Mules 2043 GM Moves (Detailed)
tl;dr WBL valuation learning curve is steep and I climbed it all year long.
Extensions
My first day in the UBL I focused on keeping a 100-win team together. I extended
LF Valdinei Custance to 4 years at 20M total,
SP Donald Mason to 5/20,
MR Noel Abbott to 4/9, and
MR Mezyan Asad to 4/8. To keep the rotation together I had to take the plunge and extend
SP Soong-yong Ku to 1/15 and
SP Tadanobu Sasaki to 2/37.
Sasaki was a blunder because he was already signed through 2043. The rest of these were solid extensions.
Soon afterwards I extended SS/2B/3B
Juan Padilla to 5/42, a fantastic deal for an elite player,
MR Gerard Martin to 3/11, and
1B/DH Aurelio Valencia (3/2.4).
Martin did yeoman work for us in the bullpen.
Valencia gave us great value at 1B/DH.
Releases
I released
MR Gabriel Wagterveld,
MR Malmoud Jamal,
MR Oliver Martinez, and
SP Ed Watson and almost immediately brought them back, although Helsingborg picked up Wagterveld.
Jamal did good work for us in the bullpen, while
Martinez spent the year in AAA then retired.
Watson is still in AAA, and
Wags blew up his arm while with the Borg.
Free agents
MR Mark Martinez (1/900k) underperformed and spent the season in AAA.
P Hyun-chul 'Tripod' Pak (2/8M) became a key part of our bullpen and sometimes the rotation when we needed a swing arm. Ended the season as our closer. Always has a great attitude. Love this guy.
SS Mario Duarte (2/6M) filled the gap left by Padilla. I had no Plan B at SS.
Duarte was adequate but his backup
Dehmer was better. Still a big hole for us.
Trades
(1)
SP Cesar Marrero came to us from False Bay in return for two 3rd round picks. It was a great pickup for our rotation.
Marrero had an All Star season and recorded career strikeout #2000. His most memorable game was shutting down Amsterdam in Game 1 of the NL Series.
(2)
SS Juan Padilla went to Helsingborg in return for
C Pei Wong,
P Leo Morales,
P Carlitos Bernardino, and Helga's 1st round picks in 2043 and 2044. Those picks turned into
P Nicodemus Hellmann and
CL Leonardo Muniz. So for
Padilla I got an ace of aces in
Hellmann, a closer in
Muniz, an everyday catcher in
Wong, and bullpen in
Morales and
Bernardino - possibly SP roles for both eventually. I felt remorse for this trade every day, but it was one of those things I had to do to set up a better future.
Padilla had a great year up in Helsingborg and lit us up in the lambships, though we ultimately sent him and his teammates home in Game 5, thanks largely to the pitching of
Hellmann.
(3)
P Pedro Martinez came from Buffalo in return for a future 3rd round pick. Just one of those guys that caught my eye and I wanted him in my organization. He underperformed for us but I still like him. I think he could go in the rotation.
Draft
C Fokke Neef,
SS Marcal Arbida, and
RF Ron Haney were the only signings of note. None look spectacular now but all should make a WBL roster some day.
Injuries
P Carlitos Bernardino blew out his finger a day after being named the #18 prospect in the WBL. He's back, but stuff and movement are shattered. The most disappointing moment of the year right there. I had super high hopes for this guy.
P Bohdan Ohberg blew out his arm but was only ever a minor part of my plan. He's back and may go in the bullpen this year.
OF Jaime Robles broke a finger and missed the final month of regular season, but returned strong for the postseason. We had no real injuries to the rotation, the bullpen, or position players other than these. A very healthy year for us.