[Bluellama44]

FYI: Who is the active leader in career RBI?

Chris Ifkovits, WAS, 1268
Adam Williams, BOS, 1123
Jonathan Olivencia, LAK, 908
Vinny Grande, WAS, 898
David Osma, BAL, 889

(11/27/1969) - The first big name free agent to sign ends up being the biggest name in the class, SP Reed Ward. He agreed to terms on a 7 year, $1.778M deal with the Detroit Wolves. He finished 3rd in Hurrelbrink Award voting last year.

We find ourselves on the 10th day of free agency. With Ward off the table and other big names currently being bid on, this is our time to reach out to under-the-radar players we could use. The first player we looked at was 25 year old 2B Brady Weinstein. Playing in AA last year, Weinstein hit .330 in 37 games before losing the rest of his season to injury. He plays a position we need, so I offered him a 1 year, $30K contract with the intent of playing him in AAA and calling him up if he's needed. We offered Nate Stone, a 33 year old SS, a 1 year, $50K deal. He hit only .214 in 92 games last year, but his .291 BA the year before and lack of K's suggest it was a result of bad luck. Stone also should be a threat on the basepaths and is still a solid defender at 33 years old. Lupe Salas, a 30 year old RP, has a nasty slider that he used to put up a 2.88 ERA 2 years ago. He was offered a 1 year, $45K contract. The final contract we extended was a 1 year, $55K offer to SP Jonathan Ellis. Although he's already 36, Ellis is an extremely solid pitcher and contacted me about wanting to play with us. He went 12-14 with a 3.32 ERA last year. He'd be our temporary Fuentes replacement in the event that he gets traded......

Speaking of that:

Fresno Raisin Bears Ship Fuentes to Washington The Fresno Bee - November 28th, 1969

Reports have surfaced that Fresno has agreed to send 32-year-old LHP Danny Fuentes, 21-year-old minor league 2B Noah Peacock, 25-year-old minor league CF Jeff Whetham and 26-year-old minor league C Naoichi Abe to the Washington Senators in exchange for 23-year-old C Michelangelo Martinez, 26-year-old 3B Ryan Hartman, 28-year-old RHP Bobby Long and 27-year-old RHP Alex Martinez. "It's a done deal," said Fresno GM Michael De Luca. "I'm surprised word got around so quickly. We just signed off on this an hour ago." The deal apparently is awaiting physicals before an official announcement is made by either team.

Fresno will retain a portion of Fuentes's remaining contract.

In his career, Fuentes has crafted a 81-96 mark with a 3.18 ERA and tossed 1809 innings. Opposing clubs are batting .240 against him and he has 1352 strikeouts. Michelangelo Martinez is ranked as the #6 catching prospect in the GLB.

I love this trade for us. I spoke about Martinez previously, but for anyone who's forgotten what he's all about: "Martinez, who was 23 last year, was called up by Washington in September and hit just .192 in limited time. Despite his struggles, Martinez excels at putting good pitches in play and has excellent discipline. I wouldn't be surprised if he puts up OBPs around .370, which I'm more than happy with paying a premium for at the catcher position." Ryan Hartman hit .263 with a .364 OBP last year in AAA, smashing 27 HRs while driving in 95 runs in the process. I plan to let him start at 3B for us in Fresno on Opening Day. Bobby Long and Alex Martinez are two solid SPs, but they'll never headline the rotation. The rotation, as it stands: Nick Kain, Jose Mora, Bobby Long, Alex Martinez. If Ellis signs, he'd slot in at the #1 spot. The acquisition of our new catcher makes 2 of Jon Pimentel, Travis McConnell and Teodoro Ceraolo expendable and available for trade, as I plan to make Martinez our starting catcher on Opening Day. Perhaps I could include one of them in a deal with Pedro Carbajal for a solid young SP?