[Westheim]

February 3 – The Stars add pitching with ex-SAL SP Alex Contreras (68-94, 4.30 ERA). The right-hander receives a 2-yr, $2.24M contract.
March 8 – The Gold Sox pick up ex-POR OF/1B Terry Kopp (.271, 125 HR, 614 RBI); the 30-year-old left-handed batter receives a 2-yr, $2.88M contract.
March 20 – With two weeks left in the offseason, 29-year-old left-hander Joe Jones () returns to the Buffaloes on a 4-yr, $10.24M deal; he is the last type A free agent to sign.

+++

Terry Kopp lingering until March before still hauling a sizable contract is all you need to know about his 1 1/2 seasons in Portland.

Who else found a new forever home? Wade Davis got a 2-yr, $808k deal from the Buffaloes; Shane Walter goes back to the Crusaders for the 20th time on a $334k deal; and the Crusaders also pick up 42-year-old Jose Gutierrez for $338k; Cory Dew joined the Indians for $262;

Jose Gutierrez remains the second-longest-ago Coon (Yoshi Nomura!) still active. You have to respect the old man, who was a Raccoon as recently as *2008*, and last year played a full season (589 PA!) with the Rebels, batting .275 with three homers and a 96 OPS+. However, since he didn't become a regular until his age 28 season, he only has 2,205 hits tallied up. Remarkably, after 20 years you should have stumbled into some trivial award at some point, but Gutierrez, who got the first 37 hits of his career in 172 attempts with the '07 and '08 Coons, has never been an All Star, never won a Platinum Stick, or a Gold Glove.

But Jose Gutierrez does not care. Jose Gutierrez just keeps on playing.

Yoshi Nomura meanwhile is 43, and still available. He batted .266 with three homers in half a season with the Buffaloes last year and crossed the 3,000 hits mark.