[Westheim]

Matt Otis signed a $278k deal with the Miners on December 2, which was noted on one of the yellow notes Maud wrote of everything than ran past her on her … on her thing on the screen… that… y'know, that… that live tweet tickery … where they… well, all the news, basically. It was a yellow note, so she considered it of low importance. The important notes were orange, or – critically – red. For me, this was a red note.

Otis had batted .268/.351/.352 in 284 AB for the Raccoons, which was certainly all you could ask for from a 36-year-old veteran on backup duty. But Otis had been much more – he had been the team leader.

In 2024, the clubhouse had been a mess. True, the team had played like a mess as well, but where were cause and effect here? Is the butterfly that flaps its wings in Massachusetts responsible for the super tornado that flattens most of Iowa? Who knows these things?

The Coons had not seen a hole to squeeze Otis onto the roster again in '26 with the emergence of Ramos and Tim Stalker probably not going anywhere. Otis was no more than an emergency solution at third base, Nunley was routinely brittle, and Daniel Bullock was a good defender on most infield spots, and he was not going to be 37 in but brief a time. But this team needed another leader! Badly!

I put Maud and Cristiano Carmona on that one. Find out about all the valid major leaguers – even if potential backups – that are routinely talked about as the glue of the team, maybe active in the community, with a heart for children as an added bonus. Well, somebody's gotta have a heart for the carpet crawlers and it's not gonna be me! And please no outfielders, we have sort of a squeeze. Compile a list from social media, from Twatbook, and from the Internets, and report back. They looked at each other bemusedly, but they compiled, they reported. Head scout Carrasco got a copy to check for quality, and the Druid for structural integrity, while Chad and Slappy were tasked with keeping me company while I stared out of the window over the wintery ballpark with my best concerned expression.

Each to his abilities!

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December 2 – The Indians add 27-year-old ex-NYC 1B Xavier Garcia (.270, 39 HR, 260 RBI) for cheap on a 2-yr, $464k deal.
December 7 – The Raccoons strike a deal with the Falcons that sends 28-yr old SP Jesus Chavez (32-46, 4.00 ERA), 29-yr-old SP Jack Sander (25-35, 4.75 ERA, 2 SV), and 20-yr old AA 1B Sean Gustafson to Charlotte in exchange for 27-yr old SP Kyle Anderson (51-62, 4.01 ERA) and 24-yr old SP/MR Jason Butler (2-2, 5.32 ERA).
December 8 – The Pacifics sign ex-NAS SP Shane Baker (41-58, 3.69 ERA) on a 3-yr, $6.2M deal.
December 9 – Vancouver sees the addition of 32-yr old SP Andrew Gudeman (94-90, 3.76 ERA) and cash in exchange for 25-yr old OF Mike Chaplin (.270, 16 HR, 93 RBI) and a prospect being sent to Tijuana.
December 9 – The Indians trade 32-yr old 2B/1B Rich Mendez (.267, 36 HR, 356 RBI) and cash to the Rebels for 27-yr old LF/RF Gary Kaczenski (.243, 4 HR, 30 RBI).
December 9 – The Crusaders add former Bayhawk C Jose Ramirez (.264, 59 HR, 316 RBI). The 32-year-old signs a 1-yr, $820k contract.
December 9 – The Aces pick up SP/MR Ed Hague (37-30, 3.99 ERA) from the Crusaders, along with cash, for two prospects, including #36 SP Isaiah Pooser.
December 9 – Las Vegas sends two more prospects to Milwaukee for 32-yr old 3B Alberto Velez (.259, 129 HR, 657 RBI). This prospect package includes #40 SP Joe West.
December 10 – 25-year-old SP Bryce Sudar (25-22, 4.27 ERA) is sent to Richmond by the Canadiens, who pick up a prospect from the Rebels.
December 10 – The Thunder trade for 31-yr old swingman Jose Diaz (60-58, 3.57 ERA, 20 SV) and cash from the Capitals, parting themselves with 3B David Flournoy (.276, 19 HR, 118 RBI) and a prospect.
December 13 – A $980k deal brings RF/LF Mike Bednarski (.286, 211 HR, 1,054 RBI) back to the Aces, his first major league team. The 39-year-old debuted for them in 2009.
December 13 – The Aces keep splashing for veterans, adding ex-BOS C Tim Robinson (.262, 203 HR, 715 RBI). The 36-year-old receives a 1-yr, $1.32M contract.

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The entire Kyle Anderson deal revolves around team leadership and nothing else. Anderson was a true team leader, while Chavez and Sander were more in the distraction category.

From the actual baseball side, Anderson and Chavez are probably pretty equal in what they can do. Anderson's muddy numbers have probably to do with defense, of which the Falcons had one in the bottom three in the CL this season again, while the Coons were top notch in that regard. You would expect Chavez' ERA to jump and Anderson's to go down with this trade. Jack Sander has some value as back-end starter for a team with little ambition, which the Raccoons are not going to be in 2026. He had no value to us; he was the #6 starter with no options before the trade, and would likely have been lost on waivers at the start of the season. Gustafson wasn't much of a prospect, but he appeared on their wishlist for prospects, and I parted with him more readily than with, say, Alberto Ramos or George James.

Truth be told, Anderson is probably also a #4 starter at best for us, with flyball tendency (although letting them soar didn't hurt Mark Roberts this year), but he is a declared fan of due process, labelled lunchboxes (a huge problem in the Raccoons clubhouse!), and on off days volunteers to reads to blind children – what is not to like about that package!?

Butler isn't all that much. Could be our long man and spot starter, but he also has an option. Bonus points if you recognize him – he was part of a bundle of players that we sent to the Falcons in 2024 for Ryan Corkum. We originally drafted him in the supplemental round in 2020.

We also tried to trade a few guys on the fringes of the expanded roster, but to our surprise between Dwayne Metts, Mike Grigsby, and Justin Gerace zero sad-looking puppies found a new forever home.

There is also a Hall of Fame ballot out, including a Raccoon with no chances.