[Westheim]

December 9 – The Raccoons ink 28-year-old left-handed Japanese free agent SP Sadaharu Okuda to a 3-yr, $3M contract.
December 10 – Tijuana acquires SP Matt Schwartz (14-17, 4.38 ERA) from the Falcons in exchange for two prospects.
December 10 – The Crusaders acquire SP/MR Justin Salerno (5-5, 3.60 ERA, 1 SV) from the Scorpions for a prospect.
December 11 – 29-year-old OF/1B Rich de Luna (.305, 30 HR, 495 RBI) is sent from the Capitals to the Rebels for 2B/3B Jon Loyola (.240, 51 HR, 253 RBI) and a prospect.
December 13 – The Indians send SP Luke Moses (21-31, 4.17 ERA) to the Falcons for two prospects.
December 19 – RF Troy Greenway (.278, 213 HR, 716 RBI) had split time between Topeka and Nashville in 2043, and will continue his tour of the FL East with a new 2-yr, $6.24M contract from the Miners.
December 21 – Left-handed SP Brian Buttress, age 27, who spent all his life in Korea, signs a 7-yr, $27.48M contract with the Knights.
December 22 – Ex-Scorpion SP Danny Orozco (70-92, 4.14 ERA) inks a 3-yr, $9.72M contract with the Miners.
December 25 – Former Bayhawks OF Mike Hall (.289, 48 HR, 506 RBI) brings his World Series ring to Topeka for $20M over seven years.
December 29 – The Blue Sox add ex-DAL CL Chris Henry (74-89, 2.90 ERA, 458 SV) on a 3-year deal worth $8.64M.
January 3 – The Gold Sox snatch former Titans right-hander Ryan Kinner (49-56, 3.93 ERA) on a 2-yr, $2.68M deal.
January 5 – The Blue Sox get more pitching, trading for the Aces’ SP Tim Steinbach (11-25, 4.30 ERA), parting with two prospects.

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Okuda was a very nice steady left-hander from Japan that should seamlessly fit in with the rest of the rotation. Perhaps we didn’t have a true ace (but hey, claws crossed on Wheats, huh?), but we had five good to strong starters, and a bullpen that promised to be incredibly stingy. Couple all of that with a very good defense, and hopefully enough offense to maybe outscore our own shadows…

Merino was reassigned to AAA for seasoning and would probably be first in line should ill things befall one of the five starters. That left Angelo Montano as the only spare pitcher on the extended roster.

Other Raccoons with new dens: Travis Sims got 2-yr, $648k from the Gold Sox (bless them); Terry Garrigan goes to Boston for $368k; the Buffaloes sent Matt Kilgallen an invitation worth $356k;

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2044 HALL OF FAME BALLOT

Nobody was elected to the Hall of Fame this year, although first-ballot candidate SP Mark Roberts scratched past induction by just a handful of votes, landing at 73.6%.

??? SP Mark Roberts – 1st – 73.6
MIL SP Chris Sinkhorn – 6th – 35.3
TIJ SP Jeff Little – 2nd – 29.5
SFW SS Jamie Wilson – 9th – 17.9
??? C Mike Burgess – 1st – 15.2
SFW CF Pedro Cisneros – 1st – 13.7
PIT C J.J. Henley – 4th – 10.6
??? Kevin Harenberg – 2nd – 7.0
TOP CL Mike Baker – 7th – 6.7
BOS MR Julio San Pedro – 1st – 6.7
OCT SS Alex Serrato – 2nd – 5.2
WAS C David Lessman – 3rd – 4.0 – DROPPED
NYC CL Travis Giordano – 1st – 3.0 – DROPPED
NYC 3B Andy Schmit – 2nd – 2.7 – DROPPED
ATL SP Mario Rosas – 2nd – 2.4 – DROPPED
??? MR Adam Moran – 1st – 2.4 – DROPPED
TOP SP Nick Danieley – 1st – 2.1 – DROPPED
DEN C Jeremiah Brooks – 1st – 0.3 – DROPPED