[Westheim]

All off-seasons end eventually, even this one. Although the Raccoons were still on the phone in March, mostly because that righty backup outfield thing dragged along and along and along… The signing didn’t come together until halfway through training camp and with just two weeks to go before the new season.

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March 21 – The Raccoons bring back 36-year-old OF Oscar Caballero (.269, 79 HR, 675 RBI), who spent a season and a half with Portland previously, on a $1.9M contract.
April 1 – One feather hat for another: longtime Indians LF/RF/1B Bill Quinteros (.269, 320 HR, 1,232 RBI), age 38, signs a 2-yr, $11.53M contract with the Warriors, four days before Opening Day.

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Caballero still had defense and speed and added another switch-hitting bat to the roster. He only hit .246 with four homers for Sacramento last year, but was smitten with a BABIP almost 50 points under his usual range while doing so. Caballero would be a veteran presence on the roster, juuuust a little more glue from a 15th-year player.

#16 was returned to Caballero. Forbes Tomlin would get something else, should he be called up again. Last time around Caballero left the Raccoons by being traded to the Crusaders, along with Kennedy Adkins, for Justin DeRose and J.J. Sensabaugh (yaaay). Adkins’ career had since fallen apart, so at least we didn’t lose that trade… Todd Oley, just added back to the 40-man for the Rule 5 draft, ended up on waivers yet again to make room on the 40-man roster for Caballero.

That also ended speculations about whether we’d add a pricey third baseman at long last. There was only a small reserve of about $1.6M left in the budget, plus whatever amount of cookie dough we had in loose cash. Third base would be filled by that odd switch/switch platoon of Gonzales and Benitez. That, and the Caballero signing, filled up all the roster spots available on the position player side.

Also: Brett Lillis jr. joined the Condors on a 3-yr, $2.63M contract; Raffy de la Cruz got $468k from the Indians;