio the old man of the staff at age 25, their lack of experience may not bode well over the long haul during the season. Jorge de la Rosa is on the shelf for 3-4 months, but likely doesn't change the math much. And they still pitch in dry air a mile above sea level, so mistakes are more damaging here than anywhere else in all baseball.

The bullpen is one of the better squads in the conference, led by tough closer Rafael Betancourt and setup men Matt Belisle (himself a former closer) and lefties Matt Reynolds and Rex Brothers. Also lurking is Jeff Francis, onetime staff ace now a loooooong relief man able to make an occasional emergency start. If the starters can hold their own for seven, the Rockies' bullpen can likely keep things under control long enough for the offense to win it.

Behind the plate, the Rockies will start the season with old salt Ramon Hernandez taking the bulk of the starts. But waiting in the wings is hard-hitting, rocket-armed rookie Wilin Rosario who will likely find increasing playing time as the year progresses.

In the infield, SS Todd Tulowitzki is the engine that makes the Rockies go (but will miss the next couple of days with an injury). Veteran Todd Helton holds down the fort again at 1B, sliding down in the batting order again to sixth but hoping to repeat or improve his OPS+ of 140 from last year. Young hitter Jordan Pacheco is slotted to get time at 2B and 3B, and he'll need to hit well to overcome his balky defense. Jonathan Herrerra and once-promising Brandon Wood are around for platooning at 2B and 3B as well.

As in the infield, the outfield is the showcase for another major talent, here LF slugger Carlos Gonzalez. Dexter Fowler decamped for Carolina in the expansion draft, so fleet rookie Charlie Blackmon takes over in CF. RF is staffed for now with a platoon of ex-Cub Tyler Colvin and righty bat Andrew Brown, with veteran Chad Tracy the regular DH. Michael Cuddyer is recovering from a minor injury, but will probably be shopped once he heals.

On the farm, BNN ranks the Colorado system exactly in the middle of the pack. Righty starter Chad Bettis had a good season in Modesto last year and is starting the season there again but given the state of the rotation he might well be rushed to the majors by the end of the year.

In sum, the new division opens a door for the Rockies, but like the Mariners they need to overcome a major weakness to walk through it and be able to advance past the Southwestern Division winner in the postseason.