Architect of Oakland: The Pierre Lemieux Chronicles

[raysfan6]

May 5, 2025

Week 4 Notes

Record: 19-10, .655
Position: 1st place
Runs Scored: 148 – 3rd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 108 – 5th in Liberty
Defense: .719 – 3rd in Liberty
Power Ranking: 116.9 (4th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 48/100

• Last week: 2-1 @ PHO, 1-1 vs LAT
• 4/28: OAK 5, PHO 4 – Sasso (OAK) 6.2 IP 4 H 3 R 5 K. We scored 3 in the 9th thanks to some sloppy defense and a Jimenez RBI single.
• 4/29: OAK 5, PHO 1 – Holsapple (OAK) 8 IP 3 H 1 R 5 K
• 4/30: PHO 7, OAK 0 – DiBennedetto ( PHO) 6.1 IP 2 H 0 R 8 K
• Atlanta Comets 3B Marty Ruiz gets his 2000th hit.
• 5/1: Off day.
• 5/2: OAK 8, LAT 2 – Camacho (OAK) 3-4 1 HR 3 RBI
• 5/3: LAT 8, OAK 7 – Lopez (LAT) 2-3 1 HR 2 RBI
• Nashville Stars 1B Danny Puga hits his 300th career homerun.
• 5/4: Off day.
• This week: 3 vs SDB, 3 @ OKC

[raysfan6]

April Notes

I took the opportunity on a rare Sunday off to evaluate the first month of the season. Overall, it’s been quite positive.

Tom Luther was out to a fantastic start to the season, sporting a 0.96 ERA with 37 K’s in 28 IP. He’s out for at least another month. The rest of the rotation has not been too bad, with Bain being the surprising ace, having a 2.88 ERA. Sasso and Pierce are also having solid years, and the combined starting rotation ERA of 3.06 ranks fifth in the Liberty League. Reed has been solid with a 3.60 ERA, and Holsapple has been good in his 2 starts. The bullpen has a 3.97 ERA, ranking 5th in the Liberty League, which is slightly above average. Ressler has not allowed a run and saved 7 games, and Gregory has only allowed 3 runs in 14 innings. Bueno and Bettis have struggled, both sporting ERAs over 7. I do want to keep them up for now as their struggles aren’t hampering the team too much, and I believe they have the ratings to turn it around.

Despite only ranking 9th in home runs, our offense ranks in the top 4 in every other major offensive category. Marçall Camacho has led the way with a 165 OPS +. Reyna and Jimenez follow him with 150 OPS+ and 147 OPS +, respectively. Calkins has been our fifth-best hitter with a 133 OPS+ in 26 games (15 starts). Jimenez leads the team in home runs with 6, and Salvador and Gonzales have excelled in full-time positions. The only poor hitter so far has been Miguel Navarro, who has a 59 OPS+ thus far. He’s been moved down in the lineup, batting 6th. We are hitting better vs lefties than righties, which makes sense as all our starters are right-handed aside from Navarro, who is a switch-hitter.

I think overall we have had a good start, and that it could be sustainable. The division is average at best, and we are taking advantage of facing our division opponents.

[raysfan6]

May 12, 2025

Week 5 Notes

Record: 20-15, .571
Position: 2nd place, 1 GB ALB
Runs Scored: 165 – 3rd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 141 – 7th in Liberty
Defense: .711 – 3rd in Liberty
Power Ranking: 93.8 (16th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 49/100

• Last week: 1-2 vs SDB, 0-3 @ OKC
• 5/5: OAK 1, SDB 0 – Sasso (OAK) 7 IP 3 H 0 R 8 K
• 5/6: SDB 3, OAK 1 – Austin (SDB) 5 IP 3 H 1 R 8 K
• 5/7: SDB 3, OAK 1 – Reed (OAK) 8 IP 4 H 0 R 7 K, Ressler gives up 3 in the 9th to end his scoreless season
• 5/8: Off Day
• 5/9: OKC 11, OAK 5 – Soutomaior (OKC) 2-4 1 HR 3 RBI
• 5/10: OKC 6, OAK 0 – Delmore (OKC) 8 IP 3 H 0 R 10 K
• 5/11: OKC 10, OAK 9 – A walkoff grand slam by OKC’s Brett Slaven ends a rough week for the Commodores
• This week: 3 vs NOS, 3 vs HOU

[raysfan6]

May 19, 2025

Week 6 Notes

Record: 22-19, .537
Position: 1st place
Runs Scored: 183 – 5th in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 169 – 7th in Liberty
Defense: .711 – 3rd in Liberty
Power Ranking: 89.7 (15th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 49/100

• Last week: 1-2 vs NOS, 1-2 vs HOU
• 5/12: Off day
• 5/13: NOS 9, OAK 2 – Byrd (NOS) 4-5 1 HR 4 RBI
• 5/14: NOS 5, OAK 2 (10) – Miller (NOS) 6 IP 6 H 2 R 9 K
• 5/15: OAK 1, NOS 0 – Pierce (OAK) 7 IP 4 H 0 R 2 K
• 5/16: HOU 3, OAK 2 – Gibson (NOS) 5.1 IP 6 H 2 R 4 K
• 5/17: OAK 7, HOU 3 – Gonzales (OAK) 2-4 2 HR 4 RBI
• 5/18: HOU 8, OAK 4 – Hickey (HOU) 2-5 2 HR 3 RBI
• Next week: 3 vs TUC, 3 @ DEN

[raysfan6]

May 26, 2025

Week 7 Notes

Record: 23-24, .489
Position: 3rd place, 1 GB ALB & SDB
Runs Scored: 200 – 7th in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 206 – 9th in Liberty
Defense: .703 – 5th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 79.0 (21st in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 1-2 vs TUC, 0-3 @ DEN
• 5/19: OAK 6, TUC 0 – Reed (OAK) 8 IP 4 H 0 R 6 K
• 5/20: TUC 4, OAK 0 – Gutierrez (TUC) 8 IP 4 H 0 R 4 K
• Dan Pierce exited the game after 1.1 IP with back stiffness, he is day to day but won;t miss his next start
• 5/21: TUC 3, OAK 2 – Navarro (OAK) 3-3 1 HR 1 RBI
• 5/22: Off day
• 5/23: DEN 7, OAK 4 – Ford (DEN) 2-2 1 HR 2 RBI 3 BB
• 5/24: DEN 17, OAK 2 – Garcia (DEN) 2-4 1 HR 4 RBI
• Gordie Holsapple was demoted to AAA after giving up 10 runs in 1.1 IP against Denver, ballooning his ERA from 6.26 to 9.10. Bobby Tyree will be called up.
• 5/25: DEN 5, OAK 2 – Reed (OAK) 5 IP 5 H 2 R 7 K
• ATL 1B Travis Johnson hits his 300th career home run against Portland
• Next week: 3 @ SAC, 3 @ SEA

[raysfan6]

Commodores president Evan Shelby requested me to take a later flight to the west coast on Monday morning as his father wanted to speak with me. I had a feeling that this would be coming soon. Ever since my optimistic April notes we’ve had a 5-15 record, a majority of those games at home. Although we are only one game under .500 and one game back from the division lead, it is simply too much of a dropoff from our previous months form to be okay with. And that’s exactly what Mr. Shelby had to say in our meeting. He did have one more demand as our meeting ended: Fire manager Zach Bourdon.

Shelby let me take a chance on him for this season and in his eyes it’s not paying off. In my eyes, it’s still early and I stressed that to him. We would not be able to find a manager of his caliber in the open market to finish out the season. I made a promise to Mr. Shelby that I would have a chat with Bourdon once I landed in Sacramento and ask him to give the team a little pep talk, a motivational speech of sorts to try to get the team's spirits up. Mr. Shelby compromised with that request and said it was Bourdon’s last chance, that if there was another meeting with him and I that Bourdon would be gone, no questions asked. I reluctantly agreed, although in the back of my mind I share the same opinion regarding Bourdon’s performance.

**********

The skipper and I met an hour after I landed and arrived at the ballpark. The message was simple: the team is slumping and we need to turn it around. I asked him what needed to be done from my end to help, and he let me know that the chemistry in the clubhouse was not where it should be, and that we have a lot of disruptive personalities and big egos amongst our roster. The main player he singled out was catcher Marçall Camacho. Bourdon said that he and Camacho barely even say hello to each other in passing, and that the relationship was all but broken. This is certainly not good news as Camacho is still our best hitter by almost 25 OPS+ points. It also might be the reason why his agent refuses to open extension talks with me, as I’ve reached out on more than one occasion expressing interest in retaining him should he opt out of his current deal. Another player making waves in a negative way is shortstop Jorge Gonzales. He is our third best hitter based on OPS+ and is making the minimum, giving him value in the trade market. I took a mental note of this and put it in the back of my mind to check on how Francisco Rubio was doing in AA.

I switched the topic back to the main point: we need to turn around how we’re playing. I made moves in the offseason to improve the roster and it is set for now, and that we need to try to do the best we can with what we have now. I tried to indirectly say to Bourdon that his job may be on the line if we can’t turn it around by June, and that it is probably in his best interests to have a talk with the team and fire up the squad. I’m hoping he got the message.

[raysfan6]

June 1, 2025

Week 8 Notes

Record: 24-29, .453
Position: 3rd place, 1 GB ALB & SDB
Runs Scored: 229 – 6th in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 240 – 11th in Liberty
Defense: .698 – 6th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 71.5 (27th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 0-3 @ SAC, 1-2 @ SEA
• Francisco Rubio was called up to AAA. He had a 147 OPS+ in 42 AA games this year.
• 5/26: SAC 8, OAK 7 – Salvador (OAK) 2-5 1 HR 5 RBI. A back and forth game as they scored 2 in the 8th, followed by 2 runs from us in the 9th and 2 runs in the bottom half by them.
• 5/27: SAC 8, OAK 2 – Williams (SAC) 2-3 1 HR 2 RBI
• 5/28: SAC 3, OAK 2 – Ressler and Devlin combine to give up 3 in the 9th
• 5/29: Off day. Mr. Shelby sent me a lot of angry texts this morning.
• 5/30: OAK 12, SEA 2 – Gonzales (OAK) 2-3 1 HR 4 RBI
• Bobby Tyree pitched 8 innings in his UBL debut, giving up 1 run on 9 hits with 8 strikeouts. In some more good news, Tom Luther will start his rehab assignment in AAA.
• 5/31: SEA 11, OAK 5 – Cervantes (SEA) 3-4 1 HR 2 RBI
• I am so glad May is over. We finished the month 6-19. The first year player draft will take place this evening. A detailed report will follow soon.
• 6/1: SEA 2, OAK 1 – Quezada (SEA) 7.1 IP 4 H 1 R 4 K
• Next week: 3 vs POR, 3 vs SFD

[raysfan6]

First-Year Player Draft

We will have the 15th pick in the draft this year, along with the last pick in the second round, due to compensation for losing Seth Small. I will detail our first 5 selections, all high schoolers.

Round 1, Pick 15: Mike Coffelt is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound catcher. He has the potential to be a .290 hitter. He has the power potential of a prototypical home run slugger. He grades out as an average fielder as a catcher. With his talents, the light of Coffelt’s star could shine.

Round 2, Pick 51: Kevin Woods is a 6-foot-6 right fielder from Burns Harbor, Indiana. He has the potential to be a .290 hitter. He is patient at the plate and will wait for a pitch he wants. He has above-average power potential, the kind that could generate 25 home runs a season in the future. Woods could develop into a productive regular on a contending team.

Round 2, Pick 69: Shortstop Bobby Williams has a strong, lean frame and generates excellent raw power with his bat speed. He has a good swing. He won't likely set records, but could hit for a .290 batting average. He isn't flashy on defense, but he is consistently solid. Scouts project Williams to fill a key role for a contending team in the big leagues.

Round 3, Pick 84: Mike Olerich is a 6’1” shortstop who is confident with shrewd perception and meticulous mechanics that should translate into a high batting average. His power potential grades out as average. He could be a solid defensive shortstop. Olerich could develop into a productive regular on a contending team.

Round 4, Pick 114: Jimmy Bauder is a 17-year-old left-handed pitcher who should feature an above-average slider as well as a decent sinker at his peak. His stuff will never win awards, but he does possess an above-average potential for keeping the ball in the park. Bauder still has a lot of room to grow, but could develop into a quality #2 arm.

[raysfan6]

Prospects Update

Prior to the draft, I took a look at my list of prospects in the organization. I made the following promotions.

SP Chris Apple – A to AA
SP Steve Daniel – AA to AAA
SP Marco Gudino – A to AA
SP Fulvio Leopardi – A to AA
INF Justin McKay – AA to AAA
SP Gerardo de la Fuente – AA to AAA

Keep in mind Francisco Rubio was promoted earlier this week from AA to AAA. These promotions were mainly guys that started out on fire right off the bat, and a majority of the call ups will happen around the all star break.

[raysfan6]

June 9, 2025

Week 9 Notes

Record: 28-31, .475
Position: 3rd place, 1 GB ALB & SDB
Runs Scored: 256 – 5th in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 262 – 12th in Liberty
Defense: .500 – 6th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 88.5 (16th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 1-2 vs POR, 3-0 vs SFD
• 6/2: OAK 4, POR 3 – Bain (OAK) 7 IP 6 H 3 R 8 K
• 6/3: POR 2, OAK 0 – Malott (POR) 5.1 IP 3 H 0 R 7 K. We did not get a hit after the 4th inning.
• 6/4: POR 4, OAK 3 – Tyree (OAK) 5 IP 4 H 1 R 5 K
• 6/5: Off day. I received more angry texts from Mr. Shelby. His patience is running thin.
• #29 prospect Raffaele Martinella was called up to the big league club and will play in left field. Jose Flores was sent down to AAA after owning a whopping 4 OPS+ and .083 average since his return from injury. Jimenez will move to RF vs righties, and Melendez will play RF vs lefties with Jimenez moving over to CF. Navarro will play every other game somewhere in the outfield. We are sacrificing a little bit of defense to gain a little bit of offense.
• 6/6: OAK 2, SFD 1 – Reed (OAK) 5.2 IP 4 H 1 R 8 K, Martinella (OAK) 1-4 in UBL debut
• 6/7: OAK 11, SFD 6 – Pijnenburg (OAK) 4-5 1 HR 3 RBI
• Javier Bueno (5.29 ERA) was sent down to AAA. Tom Luther was activated off the IL following 2 rehab starts. Bobby Tyree will move to the bullpen.
• 6/8: OAK 7, SFD 6 – Gonzales (OAK) 2-4 1 HR 2 RBI
• This was the first series win since 4/28-4/30 @ PHO.
• Next week: 3 @ BAL, 3 @ BOS

[raysfan6]

June 16, 2025

Week 10 Notes

Record: 31-34, .477
Position: t1st place with ALB
Runs Scored: 289 – 4th in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 292 – 12th in Liberty
Defense: .698 – 6th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 85.9 (16th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 2-1 @ BAL, 1-2 @ BOS
• 6/9 Off day.
• 6/10: BAL 5, OAK 4 (15) – Sasso 6 IP 5 H 1 R 8 K
• Chicago Sentinels 2B Eric Hopewell collected his 2000th career hit.
• 6/11: OAK 7, BAL 2 – Camacho (OAK) 5-5 1 2B 2 RBI
• 6/12: OAK 8, BAL 2 – Reed (OAK) 7 IP 3 H 1 R 7 K
• 6/13: OAK 7, BOS 6 – Pierce (OAK) 5 IP 4 H 2 R 3 K
• Edgar Juarez was claimed off of waivers from the Charlotte Diamonds and sent to AAA. He has a 2.00 ERA in 21 games this year and might be called up soon if the bullpen doesn't improve.
• 6/14: BOS 4, OAK 3 – Ressler blows a 4th save opportunity this season and is removed from the closer role. We aren’t assigning a closer and will be running a closer by committee bullpen.
• 6/15: BOS 12, OAK 5 – Hall (BOS) 3-4 1 3B 3 RBI
• Next week: 3 @ PHI, 3 vs ATL

[raysfan6]

June 23, 2025

Week 11 Notes

Record: 35-36, .493
Position: t1st place with ALB
Runs Scored: 327 – 3rd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 316 – 11th in Liberty
Defense: .696 – 9th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 93.7 (9th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 1-2 @ PHI, 3-0 vs ATL
• Andy Reilly (7.91 ERA since his return from injury) was sent down to AAA. Newly claimed Edgar Juarez was recalled.
• 6/16: PHI 6, OAK 3 – Riddle (PHI) 2-4 1 HR 3 RBI
• 6/17: OAK 6, PHI 1 – Reed (OAK) 7 IP 3 H 0 R 10 K
• Justin Devlin left yesterday's game with a torn UCL and is out for 13-14 months. Andy Reilly was recalled from AAA.
• 6/18: PHI 5, OAK 3 – Rodriguez (PHI) 7 IP 4 H 3 R 8 K
• 6/19: Off day. Catcher Ronnie Hatton was traded to the Baltimore Wardens for RHP Jesus Jimenez. This is purely a money saving move, as Jimenez is out for the rest of the season and under a minor league contract and will be released immediately. We will save around $4 million this season. Javy Rodriguez will be called up from AAA.
• 6/20: OAK 9, ATL 7 – Jimenez (OAK) 3-4 1 2B 1 HR 5 RBI
• Philadelphia Ironclads lose starter Joe Tuohy for the rest of the season.
• 6/21: OAK 6, ATL 4 – Gonzales (OAK) 2-4 2 HR 2 RBI
• 6/22: OAK 11, ATL 1 – Luther (OAK) 9 IP 7 H 1 R 12 K
• Next week: 3 vs NAS, 3 vs CHI

[raysfan6]

June 30, 2025

Week 12 Notes

Record: 38-39, .494
Position: 2nd place, 1 GB ALB
Runs Scored: 357 – 3rd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 333 – 11th in Liberty
Defense: .696 – 10th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 89.9 (13th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 2-1 vs NAS, 1-2 vs CHI
• 6/23: OAK 11, NAS 3 – Gonzales (OAK) 3-3 2 2B 1 HR 3 RBI
• 6/24: OAK 2, NAS 0 – Pierce (OAK) 8 IP 3 H 0 R 11 K
• 6/25: NAS 4, OAK 3 – Wachter (ATL) 2-4 1 HR 2 RBI
• 6//26 Off day. Bobby Tyree was swapped with Glenn Bain in the rotation.
• 6/27: CHI 8, OAK 7 – After a 7 run 2nd we mustered 2 hits for the rest of the game.
• 6/28: OAK 7, CHI 1 – Camacho (OAK) 4-4 3 RBI
• 6/29: CHI 1, OAK 0 – Grimm (CHI) 8 IP 4 H 0 R 10 K
• Next week: 3 @ IND, 3 @ CLE

[raysfan6]

July 7, 2025

Week 13 Notes

Record: 43-40, .518
Position: 1st place
Runs Scored: 398 – 2nd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 351 – 10th in Liberty
Defense: .693 – 11th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 99.2 (8th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Delighted; Fan Interest: 50/100

• Last week: 2-1 @ IND, 3-0 @ CLE
• 6/30: Off day. We finished June with a 14-11 record.
• The Oakland Commodores acquired right handed reliever Adam Ens from the Boston Paladins in exchange for RHP Steve Freeman. Ens was on the trade block as the rebuilding Paladins were looking to offload some expiring deals, and we acquired Ens for the rest of the season. Ens has a 4.33 ERA thus far which is not great, but better than Andy Reilly who has been sent down to AAA. Ens is on a cheap contract and has a good personality. Freeman will more than likely never make the majors.
• 7/1: OAK 4, IND 0 – Pierce (OAK) 5.2 IP 5 H 0 R 7 K
• 7/2: IND 1, OAK 0 – Barahona (IND) 7 IP 6 H 0 R 10 K
• Guillermo Salvador exited the game with a strained oblique and is day to day for 2 weeks with minimal effects. We will try to give him a little more rest but keep him on the active roster.
• 7/3: OAK 10, IND 8 (12) – James (IND) 3-3 1 2B 3 RBI
• 7/4: OAK 7, CLE 0 – Luther (OAK) 9 IP 4 H 0 R 16 K (a new team record!)
• 7/5: OAK 7, CLE 3 – Reed (OAK) 5 IP 5 H 1 R 5 K
• 7/6: OAK 13, CLE 6 – Gonzales (OAK) 4-5 1 2B 1 3B 2 RBI, Martinella 2 HR
• Next week: 3 vs MIL, 3 vs CHA

[raysfan6]

July 14, 2025

Week 14 Notes

Record: 46-44, .517
Position: 1st place
Runs Scored: 425 – 2nd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 382 – 10th in Liberty
Defense: .690 – 11th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 96.1 (8th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Delighted; Fan Interest: 51/100

• Last week: 2-1 vs MIL, 1-2 vs CHA
• 7/7: Off day.
• 7/8: MIL 7, OAK 5 (10) – Salvador (OAK) 3-5 2 HR 3 RBI
• 7/9: OAK 8, MIL 4 – Reyna (OAK) 3-5 2 2B 1 HR 1 RBI
• Jorge Gonzales was injured in a collision at a base and suffered a fractured rib. He is out for 3 weeks. Do-Hyun Lee has been added to the 40 man roster and called up. Pijnenburg will play short, Salvador will play third, Reyna will play second, and Martinella will rejoin the everyday lineup at first.
• 7/10: OAK 6, MIL 3 – Luther (OAK) 7.1 IP 5 H 3 R 11 K
• 7/11: CHA 9, OAK 3 – Pena (CHA) 2-3 1 2B 1 HR 4 RBI
• 7/12: OAK 4, CHA 2 – Pierce (OAK) 5.2 IP 2 H 1 R 9 K
• Denver Crusaders star outfielder Todd Phillips is out for the rest of the season with a severe hip strain.
• 7/13: CHA 6, OAK 1 – Rosas (CHA) 5.1 IP 2 H 0 R 0 K
• Next week: All Star Break, 3 @ CHI

[raysfan6]

Mid-Season Review

The All-Star break is upon us, and we have 3 representatives: Tom Luther, Marçall Camacho, and Felix Reyna. We are currently sitting in first place in the rather weak Liberty League West Division as we are the only team over .500. We are 8-4 so far in July and have started to turn it around since a dismal May.

Rotation: We sit 9th in the Liberty League with a 3.75 ERA. Tom Luther has been great this year with a 1.44 ERA and making his first all star team, showing his injury hasn’t hampered him at all. Jim Reed has also been a solid #2 with a 2.99 ERA in 18 starts. Dan Pierce is having his best year in Oakland with a 3.27 ERA, and although Bobby Tyree has had a rough July thus far, he has a 3.46 ERA overall. Steve Sasso has not been great with a 5.02 ERA and could be replaced in the rotation by Glenn Bain, who has a 4.08 ERA. The rotation is not a worry for me, barring any injuries.

Bullpen: This is where the real problem this year lies. We have a team bullpen ERA of 4.26, ranking 10th in the Liberty League. Mike Ressler has not been the dominant closer we expected when we acquired him. He has a 5.73 ERA and still won’t be given closer duties yet. Andy Reilly has been a far worse acquisition as he is currently in AAA, where he has a 1.12 ERA in 7 games. In the bigs, he has a 6.85 ERA, and I’m not sure I’m ready for him to rejoin the team. Paul Gregory has struggled against both righties and lefties with an ERA over 4 vs both; however, it seems that he gives up most of his runs when we have put the game to bed. Jonathan Bettis has a 3.41 ERA, and Nick Bakken has a 3.05 ERA overall, dipping under 2 vs lefties. Edgar Juarez and Adam Ens have allowed 1 run in a combined 13.2 innings since they were acquired. If we plan to contend, we need to acquire more arms, specifically a shutdown closer.

Infield: Our best hitter has been Jorge Gonzales with a 160 OPS+ and 22 HR, and he is out for at least 2-3 more weeks. Marçall Camacho has a .313 average and 142 OPS+ but still refuses to talk about an extension with me. I could take the risk and hope he opts into the 3 years, $93 million he has left, or I could trade him and let Javy Rodriguez take over behind the dish. Rodriguez has been 1-13 in 6 games since his call up, so not good, but a small sample size. Felix Reyna has a 142 OPS+ with 16 home runs, making it difficult for Raffaelle Martinella to find regular playing time when Gonzales is healthy. Martinella is heating up, batting .400 in July after hitting .128 in June. Salvador has had a good year with a 126 OPS+ and .280 average, and Pijnenburg is still batting over .300. I don’t think I’m going to send down Martinella once Gonzales returns from injury, so it will be interesting to see what happens once that scenario presents itself.

Outfield: Overall, the new look outfield has been a disappointment. The best player has been the familiar face Edgar Melendez, who played his way into a starting role this season with a 125 OPS+. Leo Jimenez has had a good April, a poor May, a good June, and a poor July thus far. Overall, he has a 110 OPS+ and 11 home runs. Neil Calkins has seen his name called upon more than expected, starting 50 games this year. Miguel Navarro has been a big disappointment, as aside from his team leading 27 steals, he has not hit that well. The biggest disappointment, however, has been Jose Flores, who is currently batting .152 in AAA. I think the outfield has the talent to turn things around, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be looking on the trade market for another piece.

Overall, we are in a good position to make the playoffs, given our weak division, but we probably don’t have the consistency to make a far run. Regardless, I will still be looking to improve the bullpen. It really will be a gametime decision whether we trade Camacho or not.

[raysfan6]

A quick look at the players we’ve seen depart the organization since my time as GM. My only real regret given our current team is trading Barlini, as he would easily be a starter in our outfield right now.

[raysfan6]

San Diego Trade: Anderson for Tucker

Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Commodores announced today the acquisition of 36-year old RHP Jason Tucker from the San Diego Brigadiers in exchange for 29-year old minor league RHP Jamal Anderson. "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Commodores, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."

San Diego will retain a portion of Tucker's remaining contract.
So far this season, Anderson has picked up no saves in 9 relief appearances. He has also compiled a 1-1 won-lost mark with a 6.35 ERA and fanned 3 batters in 5.2 innings.

Tucker has collected 201 saves over his 752-game career with 841 strikeouts and 291 walks, a won-lost record of 54-59 and a 3.10 ERA.

**********

Tucker will replace Bain in the bullpen as he gets DFA’d. Tucker’s $2.52 million contract will be covered by San Diego, and has a 2.25 ERA thus far. This is a little step to improve the bullpen.

[raysfan6]

July 21, 2025

Week 15 Notes

Record: 47-45, .511
Position: 1st place
Runs Scored: 437 – 2nd in Liberty
Runs Allowed: 394 – 10th in Liberty
Defense: .692 – 11th in Liberty
Power Ranking: 90.0 (13th in UBL)
Owner Mood: Delighted; Fan Interest: 52/100

• Last week: 1-2 @ CHI
• 7/14 - 7/17: All Star Break. The Liberty League defeated the Dominion League 4-3.
• 7/18: OAK 5, CHI 2 – Melendez (OAK) 3-3 1 2B 2 RBI
• 7/19: CHI 7, OAK 5 – A 7 run 7th by Chicago sees us choke away another lead.
• 7/20: CHI 3, OAK 2 – Jones (CHI) 7 IP 2 H 1 R 8 K
• Next week: 3 @ DAL, 3 vs DET

[raysfan6]

I had a meeting with Marçall Camacho, his agent and the Shleby’s to discuss the future of Camacho and the Commodores. Camacho had been adamant that he does not want to talk about an extension yet, but he also hasn’t given any hints on if he will opt out of his deal following this season. His agent hasn’t given me anything either. I have made it clear that I do not want to lose him for nothing, and that I’d really like to keep him around. He is, after all, our best hitter and at a premium position (catcher). While his personality is not the greatest, exceptions can be made for good players. The Shelby’s agree for the most part, they are also reluctant to let him go for nothing, however Mr. Johnny Shelby is not all in on trading him as his win now mentality and our current first place position in the division gives him the idea that we can make a run. This meeting is to try to find a solution.

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We agreed on one thing; both sides want to win. Camacho is not entirely sure that’ll be here in Oakland. Camacho and his agent are not budging on extension talks, just giving straight faced no after no to us. After a 3 hour discussion, we all agreed on a solution: if we don’t have a winning record and a 5 game lead over second place (currently 3 games ahead), all parties will approve a trade.