[JetsIn06]

Real quick before bed, let's see what this offseason will bring us in terms of transaction allowances:

FA roll (0-2): 0
Trade roll (0-2): 2

Carryover: +1 trade
Profit ($8M): +1 in each

That leaves us with:

45+ rated FA: 1
Trades: 3

Okay. This probably works for us. It's been helpful to get creative with trades, and we have a lot of depth to make that work. We're the #3 system in the league, with fourteen guys in the Top 115.

We're going to very tight on money if we want to make a profit this season. Looking at our budget for 1954, we're only set to bring in ~$6M or so. It's hard to say if ticket sales will be better; I'd have to assume so, but I think we need to act like they won't.

The big decision, really, is around OF Steve Gonzalez. He's entering his final year of team control and is estimated to get $7.3M. We have some good OF prospects here/coming, and as much as I've loved having this guy around, this is second year hovering around league average wRC+. A 4 WAR player in 1950, this year was just 1.4; with three trades available to us, I'm interested to see if we can get something for him.

Before we go down that path, let's look at our upcoming free agent departures. On top of the glut of below-average SP's that we signed/traded for last year (SP Mu'adh Nelson, Mike Meyers, Mat Elis), OF Luis Gomez is the one guy in his 20's that's set to leave. A minor-league FA signing way in our inaugural season, Gomez debuted at 21 in '47, and went on to have a very productive career with us. 97 HR over 3,261 PA's, for a wRC+ of 102.

Now back to OF Steve Gonzalez; no one is interested in a swap for him without adding something else. I do have a few 3B, Cortez de Santiago, Jose Luis, and Dave Magby. I wonder if we could add one of them with Gonzalez to get another SP prospect? Or maybe a more defensive-minded SS prospect at a higher level?

But Gonzalez isn't really adding any value in these deals, and I can get rid of his contract for free. We don't make a move, and we'll end up non-tendering him. OF Adam Broussard, our 11th-round pick in 1946, is also getting non-tendered. He made his fullt-ime debut in 1949, and went on to hit 36 HR with us in 1952. He fell off hard last year, and was demoted in the middle of the year.

One move we do make is a trade of SS Ciprian Popovici. Our fourth-round pick in 1947, Popovici debuted in 1948. He's never had a great bat (career 62 wRC+) but the glove has always been good enough to keep him around. He's entering his final year of control and due $3.2M. In return from New York, we get RP Gavin Carlberg, a lefty relief arm with six years of control, along with C Chris DePue, a solid defensive catcher who hasn't made his debut yet. The eye (6) could keep him afloat offensively.

FA: 1
Trades: 2

For shits and giggles, let's take a quick look at what SP Joey Parrish would want for an extension; it depends on the years offered obviously, but somewhere between $35-$40M per year is what he's looking for. We won't be doing that, and I guess we already need to be considering the thought of trading Parrish away in a year or two. We tender him a $4M contract for his first time through arbitration, and dread and that thought of what years 4 and 5 look like.

The final guy we look at is SP James LaSpina. He started off with a couple decent years, and I thought he was going to end up as a solid rotation piece for us. But in recent years he's really fallen off. Last year, he led the league in walks and home runs allowed, earning him a 6.78 ERA. He'll be non-tendered.

It's award season, and while our guys have won multi-position awards like the Gold Glove or Golden Bat (our version of the Silver Slugger), SP Joey Parrish is our first major award winner. He wins the 1953 Pitcher of the Year Award. Over 27 starts, he posted a 2.16 ERA with 181 K's in 154 IP. He only allowed four home runs, and led all pitchers in WAR with 6.6 despite missing a month of the season.

Free agency opens, and we have one player who made starts for us last year; Joey Parrish. We're going to have to piece this thing together with bubble gum and duct tape.

With the reductions we made from the trade and non-tendering Gonzalez, our budget situation has improved dramatically. Our budget shows a potential $50M surplus. The one FA add we have desperately needs to go to pitching, and we should have some money, but I don't want to make a Seth White mistake again.

SP Guillermo Cuellar looks like a good fit. He's only 28, and has the best swing and miss stuff among the pitchers available. He wants $27M a year though, and if I'm going to give out a big deal, it should just go to Parrish? Hmm.

Let's just be honest; I can't afford either of these guys. We move towards the bottom of the barrel, and in what may be a grave mistake, look to make an offer to international free ageny C Yasutaka Yamashiro. He's got the captain personality that we need, and is an elite defensive catcher (7) with a great eye (7). He's only 27, and isn't super expensive at $7M. He does want a five-year deal though, so we'll try to negotiate that down a bit.

It takes three weeks, but we finally roll the number we need to make him an offer. We make him a 3yr/$18M offer with a 4th team option year at $8M/$2M buyout.

Cuellar signs with Detroit, a 5yr/$100M deal.

We turn our attention to the trade market while we wait on Yamashiro. SP Jason Bowen of New Orleans is on the trade block. He's a LHP; a 55-rated 35-year-old on the final year of his deal. He's been solid and consistent; despite being listed as "fragile" he's made 32+ starts every year since 1947. He's got a career 3.32 ERA with great stuff, movement, and control ratings (6).

He's due $20M this year, and we could get him for a bag of baseballs if we took on the whole thing. We ask them to eat 25%, and we send them a catcher we've never mentioned here, a 15th-round pick from our 1950 class.

FA: 1
Trades: 1

It takes until Christmas Ever, but C Yasutaka Yamashiro signs with us.

FA: 0
Trades: 1

We'll hold on to this trade into the season. Maybe we'll be good and need reinforcements. Maybe we'll be horrible and be looking to trade a guy away. We'll see.

In the international amateur market, we make a big offer to Brazilian 3B Carlito Lynce, an 18-year old with elite contact (8) and power (7). The eye is great too, but he's all bat. The arm is good enough for 3B but he likely ends up moving across the field.

We get to opening day, and our system is now ranked #2 overall, with twelve players in the Top 100.