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GLB News: Free Agents File: Free agency is upon us. GLB Daily - November 19th, 1969

Teams, players and pundits who follow Golden League of Baseball will be thrust headlong into a whirlpool of intrigue and uncertainty. The free agent signing period will continue throughout the offseason as some clubs will go a long way toward sealing up a championship -- or a spot in the cellar.

The magic, the unpredictability of hot stove baseball, is fascinating to the fan; particularly the fan whose team comes out on top!

This year's list of free agents is highlighted by these players:


Sandy Acosta, 31 year-old SS
Reed Ward, 29 year-old RH SP
David Paez, 32 year-old LF
John Freeman, 33 year-old CF
Eduardo Morales, 30 year-old RF
Mike Fernandes, 31 year-old 3B
Luis Sanchez, 31 year-old C
Jeff Nobles, 35 year-old RH SP
Erik Boser, 35 year-old RH SP
Jon Cook, 29 year-old 2B

Reed Ward is definitely the most intriguing player on this list, but with a demand for a contract in the 250K range, we can guarantee Fresno won't be his destination. A surefire Hall of Famer, Ward had his worst season in 4 seasons last year, going 19-11 with a 2.49 ERA and 240 Ks. During his time with Dallas (the team that drafted him), Ward went 145-62 with a 2.38 ERA and 1715 Ks. He's a 6 time All Star, 4 time Hurrelbrink Award winner, 1 time Ed Day Award winner and a 2 time Picknell Series champion. Shortstop is certainly a position we need to fill, and there are no shortages of them in this FA class. Ex-Seattle Metro Sandy Acosta and ex-Philadelphia Liberty player Miguel Rosales are considered elite shortstops, but we once again don't have the available funds to land one of the class-headliners. Luis Sanchez would be an excellent option at the catcher position, but we already have 3 capable catchers and may be trading for another. Jon Cook, Erik Boser, Jeff Nobles, Joel Letona, Mike Fernandes and Mario Flores are all mid-tier players at positions we need to fill, but are still expensive. When you have a lot of open spaces in your team, you don't want to spend all your money on filling one.

Before we start extending offers, I want to let some of the big spenders throw some of their cash at the big names, leaving us some cheaper, lower-tier players. Also, it appears that our biggest signing has already been made...

Fresno Signs ex-Chicago Relief Pitching Legend Dustin Malone To Be Their Manager. GLB Daily - November 19th, 1969

Just 4 hours after the Golden League of Baseball's free agents filed, 43-year-old former RP Dustin Malone has agreed to a 3 year, $75K contract extended by Fresno earlier this winter. 1970 will be his first season managing, and he will start off his career by taking on the worst team in baseball. "I was on-board with the offer the Raisin Bears proposed, and I think more big changes are coming to this team. I fully believe Fresno fans will see winning baseball in the near future. The organization is headed in the right direction." Perhaps Dustin had a bit too much to drink? We may find that out in his introductory press conference tomorrow, which will take place in a remote location somewhere in California called Raisin Bears Ballpark. Hey people, we have more important things to cover, like the story behind Austin Wyss and the papercut on his thumb. Stay tuned!

Well, I guess we know their priorities now... Anyway, welcome to Fresno, Dustin!