Could There Be An America's Team? Let's try

[Brad K]

October 23 1965

2B Bill Mazeroski won his 7th Gold Glove.

LF Lee Thomas signed.


November 5 1965

Orlando Pena got $88,800 in arb.

[Brad K]

November 6 1965

Leading the FA pool this year is 5.0 star 34 yo CF Willie Mays. He's asking $2.5m/6 year $414k AAV. He wants it front loaded starting at $456k and ending at $332k which is a player's option year. Based on ratings Mays would be an upgrade over Curt Flood both defensively and especially offensively however him wanting $332k at age 40 is a problem.

27 yo LF RF Billy Williams is next at 4.0 stars. I don't have any interest. Same with 38 yo 1B Joe Adcock at 3.5 stars.

3.5 star 37 yo RP Stu Miller has been on my shortlist for a time. He wants a front loaded contract starting at $190k (for a RP???!!!) and declining to $130k four years later when he's 41. There just aren't many RPs over 3.0 in this league so he's someone to think about if he's flexible on money.

LF RF and below average CF 26 yo Matty Alou is a FA. I don't know what the Giants were doing with him. In call ups 1960, 62, 63, and 65 he has a mere 92 MLB ABs. He should be a starting corner OF for some team (but of course not us) and with his defense he can't ever hit enough to push Flood out of CF). But he wants only $42k on a one year and for that price I could keep him as a reserve and PH. However I estimate other teams recognize his value and will offer more than that.

Boston and C Jim Pagliaroni agreed to an extension through 1968. I'm going to try to trade for him. I am going to try to sign Smokey Burgess as the backup. He's worth fans in the stands.


And a few hours later

I asked Boston what they wanted for Pagliaroni. They wanted 18 yo SS Don Money. Given the salary difference and the difference in how much playing time each player has left in his career this is a trade I could never make in Pirates Moneyball.

Traded 18 yo SS Don Money 0.5/3.5 stars for 27 yo C Jim Pagliaroni 3.5 stars due to make $162k/$196k/$196k over the next three years. Fan interest is now 96 with +21 on the modifier. Pag was wroth 5 points on the modifier.

It would be nice to be able to sign Burgess.

[Brad K]

November 24 1965

CF Willie Mays 5.0 stars signed 4 x $400k last is player's option.

I realize the game won't let Flood be acceptable at 3B.

[Brad K]

November 26 1965

Yankees signed Bob Friend. The fans don't like it.

Traded 20 yo corner OF Roy Foster 1.5/2.5 for 27 yo good field no hit middle IF Bobby Wine 2.5 stars. He's a better backup than Roberto Pena or Dick Schofield.

The only offers I get for 2.5 star RP Orlando Pena with 50% retained are players making more than he is. He won $88,800 in arb. Looks like I should have released him. He has no more option years.

LA and NYY have market share "HUGE" I'm at "Very Big". My ticket price is $2.40, NYY is $2.75, and LA is $2.90. My ticket price is 5th highest. I'm going to keep it around $2.40 for season and $2.50 for daily an try to fill up Forbes Field. My attendance is 2nd, 54k behind NYY and 11k ahead of 3rd place LA.


Bobby Wine, Orlando Pena

[Brad K]

November 30 1965 to December 7 1965

RP Lindy McDaniel 29 yo 3.0 stars agreed to extension 4 x $120k 1967-70. He makes $100k in 1966.

White Sox contacted me and offered 32 yo SP Bob Shaw 3.0 stars and 23 yo minor league SP Keith Krommenhoek 1.5/2.0 for CF Curt Flood 27 yo 3.0 stars. Asst GM Casey Sadler says accept the offer but I'm not going to. (I don't have any team needs listed. W Sox figured out on their own I have two starter quality CFs.)

SS Gene Alley age 25 4.0 stars making $18,600 this year (league minimum) agreed to $75k and $90k for 1967 and 1968 which are arb years 1 and 2.

Free agent RP Stu Miller age 37 3.5 stars agreed to 4 x $140k with the last two years having a vesting option requiring 70 IP the previous year. The fans like it. Miller and Billy McCool are the only RP in MBL rated at over 3.0 stars.

Free agent OF Matty Alou age 26 2.5 stars agreed to 4 x $70k. I believe he's under rated.

Fan interest is 96 with a +36 modifier. It will drop a bit when Smokey Burgess signs with someone.

Lindy McDaniel, Matty Alou

[Brad K]

December 20 1965

Wasn't playing close enough attention and lost historical Pirate C Jerry May in the Rule 5. Never occurred to me to check all the way down to the A Ball rosters.

Now that Rule 5 is over I can sign some veteran FAs without options to minor league contracts to fill in holes in AAA.

December 25 1965

Smokey Burgess signed with Mets He got two years at $214k and his age 41 year at $182k. I don't see it. That's more than I'm paying Pagliaroni. The fans hate it that Burgess is gone. Interst is 96 but the modifier dropped to +28.

Free agent C Jay Porter age 32 2.5 stars agreed to 1 x $55k and a team option year for the same salary. He's a much better backup than Orlando McFarland.


December 26 1965

RP Dick Hall 3.0 stars age 35 agreed to 3 x $72k. His addition makes 36 players on the 40 man, the highest count I've ever had at this time of year. And that's with RP Orlando Pena on Waivers/DFA. I like to start the season with about 33 on the 40 man. I will have to trade some players toward the end of spring training as there are some who don't have options who won't make the 25 man.


Jerry May, Jay Porter, Dick Hall

[Brad K]

March 28 1966

I'm not satisfied with the bullpen but I can't get what doesn't exist. No RP in MLB is rated over 3.0. There are 22 rated 3.0 and I have four of them. So if I can't improve the RPs I'll improve the SPs.

Currently the #4 SP is Camilo Pascual at 2.5 stars. Steve Blass is in spring training but not on the 25 man and he's the 5th SP at 2.0 stars. Dock Ellis and Woodie Fryman could step in at 2.5 stars each. Pascual will not accept a trade.

St Louis would have accepted CF Curt Flood as part of this deal but they're short on money and I would have had to pay $58k x4 years of Flood's salary to make the deal work. So.....

18 yo SP 0.5/2.5 #94 prospect A ball Gene Garber and 20 yo LF RF AA ball 1.5/3.0 #45 prospect Bobby Tolan for 30 yo 4.0 star SP Bob Gibson. Gibson is signed through 1968 at $232k per year. Asst GM Casey Sadler said don't make the deal. He seems not to be on board with the need to win now.

The trade gave me a 3 point bump on interest modifier. Its now 96 with a +31 adjustment.

Gene Garber, Curt Flood, Bob Gibson

[Brad K]

Let's see what the season brings.

[Brad K]

May 1 1966

Got off to a bad 8-9 start.

[matttb324]

I love the "Post-Gazette" excerpt above complete with Cities Services ad, very cool. I was in Kenmore Square a few years ago here in Boston and was surprised to see in a 1950s photo that the Citgo Sign was once a Cities Services sign.

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by matttb324

I love the "Post-Gazette" excerpt above complete with Cities Services ad, very cool. I was in Kenmore Square a few years ago here in Boston and was surprised to see in a 1950s photo that the Citgo Sign was once a Cities Services sign.

I'm glad you liked it and that it reminded you of a past experience. If you haven't looked at it there are lots of old ads in the Pirates Moneyball thread.

[Brad K]

June 1 1966

We've recovered to third place, one game out, with an 18-12 May. The Mets, predicted by the experts to go 70-92 this year are in first place. Hey guys, its too early for your miracle!

I'm puzzled by the low injuries. I've had almost none at major league level. My setting is normal OOTP Classic. I confirmed this is the same setting I used in Pirates Moneyball. Maybe there weren't many injuries in the early years and I'm not remembering that. But I sure remember a lot of them late.

I checked all the other teams. There are currently 19 MLB players on the injured list. My trainer's focus is prevention. Maybe that's having an effect.

[Brad K]

June 22 1966

I feel better about injuries now. 2B Bill Mazeroski is out 2 weeks with a cut finger. Bobby Wine gets the 2B job over Dick Schofield. I called up Orlando McFarland to fill the roster spot.

What is supposed to be the best team in baseball is in 4th, 36-31, 3 games out. The Python has us a win better.

[Brad K]

Tough going.

[Brad K]

July 11 1966

The Mets have fallen out of first. SF has taken over. We are 3 behind.

SS Gene Alley (1), LF Willie Stargell (2), RF Roberto Clemente (4), and SP Sandy Koufax (6) were voted onto the All Star team. 3B Bob Bailey (3) was selected by the NL Manager. Number of career selections in ().

[Brad K]

August 1 1966

Eight games behind after a 1-9 streak.

2B Bill Mazeroski cut off negotiations. I tried to negotiate his demand and he came back with a higher one. I waited a couple months and tried again and that's when he said no more.

Sandy Koufax insists on 8 years at $400k. OK, some OOTP talk. We all know he retired after 1966. So with no stats OOTP might rate him at the mean or run the development engine on his last ratings. That could result in him being either better or worse than he is now. In Pirates Moneyball Rob Nenn had his best ratings after he ran out of stats. OOTP has a great way of handling this with ample uncertainty present, as it should be.

For a 30 year old guy who wants top of the league money I'd go four years with a team or vesting option for the last even if I didn't know he retired real life. So I think that's where I am with Koufax.

[Brad K]

September 1 1966

It's incredible this team is in fourth place 10 1/2 games out.

[Brad K]

October 3 1966

Terrible year. Needed a pennant this year to boost fan interest. The chance to be America's Team is slipping away.

The Giants swept the Guardians in the World Series.

[Brad K]

October 11 1966

For the first time did not get a budget increase. However have $2m to spend on FAs.

Arb Players, no offer made
RP Orlando Pena age 32, C Orlando McFarlane age 28, 3B Jose Pagan age 31. All played AAA in 1966 except for brief call up of McFarlane

Arb players, offer made
RP Al McBean age 28 1 x $33k 2.5 stars, 3B Danny Cater age 26 2.0 stars 1 x $30k.

Pending FAs
SP Sandy Koufax age 30 5.0 stars asked 9 x $424k. I offered 4 x $424k with last two years vesting requiring 30 starts. His counter is 7 x $448k

2B Bill Mazeroski age 30 3.0 stars is happy again. He asked 4 x $224k, is considering 4 x $200k.

SP Camilo Pascual age 32 3.0 stars. He just woudln't come off four years. He's considering 4 x $292k team option on last year. Preferred 3 years with team option on last.

Comments
SP Woodie Fryman age 26 2.5 stars is the best SP in AAA. I guess I'll have to promote him. Among the potential FAs the top two SPs are Koufax and Pascual.

In all MLB there are 35 SPs 3.0 stars or better. Five are Pirates. Of those who aren't many are young players on cheap contracts. We know what that means when you try to trade. "You have no player who makes this deal work!"

[Brad K]

October 20 1966 to November 13 1966

Extention of 2B Bill Mazeroski announced. Got two point on fan interest modifier.

Free agency filed. Koufax now wants 9 x $504k.

RP Moe Drabowski age 31 3.5 stars is the highest rated FA pitcher after Koufax. RP Al McBean is 2.5 and has an option year left so I can send him down if I get Drabowski.

Drabowski asking 4 x $170k. I considered offering more to drive off other teams but decided $170k is plenty, near the most I would pay, so offered his demand. He is listed as Extremely popular and my fan interest will need some help when Koufax gets away.

This is a thin FA group. 1B Norm Cash is the highest rated position player at 3.5 and there are only four rated at 3.0. After Koufax Dick Ellsworth is the highest rating SP at 2.5.

Phillies offered SP Chris Short age 29 3.5 stars for CF Curt Flood age 28 and AAA RF David Kwiatkowski. They're broke so they want me to retain 30% on Flood. I countered with Matty Alou but no go.