[Westheim]

Financial thoughts

As stated, only ten players, as of November 30, 1989, on the Coons 40-man roster make more than the league minimum of $86k. The total player salaries (and I hate that 40-man roster players are not depicted on the obligations screen during the off season) are in the area of $6M with another $3M available to spend.

Our flush of young talent will keep the payroll down for this and next year. Barring injuries, the first players to become arbitration eligible for the first time will be Juan Martinez, Bobby Quinn, and Justin Reader in 1992. Those are not the top notch youngsters, though. Currently, the estimate list for first time arbitration eligible players in 1993 reads: Daniel Dumont (who’s a special case, see below), Steven Berry, Ken Burnett, Matt Higgins, Glenn Johnston, Jackie Lagarde, Jeff Martin, Jason Turner, and David Vinson;

Even with today’s estimates and Kisho Saito’s contract ending in 1992 with $600k coming off the books, the 1993 payroll estimate is already three quarters of a million bucks larger than that of 1992 (no extension for Saito, who will only be 33, included) Our payroll will blow up in our face in 1993!

Super-2 cases could accelerate the implosion to 1992. Meanwhile, for 1990/91 we have surplus money to throw at a big star for two years.

The above doesn’t even include Albert Matthews and Neil Reece as well as a few fringe players currently scheduled to reach arbitration for the first time in 1994.

*Daniel Dumont is among our ten big earners right now. Remember he was an international discovery and got a big league contract right away. Due to injuries and roster management reasons he has not yet wound up the service time inferred with that contract and the contract is written forth. (Either this, or this is a bug) In either case, his estimate for arbitration currently is even higher, so we are not losing money in the long run and we can absorb it this year easily.

December

First duty here was to prepare for the rule 5 draft. With four players gone to free agency and Albert Matthews on the 60-day DL, only 33 players were on our 40-man roster as December 1 approached. AAA C Josh Cook, 1B Vincente Rodriguez, INF Elmer Hawley, and MR Mike Shaw, as well as AA SP Miguel Lopez were added to the 40-man roster. That left a few borderline cases unprotected, and other teams were able to feast on our system.

I was looking for a #5 starter to hold the fort for next season while avoiding a type A free agent. I quickly focused on John Fowler, a 32-year old right-hander who had spent most of his career with the Titans, sometimes as a reliever, regularly injured, arguably his biggest downside. Negotiations anyway quickly ended on widely differing opinions on what was a just contract for Fowler’s services. He insisted on a 4-year deal, but the Raccoons would not offer him that.

December 1 – Rule 5 draft: the Raccoons lose AAA SP Luis Herrera to the Falcons; in total, 16 players are taken over three rounds.
December 3 – The Gold Sox sign C Sam Dadswell, a .270 hitter with 96 home runs, to a 5-yr, $3.9M contract. The Raccoons will receive a supplemental round pick in the 1990 amateur draft.
December 5 – Portland is excited about news that the Raccoons and 1B Tetsu Osanai have agreed on a 6-yr, $6.4M contract extension. Unless he is traded, Osanai will become the first Raccoon to earn $1M in a single season, starting in 1991. Previously, Alex White had signed a contract to earn $1M in a season before the 1983 season, but was traded after only one year and had payday elsewhere.
December 5 – SP Carlos Reyes (91-98, 3.77 ERA) signs a 5-year, $3.13M contract with the Scorpions. The Raccoons receive the Scorpions’ second round pick and a supplemental pick for the 1990 amateur draft.
December 5 – The Indians trade INF Alberto Villanueva, a .266 hitter, to Denver for C Victor Cornett. The 26-yr old Cornett has batted .297 in his budding career, with 27 home runs.
December 8 – The Raccoons deal AAA 1B Orlando Alvarado to the Capitals for utility player Matt Duncan, 23, who can play all positions and has batted .200 in only a few games in the majors.
December 8 – INF Antonio Esquivel, formerly with the Falcons, signs with the Crusaders for 2-yr, $1.03M. Esquivel is a .273 hitter with 62 homers at age 29.
December 8 – The Titans send MR Jose Valentin (17-27, 3.59 ERA in 300 G) to the Cyclones for OF Tom McDonald, who was a dangerous power hitter for the Knights in the mid-80s. The 30-year old has not hit double-digit homers in two years, and last year missed a lot of time with a concussion. He has 122 career home runs, batting .282.
December 12 – C Didier Bourges signs with the Aces for 6-yr, $4.56M after playing with the Bayhawks. Bourges, 29, is a .265 hitter with gap power.
December 16 – The Knights improve their roster with the addition of SS/2B Paul Connolly, 29, who will make $5.74M over six years. Connolly is a .274 batter with double-digit power, doubles power, and can steal bases on top of very good defense. He played with the Gold Sox through 1989.
December 16 – The Rebels add veteran outfielder Guy King (.281, 97 HR, 671 RBI) for 2-yr, $1.42M. King, 34, has been ravaged by injuries and slumps the last few years.
December 20 – The Wolves will try to repeat as champions and add a great player in 2B/3B Mark “Icon” Allen (.299, 126 HR, 550 RBI). The 28-year old ex-Ace will earn $4.85M over five years.
December 21 – Former Titan OF Zahid Mashwanis and his .303 average with power join the Miners, where he will make $2.92M over four years.
December 24 – The Coons sign 28-year old C Leo Smith, an ex-Cyclone, to a 1-yr, $160k deal. Smith is an excellent catcher, but only has a .251 singles bat.
December 25 – The Cyclones add Joe Roberts to be their new closer. The 33-year old closed 28 for the Buffaloes last year, has 151 career saves, and will make $1.1M over three years.
December 26 – Journeyman closer Domingo Alonso, 32, signs with the Gold Sox for 1-yr, $690k. Alonso has 350 career saves.

Herrera would have been a player to add to the 40-man roster, but with Matthews on the 60-day DL that would have filled the roster in January. I wasn’t too keen on Herrera eventually, with his stuff being not too convincing.

Duncan gives us a #7/#8 guy on the depth chart for infielders with potential to go up, while Alvarado has nowhere to go with Tetsu Osanai locked up long time. 1B-only players have really no place in our system.

We have an offer out there for a veteran starting pitcher to fill the hole on the back end of the rotation. We still have to find a middle infielder and a right-handed reliever. We have options for both of those needs at AAA, but I’m not too convinced there.