[Westheim]

January was spent clawing back and forth passive-aggressive messages with the Thunder. The Raccoons wanted to shed some more of their lousy ’52 pen for maybe the odd prospect or two. The Thunder wished to part with 37-year-old Ramon Sifuentes after triggering his vesting 2053 option for $1.7M in the first place. Now, he had hit .291 with 11 homers and was still playing a solid third base, so there was nothing profoundly wrong with taking him on for his age 38 season (he hatched in February of 2015). Defensively he had still done decently at the hot corner in the past season, surely passing the eyeball test.

Cristiano, if you want to show me a chart with some silly numbers, I’ll fold it up and hit you over the head with it.

Thing was that the package wasn’t coming together. The Thunder had few prospects of value to begin with, and while they’d merrily trade Sifuentes for Justin Johns, f.e., they wouldn’t do Sifuentes and prospect Jake Griggs for Johns and another reliever or other piece, or even two pieces (we had surplus catching, too).

This was when Victor Salcido would have been enough to close the deal, but I was still resisting. The bugger had pitched not one, but TWO no-hitters, how could he possibly bust at age 25…??

Cristiano, if you show me a chart with some silly numbers, I’ll crumble it up and stuff it up where no sun ever shines.

While I didn’t have any actual plan what to do with Salcido come April (rotation, pen, AAA, sideloading as a hot dog vendor?), I also learned some grim truths about Kevin Hitchcock’s value, which seemed to be about zero, or just below that. The Thunder categorically refused him, and no team offered *anything* when I dangled him on the shopping line – multiple times. He was far from the ideal closer, but the Hessian had put together seasons with ERA’s of 1.89, 2.20, and 2.72; getting worse for sure, but certainly workable!? No? Am I the mad one, yet again?

Cristiano, if you show me one more chart with silly numbers, I’ll roll it up and cram it up where you usually put your catheters.

Slight side complication? When the Raccoons signed Kevin Daley they never said no when he casually remarked that he’d be their best closer in recent memory, because we expected to clear space at the meaty end of the pen in a trade. Also, the 40-man roster was full and there was nowhere to put Daley. (cough) In the end, Prospero Tenazes ended up on waivers when Daley’s 10-day grace period waiting for assignment ran out, and just as the Sifuentes deal finally fell through.

+++

January 12 – The Wolves sign ex-SFB MR Brad Barnes (32-25, 3.79 ERA, 93 SV) to a 3-yr, $5.4M contract.
January 26 – The Aces acquire SP Juan Mercado (21-16, 4.17 ERA) in a trade with the Stars, who receive a prospect.
January 31 – Dallas signs up ex-DEN MR Brian Shan (40-18, 2.95 ERA, 51 SV) for three years and $8.56M.