[Westheim]

No rotation, no pen, no offense, and no (real) dosh to spend; looked like an impossible offseason, and maybe it was. We had already tried swapping Nakayama, Monck, and Starr right after the World Series, but had not found any takers at that point, and of course their contracts hadn’t gone down in the meantime. Monck had the biggest contract on the team now, making $5M in his contract year. Jaden Wilson had three years of $4.5M each going, Ramon Lopez was also in a contract year and making $4M, and after that came Nakayama with three years at $3.6M each, and then would still be under team control for another year. Joel Starr’s three years of $3.3M each (including a team option) completed the set of players that made more than $1.6M in ’67, so this wasn’t an overly expensive team to begin with – it was just that our budget was shot. Jose Corral had of course been signed to an extension that would eventually pay him $3.2M a year, but that in the future; this year he’d make $1.4M. There were only nine seven-figure earners on the team, including complete busts Quinones and Arellano, and only 13 guys that made more than the minimum…

There were 13 pitchers left on the extended roster after the free agency walk day, of which all of three were qualified starting pitchers that were going to be ready on Opening Day: Nakayama, Nick Walla, and Tony Gaytan; Chance Fox was expected to miss the opener. Beyond that you had a bullpen with Dover, McMahan, Alvey (or starter because poverty?), and then … uh… Josh C and Yamauchi…? We also had Vinny Morales around, who had definitely not given us signals that he was capable of playing in the majors at this stage, as well as Barton, Soriano, and Quinones.

The extended roster held 16 position players, including catchers Lopez, Jake Flowe, and Arellano (oh boy!); Starr, Novelo, and Monck as infield regulars with Arantes, Bonner, and Arredondo piling on top of each other for the second base job; and in the outfield Wilson and Corral in center and right, and then a right old mess of lefty-hitting corner outfielders Spicer, Colter, and Bentley, plus right-handed whiffer Marquise Early, and don’t forget super utility Randy Tallent.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…

Starr and Monck were dangled again in late November. Starr’s contract looked rather dead; the Falcons would exchange the $30M+ owed to Edgar Mauricio for it, but apart from that things looked dire. Monck’s situation was a bit less dire, with at least SOME offers, although those were also of the “contract’s not really worth it anymore” variant, although there were a few guys that could hit, including the Condors’ Andy Metz and the Titans’ Bill Joyner on offer. Those, however, were both first basemen, and we already couldn’t get rid of the one we currently had.

There was also this fixed idea in my head to move Spicer to first base where he could do less damage on defense, or so I chose to pretend. Out of curiosity we then dangled Spicer, to which the Indians responded with offering 25-year-old power hitter Justin Dowsey. He had ripped 28 homers in 2065, but just 15 this past season, despite getting more at-bats. He looked defensively competent, at least more so than Spicer. Cristiano Carmona was begging me to flip the switch, which automatically made me hold back.

No, Cristiano, I don’t wanna do it! – No, stop dialing the phone!! – Cristiano, make its top tooting! – Cristiano, I don’t– Hull-loo…?

+++

November 23 – The Indians trade CF/RF Eddy Ramirez (.245, 56 HR, 241 RBI) and $763k in cash to the Pacifics in exchange for OF/SS/1B Sam Dixon (.250, 3 HR, 21 RBI) and a prospect.
November 24 – The Knights make the first big free agent signing of the winter, pouncing on ex-CIN INF Jorge Munoz (.254, 18 HR, 221 RBI), one of the best OBP players in the league, for $42.2M over seven years.
November 25 – The Raccoons trade LF/RF/1B Malcolm Spicer (.284, 2 HR, 81 RBI), the twice-defending CL stolen base champion, and RF/LF/1B John Bentley (.308, 7 HR, 26 RBI) to the Indians for LF/RF/1B Justin Dowsey (.265, 44 HR, 173 RBI) and #63 prospect SP Gabriel Rios (0-1, 2.57 ERA, 1 SV).
November 28 – After two years with the Crusaders, 36-year-old SP Ricardo Montoya (180-75, 2.68 ERA) crosses the front lines and signs a $4.44M contract with the Titans.
November 29 – Indy acquires SP Danny Nava (29-22, 3.73 ERA) from Denver for two prospects.
November 29 – Boston picks up 2B/1B Jeremy White (.263, 22 HR, 112 RBI) from the Bayhawks for 3B Phil Macomber (.259, 22 HR, 141 RBI) and a prospect.
November 29 – The Canadiens get 3B/RF Danny Soto (.202, 7 HR, 44 RBI) from the Rebels for 2B/3B Hsi-chuen Yue (.238, 9 HR, 74 RBI).
November 30 – The Indians bring back their former catcher Alex Gomez (.249, 128 HR, 625 RBI), after two years in Vegas, on a 4-year, $21.12M deal.
December 1 – The Raccoons add free agent INF Mike Roberts (.240, 17 HR, 279 RBI), a career Aces infielder, for a nice round $1M.
December 1 – Rule 5 Draft: 15 players change teams in the selection process. The Raccoons draft #94 prospect CL Jason Holzmeister from the Falcons.

+++

(makes big black googly eyes)

Every time there’s a police car siren going off in town now, I duck behind the couch, because I feel like they’re coming to get me. The Indians trade feels like such a robbery! What were they thinking??? (squeals) Look at Rios!! (squeals higher) Look at him!! Why?? How??

Yes, this will totally ruin our stolen base tally in 2067. Apart from that we replace two poor lefty-hitting corner outfielders with one that can actually hit, and do we dare to plonk Rios right in the rotation??

I am almost excited now!! (runs around the office, tail flying, and screaming with his paws in the air)

The Raccoons ALMOST brought back Trent Brassfield, now 34 years old, in the Rule 5 Draft, where he was left unprotected by the Capitals after spending the entire 2066 season in AAA, where he hit .319 with 11 homers. However, we took the right-handed Holzmeister, who was WAY underdone, with our first selection and then the Condors swooped in and grabbed Brass for themselves. The idea was less stupid than it sounded; the Raccoons needed a solid right-handed outfield bat for the bench, and Brass still had a glove.

Regarding departed Raccoons: Cruz Madrid got $610k from the Condors; the Stars would throw $1.022M over two years at Ubaldo Piteira; Pedro Mendoza signed for $1.02M and two years with the Titans;

(hears sirens in the distance and scrambles to behind the trusty brown couch)