Starting again

[gehrig38]

Can't decide whether to poop or get off the pot. I am going to restart my newest dynasty. I am re-reading Orcin's hall of fame thread and working on trying to come up with a "style" that will be both interesting to read and fun to create.
I'm a stat guy, so I'll figure that out. But I am also a big picture guy. I want people to know who is who in my league but I am dying to be creative enough to make the team I run interesting to follow as well.
So here's what I am thinking.
I am going to take over the worst franchise in the ABL. The league just finished its 20th season.
I'll do a bunch of pre season reporting to get followers up to speed on the league, it's history and what not.
Both leagues DH, 24 teams, two 12 team leagues. College, JUCO and HS feeders.
Evolution has pushed FA to 7 years expanded 40 man to 42 man rosters and dropped my initial 26 man MLB roster to 25.
No expansion, which I want to get going ASAP because I feel like I need more teams for the amount of feeders I have.
I really want some cool stories but I don't think that's me as a writer. See Orcin's addition of Jennifer into Louisville storyline for a reveal on just how talented the guy is.
It's November 1st 2009, year 20 just ended. Stay tuned.

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The American Baseball League
It's November 1st, 2009, and the league's 20th season just wound down.
The Oklahoma City Titans participated in their 5th consecutive World Series! Defeated 4 games to 2 by the Kansas City Threshers, who were in their 2nd World Series (this was their first ever win).
From 1990, the NL hit .256, the AL .260 with the NL's ERA at 3.51 and the AL at 3.66, to this year. The NL hit .267 (from a high of .271 last year) while the AL hit 2.68. The NL ERA was 4.71 (all-time high) while the AL was 4.70 (another all-time high).
So it appears offense is on the rise. (I have the settings adjusted per year, and the 1990 season started with 1980 stats and finances.)

Here is a look at the first 20 years of league history.
The Mammoth and Ironmen ran the NL from 1995 through 2001, Baltimore making 3 trips, winning all three, sandwiched around 3 trips from Utah in which they went 1-2.

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Individually, there's been some pretty amazing stuff in the league's first 20 years. Take a look at the AL MVP award:

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Your eyes aren't fooling you. Tyler Higginbotham took home Hank Aaron honors in 10 of the league's first 11 seasons. FWIW, this is a quickstart that I'd already started another league with, and the same guy won 6 straight MVPs, 1990 AL, then 5 straight in the NL after refusing a qualifying offer!
Believe it or not he went the same exact route in this replay. Drafted #1 overall in the inaugural draft by Las Vegas, wins the MVP, turns down the qualifying offer, and signs an 8-year, $14.88 million FA contract with Houston, where he spends the rest of his career.
In many ways Tyler is my “Figueroa” in Orcin's replay. Never had anyone even sniff this level of dominance for this long in any replay.
17 x PotW
18 x PotM
10 x MVP
11 x Silver Slugger
2 x Post-season series MVP
2 x World Champion
12 x All-Star
12 Career Grand Slams
One of three players to homer 4 times in one game (4-5 4 HR 6 RBI vs Pittsburgh in June of '95 was the first time it ever happened, September of that year it happened a 2nd time, this time teammate Kenny Sawin went 4-5 4 HR 6 RBI vs Ft Worth. Jordan Hernandez (PIT) did it 13 years later in 2008 in a 4-5 4 HR 5 RBI game vs Philadelphia.

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No real pitching equivalent as of yet.

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The Phoenix Dust Devils announced the hiring of former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling today as their new General Manager. Schilling comes into the job with no prior experience but clearly has the enthusiasm.
“I couldn't be more excited”, Schilling stated. “I've always felt this is something I could do and do at a very high level. 81-year-old Mike Stowell, the team's owner, a man known for his demanding personality, desire to make money, and tight control over finances, stated, “I'm not looking for a World Series win tomorrow, though that'd be nice for sure! I want something durable and long-lasting. I want a player development machine that turns out ABL-ready talent on a consistent basis and feeds an ABL roster of players who play the game hard and right, players who make it clear through their words and actions that the name on the front of that uniform is far more important than the name on the back”.

Schilling stated the following “To Do” list when asked about his priorities.
“I need to sit down with the staff, top to bottom, and figure out exactly what we have in terms of talent, exactly what we have in terms of method and process both in drafting and developing players, and I'll go from there. There will be no “cleaning house”, I want to see what's what and give these people a year to make a case for themselves and their jobs. I'll let Ruben run this team his way unless and/or until I think something needs to change. I don't set lineups or make pitching changes, nor do I want to, but I want someone I can trust to do those things and do them right”. Manager Ruben Palomar has 4 years left on his current contract. He has 8 years in the league as a manager, both here and in Kansas City with a career record of 571-725 and has yet to have a club finish at .500.

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There are a few openings and I've already made offers for an Asst. GM, an ABL Pitching Coach, an AA Pitching Coach, and a Manager. The rest will get one year to make it known they can do what I want and need.
Scouting director Elazar Jessel has 2 years left on his deal. He just got started this past season, so I'll have a look at his draft, but the organization has the top-rated farm system as of today.
Mr Sowell has given me a list of items he'd like to see progress towards.
The first “Don't Suck” I think we can manage. However, that doesn't mean we won't this year.
He wants better starting pitching (who doesn't) and for some reason he wants a left fielder currently better than what we have? He wants an increase in attendance and fan interest which I am unsure what that means. If the team wins both things improve right?
He'd also like the scouts to 'get better' with our international talent.
Lastly he told me his expectations are to be a playoff team within the next 5 years.
I think I can manage all that honestly.

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Here's a look at the roster on day 1 of the job. All perspectives will be from a position of building a winning team within the next 5 years. Prospects and picks will be priorities, with young pitching at the top of the list, in any trades we make. My first piece of business will be to root out anyone in this franchise who doesn't “add value” off the field. Bad seeds, bad chemistry guys, “me me I I” guys. The question I will ask with every player in this review will be this. “In 2-3 years, when this team begins to get good, will this player be talented enough to warrant a 25-man roster spot?” If the answer is no then we set about a timeline on when/how to move that player and make our franchise better where possible. The problem is I have to have 25 players and all positions filled next year without losing 150 games.

PITCHING
In no particular order, starters, then relievers.

Chris Buford, 27, RHP, acquired via trade with NY in 2005. 118 days service time. 5-10 6.31 over 19 starts in parts of 2 seasons. 1.72 WHIP 67-55 K/BB in 102.2 IP. Making the minimum and that's likely an overpay. He's got a smidgen of improvement, say our scouts, but on an average team, this guy's a 5 at best. Now add to that the fact he's a bit of an idiot and he's got all the trappings of a trade now guy. If he's on our 2010 staff we're in a pickle.

Ryan Feltman LHP 26 signed in 2004 as a minor league FA. 2 years 49 days service time making the minimum. Led the league in strikeouts last year at 224. That went with 108 walks in 197.2 innings. A true horse if he could find the zone consistently with top of the rotation stuff. 24-30 5.19 over 71 starts and 423 IP. 468 punch outs but 241 walks. Apparently a legit pro level bass fisher! This guys the sort of arm that finds the zone and wins 20 routinely, or doesn't and sits at 12-10 every year. We are going to work on his command this winter but definitely an arm I could see on our staff in the 4 slot behind true studs or at the top of the rotation if he figures it out. His 10.2 K/9 also led the league last year. I'd imagine he'll open next year at the top end of our rotation.

Kyle James RHP 30 signed last year as a minor league FA. 159 days service time, making the minimum. Quintessential 4A pitcher. Has had some very solid AA/AAA seasons but is 1-11 7.73 over 24 G and 11 starts. Just can't miss bats. He's a HUGE presence in the clubhouse and incredibly well respected. Has 1 option left so I'm hoping we're good enough that he ends up in AAA with some young arms.

DJ Manfredi RHP 28 19th round pick (446th) in 2003. 1 year service time making the minimum. Part of the leagues worst rotation for half of the year. 3-10 5.65 over 16 starts and 86 IP. 1.49 WHIP. Another guy who, at best, should be manning a spot in the AAA rotation.

Aaron Merritt RHP 24 8th round pick (172nd) in 2004. Ranked as the 16th best prospect in the game. Brief call up last year (122 days) and tossed 10 scoreless innings. Was 3-9 4.41 in 17 AAA starts. Our scouts have him as a legit 1 or 2, 4.5+ stars but needs to spend a full season getting innings in Fresno. I'll do everything I can to make that part happen unless he bowls us over with a monstrous spring.

Tyler Sousa RHP 25 14th round pick (336th) in 2002. HUGE arm, wild as hell. 80 days of service time over last 3 seasons. Has just 20 big league innings with 17 punch outs to 12 walks. Another arm that needs a full uninterrupted season in AAA.

Robby Spinelli LHP 22 Int. FA signing in 2005. Ranked 74th on the prospect list. Went 6-6 5.32 over 18 starts in Phoenix last year. Got the makeup to go 225+ innings with command. Not a hard thrower but a true pitcher in the making. Was not helped by being called up early last year. Once again a guy that would be greatly served with a year at AAA.

RELIEVERS
Brian Birkett RHP 30 Acquired via trade with Staten Island in 2003. 1 year 126 days service time making league minimum. Led the AL with 81 appearances last year. 10-4 6 Saves 3.03 ERA over 92 innings. Likely another year as a bullpen horse and jack of all trades. Great clubhouse presence. Elite splitter.

Khalil Chase RHP 32 signed in September as a minor league FA this year. 9-3 4 Saves over 121 appearances and 203 IP. His 2.93 ERA and 1.34 WHIP give him immense value on both sides of the coin. In our pen, and as a chip to be traded to a contender later in the year. Certainly will listen to offers at this years winter meetings.

Tanner Dean RHP 32 signed in May as a minor league FA. Another huge arm with concerning control issues. 2-2 6.70 over 49 IP with 59 K's and 45 walks. Has had his moments though and will work to keep him or get good value in a deal. Won a World Series with Philly in 2004.

Stephen Herschberger RHP 26 2004 6th round pick (124th). If he remains here, he'll be a reliever. Career 16-30 5.64 over 72 G and 64 starts. 371 IP 446 hits 190/105 K/BB. Never panned out. Was 6-14 6.45 last year in 156 IP with 198 H and gave up 27 HR. Doesn't help that he's not well liked either.

Dale Hettrick LHP 34 Signed in September as a minor league FA. 10+ years service time. A 2002 All-star he's made 402 appearances over 10 years. 35-22 with 22 Saves and a 3.03 ERA over 584 IP. 334 K's to 176 BB and 575 H for a 1.28 WHIP. At the end of the day he's a lefty, so there's value in that.

Kevin Mancinelli RHP 32 Signed in June as a minor league FA. 1 year 132 days, making the minimum.
78 appearances over parts of 6 seasons with not a single good year in there. 4-4 6.94 ERA in 96 IP, 77 K's, 59 BB's and 128 hits. No idea why he's still here. Did win a World Series with New York in 2005.

Mike Roberts LHP 25 Acquired in a deal with Denver in 2008. 105 days service time. 6'7” sinkerballer with big time stuff. Cup of coffee this year and in 23 games he threw 32 innings, punched out 33, walked 19 and gave up 31 hits. An arm we hope continues to improve, his splitter is among the best in the game.

Dillon Tiemeyer RHP 29 waiver claim from Austin 2006. 3 years 166 days. Just inked a 1 year 630K contract which is a steal. Incredibly popular here in Phoenix and a guy no player in the league dislikes. 12-9 with 72 Saves and a 3.45 ERA over 177 games and 182 IP. 184 hits, 201 K's and 76 walks. Will open the season as the closer barring a move prior, but one of the bigger trade chips on hand given his popularity, success, and contract.

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CATCHERS
John Davis LHH 24 35 days service time. 2004 1st round pick (2nd overall) out of Dayton HS. Games 33rd ranked prospect. Got a September call up and did well. Likely will be ½ of a R/L platoon with Holbert. Slightly above average defender with a developing bat that our scouts think will be elite.

David Guerra Switch 24 1 year service time. Rule 5 pick from Baltimore in 2008. Another local “star” who is loved around the league as well. A much better LHH than right, but arguably one of the games best eyes at the plate. Hit .253/.377/.354 last year over 194 plate appearances. Not much power but he gets on. The biggest concern is his defense. He's well below average according to our scouts and can get lazy at times behind the dish. A player I'd like to think has a ton more value outside this organization than in.

Matt Holbert 31 RHH 5 years 44 days service time. Recently signed a 1 year extension at 1.54 million. He's an elite defender and another guy who has an outstanding eye and great plate discipline. Hit .247/.369/.413 with 14 HR over 122 games.

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1B/2B/SS/3B Johnny Brown 26 RHH 165 days service time. 1st round pick (6th overall) in 2005 out of Rockford College. Still developing bat with big time gap power. Exceptional runner and elite defender at 1B. In 233 career PA he's a .248/.307/.371 hitter with 16 2B and 0 HR. 15-19 SB. Unsure of the fit for now.

1B Aaron Knight 29 LHH Signed a 7 year 79.8 million dollar extension prior to 2009 season. 1st round pick (4th overall) by San Francisco in 1998. Career .276/.364/.455 hitter over 703 games and 2794 plate appearances. 82 HR's, 113 SB, 154 2B and 327 RBI's. Signed through 2015. This will be the player the future revolves around but not for obvious reasons. Word is he's a clubhouse nightmare in every way possible. This is the sort of deal that crushes a GM. I will do everything in my power to get as much of that contract OFF my plate before next season, as I can. One other note. He visits the DL often on days of the week ending in “Y”.

2B/3B/SS Beau Hamilton 25 RHH 99 days service time. Leagues 56th ranked prospect. 1st round pick (4th overall) in 2007 out of Milwaukee College. Future team captain in the making. Last year was too soon to get him playing every day. Hit .214/.312/.341 over 297 PA and 73 games. 15-23 SB.

1B/2B Dan O'Sullivan RHH 27 3 years 150 days service time. Grinder with elite speed and top of the order bat. Led the league in 3B in 2008 with 10. Has 76 2B over the past 2 seasons. Career .284/.324/.406 hitter in 1420 PA. 79-100 SB.

1B/3B Fosco Busto RHH 35 13 years 41 days service time. Has 2 years 7.3 million left on a 4 year 14.7 million dollar deal signed in December of 2007. 2 x All-Star, 2 x Silver Slugger winner and 1999 Gold Glove winner at 1B. Won a batting title with Wyoming in 1998 hitting .310. Career .286/.347/.432 with 222 HR's 359 2B's and 1042 RBI's. His 2009 line of .246/.318/.386 was a career worst year. He did drive in 90.

Travis Hampton LHH 25 1 year 153 days service time. Middle IF with a great toolset. Acquired in a trade with SF in 2007. .234/.288/.334 career slash line over 207 G and 765 PA. 44-60 SB. Clearly here for his glove. Certainly will be looking to upgrade the offense here.

Jason Hochreiter Switch 24 1 year 1 day. Acquired in a 2007 trade with San Diego. More suited at 3B than SS. Bat still improving but RH is his strong side. Hitting just .171 over 165 PA.

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LF/RF Joel George RHH 31 5 years 77 days. Signed a 4 year 5.46 million dollar deal prior to 2009. Acquired in a 2004 trade with Brooklyn. 3 time gold glove winner (2005-07) in RF. Immensely popular at home and abroad. In 2843 PA he's a .283/.342/.449 hitter with 151 2B 89 HR 395 RBI.

LF/RF Ernesto Martinez RHH 26. 2 years 70 days. Acquired in a 2004 trade with Austin. Max effort guy with legit offensive skills. In 217 G he's a .294/.355/.428 hitter with 39 2B 18 HR and 124 RBI.

LF/RF Bobby Wilson LHH 25 35 days. 18th round pick (415th) in 2005. Below average corner outfield with a lot of room to grow offensively. Likely start the year getting AB's in AAA.

LF/CF/RF Josh Zuelsdorf RHH 25 116 days. 5th round pick (100) in 2004. Another bat still developing. .265/.304/.455 in 224 ABL PA's. Expecting the power to come.

1B/LF/RF Orlando Barron RHH 28 3 years 108 days. Big time pop that's just never come to fruition due to his inability to make contact. 58 HR's in 1294 PA's with 363 K's and just 119 BB's. Top it off with his Baseball IQ of 11.

LF/RF Jeremy Kennedy LHH 24 35 days service time. Acquired in a 2006 trade with KC. Good speed very good corner defender with a bat our scouts say is still developing. Gets the bat on the ball at a high level but lacks true corner OF power.

LF/CF/RF Ryan Roth Switch 28 4 years 161 days of service. 820K. 2009 gold glove winner in left. Hit .271/.340/.392 over 138 games and 592 PA's with 27 2B 10 HR and 62 RBI's. Good clubhouse influence too.

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#1 Mike Alfred 23 RHH 1st round (1st overall) draft pick in 2009 out of Portland College. Ranked #2 in the ABL pre-season rankings. Went directly to AAA hitting .271/.323/.447 in 46 games with 7 HR's. Imagine he'll start there again. Likely to stick at 2B, could play 3rd.
#2 Manny Moraga 22 LHH Int. FA 2006. Ranked #12 overall. Generational bat with above-average speed and a Clemente-level arm. Likely a RF. Went nuts in SS this year hitting .347/.394/.514 in 155 PA.
#3 Jayson Herring 19 RHP 2nd round (35th overall) in 2009. Ranked 27th. Triple-digit fastball. The biggest concern is stamina. Might end up closing if he doesn't find a way to get deeper into games. Control is a concern. 3 ++ pitches.
#4 Danny Flores 19 RHP 2006 scouting discovery. 28th ranked prospect. Has the makings of mid 90s fastball, elite slider and change. Got his feet wet in rookie ball last year, 4-4 4.48 in 14 starts. No real rush.
#5 Edgar Valera 19 RHH 2008 Int FA sign. Ranked 30th. 50+ HR power. .400 OBP plate discipline. All the makings of a middle of the order franchise changing bat. Likely to settle in LF. His baseball IQ is off the charts.
#7 David Burroughs 24 RHH 1st round pick (1st overall) in 2006. Spent 2009 in AAA, hitting .235 with 12 HR in 132 games. Gonna be tough to slot him in at short. The bigger issue is off the field. Apparently, he's a bad teammate in most every way. Will be spending a lot of time shopping him this winter.

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Baltimore's Steve Brandt and San Diego's Juan Salas both took home their 2nd Manager of the year awards. Salas Punishers won 102 games, barely squeaking by us, by 32 games.

For the first time in my OOTP life I am going to allow the Manager to manage once the season starts. I may play some games here and there but I am going to be “hands off” on the day to day stuff and see how the game plays. A true GM if I can manage it.

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I have zero players eligible for arbitration, zero. I do, however, have 6 players set to be free agents, and a 7th who is not a compensation-level player. All 6 are 32 or older. The only way I think I submit a QO is if I can either get a pick out of their refusal OR the player has enough value that the 6.5m salary won't be a roadblock to dealing them. Not a one is at a level that would see them stick with this team for any length of time. This years QO sits at 6.5 million and for all but one player that's an enormous increase and one I am concerned some, if not all, would accept. Veteran Ricardo Balderrama, at 38, did not get the PT he wanted and is not happy in the least. His 1.36 million dollar salary would get a huge bump if he accepted the QO.
I now need to weigh the value of those compensation picks vs our payroll. We're likely not going to get into QO's with this group but that will mean some work in the FA market. Our 2010 payroll sits at 28.7 million on a 41m budget. The leagues development budget baseline is 600K, our is 1.2m. Our draft slots sit at 325K which we've alloted 480 and our Int FA budget is 204K, the league cap.

We also have 13 minor league FA. Most we will let walk, but I will try to re-sign 24 year old C Tony Gonzaga who shows some potential. Likely to cut loose 2003 1st rounder (5th overall) C Robbie Freeman. No idea what they were thinking giving him a call up in 2008 but he's floundered and not been the player they hoped he'd be when they drafted him.
This will be the first step in addressing the entire minor league system, top to bottom, on the field and in the dugout. As I stated, I am going to allow a year for these coaches to do their thing, and assess at season's end. We have quite a bit of talent so our MiL teams should be competitive.

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The first day of free agency. Tons of players out there but nothing noteworthy. I did meet with and then extend an offer to closer Adrian Moorhead. The 31 year old has saved 223 games over his 7+ year career. Last year he saved 33 giving him 30+ in 5 straight seasons, all with Washington. He's a no-compensation player, and his ask, 1.7, was certainly within the realm of logical. I extended a 2-year 2.7m offer, 1.2 and 1.5 with the thought he could certainly close, but more importantly, he's the perfect trade deadline player to get younger talent and draft picks.

I made quite a few minor league offers and will continue to do so. Looking for those “hidden gems” and good character guys.

The international free agent market isn't really noteworthy but the international amateur market is teeming with some insane talent. I've delegated a lot of work between now (11/22) and January when the signing window opens, to scouting this lot. There are some potential HoF level talents with a few being “up the middle” positions. With just 204K to spend we'll have to be very smart and aggressive when the time comes. Almost zero pitching to speak of this year.

Free agency appears to put top end salaries in the mid 10 million range. 1999 Jackie Robinson winner and 2 time world champion Marcus Revels is looking for a little over 10 a year for 7 years. We won't touch that. He's also won a Gold Glove in CF and has 402 career 2B's (27th all time) with 608 SB's (6th all time). 33 year old Erik Frits is looking for a 7+ year deal at 9.5 per year. A 2 time Koufax winner and 6 time all-star. He's the best arm out there. Another 2 time Koufax winner, Matt Lichty, is looking for 5 years and 40 million. The 10 time all-star is the ABL's all time leader in wins at 276. 38 more than runner up Valentin Martinez.

After free agent declarations, our 42-man roster sits at 36 players. We will carefully scrutinize the Rule 5 draft as this is the sort of team, and position, you take those risks for.
Tons of wheeling and dealing of minor talent. I've made Aaron Knight available and offers are starting to come in. Few teams asking about Beau Hamilton as well.

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AAA Reliever Mike Price was apparently “bitten” by a coyote? Word out of his hometown of San Angelo, Texas, was vague and clearly odd, but we'll be looking into this.

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Sniffing around the prospect list and I was taken by a 20 year old international find in Denver. Juan Cruz. He's 58th on the prospect list and I was interested enough to inquire and Denver GM Josh Kimbrel responded with an ask of 2007 3rd rounder (61st overall) P Brett Schelin. Our scouts like him, but aren't overly optimistic on the upside. I finagled a bit to improve our draft and managed to swap a 4th (3rd pick of the round) for our 5th (5th pick of the round) to finalize the deal.

Rookie league PC Felipe Medina came to me with a situation. Apparently the New York Knights would like to make him their short season PC? Given where I am and what I am trying to do not only did I say ok, but told him I'd release him today, and I did. Reached out to a few guys on the market to fill the role ASAP.

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Pittsburgh kicked off the winter meetings by announcing the signing of FA Marcus Revels. Remember, he was initially looking for 10x7. He signed a 5 year 41.5m deal with the 5th year a 550 PA vesting option.
That sort of sets the market now.

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Phoenix general manager Curt Schilling let it be known he was “Open for business” upon arriving at Disney World for the 2009 ABL Winter meetings.
It took about an hour for folks to realize he was not kidding.
In a span of 5 hours, Phoenix made 4 trades involving 12 players and 9 draft picks.
Deal #1 saw them send SP DJ Manfredi (28), who went 3-10 5.65 last year, along with their 3rd round draft pick, to Ft Worth for RP Jay Piette and the Lightnings' 2nd rounder this year.
Literally 10 minutes later, Schilling reported another deal. This time sending OF Ernesto Martinez and their 4th round pick to Anchorage for C Ed Peterson (27), 1B/OF Brent Hofferber (25), P Mike Gonzalez (26), and the Slayers' 3rd round draft choice.
Near dinner time the Devils announced a 3rd deal. This time sending OF Orlando Barron and their 8th rounder to Philadelphia for P Leo Humphreys (24) and SS Aaron Vanderslice (24) and the Spirits 5th round draft choice.
He then announced a fourth and final deal whereby they sent Vanderslice and a 6th round pick to Denver for P Robby Salazar and a 5th rounder.

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I received an "Urgent" phone call around 1am this morning.
It was Mike Stowell, my boss, and while it was 1am he sounded extremely awake.
"What on Gods green earth is happening down there? I went to bed and in a span of 15 minutes got over 100 text messages from my friends and fantasy baseball owners about the fire sale you just had. I am usually one to be informed during ANY trade but certainly NOT after you make 4 of them."
I was calm...
"Mr Stowell you gave me a mandate. You stated you wanted this team to be a contender inside of 5 years. I promise you that's exactly what will happen and if I know baseball I can tell you we will be more than that, sooner. Every single move we made today made us better tomorrow. Maybe not tomorrow, but a tomorrow not too far off. We acquired 9 draft picks ALL inside the first 5 rounds. We moved players who either had no business being in the ABL or would not be near a roster spot when we start getting good. We got young talent, good young talent but just as important we got young men with solid makeup and great character. I am building something long lasting, something that will make you proud of the legacy you leave. If you trust me you'll let me do what you're paying me to do."
A long, and I mean long pause....
"Well then, ok. But hey, I'd prefer a phone call when trading my players next time?"
"Sure thing sir".

I took note of one very important point amongst the many on this call. He said "My players". Ok, I needed to know that. There's a personal thing here and I like that. I want my owner invested that way. It also makes his mandate of dealing Aaron Knight a priority BEFORE 2010 begins.

So what does it all mean? How does it shake out? Well after day 1 of the winter meetings here's what the roster looks like.
Players dealt
SP DJ Manfredi
OF Ernesto Martinez
OF Orlando Barron
SS Aaron Vanderslice
The top 3 players were all 25 man roster guys and Vanderslice was dealt within an hour of being acquired.

These players were all added to the 42 man roster
RP Jay Piette (29) 1 year 141 days making 200K. Back end bullpen guy with years of club control. Out of options but should be in the mix for late high leverage innings. Guys motor is always at max.

C Ed Peterson (27) RHH 2 years 200K salary. Elite defensive catcher with a bottom of the order bat. Decent pop but lots of swings and misses. Clubhouse leader.

1B/OF Brent Hofferber (25) LHH All our guys think his best is yet to come. 79 days service, 200K. A bat that is still progressing. Hit .276/.345/.456 in 433 AAA at bats with 22 2B and 15 HR's. Will compete for a starting spot in left or at 1B. Big time baseball IQ, smart kid.

SP Mike Gonzalez (26) LHP 102 days service 200K salary. 8-9 4.50 in AAA last year over 158 innings. 115 K's 154 H and 58 walks. Gopher ball was an issue, giving up 31. Quick cup of coffee that didnt't go well in September. But in a hunt for younger quality arms this was a good move.

Mike Burkholder (26) RHP 17 days service time minor league contract. Potential mid-rotation arm. 7-5 3.69 in 14 AAA starts last year. Doesn't get many swings and misses but commands well and keeps the ball down. He'll most likely start in Fresno.

Robby Salazar (26) RHP Another potential mid rotation arm. Still developing, needs more command of the strike zone. Another arm for the Fresno rotation.

The last 2 names on the list above were acquired via the final deal. I went in with knowledge of Vanderslice and his temper and knew Denver had him high on their list. Ended up working out a deal within an hour of acquiring the young SS.

SS Aaron Vanderslice (24) one of the better young players in the game. Comes with immense baggage. Apparently, he has a legendary temper. So much so that multiple players came to me after the deal and mentioned how bad of a “fit” this guy would be with what I've stated we're trying to build here.

End result of draft picks dealt/acquired.
As of now I am picking
1st round #3
2nd round #32
2nd round #49 (from FW)
3rd round #55 (from Anch)
4th round #77
5th round #105
5th round #112 (from Phi)
6th round no pick
7th round 139th pick
8th round no pick

Picks Dealt
3rd round #57 to Anchorage
6th round to Denver
8th round to Philadelphia