[Westheim]

December 16 – The Canadiens sign ex-OCT SP Juan Ramos (163-117, 3.53 ERA) to a 3-yr, $17.7M deal.
December 19 – The Miners keep making additions with ex-LAP/SAC SP Brad Blankenship (71-94, 3.81 ERA), who signs for three years and $8.72M.
December 20 – Similar story for former Knights SP Brian Buttress (88-60, 3.24 ERA), landing with the Miners on a 2-yr, $11.6M contract.

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By Christmas, the Miners had managed to forfeit two first-round picks to the Knights. They had forfeited their own #20 pick by signing Anton Venegas, and gave up the #22 pick originally owned by the Thunder when they signed Brian Buttress as well. The Thunder had given up their first-round pick to the Miners in the interim by adding Ed Soberanes. The Thunder still had a first round pick, the #23 surrendered by the damn Elks for signing Juan Ramos.

Yes, this is the sort of stuff we employ Cristiano Carmona for, because I can’t be bothered to track that…

The Raccoons were trapped for a bit in second gear. I offered up Bubba Wolinsky, Julian Ponce, and a few other non-trivial pieces (I’d get sneered at for even shopping Matt Glodowski f.e.) repeatedly during and after the winter meetings, but no good deal materialized. There was no interest in Ponce, Lamotta, and a few others. Bubba had suitors, but the returns were not *great*.

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December 23 – The Pacifics sign free agent OF/1B Celio Umbreiro (.214, 10 HR, 283 RBI) to a 2-yr, $4.56M contract. The 33-year-old Umbreiro spent the last two years with Dallas.
December 24 – Pittsburgh again – this time they add C Dan Whitley (.247, 49 HR, 297 RBI) for 2-yr, $8.24M. Whitley split 2050 between the Crusaders and Rebels.
December 26 – Who else, the Miners! One of the more lopsided offseasons continues with the addition of ex-BOS UT Chris Jimenez (.275, 49 HR, 360 RBI) on a 7-yr, $30.12M contract.
December 30 – Former Bayhawks SP Kevin Nolte (96-72, 3.77 ERA), the 2048 CL Pitcher of the Year, signs a 5-yr, $27.5M contract with the … yes, Miners.

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Not sure when the last time was a team forfeited a fifth-round pick, but that’s what the Bayhawks got for their type A free agent. At that point the Miners' total added salary commitments since the offseason properly began mounted up to $139.26M …

The Coons? A sly $6,123,000.

Hey, it was enough to be ranked third in offseason WAR gains by BNN as the year ended.

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2051 HALL OF FAME VOTING

The Hall of Fame found four new members in 2051, two of them former Raccoons:

Alberto Ramos spent almost his entire professional career with the Raccoons, save for a few ill-advised pinch-hitting assignments by the Thunder at age 37. The Raccoons signed him out of the Dominican Republic, then gradually watched him debut at 19 years old in ’25, and go from agile shortstop and base-stealing threat of the highest order to a mortally obese defensive liability in his later years. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 2026, World Series rings in that year and 2028, a batting title in 2033, and six stolen base titles between 2028 and 2035. He earned himself three Platinum Sticks and six All Star nominations, but never a Gold Glove. For his career he batted .299/.388/.362 with 20 HR and 703 RBI, but stole 677 bases.

The career profile of Enrique Trevino was not at all dissimilar to that of Ramos. Here was another singles-slapping, base-stealing pain in the bum, and for six years, from 2037 and 2042, him and Ramos even overlapped in their Raccoons tenures. Debuting two years after Ramos, Trevino also held on for two years more, with the bulk of his career spent with the Capitals. He never won a batting title, but eight stolen base titles, six with the Caps and two with the Coons. He led the FL in hits three times, won three Platinum Sticks (consecutively for second base in the FL from 2029-31), and a World Series with the 2035 Caps. He was an All Star four times and batted .319/.363/.408 for his career, with 47 HR and 955 RBI, as well as 708 stolen bases.

Danny Cruz spent 17 years in the majors, the majority of those as a Thunder first baseman before quickly visiting three other towns at the end of his career. He made a single appearance away from first base (third), while being one of the prime power hitters in the 2030s. He won the 2039 CL Player of the Year award, which was also one of two times he led the league in OPS, and one of five times he won the home run title in the CL. He also led the league twice in doubles and RBIs, but never seriously challenged for a batting title, topping the .300 mark in a qualifying season just twice in his career. Defensively he was adept enough to notch a Gold Glove as a 27-year-old, and in 2043 he snatched a ring with the Bayhawks, which was also the last season he was a full-time player. Overall he batted .273/.371/.460 with 355 HR and 1,230 RBI.

Andy Hyden had the career of a journeyman closer, at least after he spent his first eight years with the Cyclones, after which he also appeared for the Miners, Warriors, Crusaders, Bayhawks, and Capitals. He was a high-strikeout closer in his earlier years before getting finer at the end, topping 10 K/9 seven times before age 34. He was the 2036 CL Reliever of the Year, an All Star seven times, and won three saves titles with three different teams, and in both leagues (2034 Cyclones, 2038 Miners, 2043 Crusaders). The right-hander appeared in exactly 1,100 major league games, all in relief, and struck out 1,164 batters in 1,173.1 innings. Unusual for a closer, he finished his career with an even record, 88-88, and a 3.05 ERA along with 538 saves.

Full voting results:

POR SS Alberto Ramos – 3rd – 91.4 – INDUCTED
WAS 2B Enrique Trevino – 1st – 88.4 – INDUCTED
OCT 1B Danny Cruz – 1st – 81.5 – INDUCTED
CIN CL Andy Hyden – 1st – 77.5 – INDUCTED
??? CL Josh Boles – 2nd – 39.4
SFW 2B Mario Colon – 1st – 14.9
LAP CF Justin Fowler – 6th – 12.9
SFW C Ethan McCullar – 1st – 10.6
TIJ SP Jeff Little – 9th – 8.6
SAL SP Ryan Bedrosian – 1st – 7.6
BOS LF Willie Vega – 3rd – 7.3
TOP SP David Elliott – 5th – 5.6
SFB SP Josh Long – 1st – 4.6 – DROPPED
??? CL Ray Andrews – 3rd – 4.6 – DROPPED
??? SP Andy Bressner – 4th – 4.3 – DROPPED
IND CL Tim Thweatt – 1st – 1.3 – DROPPED
SAL SP Brandon Nickerson – 1st – 1.0 – DROPPED
??? CL Steve Bailey – 1st – 1.0 – DROPPED
CIN LF Dick Oshiita – 1st – 1.0 – DROPPED
TIJ SP Juan Garcia – 2nd – 1.0 – DROPPED