[Westheim]

December 8 – The first big splash of the winter meetings is the Capitals adding not one, but two free agent pitchers, both former Titans: SP Greg Gannon (75-52, 4.01 ERA) signs for 4-yr, $14.16M, and MR Matt Rosenthal (90-106, 4.49 ERA, 4 SV) will receive $2M over two years.
December 8 – The Aces deal 3B/1B Brett Blades (.249, 21 HR, 106 RBI) to the Aces for a minor leaguer and a prospect.
December 9 – Tijuana trades for Dallas' SP Jonas Mejia (64-79, 4.23 ERA), giving up three prospects.
December 10 – The Raccoons trade for Oklahoma City's OF/1B Omar Millan (.275, 14 HR, 176 RBI), parting with MR Jonathan Snyder (17-16, 2.79 ERA, 129 SV) and $100k in cash.
December 10 – At age 38, the career Scorpion 3B Jason LaCombe (.322, 29 HR, 775 RBI) signs a 2-yr, $6.72M contract with the Pacifics.
December 10 – The Loggers trade CL Joe Moore (22-31, 2.89 ERA, 135 SV) to the Pacifics, along with cash, for two prospects.

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Millan is a 25-year-old Dominican outfielder that fits the current team philosophy in that he is variously employable on all three outfield positions, plus first base, and can rob other teams blind on the base paths. He puts the ball in play, striking out at rather low rates, and also draws a few walks, but he is really a fourth outfielder for us – as he was for the Thunder. He might also start a few games here and there against right-handed pitching, probably in leftfield.

Now, Jonathan Snyder is quite a tall price for Millan. Although I was not very subtle on that I soured on him quite a bit in recent times, he was still a very dependable reliever. But the Raccoons have many of those, and where did the best bullpen in the league get them? Exactly, they finished third. Millan is not going to be Eddie Jackson (who batted right-handed), but he is definitely hitting above the weight class of, say, Greg Borg.

There is considerable competition for the good jobs behind Josh Boles and Ricky Ohl in the bullpen even with Snyder's lamentable departure. There is Kevin Surginer, and Dan McLin, who really broke out in the second half, and Billy Brotman and Jeff Kearney, and then a real battle for the garbage spot. We have Jonathan Fleischer, who admittedly pairs big league stuff with bear league control for 15 walks and 14 strikeouts in 15.2 major league innings over two seasons; we also have Steve Costilow, a fifth-rounder from 2023, who has Fleischer's control, but not his stuff; somehow Juan Barzaga is still drawing paychecks a month removed from being in the organization for 15 years after signing out of the Dominican at age 16, but who had only amounted to 74 big league innings in all that time, with a 4.26 ERA as the result of that.

Or, you know, the free agent market. Speaking of which… there is more that didn't make the cut.

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December 11 – The Raccoons and OF/1B Abel Mora (.271, 99 HR, 531 RBI) agree to a new 3-yr, $3.9M deal.

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Mora gambled on the free agent market, and somehow found no takers despite a rather stripped outfield market. He wanted 6-yr, $13M before filing for free agency. I might have agreed to something like 4-yr, $7M or maybe $8M. Well, now, after a pronounced episode of The Panic, he gets 3-yr, not even $4M. Don't get me wrong, I am glad, because centerfielders with power are not something that fall onto your feet every day…

But please don't tell him that I did a lewd victory dance once he left the room after signing his new contract. Or that I pulled my hip doing so. Mena…! MENAAAA…!! … It hurts…!

What is it, Cristiano? – No, Daniel Bullock won't come back, too.

Weird. He's not asking about his brother at all.