[Westheim]

December 22 – The Condors sign former Portland INF Rich Monck (.289, 212 HR, 746 RBI) to a 5-year, $21.76M contract. The Raccoons receive a first-round pick and a supplemental round pick for compensation.
December 23 – The Miners sign away former Caps closer Jason Rhodes (48-46, 3.28 ERA, 251 SV) on a 3-year, $8.76M deal.
December 24 – Just off the Titans, 1B Bill Joyner (.317, 214 HR, 1,171 RBI), 39 years old, signs a 2-year, $9.52M contract with the Rebels.
December 24 – Indy brings in SP Adam Molloy (15-12, 3.80 ERA, 1 SV), who pitched for both the Rebels and Miners in 2067, in a trade that leaves the Miners with #80 prospect (though the status would expire for next year) 1B Mike White (.228, 3 HR, 11 RBI) and another unranked prospect.
December 25 – The Pacifics sign ex-POR C Ramon Lopez (.268, 81 HR, 431 RBI) to a 4-year, $13.48M contract. The Raccoons receive a supplemental-round pick for compensation.
December 26 – SP Matt Asplund (61-53, 3.65 ERA), somehow already a type-A free agent at age 26, signs a 6-year, $44M contract with the Cyclones after leaving the Gold Sox.
December 27 – The Thunder sign up ex-VAN SP Ken Nielsen (85-65, 3.33 ERA) on a 4-year, $31M contract.
December 28 – The Thunder make it two in a row with another former Canadien, CL Jon McGinley (48-47, 3.19 ERA, 272 SV), who signs a 2-year, $10.56M contract.
January 2 – The Pacifics acquire OF David Blackham (.259, 19 HR, 89 RBI) from the Bayhawks for a pair of prospects.

+++

The Raccoons had BIG LUCK there, boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! We inherited the #21 pick from the Condors, but remember that they had previously already fudged away their second- and third-round selections, the latter infamously for Jason Brenize, and their own first-round pick was #7, right behind the Coons’ own #6 pick for 2068, and was thus protected. But the Condors in between their wild signing spree in early December and the Monck signing later on had seen Matt Ewig being signed by the Thunder, giving the Condors the Thunder’s forfeitable #21 pick – and that was what the Raccoons got now!

Wow!

I’m sweating. Also, compare that to the damn Elks, who had their two type A free agents, Nielsen and McGinley, signed for the Thunder’s second- and third-round selections. Yeah, the Thunder basically weren’t gonna draft in 2068!

There have not been any news on our own pursuit of additional pitching, except that the price tags keep getting bigger. Not to worry – there are still a few millions in the coffers.

Other former Furballs having new teams include: Angel Alba signing with Sacramento for two years and $3M; the Loggers got Sean Sweeton for $770k; and the Loggers also went out and gave Nick Robinson $3.92M over two years;

The Raccoons broke with the pathetic tradition of the last few years and named a closer for the new season, and it was acquisition Pedro Valentin who was designated as the new closer – although we’d remain flexible in the late innings, and would not shy back from using Valentin in the eighth and McMahan in the ninth if things aligned to make that the easier matchup.