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Art Deco · 09-26-2025, 02:14 PM

Notable retirements: Well Wander Franco hung up the spikes and as a result the Rays have retired his #5. Of course things were quite different in this alternate universe. Franco spent 17 years with the Rays (2021-37) before finishing his career with Boston and Oakland. He retired with 2,774 hits, 320 homers and 68 career WAR and is a likely Hall of Famer in five or so years.

Others: Ronald Acuna Jr (Atlanta retired #13), Kian Manmano, who hit 574 homers and the Nationals retired his #24, Royce Lewis, Spencer Torkelson, Corbin Carroll, former Ray Shane Panzini, former Ray John Swanda, Casey Mize.

Some news:

Yes 5/225 is a lot to give a player on the wrong side of 30 but 10-WAR players don't grow on trees.

Awards Season:

Gold Gloves: Begley and his 21.1 ZR at SS took the AL nod and Danny Rivera won again in RF for the fourth straight time.

Reliever of the Year: LA's Jonathan Hills (7-5, 2.45, 14 saves, 2.4 WAR) won in the AL while New York's Brad Jones (51 saves, 2.04 ERA, 90 K in 70 IP) took the NL nod.

Silver Sluggers: Begley took home his second but not last piece of hardware by winning the AL SS award.

Rookie of the Year: Baltimore 1B Tony Cardoso (.260-44-108) won in the AL while Milwaukee LF Alex Rivera (.324-13-54) prevailed in the NL.

Cy Young: In the AL it was this guy:

We traded one of our key hitters in Luis Berumen for him last winter and the deal more than worked out for us. Morales took a respectable third with 3 first-place votes, one of which was mine.

In the NL, the Cy belongs to Washington's Andy Williamson, who took 28 first-place votes after a 18-9, 2.69, 251-K (in 231 IP) and 6.3 WAR season.

MVP: As if there were any doubt:

The only surprise is that Begley wasn't unanimous since he was 3.2 WAR ahead of the field, which Williams topped. Williams did have an absurd offensive season: .341-44-148 and would be MVP-worthy in most seasons.

The NL winner was unanimous as El Paso's John Natson hit .324-60-127, good for a 1.108 OPS and 9.6 WAR.

More news:

He may have finished third in the Cy voting, but he's first in our hearts and back for 6 years (I've lost my mind, I've never given a pitcher that long a deal):

We have a $200M payroll so we're spending like a big market team, keeping our stars.

November 26: In arbitration news, Danny Rivera and Tony Fisher are each getting about $1M more than we offered after winning their cases. And Danny Arroyave turned down the qualifying offer as expected and will become a free agent, likely netting us a supplemental 1st-rounder. Also, I decided not to tender SP Mike Blake as $5.5M seemed too much for a pitcher that ran an ERA well into the 4s on an elite defensive team like ours. Sebastian Burns is my first choice to replace him although Moises Baca is a possibility. We also may trade for one. So in the end we have $32M to spend.

December 2: Our first trade of the winter, albeit a minor one:

Herndon was Rule 5-eligible and going nowhere with a glut of OFs in the upper levels of the system, and in return we get a useful utility player in Green, who can play all over the IF and OF, hit some with decent pop and can draw walks. He's likely ticketed for Durham.

December 5: Another trade, this time netting us our 5th starter:

Paquette was 15-11, 4.48 in 203 innings (2.2 WAR) for the Brewers, a workhorse who's rated 45/70/60 and should thrive with our excellent D behind him. He's an upgrade on the departed Mike Blake. Pepin was acquired in a deal with the Mets two years ago and well down our 1B depth chart although he does have 60 potential power.

December 7: The first of our free agents signs elsewhere as 1B Salvatore Garza, a playoff flop for us but still an elite slugger, went for 4/75 to Texas which seems on the low side.

December 8: To quote Michael Corleone, "Today I settle all family business". Three significant trades incoming:

#1:

Anyone who's followed along here has heard mention ad nauseum about how many overqualified 1B/DH types we have at the top of the system (MLB, AAA). Monts will be out of options come the spring so we had to keep him or deal him, so we dealt him. Of course we dealt him for another 1B but Olvera is a 2-year MLB vet with the potential to be better. He's earned 2.9 and 2.6 WAR the last two years and has hit 53 homers for Atlanta, but he has perhaps the best eye in baseball, drawing 101 and 115 walks in that time frame. Unfortunately his BA has been .235 and .245 but he's rated 55 contact with 60 potential so I'm convinced he's better than that. Also he has 60 power but with 65 potential so I'm banking on a breakout. Monts is kind of his opposite - he should hit close to .300 with 20-25 HR power, but will draw about 35-40 walks.

#2:

And since Olvera is a LH 1B, that meant there was no room for Duron, who hit decently last year in his rookie season and is rated 65/60 so he commanded a lot of interest in the trade market. So much so that LA was willing to deal us a player who was ranked as high as the #6 prospect overall before losing his rookie eligibility in Solorzano. And this is why he was ranked #6:

He backed that up by hitting 295/359/474 in 190 AB for the Angels, good for 1.4 WAR in that limited sample. Of course we already have a fine 2B in Justin Blackwell, but he's a free agent after the upcoming season. What likely happens is that Solorzano takes the backup MI job from Isaiah Jackson, who does have an option left (but doesn't deserve a demotion). But we have our 2B of the future, a potential star to team with our current star Begley or........we move Blackwell to fill our 3B hole (where's he rated 50 with 60 potential once he gets some PT there) and start Solorzano.

#3:

Or....we fill our 3B hole with one of the best young 3B in the game. Gonzalez hit 313/358/510 with 18 homers in 335 AB for KC and earned 2.5 WAR as a rookie and also was a top-100 prospect. He's rated 55/60 with 65 contact potential. The only negative is that he's an average defensive 3B at best and maybe a bit below. Not that Danny Arroyave was a Gold Glover and Gonzalez can potentially mash like him anyway. Arevalo is another fine player who was blocked at AAA for us and he's essentially a younger, cheaper version of Danny Rivera with the plus glove and a possibly better bat, at least from a BA standpoint. He was also out of options and didn't have a place in our OF so we almost had to deal him.

So in the end we deal three players from our 1B/OF glut for 3/4 of our starting infield for the next several years, all of whom could turn into stars. Not bad for a day's work.

December 14: Wasn't looking to make another trade just yet, but one found me:

Sensing I (used to) have a hole at 3B they offered me Rosado, whom I really have no interest in, and Rios, 20-year-old SP who's ranked the #25 overall prospect, who I have quite a bit of interest in. In return they wanted Carroll, our first-round pick in 2036 who now has 50/50/65 potential (i.e., back-end rotation guy), so I'll take the SP prospect upgrade and try and flip Rosado for something.

December 15: We flipped Rosado to the Mets for OF Kyle Bolden, who has 55/60 potential and is a current 45/55. He'll replenish a bit of OF depth we lost by dealing Arevalo and report to Durham.

December 18: Ken Battle, a lefty in our pen the last few years, signed a one-year deal with Washington for $8.5M, much more than I would have wanted to spend on him.

December 20: Added RPs Jerry Baylor and Michael Guerrero, C Javy Denton and OF Kyle Bolden to the 40-man roster. It's Rule 5 time again. We still have an opening on the 40-man so if an intriguing pitcher shows up in the draft we could take him - Sebastian Burns was a good pickup last year.

December 21: Nothing seemed interesting enough to take in the Rule 5 draft, and we did lose a player - 1B Danny Bellamy, whom I expected to depart and was taken by Cincinnati with the 3rd pick. Bellamy is rated 60/50 and could go to 55 with his power so he can help an MLB team.

December 28: Washington continues to sign our old relievers, inking Ruben Abeyta (who spent 2032-37 with us) to a 2/14 deal.

December 30: It was a day of our former pitchers finding new homes. First off, Devon Williams (whom we reacquired last year) left us for a second time as a free agent to Washington, signing for 2/22. Jon Coggin, who spent 2 1/2 years in our pen before being traded to El Paso at midseason last year, went to Atlanta on a 2/6 deal, and Mario Urizar, who spent a year and a half in our rotation in 2037-38 went to St. Louis for 2/16.

09-26-2025, 02:14 PM	#1590
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,826	2039-40 Offseason: Part 1 Notable retirements: Well Wander Franco hung up the spikes and as a result the Rays have retired his #5. Of course things were quite different in this alternate universe. Franco spent 17 years with the Rays (2021-37) before finishing his career with Boston and Oakland. He retired with 2,774 hits, 320 homers and 68 career WAR and is a likely Hall of Famer in five or so years. Others: Ronald Acuna Jr (Atlanta retired #13), Kian Manmano, who hit 574 homers and the Nationals retired his #24, Royce Lewis, Spencer Torkelson, Corbin Carroll, former Ray Shane Panzini, former Ray John Swanda, Casey Mize. Some news: Yes 5/225 is a lot to give a player on the wrong side of 30 but 10-WAR players don't grow on trees. Awards Season: Gold Gloves: Begley and his 21.1 ZR at SS took the AL nod and Danny Rivera won again in RF for the fourth straight time. Reliever of the Year: LA's Jonathan Hills (7-5, 2.45, 14 saves, 2.4 WAR) won in the AL while New York's Brad Jones (51 saves, 2.04 ERA, 90 K in 70 IP) took the NL nod. Silver Sluggers: Begley took home his second but not last piece of hardware by winning the AL SS award. Rookie of the Year: Baltimore 1B Tony Cardoso (.260-44-108) won in the AL while Milwaukee LF Alex Rivera (.324-13-54) prevailed in the NL. Cy Young: In the AL it was this guy: We traded one of our key hitters in Luis Berumen for him last winter and the deal more than worked out for us. Morales took a respectable third with 3 first-place votes, one of which was mine. In the NL, the Cy belongs to Washington's Andy Williamson, who took 28 first-place votes after a 18-9, 2.69, 251-K (in 231 IP) and 6.3 WAR season. MVP: As if there were any doubt: The only surprise is that Begley wasn't unanimous since he was 3.2 WAR ahead of the field, which Williams topped. Williams did have an absurd offensive season: .341-44-148 and would be MVP-worthy in most seasons. The NL winner was unanimous as El Paso's John Natson hit .324-60-127, good for a 1.108 OPS and 9.6 WAR. More news: He may have finished third in the Cy voting, but he's first in our hearts and back for 6 years (I've lost my mind, I've never given a pitcher that long a deal): We have a $200M payroll so we're spending like a big market team, keeping our stars. November 26: In arbitration news, Danny Rivera and Tony Fisher are each getting about $1M more than we offered after winning their cases. And Danny Arroyave turned down the qualifying offer as expected and will become a free agent, likely netting us a supplemental 1st-rounder. Also, I decided not to tender SP Mike Blake as $5.5M seemed too much for a pitcher that ran an ERA well into the 4s on an elite defensive team like ours. Sebastian Burns is my first choice to replace him although Moises Baca is a possibility. We also may trade for one. So in the end we have $32M to spend. December 2: Our first trade of the winter, albeit a minor one: Herndon was Rule 5-eligible and going nowhere with a glut of OFs in the upper levels of the system, and in return we get a useful utility player in Green, who can play all over the IF and OF, hit some with decent pop and can draw walks. He's likely ticketed for Durham. December 5: Another trade, this time netting us our 5th starter: Paquette was 15-11, 4.48 in 203 innings (2.2 WAR) for the Brewers, a workhorse who's rated 45/70/60 and should thrive with our excellent D behind him. He's an upgrade on the departed Mike Blake. Pepin was acquired in a deal with the Mets two years ago and well down our 1B depth chart although he does have 60 potential power. December 7: The first of our free agents signs elsewhere as 1B Salvatore Garza, a playoff flop for us but still an elite slugger, went for 4/75 to Texas which seems on the low side. December 8: To quote Michael Corleone, "Today I settle all family business". Three significant trades incoming: #1: Anyone who's followed along here has heard mention ad nauseum about how many overqualified 1B/DH types we have at the top of the system (MLB, AAA). Monts will be out of options come the spring so we had to keep him or deal him, so we dealt him. Of course we dealt him for another 1B but Olvera is a 2-year MLB vet with the potential to be better. He's earned 2.9 and 2.6 WAR the last two years and has hit 53 homers for Atlanta, but he has perhaps the best eye in baseball, drawing 101 and 115 walks in that time frame. Unfortunately his BA has been .235 and .245 but he's rated 55 contact with 60 potential so I'm convinced he's better than that. Also he has 60 power but with 65 potential so I'm banking on a breakout. Monts is kind of his opposite - he should hit close to .300 with 20-25 HR power, but will draw about 35-40 walks. #2: And since Olvera is a LH 1B, that meant there was no room for Duron, who hit decently last year in his rookie season and is rated 65/60 so he commanded a lot of interest in the trade market. So much so that LA was willing to deal us a player who was ranked as high as the #6 prospect overall before losing his rookie eligibility in Solorzano. And this is why he was ranked #6: He backed that up by hitting 295/359/474 in 190 AB for the Angels, good for 1.4 WAR in that limited sample. Of course we already have a fine 2B in Justin Blackwell, but he's a free agent after the upcoming season. What likely happens is that Solorzano takes the backup MI job from Isaiah Jackson, who does have an option left (but doesn't deserve a demotion). But we have our 2B of the future, a potential star to team with our current star Begley or........we move Blackwell to fill our 3B hole (where's he rated 50 with 60 potential once he gets some PT there) and start Solorzano. #3: Or....we fill our 3B hole with one of the best young 3B in the game. Gonzalez hit 313/358/510 with 18 homers in 335 AB for KC and earned 2.5 WAR as a rookie and also was a top-100 prospect. He's rated 55/60 with 65 contact potential. The only negative is that he's an average defensive 3B at best and maybe a bit below. Not that Danny Arroyave was a Gold Glover and Gonzalez can potentially mash like him anyway. Arevalo is another fine player who was blocked at AAA for us and he's essentially a younger, cheaper version of Danny Rivera with the plus glove and a possibly better bat, at least from a BA standpoint. He was also out of options and didn't have a place in our OF so we almost had to deal him. So in the end we deal three players from our 1B/OF glut for 3/4 of our starting infield for the next several years, all of whom could turn into stars. Not bad for a day's work. December 14: Wasn't looking to make another trade just yet, but one found me: Sensing I (used to) have a hole at 3B they offered me Rosado, whom I really have no interest in, and Rios, 20-year-old SP who's ranked the #25 overall prospect, who I have quite a bit of interest in. In return they wanted Carroll, our first-round pick in 2036 who now has 50/50/65 potential (i.e., back-end rotation guy), so I'll take the SP prospect upgrade and try and flip Rosado for something. December 15: We flipped Rosado to the Mets for OF Kyle Bolden, who has 55/60 potential and is a current 45/55. He'll replenish a bit of OF depth we lost by dealing Arevalo and report to Durham. December 18: Ken Battle, a lefty in our pen the last few years, signed a one-year deal with Washington for $8.5M, much more than I would have wanted to spend on him. December 20: Added RPs Jerry Baylor and Michael Guerrero, C Javy Denton and OF Kyle Bolden to the 40-man roster. It's Rule 5 time again. We still have an opening on the 40-man so if an intriguing pitcher shows up in the draft we could take him - Sebastian Burns was a good pickup last year. December 21: Nothing seemed interesting enough to take in the Rule 5 draft, and we did lose a player - 1B Danny Bellamy, whom I expected to depart and was taken by Cincinnati with the 3rd pick. Bellamy is rated 60/50 and could go to 55 with his power so he can help an MLB team. December 28: Washington continues to sign our old relievers, inking Ruben Abeyta (who spent 2032-37 with us) to a 2/14 deal. December 30: It was a day of our former pitchers finding new homes. First off, Devon Williams (whom we reacquired last year) left us for a second time as a free agent to Washington, signing for 2/22. Jon Coggin, who spent 2 1/2 years in our pen before being traded to El Paso at midseason last year, went to Atlanta on a 2/6 deal, and Mario Urizar, who spent a year and a half in our rotation in 2037-38 went to St. Louis for 2/16.