We kick off the off-season by figuring out what we're allowed to do.
RNG roll for FA: 2
RNG roll for Trades: 2
Carry over from last year: +1 in each
Made $44M: +1 in each
This gives us a final total of:
45+ rated FA: 4
Trades: 4
That's a lot of flexibility that we haven't had in the past.
We have three pending free agents, none of which are really good, and we have fifteen arbitration eligible players, four of which are entering their final year. I may explore some trades of those guys just to avoid losing them for nothing, but they're also not very good, so we'll have to see what kind of value we can get in return.
SP Joel Berryhill is the only player getting a little bit expensive at $6M, and he's entering his final year of control. He's likely the guy I try to deal.
I take a look at some offers and nothing really jumps out - most are looking to unload high-priced contracts, and with the ability to sign 4 FA's, I don't want to complete eradicate our budget through trades. We'll let Berryhill get his arbitration contract and then see if we can eat some of the cost to get a prospect or something.
Let's take a quick look at some top performers from 1948:
SP Seth White (7-9, 3.44 ERA, 2.7 WAR)
White was our big acquisition last off-season, and while he started off slow, he had a great second half before a sore elbow led us to shut him down in August for the rest of the year. His K%, BB%, and SIERA all went a little bit in the wrong direction, but I'm hopeful he can turn things around in 1949.
SP Joel Berryhill (6-15, 3.88 ERA, 1.9 WAR)
Berryhill continues to be a contributor, but this is likely his last season in Portland, and that's if he doesn't get traded prior.
SP Craig Thompson (9-12, 3.54 ERA, 1.8 WAR)
Thompson came over in a trade in July, which I mentioned here:
Quote:
|
In July, we make a trade, moving a young outfielder in AAA who is actually decent, but listed as a "selfish" attitude, for a reliever who could potentially start, RP Craig Thompson, and an 18-year-old relief prospect named Gabe Hanley.
|
Thompson moved into a starting role and had some success, with a 3.73 ERA in 12 starts. He's great at generating weak contact but doesn't get a ton of swing and miss with just a 15% K-rate in his time with us.
CL John Delmer (33 SV, 2.70 ERA, 21.2 K%)
Delmer was our 4th pick in the expansion draft, and he's really bumped up his skill level over that time. I didn't even mention him in my recap at the time, but after posting a 5.26 ERA in his first season here, he followed it up with a 3.48 ERA and now a 2.70 ERA. He's 29 and has three years of control left.
2B Jose Solis (.240/.289/.351, 75 wRC+, 1.5 WAR)
Solis is nothing too special offensively, as you can see from his stats. But he does add quite a bit on defense, with an 8.8 ZR at 2B and about 100 extra innings playing an average SS.
SS Ciprian Popovici (.249/.291/.322, 67 wRC+, 1.2 WAR)
Popovici is a rookie who finished the year with 400 PA, making his debut after being selected in the 4th round of the 1947 draft. Like Solis, he's a defense-first infielder without a huge hit tool, but there's maybe some potential to be better. He started the season in AAA, posting a 102 wRC+ over 123 PA.
OF Juan Montalvo (.235/.310/.336, 81 wRC+, 1.1 WAR)
With just a 13% K-rate, Montalvo is always a threat to contribute offensively but is somewhat at the mercy of his BABIP. This year, that was just .255, about 20 points lower than his career mark.
OF Luis Gomez (.290/.339/.393, 107 wRC+, 1.0 WAR)
Gomez was a young minor-league free agent signing back in our inaugural season, a guy we added just to fill out the roster. He's grown into a slightly better than league-average bat, with double-digit home run power. There's no speed and the defense isn't good, but he's 22 and we have five years of control left.