Worst to First - The Sequel

[NYY #23]

The Expos really had an up and down month in August, but finished with a 15-12 record and saw our lead go back up to four games over the Mets after the Mets pulled into a tie for first place.

Ricardo Moreno has really impressed me this year, going 12-5 with a 2.19 ERA so far. Not to mention his no-hitter against the Mets, and 10 strikeout performance against the Reds.

We announced that we signed RF Eric Wolf to a three year $4.6 million extension. At 1.5 million the first two year, and a third year team option for 1.6 million we'll take a chance. Despite hitting just .195 this year he has been worth 2.4 WAR this year and has a .355 OBP.

[mirrf]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

The Expos really had an up and down month in August, but finished with a 15-12 record and saw our lead go back up to four games over the Mets after the Mets pulled into a tie for first place.

Ricardo Moreno has really impressed me this year, going 12-5 with a 2.19 ERA so far. Not to mention his no-hitter against the Mets, and 10 strikeout performance against the Reds.

We announced that we signed RF Eric Wolf to a three year $4.6 million extension. At 1.5 million the first two year, and a third year team option for 1.6 million we'll take a chance. Despite hitting just .195 this year he has been worth 2.4 WAR this year and has a .355 OBP.

First place in September with 4 regulars batting under the Mendoza line?! You are a miracle worker.

Your 3B is batting .168. One frigging sixty eight.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by mirrf

First place in September with 4 regulars batting under the Mendoza line?! You are a miracle worker.

Your 3B is batting .168. One frigging sixty eight.

I wouldn't say miracle worker, but I've been pretty surprised with this team. We started with some pretty good pitching, but getting solid defenders really help.

I certainly wouldn't recommend so many poor hitters, but building around pitching and defense is not a bad way to do it. Good bullpen arms are generally pretty cheap to acquire, and fairly easy to swap in and out. They don't all work out, but I like building a stock pile of relief arms.

I do worry a little bit about the hitters developing properly, but they can at least handle the majors with the glove. I think that this has been the most fun I've had with a team so soon though.

[NYY #23]

While the Expos broke even with a 14-14 month in September, our magic number is down to just 1. We've got two games at home against the Pirates, and three games on the road against the Mets. If we win just one of those games the Expos will be heading to the playoffs for the first time in our 13 year history. We've already improved by 25 games over last year, have the best record in team history, have the highest attendance in team history, and will have our highest balance at the end of the year since 2026.

We needed a lot to go right to be in this position, and it did. But really it was our pitching and defense that got us to this point. At this point I don't even know if we'll make the playoffs (although I feel real good about our chances). It's certainly been a fun ride in Montreal though after going backwards in year 1.

Though to be fair that was partially by design, because I traded anything not nailed down. And to provide a quick update on the man who started it all - Doug Bell, who was one of the first trades I made. He's making $25.4 million this year, and he'll make the same amount the next three years, with a team option for a fourth. He lost his spot in the rotation this year after going 2-8 with a 6.67 ERA, in AAA. Last year he was 6-9 with a 5.01 ERA before tearing his rotator cuff. The other big name in the deal was CF Jim Hindle, who tore his rotator cuff last year and is making $13 million in AAA. In a strange twist of fate Steve Dyer also broke his wrist. While he's only been 5-2 with a 3.67 ERA, Jonathan Wheeler has been the most valuable player involved in the deal, and he's making the minimum. But to the White Sox credit, they won the World Series last year, and I did not. They've also got a $233 million payroll, and we do not, so I don't feel too bad.

[NYY #23]

I'll let the story do the speaking this month:

[NYY #23]

First the good news:

I'll certainly take a 90 win season in year two, and winning 28 more games than last year. Especially with a team that can't hit. The Expos are playoff bound, and get a bye in the first round. We'll be waiting for the winner of the Reds - Nationals series. I can't help but think - the Nationals? Again? I guess it's even more poetic because they are the former Expos franchise. They'll have to get by the Reds first though.

Now the bad news:

I will be heading out of town for the next few days, so the Expos first playoff series will have to wait until the end of the week. Hopefully Friday night, but possibly Sunday night. Sorry for the delay, and the wait is going to kill me too.

-------

Then finally, an expansion update. In the American League there is a four way tie for the two franchises with Las Vegas, Portland, New Orleans, and Indianapolis in the lead. The National League has a runaway leader in Vancouver, with San Juan currently in second place.

I've added the link to vote in my signature.

[NYY #23]

So much for destiny. After falling behind 2 games to none the Nationals would come back and win the next two games. It wasn't meant to be though as the Reds would win Game 5 to advance to the Division Series. In other Wild Card Series the A's beat the Twins 3-1, the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 3-0, and the Diamondbacks beat the Cardinals 3-1.

That sets up the following brackets:



We do match up pretty well against the Reds though, winning all six games against them this year:

[rjl518]

go expos!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by rjl518

go expos!

Thanks! Let's hope!

[NYY #23]

Ricardo Moreno was making his first playoff start of his career tonight, and while he wasn't as sharp as normal, 7 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs was not bad. He struck out 7 batters while walking three and giving up three hits. Our biggest problem tonight was our offense, managing just a run on four hits.

Jorge Costello shut us down for the Reds, pitching 8 strong innings while striking out 8. Costello was 13-13 with a 3.35 ERA this year.

[NYY #23]

The Expos didn't give the home crowd much to cheer for tonight. We fell behind early when Eric Laws surrendered a solo homer to Luis Torres in the top of the first, but came back to tie the game at one with walks to Augusto Rodriguez, John Bradshaw, and Zhao-ji Shaw before a sacrifice fly to Matt Smalls.

The score would remain tied at 1 until the top of the third when Ben Bevan picked up an RBI double for the Reds to give them a 2-1 lead. The Expos would again battle back to tie the score in the bottom of the fourth with Matt Smalls drawing a walk and Marvin Williams driving him in with a double.

While Eric Laws didn't pitch terrible tonight, he did make a couple of big mistakes. His second big mistake was a big RBI triple off the bat of Manuel Hernandez in the top of the fifth to give the Reds a 3-2 lead. He'd last 6 innings and allowed just the 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 6 and walking none, but with the way our offense is playing it was like a 10 run lead for the Reds.

We went down without a fight only managing to score the 2 runs on 2 hits in the 3-2 loss.

[NYY #23]

After failing to lose to the Reds all season the Expos have now dropped three straight playoff games to the Reds. We got another solid start, this time from Jose Ledesma, who allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 4 and striking out 6.

Our bats were once again silent though as we failed to score a run and managed just 3 hits, one which came off the bat of Ledesma.

It's not looking good Expos' fans.

[NYY #23]

The good news tonight is that our 3 runs scored equaled the total of runs that we scored in our first three games. All of our runs came on the long ball, with John Bradshaw hitting a two run homer and Marvin Williams hitting a solo shot.

Ricardo Moreno would pitch well too, giving up just 1 run on 2 hits through 5 innings while striking out 7. Could the Expos finally win a playoff game?

Unfortunately not. 24 year old Bill Olsen was 4-2 with a save this year and a 1.39 ERA 58 1/3 innings. Closer Julio Mateo was 10-9 with a 2.69 ERA and 39 saves. Tonight Olsen would allow 2 runs in the eight while Mateo giving up a run in just a 1/3 of an inning as the Reds came from behind with a 4-3 win to complete the four game season.

Ballgame over, season over for the Expos.

[NYY #23]

First, congratulations to the Cubs on their World Series win, their first title since 2014.

In my mind I had a goal of getting to .500 this year, so I can't be much happier with our performance. Winning 90 games was more than expected, and reaching the playoffs was a nice bonus. It would have been nice to do a little better in the playoffs, maybe win a game, but I'm still very happy.

Our owner was very happy too, and our fan loyalty increased to Below Average. Our owner reviewed our goals with me for next year (and beyond):

1) Reach the playoffs in 2037
2) Improve team batting average in 2037
3) Increase attendance to 45,000 per game by 2039 (Current 41,319)
4) Improve draft record by 2038 (Progress - 5 drafted players, 5.4 WAR total)
5) Reach the World Series by 2042

Our budget increased by $10 million as well, so we have about $22 million to spend in free agency.

As we head into the offseason I'm going to target the following areas:

1) 3B - Jack Dunlap was worth 1.7 WAR last year thanks to his defense primarily. He's 37 so we need to get younger.
2) 2B - I need to decide if Matt Smalls is the answer, or if he should shift back to the outfield.
3) LF - At a minimum I'd like a veteran to fill Marvin Williams role
4) 5th starter - I really liked Edward Blake, but a 6-13 record and 4.22 ERA give me pause. He's under contract for one more year with a team option.
5) Backup 1B - I'd love nothing more than seeing Howard McDonald break out next year, but just in case I want a guy like Augusto Rodriguez, a veteran who can step in as needed
6) Two relievers, one to replace the outgoing James Numbers, and one to replace Jack Ford, who I will non-tender

Now, on to the offseason…



Montreal Expos - 66-96 (.407) 31 GB
2035 - Montreal Expos - 62-100 (.383) 33 GB (Season Score - 1)
2036 - Montreal Expos - 90-72 (.556) - GB (Lost to Cincinnati Reds 4-0 in Division Series, Season Score - 59)

[NYY #23]

Before I get in to the offseason I wanted to give an update on expansion. I mentioned I'd keep voting open until the 2037 World Series, so I expect that will be another week or so. Thanks for the votes so far, and the link to vote is in my signature.

Here's an update on where things stand. In the AL if voting ended now it would be San Antonio and New Orleans with expansion teams. Indianapolis and Las Vegas are tied for third place.

In the NL Vancouver is still way in front with Mexico City and Honolulu tied for second with San Juan close behind in fourth place.

[NYY #23]

First, congratulations to the two newest members of the Hall of Fame:





Hall of Fame Results:
C Buster Posey 81.9 (7th year) Inducted HOF
CL Craig Kimbrel 75.2 (6th year) Inducted HOF
2B Bryce Daniel 60.6 (2nd year)
3B Evan Longoria 53.2 (8th year)
SP Daniel Hicks 25.5 (2nd year)
CL Sean Doolittle 15.2 (6th year)
3B Brett Lawrie 14.2 (3rd year)
LF Ernesto Rodríguez 10.6 (1st year)
SP Matt Short 9.6 (1st year)
CL Luis Avilan 9.6 (4th year)
SP Brett Anderson 7.4 (5th year)
1B Randy Paulin 6.7 (1st year)
LF Dean Richmond 5.0 (1st year) Dropped
3B John Kelly 3.5 (2nd year) Dropped
SS Alfredo Valadez 3.2 (1st year) Dropped
CL Eric Helms 3.2 (1st year) Dropped
SP Herman Barker 2.8 (1st year) Dropped
RP Pablo Arellano 1.4 (1st year) Dropped

-----

Now it's time for an Expos update. My priorities heading into the offseason were:

1) 3B
2) 2B
3) LF
4) 5th SP
5) Backup 1B
6) Two RP

Up first is third base, which I had trouble with. There was one guy that anybody would want, former Knight Ramon Galindo. He's coming off a 5.2 WAR season where he hit .302 with 9 home runs, 52 RBI, and 65 runs scored. His asking price was too high though, and he went to the Cubs for five years and $103.4 million. It's not that I didn't want him, but I didn’t want my offseason shopping list to end after one player. Next up were two options, Jack Dunlap or Ken Boone. We're familiar with Dunlap, and after two years I seriously thought about bringing him back for number three. The alternative was Ken Boone, a minor league free agent who was looking for $1.3 million. He peaked as the number 14 prospect in baseball, but has seen his stock fall. After hitting .245 with 8 home runs in AAA he became a free agent after being #3 on the Twins third base depth chart. .163 is not a high bar though, so I saved a little cash and went with Boone. I probably could have negotiated and saved some more money, but I wanted and got a quick decision.

2B Joe Urbina was signed to a one year $1.082 contract as an insurance policy. He can play 2B, 3B, OF, although he hit just .176 last season. Two seasons ago it was .258 though, which is more in line with his .268 career average over 7 years. He gives us some flexibility, and that means Matt Smalls gets the starting second base job.

In left field we signed Shusaku Kato to a $6 million contract, with a team option for the same amount in 2038. He came over from Japan as a 30 year old, and hit .305 with 4.3 WAR last year. I'm hoping with a high OBP and decent speed he'll be a good leadoff hitter. He's got no power, good with the glove, and I think he'll do good with his age 34 season. He is an injury risk though, so I don't mind executing his option if he's healthy, but wanted an out in case this turns into a mistake in year one.

I'm still working on #4 and #5, but we did agree to terms with a couple of relievers - Roberto Hernandez agreed to an $800,00 contract. The 29 year old was an international free agent from Cuba. The second reliever was Don Webb, who agreed to a one year $3,560,000 contract. He was my former closer in Carolina, and was traded from the Knights to the Reds in midseason, finishing with a 4-2 record, 6 saves, and a 3.23 ERA. He won't be a closer in Montreal, but I'm hoping the pair can help our bullpen.

[HerbertMcHoover]

Strong improvement in the second year. You must be pleased with the progress.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by HerbertMcHoover

Strong improvement in the second year. You must be pleased with the progress.

I am very pleased with our progress. It usually takes a while longer before I like a team, but things clicked pretty quickly with the Expos. I'm excited for year 3 and to see what we can do.

[NYY #23]

The last thing that I wanted to do was get into a bidding war for a backup first baseman. That happened not once, but twice this offseason. We went with our third choice, Mike Stone, who agree to a $1.1 million contract. Stone hit just .219 last year with 7 home runs and 36 RBI, down from .253/13/50 the year before. If there is any benefit he can also play third base to though. I just hope now more than even that Howard McDonald will have a good second year.

Our final move of the offseason was agreeing to terms with starting pitcher Jeffery Sampson. After going down with an injury in 2035 after five starts (2-3, 5.96) he came back and was 5-9 with a 3.82 ERA. He was traded to the White Sox at the deadline, but missed the rest of the year with an injury. (As a player it's like a kiss of death to be traded to the White Sox)

Sampson was 19-5 with a 2.32 ERA in 2034, has a reputation as a team leader, and agreed to a one year $8.6 million contract. It's a lot of money for a position of strength, and to push Edward Blake out of the rotation, but he has potential to be a solid #2 or #3 starter. Plus it was either Sampson, or put the money in my owner's pocket. I would have spent more on another position, but I would have needed much more for an upgrade over what we got.

[NYY #23]

The preseason predictions are pretty kind to the Expos, predicting us to finish with a 97-65 record and finishing eight games ahead of the Mets. That's with an offense predicted to score more runs than just two other teams, the Dodgers and Mets.

After going 20-8 in Spring Training I think that we are ready for the season. Our owner expects us to make the playoffs, and I think that should be possible.

One of the problems with having a good spring is that just about everybody performed well. There were just two players who deserved to be sent down after spring training because of their numbers, catchers Cisco Aleman and Zhao-ji Shaw. They combined to hit just .152 (19/125). Their jobs were never in jeopardy though.

That left somewhat of a roster crunch making the final cuts. The final spot on the pitching staff came down to Robinson Acevedo or Edward Blake after we lost Roberto Martinez to injury. Acevedo didn't allow a run all spring in 16 innings. Blake allowed 6 in 14 innings. It came down to the fact that Blake is a starter, and would be pitching out of the pen, versus keeping a true reliever.

My gut told me to shop Blake around, and three teams were interested. The Twins offered the best package, willing to trade borderline prospect Alberto Mendez and 31 year old reliever Matt Mathews. The 22 year old Mendez is a lottery ticket, but Mathews was 1-3 with 9 saves and a 4.19 ERA last year and has some value.

Except that value was more as a trade chip for us, who didn't want to send the veteran down to AAA. We instead sent him to the Cardinals along with 20 year old first baseman Sergio Lopez and 20 year old starting pitcher Pedro Silva.

Coming back to Montreal is a pair of 25 year old relievers, Cristian Castro and Carlos Rosado, along with 21 year old first baseman Jorge Figueroa. Castro and Rosado will head to AAA for us. The inclusion of Lopez and Figueroa was somewhat pointless. The Cardinals wouldn't do the deal without Lopez, but had no problem including Figueroa. Other than being a couple of months apart they are very similar players.

Perhaps our three most difficult cuts were to Matt Smalls, Juan Camacho, Nick Seaton, and Julio German. They were our first round of cuts, which were the easy ones. When I said nobody deserved to get cut above, I wasn't included this quartet. I hope we'll see all four back soon, but they looked lost this spring, and hope that doesn't mean they went from prospect to bust so quickly.

Now, let's play ball…