[Westheim]

In mid-December I had a trade worked out that would have seen the Raccoons acquire OF Matt Jamieson from the Pacifics. This probably sounds nuts, but we would have sent them Jesus Chavez, either in a one-for-one, or while exchanging a pair of middling prospects, too, with the Pacifics sending AAA SP Ed Miller to Portland. Jamieson, who spent a number of years with the Condors and would be 30 in April, was a right-handed batter that played all outfield positions well and was a natural born team leader. Just what the Raccoons needed!

I was even able to look past his absolutely meager 2024 season, in which he batted .239 with two homers (but he had never been a power guy, topping out at 12 dingers in a season). The price was affordable (roughly $1M per year, almost the same as Chavez), but there was one huge problem.

Jamieson expected to be in the starting lineup – as most team leaders probably would. Now, you might say that we have an open spot in the outfield. Abel Mora is good-to-great, Terry Kopp is good-to-great, and Cookie Carmona is old and a bitter memory of better times. He isn't even that old. It's just all bitter. Also, Omar Alfaro, y'know, the *young* perpetual disappointment.

And still, I was not able to punt Cookie Carmona from the lineup. Even after two years of batting .248 and being worth precisely zero WAR. I just couldn't.

And not just because his brother was still interning around here and was handling my coffee. Yes, actually; Maud kept freaking me out with drawing smiley faces in some fluffy latte from that terribly fancy Italian devil machine somebody dragged into here, and last year we found two bucks that remained in the budget for a plastic tray that he can place on his thighs when he rolls around the offices. Cristiano knows exactly what I want from a coffee. Black as the night, and the cup only half full. I need some space for liquor and pills in the cup.

Yeah, Chavez. His stats for '24 are terrible. He lost 16 games, tying for third place in the Continental League, but well, that can happen on measly teams. (By the way, as we are on weird stats – would you have believed that Mark Roberts led all qualifying pitchers in the CL with a 1.13 WHIP last season?)

But Chavez didn't only lose sixteen games, he also allowed 29 dingers (second to Roberts in the CL), walked almost half as many as he struck out, and piled up a 4.40 ERA and 90 ERA+ despite getting .274 BABIP-like defense behind him. He's outrageously crummy, and turning him into any player of value would be a tremendous gain. But we won't trade him for Jamieson, because of Cookie.

Which is a sentence that doesn't make that much sense. We didn't trade him because of Cookie. We didn't trade him because of bananas. We didn't trade him because of cat memes. We didn't trade him because of the Battle of Chattanooga. Pick any of these – none make much sense.

+++

December 19 – Salem snatches up ex-CHA RF/LF Travis Benson (.281, 122 HR, 526 RBI) for 2-yr, $2.72M.
December 19 – Former Indians LF/CF Danny Morales (.275, 50 HR, 333 RBI) lands with the Miners, signing a 1-yr, $888k deal.
December 21 – The Raccoons ink a new pitcher in ex-WAS SP Graham Wasserman (100-93, 3.79 ERA). The 34-year-old right-hander signs a 1-year deal worth $1M.
December 28 – Ex-TOP INF Wade White (.288, 50 HR, 564 RBI) joins the Warriors on a 3-year deal. The 35-year-old left-handed hitter will net $4.92M over the life of the contract.
December 31 – Portland will be the fourth team in four years for ex-NAS 2B/SS Matt Otis (.262, 25 HR, 328 RBI). The soon-to-be-36 veteran joins the Raccoons on a $400k contract for 2025.
December 31 – The Stars add 29-year-old former Logger C Josh Wool (.281, 66 HR, 376 RBI) to the fold, giving out a 4-year, $6.12M contract.

+++

Don't say it – I know. We're signing bits and pieces only. I know it. I know it.

Nobody quite remembers, but Graham Wasserman is a Raccoon again after ten years abroad. He made his major league debut with the Critters in 2014, being rocked for ten runs in 6.1 innings over two starts. He has since put up some respectable seasons elsewhere, although he amounted only to an 8-8 record and 4.47 ERA in 2024. Still better than Josh Whitaker.

In 2013, the regressing Raccoons shelled out four players including three major leaguers in Colin Baldwin, Craig Bowen, and Michael Palmer, to get the then-#19 prospect Wasserman from the Stars, only to flip him for Ronnie McKnight a year later. McKnight, also 34 now, was the 2015 Rookie of the Year, but has not played in the majors in two years. Wasserman is still active.

Otis is a former Elk, but he is also a team leader, and he also has experience leading a team from the bench, which I hope to exploit next year.

Former Raccoons now being fed elsewhere are limited to Andy Bareford signing with Dallas for 2-yr, $1.62M during the latter half of December.