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Makin' it rain: Las Vegas Pacmen

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
So here we go with my pre-season thoughts on the team and I put them out as keys...

1. Bounceback Years

I had a few guys last year have years that were a big step back. Particularly at catcher with Umarah losing 2 WAR and over 100 OPS points. He needs to be back in the 1.5-2 win range for me to be back at the 95 or so win mark. SP Geiler Schulz had his BABIP, BB/9, K/9 all improve… and had an ERA jump of 0.60. He needs to be better with RISP and has to be a good around 3.60 ERA #4 for me. SP Reptile Tang went from NL ERA champ to a still solid 3.44 but I need him to find a consolidation year. In the bullpen, Hung and Kusama both had their worst years in a while. DLS was good for me last year and his 5 WAR was really needed but I'd like him to hit better this year too.

2. Stay Healthy

A large portion of my team is injury prone. LF Henry Brown, 2B Gabe Ramos, SS Porky Ogawa and a few pitchers all have a bad injury history. I do have have some depth at those positions but all three of those guys are huge for my team.

3. Two Young Stars

3B Cesar Sanchez (21 LY) and CF Dermott McHeshi (22 LY) both put up giant years last year at young ages. They are the core of my team and I need them to continue to improve and put up bigger yaers. If McHeshi stays healthy and puts up similar numbers I expect a top 3 WAR season. Sanchez is just about to put his skills all together and his 75 potential eye could be all the way there by the end of the season.

4. Where's the D at?

Last season I had the best defense in the league. This year I don't know if that'll happen again. Brown replaced Berrios who was a 75 defender and Ramos replaced Rivera who was very solid at 2B. Kattenberg and Bucci will be defensive replacements at 2B and SS respectively but I'm scared my overall team defense will be worse.

5. Bye Bye Pitching Depth

I thought I'd have some decisions to make on pitching before the year. Then Shrimp Correa, my second best RP, got hurt. Now I am extremely thin in the pen AND in the rotation. I can't afford an injury in the rotation and started out the year with 11 pitchers due to lack of depth.

6. The Farid Factor… and?

My only impact prospect in AAA is former top 5 pick Numad Farid. I don't think Farid is going to be a power hitter but he's an elite elite defener at all 3 positions and will hit for a high AVG/OBP while smashing doubles. Other than him… it's slim pickins in AAA. I have a few solid MIFs. No SP, RP. Two-way Cliff Johnson maybe can DH in a pinch/be a LH specialist but overall most of my future talent is in AA and not close to being ready.

7. Who's the Boess?

Sam Boessen was a late signee last year as I got him to sign a 2/1.9 + 1.1 TO deal. I'm going to try to give him one start at LF and one start at DH per week. It might increase on how he plays. Bad average/OBP guy but tons and tons of power which my team needs. He's alreay unhappy which is a bit of a problem though.

8. SOS to 1B/DH

I signed Alberto Ramos hoping to get a big year out of him OBP wise and have him mostly DH. bin Hamal I need to finally put up some good numbers. He has good ratings and amazing AAA numbers but his low contact rate and high K-rate have combined to have him struggle in the WBL. Jeronimo Falcheria is a former pitcher who killed LHP last year but had no chance vs. RHP. The big thing is all three of these guys are question marks. I could see one of them being bad and sent down/DFA with Farid getting some ABs.


Overall I think my lineup is a lot more solid 1-9. Losing Berrios to retirement kills me offensively and more important defensively. I have a huge OF and having three really good defense OFs is important. I think Umarah will bounce back and bin Hamal will be solid. The key will be if Brown can contibute and how healthy is Ramos. Farid might have to cover up a hole too.

Pitching wise I think I'll be about the same. Abel Hernandez is a big add but I do think my defense taking a step back will effect the pitching staff.

I'm not sure how many wins I'll get. I am a bit scared that I've traded some of my defense for marginally better offense. I might by the end of the year just go back to a more defensive lineup by having a Farid in LF, moving Brown to DH and having Ramos just play vs. LHP/ PH v RHP. I could also have Kattenberg play a bit more at 2B (he is already slated every sixth game to help limit chance of injury to G.Ramos).
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Well looking back at the keys my worries have come true: defense has taken a huge step back, pitching depth has been tested. A Ramos has been bad, bin Hamal has struggled at 1B and I've already had to go to Farid (which long term means he will be a Super 2). Even worse: McHeshi and Sanchez haven't improved and have in fact had terrible starts to the year. With a 15-23 record and 5.5 games behind the second Lamb.

I think a few things have led to my bad record. I've had some bad luck. I'm last in runs against yet am 2nd in Ks, 5th in BB against and the 8th against in HRs against is just strange. I have a couple guys who give up HRs but to be last in the league in that category seems a bit odd. I've also been about 5th in OPS throughout the whole year yet 6th or lower all year in runs scored. Over the course of the year I think these will fall back in line with how the numbers usually fit.

I've also had to play Amsterdam seven times and gone 0-7. I'm 15-16 vs. non-Godly teams. 4-8 one-run game record has hurt me as well. The bad news is I'm on a 3-16 skid right now. The good news is I scored 39 runs in six games last week.

The issue is my pitching and defense. I've decided to fix the defense with a few adjustments this sim. My OF is outstanding defensively but my IF (despite good position ratings) has issues with range. 30-45-70-55 were my range ratings across the diamond despite a pretty good 65-60-80-55 in terms of overall ratings. My new alignment will go 55-45-70-70 which I think should help a lot with my pitching difficulties.

The other thing that has screwed me has been injuries. Challen was awful. He had a 7.66 ERA after sporting a 2.98 and then got hurt. I traded away Townsend who was my closer thinking that Franco/Correa could be a great combo at the end of the game. Correa responded by blowing out his elbow and will miss the year. I've also had to press Professor Hung into SP duty where his ERA is bad because he's solid in the bullpen (3.50 ERA).

The final piece has been some puzzling years. Dermott McHeshi I thought was my super star after posting a .837 OPS with +7 ZR in CF year at age 22. He's responded with a bizarre .593 OPS season. His .239 BABIP explains it a bit but the loss of 70 points on his ISO is concerning. DLS has is off to another slow start losing 100 points on his OPS. Cesar Sanchez has lost 50+ points on his OPS as his K rate has increased a ton (like DLS). Porky Ogawa has also had his K rate increase significantly. Henry Brown usually puts up BABIPs in the .330s and he is down to .300 this year but coming around and doing his job. I've been very good at 2B and solid at C. 1B has been terrible and I've decided to just put Sanchez there to at least have it better defensively.

Overall I'm going to ride the storm out. I was this far out later in the year last year before taking the first Lamb. I think G Ramos will come back to earth a bit and I could have another injury. I think if I added back a solid #3-4 type guy and put Hung back in the bullpen it'd help a lot. Maybe add another bullpen arm. The defensive changes that allow Boessen into the lineup I think could help the pitching woes a lot.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Yes but of any indicator it should be the closest tied with runs scored.

If McHeshi, DLS, Sanchez all hit like this really doesn't matter what I do. The changing of positions actually I thought worked well (in 9 inn runs given up last week: 0,2,3,8,6,1,6)… just need bats to wake up. Call me crazy but I think if I can just get two pitchers via trade I can make a run. Outside of Amsterdam the rest of the NL playoff race is hovering around .500.
 

Orlando

Well-Known Member
Utopia Moderator
McHeshi will be fine and Sanchez is hitting about on par with his WBL career. You'll have to make quite a run again, but it's possible. It's still so early. No one on my team is hitting either.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Eh Sanchez hit 13 HRs last year and has zero so far this year… AVG/OBP wise he's about where he should be but power wise he's been awful. DLS started slow last year too. Brown is coming around. Boessen or someone like Porky need to step up too. My HRs have improved a lot but I went from about 1st or 2nd in walks to last which has killed me too.

Last years run started in June but Challen was dealing all year so basically I need someone to start dealing. I'm moving Franco to the rotation (that's where he expects to be). He had a 1.04 ERA in April now a 9.00 in May. BABIP went from .200 to .545 :laughing:

Want to just wait things out before I start to trade guys away. I just don't think outside of Amsterdam we have a juggernaut. Someone will end up making a run and getting to 95 or so wins but second Lamb I think will be around 90 wins.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
So I'll do a post on what went wrong this year (defense/HR allowed) but here are my thoughts on my trades I've made so far:

Las Vegas Sends:
1B Alberto Ramos (DFA)
3B Ernesto Ruiz (AAA)

Buffalo sends:
20 wings from Oyster Bar

This was just a pure salary dump. Ramos sucked ass for me (.492 OPS -1.2 WAR in 31 G) and was making $4m. I actually kinda like Ruiz who had played for my WBL team then I signed him as a MLFA. I tried to convert him to 2B over the course of a while but with Spagnulo, Kattenberg and other similar level players he was mostly just an emergency player for me.

Las Vegas sends:
LF Henry Brown (UBL)
MR Jamie Lee (UBL-DL)
LF Michele Bucci (DFA)

Cairo sends:
SP Bob Nichols (AAA)
MR Crash Kaukonen (AA)

This was part salary dump part get someone back. Tornado Brown actually was about what I expected for me (297/345/439) at DH. I wish I was in the race because he was trending up but making 7.4m I decided to move him. Jamie Lee was a project. He had a 2.95 ERA in 2038 and a career 11.8 K/9. He always had bad defenses at Buffalo so I thought bringing him to a good defensive team would change things. I was wrong and he was terrible with a horrific HR rate. Maybe he turns it around at Cairo?

I traded for Bucci before 2040 when I didn't have a LF. He was good defensively OK hitting wise but made 2.8m/year. In his last year of the deal I just got rid of him.

I really like Crash. He was the sixth overall pick in 2039. Figs had been using him as a RP but I think he can still start. His K-rates have been OK but his HR rates are what I really like. He only throws 91-93 but is extreme GB pitcher and I think he's got a chance to be a good #5 SP. I don't think he'd be a great RP. Nichols was thrown in to make the money work. He actually had a really good FIP with Cairo and has a sub 3 ERA with me.

Las Vegas sends:
SP Neung-uk Tang (WBL)

Cairo sends:
1st Rounder
SP Rod Velasquez (AA)

I wasn't expecting this deal at all. Tang was one of the players I want to build long-term with. However this was a deal I couldn't refuse. The plusses on Tang: led NL in ERA two years ago, had 7 CGs last year, eats a ton of innings, hasn't hit FA yet (due probably ~11 mil next year), hasn't started much so has some life left on the arm. Reasons why I traded him: about to get really expensive (wanted 18m/year long extension), is already 28, threw about 500 IP between regular and postseason in a two year stretch, steep decline in k-rate over last four years, HR rate up a bit. I still think he's an amazing #3/great #2/passable #1 but is he worth 18mil/year? Maybe.

The biggest reason is I have a pipeline of a few really good SP coming up my system. About 4-5 guys I think have a chance start in the WBL and 1-2 that I think can be #3 or better types. If I kept Tang and locked him in long-term, that would significantly increase future costs. I could save money at a position I'm loaded at in my system. I'm willing to overpay for Porky at SS because I don't have any great ones close to ready. I was willing to overpay for DLS at the time because I was thin in OF (now I'm loaded of course).

The Cairo first rounder I projected top 5 so it was a piece I had to jump on. Seems like people on the forums like Velasquez a lot more htan I do. I think he's good but probably a fringe WBL SP. I like Crash more.

Overall though trading Tang was tough and I needed to be overwhelmed to let him go. Quality LHSP is hard to find and he's the only guy I've traded who has been in my beyond next year plans.

Las Vegas sends:
MR bin Azhar (DFA)

BA sends:
5th Rounder

This is the anti-doh trade in many ways. bin Azhar is a sell at his lowest value at this point. But for some reason he just can't pitch in the WBL. He's always had much higher HR rates with my WBL team compared to how he was with my AAA team. The worst news on him is he is 29 with just one option year left. That said, he's been great in JV thus far.

Las Vegas sends:
2B Gabe Ramos (WBL)

False Bay sends:
SP Arthur Everhart (AA)

Ramos started out with a .950 OPS for me in April but has cooled down a ton. The biggest thing that hurt me was a bad range factor which led to my team having a terrible team defense for the first time since I took it over. It was compounded with guys like Alberto Ramos and bin Hamal at 1B who are slow as hell too. I might punt 2B offensively next year in exchange for some defense.

The tough part was I think he would be my 2B next year the way things are set up. However, I do save some money this and next year.

Everhart is similar to Kaukonen. Great movement/solid stuff/OK control. I am targeting more of these SP with how many freaking HRs my team gave up this year. Rely on my defense a little more.
 

Orlando

Well-Known Member
Utopia Moderator
I missed that you got Crash. Figs was never high in him, but I still like him. Will definitely be following to see how he does.

What happened to the dohwer rankings this year?
 

osick87

Well-Known Member
Community Liaison
My thinking for our deal was that my park would help that HR problem out and my IF defence would hoover all those grounders up. His age was a reason I wasn't willing to give up too much for him.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
I missed that you got Crash. Figs was never high in him, but I still like him. Will definitely be following to see how he does.

What happened to the dohwer rankings this year?
Too busy with work/traveling I'll hope to bring them back next year.

Crash is solid. I want to try him at SP for a while (I think it helps with devo too) before I put him back at RP. He's got a 2.57 ERA in 8 AA starts for me so far so maybe he's got a shot. If his control improves a little with good defense he IMO can be a good #4.
My thinking for our deal was that my park would help that HR problem out and my IF defence would hoover all those grounders up. His age was a reason I wasn't willing to give up too much for him.
Yes My IF defense at 1B/2B range wise has been horrible. Both were actually I think + ZRs because they don't commit errors and G Ramos is very good at turning DPs but in terms of range they're both awful. I've gotta figure out a way to improve that next year without giving up a ton on offense.
 

osick87

Well-Known Member
Community Liaison
I had to trade for a competent defensive 1B. It's also why I asked for your 1B after we finished our trade.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
So last year was a disaster. I was no Amsterdam but had made the playoffs 3 of 4 years and was coming off a 101 and 93 win years. What went wrong and how will I fix it?

1. Defense

A staple of my team has been defense. Last year my IF defense (and specifically range) really failed me. I think having Gabe Ramos (45 range) and bin Hamal (25 range) as 2B/1B allowed a lot of hits. My OF defense of DLS-McHeshi-Farid was about as good as you could get. Porky Ogawa at SS is a great defensive player while Sanchez at 3B is just OK. Anyways my BABIP in my previous for years was .260, .278, .265 and .285. This last year it rocketed up to .308 with it living in the high .310s most of the year.

FIX: I tried out some different things. Farid started out horrible in CF but got better as the year went on. I put Sanchez at 1B and McHeshi at 3B. McHeshi had a ton of errors at 3B to start but was even ZRs with elite range to end the year. This year I have a plan to have Sanchez at 1B, McHeshi at 3B, Farid at CF with a good defensive LF. But if I get a good defensive 1B/3B I'll do Farid in LF and McHeshi in 3B with Sanchez going for 1B or 3B. The other huge piece will be having a good, rangy defensive 2B. I'm thinking about the value or punting the position offensively and just going for defense. If long term if it'd be worth it.

2. Pitching

For whatever reason my pitchers gave up lots and lots of HRs. I also had some injuries with Shrimp Correa going down for the year, Bailey Challen being bad then going down after a dominant start to his career. I was concerned about pitching depth before the season. I didn't have any quality in AAA and all my prospects were 1-2 years away from even being close to ready. It showed as my team had it's highest ERA since I took over by 0.70. I think a large part was connected to the BABIP though. I also traded away Tang, Coffin and have lost a few to FA who were solid.

FIX: Last year I made a ton of trades and got 3 pitchers who i think will add a ton of depth. As it stands now, I only really have 8 WBL quality pitchers. I'm going to have to stock up on cheap stop gaps and hope guys like Romero, Crash and others are ready by the end of the year. Maybe make a trade of two as well. One more thing: I need more LHP. They perform much better in my park and I didn't really replace an average pitcher like Kahl who had great numbers in my park.

3. Close Games

I was horrendous in one-run and XST games last season. Injuries thinned out my bench and my bullpen lacked elite talent in the back end or a good LH specialist. Maybe another defensive replacement would've helped.

FIX: Need to get some depth and platoons to get there. Not sure if I have enough money this off-season so I might have to make some trades.

In less depth I think these things hurt me too:

- McHeshi/Sanchez lack of devo: Both either didn't step up or took a step back. They're my core. I need them to be better. I need McHeshi to be healthy too as he missed time.
- bin Hamal ever hit? He always kills AAA and has good ratings, fits my park but he just can't hit at the level I need him to. He'll start out this year as DH and if he doesn't perform it might be it for him.
- Limp bench: I had a great bench the year before last. This last season it was useless. Especially once I traded Brown I had nothing there.
- Catchers blow: Estaban Paz is 1-2 years away from his massive power stroke coming to the WBL. Until then, I need to figure out a way to better than the current shitty platoon I got going with Umarah and Torres. The promise Umarah showed with his 2 WAR rookie year has gone to hell.

Going into the off-season I want:
- Solid #3-4 SP
- 2-3 good RP
- LH specialist
- New 2B who is good defensively
- LF/1B who is solid defensively and good offensively
- 1 or 2 guys who hit LHP well

Only having $20m for FA/overflow draft (with 3 first rounders) I'm going to have to find smart deals. I can't really unload any salary so I might have to call up guys in my system as well. I'm excited as I have some very good prospects that have been developing for years and are almost ready that should help my team. I need to bargain hunt and again I'm not going to tank this year I"m going to try and make it back to the playoffs.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Some trades...

Las Vegas sends:
13th overall

Kabul sends:
18th overall
51st overall
3rd next year

I have a lack of thirds this year and wanted a pick in that area. Also the guy I eyed I was able to get at 18. I'm trying to accumulate picks for next years draft as opposed to this year where I didn't have my 2nd/3rd and of course I picked the highest I ever have.

Pac Men (@doh) acquire: LF Ahern (WBL) C Salas (WBL) MR Hands (WBL)

Cairo (@fignuts) acquire: RF DLS 2044 5th rd pick

This was a very, very hard deal to make. I love DLS for his defense, speed and his ability to hit for a high AVG. But he took a giant step back last year in defense and it concerned me a lot. He's still a great player and hit great but another thing is he doesn't fit my park great. Basically I'm losing a for sure 4-5 WAR player. So why'd I make the deal?

I think Ahern will actually fit my park better. He isn't a great defensive LF but I'm not too concerned with McHeshi or Farid in CF near him both with great defense. Perhaps even at this point he slots in as my DH. I love his gap power from the left side and think he will have a huge year.

Salas is what I've needed for a long time: an average starting WBL catcher. I have Paz in AA and Salas will be my bridge to him. I'm hoping for a 2-2.5 WAR player. His pay is a bit too much IMO but overall I'll take it.

Hands is just pitching depth. I need some 4A types and he IMO is an OK RP who can just eat innings for my pen.

The biggest thing is I get a ton of payroll flexibility. Ahern is due 10m vesting option next year that I can manipulate. If he hits like I hope, I think he could be worth 10m. I also have Mark Wilkins coming up who can play a corner OF position.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
My catching position has been a giant black hole since I didn't re-sign Kim who has done well with KWest. I need payroll flexibility for McHeshi/Sanchez/others.
 

fignuts

See You Next Wednesday
Agreed with all 3 above. You shed payroll, get 3 wbl players in return and helps your catching.
I have wanted to move Ahern for last 2 years. Tried to make a move last year to LV.
Salas is replaceable thanks to Bell. And I have plenty of 25 and younger talent to replace Hands in the bullpen.
DLS may make 22 the season but with Ahern gone and Ekstrom leaving this will be my high loan contract on this team.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
OK so I made tons of trades this off-season. The goal was pretty simple: make my organization better and start to win now. I was also trying to shed long term salary (and almost all of it was DLS with my club). The bad thing is I did lose some assets (picks). I had also collected from trades last year some pitching depth and have been developing it over the course of a few years. I cashed a lot of it in.

LV gets @doh:
Salas (WBL)
Ekstrom (AAA)
Shaffer (AAA)

CAI gets:
De los Santos (WBL)
2nd rd 2044

I liked my original trade for DLS a lot more in some ways. I got Ahern who helps me now. I got a decent MR too. But the big difference in this deal is I had to send a 2nd but I got Shaffer who was the third overall pick in the 2042 draft. So I got what I needed in Salas (a solid catcher) plus a future asset. Ekstrom is only in for salary reasons.

The biggest plus of losing DLS is that I shed a ton of salary over the next two years. The bad thing is he is a 5 WAR player. His defense is slowing down however which makes me think the decline is coming quick. Also with guys like Shaffer, Wilkins, Hollinsworth in my system I have tons of OF who should be ready soon.

Key West sends:
1B Mason Fazackerly (WBL)

Las Vegas sends:
SP Reginaldo Felitti (AAA)
3rd Round Pick next year
6th Round Pick next year

This is a value pick up. I've been looking for a 1B/DH LH who can mash and Faz is it. He fits my park as a LH power hitter. He is coming off a bad year after back to back MVP level seasons hitting wise. I'll keep him from 1B because of his lack of range. But he had a 1.000+ OPS in '40 and '41 which I'd take in a heartbeat.

Felitti I've liked and had on my radar for a bit. He reminds me a lot of Kahl and I think he's a solid #3-4 SP in the right park. He fits my park well (I prefer LHSP). He struggled in AAA with a 5.60 ERA but he has enough pitches, stamina and velo to start. I wonder though if he's in a HR park how he responds.

Las Vegas sends:
2B Wendell Goossens (AAA)


Buffalo sends:
RF Josef Van As (WBL)


I like Dr. Goossens a lot but Van As is a pure platoon fit player. With Spagnulo and Kattenberg I already have two utility type bad hitter/good fielder types so that made Goossens expendable. Van As had a negative WAR LY but will just face LHP this season. He also has a 70 rating in RF which helps my overall fielding. I like how he's still at the minimum and can be a stop gap lefty masher for a couple years for me.

Las Vegas sends:
Yannick Bogers (AA)
6th Rounder 2044


Cairo sends:
MR Kieron Hands (WBL)
LF Gavin Hodge (WBL)


Bogers is more SP depth I'm moving from my system. However Hodge is like Van As (a little better) in that he will be a lefty masher v LHP. It allows me to move McHeshi to 3B, Sanchez to 1B v LHP as well. Hands is just a filler MR. I needed a lot of them as my system has failed to produce them.

Istanbul Sends:
SP Punchy Wong WBL

LV Sends:
RHP Pablo Flores A
SP Abel Hernandez WBL
SP Rod Velaszquez WBL

Cashing in more of my (no longer existing) pitching depth. The deal is basically trying to upgrade from Hernandez to Wong. The good news is i think I'll get Wong to sign a 2/23 deal with a 14m TO so it won't just be a rental. Flores I rate as a #7 on the SP depth chart pitcher. Velaszquez killed AA but IMO is a filler type #4 SP. He will be a good player. Hernandez wuld be awesome in a yard that isn't hitter friendly. I just add 1m in salary this year too which was important taking on Wong. I'm hoping he has 2-3 good years left. I just wanted to solidify my rotation for now and the future.
 

Yankee151

Hot Girl Summer
For me the deal works because Abel is a solid 1-year stopgap for one of Rauch or Duarte to take his spot next year, I like Rod's potential at least and Flores is a lotto ticket but I have a lot of those so I'm sure I'll strike lightning. Wong should be good for some years to come though.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
For me the deal works because Abel is a solid 1-year stopgap for one of Rauch or Duarte to take his spot next year, I like Rod's potential at least and Flores is a lotto ticket but I have a lot of those so I'm sure I'll strike lightning. Wong should be good for some years to come though.
Yes I'm a lot lower on Rod than most. When I got him for Tang people acted like I got a sure fire star and I think he's good but not great.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
We will see. The big thing for me is Wong is going to sign a 2/23 + 14 TO deal. I was scared he'd still want to be around 20m/year.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
So I'l review a few trades I made...

Las Vegas sends:
Kabul 3rd Rounder
Ramon Ramos (A)
Seved Ekstrom (AAA)

Key West sends:
Ragheb Fahd (WBL)

This deal was made at an odd time. Fahd makes $14.4m but Ekstrom was $12m so I'm not adding much salary. The loss was Ramos and the 3rd rounder. My scout likes him as a park fitter and OSA likes Ramos more. He's an interesting LHP. Fahd is basically a rent a player as I'm not going to exercise his 14m TO. Fahd has been outstanding with a 2.61 ERA and has really helped me get into the playoff picture.

Las Vegas sends:
SP Wasim bin Husain (AA)

Helsingborg sends:
MR Gary Zhou (UBL)
cash needed to finish deal

bin Hussain is about the 10th (no exaggeration) SP prospect I've moved in the last two or so seasons. I've really loaded up in the draft/IFA on potential #3-5 SPs and have gotten some solid players for them. Zhou had a 10.20 ERA with Helsi but has been very solid for me with a 3.08 ERA although almost all of that is because his BABIP went down 100 points. I've got him signed for 4.5m the next two years and as of now he's my closer next year.

Las Vegas sends:
3B Cesar Sanchez (WBL)

Amsterdam sends:
SP Albert Farias (AAA)
SP Cliff Jackson (AA)
2B Jamie Repitiera (AA)

Maybe the toughest trade I've made in the UBL. I feel like I've sold low on Sanchez who is just 23 but he just hasn't been great for me. His skills don't fit my park (RH hitter, not much gap power) and he is already expensive (6+m) and will be a $8m/year player from here on out. I'm kinda dissapointed I didn't get more but maybe he's just not that good of a player. My other problem is that he's an elite defensive 1B but doesn't hit enough to be there. He's a bad defensive 3B but hits enough to be there. I also have McHeshi who provides his most value at 3B so I can add another corner OF into the mix.

Farias was just some (actually very needed) depth at SP.

Jackson is a LHSP who IMO fits my park. Repitera is 18 and already in AA. I think he could be a really good SS/2B.

Helsingborg sends:
1B Henry Turner (WBL)
$2m
CF Arnaldo Merici (AA)

Las Vegas sends:
SP Sergio Garcia (A)
RP Langgeng Kusuma (WBL-DL)
Lando and I went over this deal for a long time. I originally didn't want it as Turner would hurt my IF defense but I said "screw it" and went for him. Garcia is yet another solid SP prospect I move. Kusuma was $3.3m dead weight. Merici has a very specific skill set and I like him a lot for those skills that I think I'll use at some point.

Las Vegas sends:
1B Henry Turner (WBL)
SS Porky Ogawa (WBL)
MR CLiff Johnson (AAA)

Dublin sends:
1B Hocine Mercier (WBL-DL)

I didn't plan on just turning Turner like this but after being quiet Radford came out of no where and made this trade. Mercier is an 80 defender and while he is 31 year old still has an elite bat.

Ogawa I liked a lot but he makes $7.7 then $8.5 TO. I think he fits Dublin's park and could hit 40 HRs there with 80 DEF at 2B/75 DEF at SS. Cliff Johnson was a toy of mine. He can DH and be a LH specialist.

Las Vegas sends:
5th this year
C John Olufson (AAA)

Berlin sends:
SP Eric Sutton (WBL)

Sutton has been a disaster as a SP this year but I think with his ratings he can be a great RP for me. He's pitched 8 scoreless innings with me in the bullpen. Olufson is a great back up catcher (I have Torres, Umarah, Hautberg and Olvera who fit that build too). He is a nice haul along with a 5th rounder.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
I'll post about my trades later but some analysis on the end of the year races...

NL Championship...

Looks like Amsterdam is on strong command holding a six game lead with about 25 games left. But I still think the Hammers have a chance. Why? Over the next 22 games, they just need to make up three games. Usually you don't want games against Amsterdam but Helsingborg has six left including the last three. Also of note: Hammers have just six games left on the road and they've been much better at home (43-20) than on the road (40-35). The big key is getting within 3 for the last sim.

NL Lamb...

Helsingborg is a comfortable 8.5 clear of Seoul so I put them in. Seoul has an extra series with Dublin while Las Vegas has their extra with Berlin. Pac Men have three more home games but their three game series with Seoul is in South Korea. Both teams get some players back from injury with LV getting back CL Zhou and lefty masher RF/defensive replacement Phil Thomas while The Glow get back Sa'id who has played well in the outfield.


Looks like SL is Buffalo then Cairo/False Bay in the South. Only question is how many games are hosted by which teams in the Lamb.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
OK so been a while since I did some trade analysis. Starting with a furious off-season here we go...

Las Vegas sends:
MR Bailey Challen (WBL)

Helsingborg sends:
5th Rounder
$1m

I really wanted to keep Challen. He was a true #2 SP for a few years and had a career ERA under 3 in his first 4 or so seasons. But, he just broke down. His HR rates went up and he became expensive. He was due a $13m or so TO but with my financial hell I was in, I had to trade him away. The big thing from a money perspective is that not only do I get $1m back but way way more importantly I didn't have to decline his team option which would've cost me about $3m. Challen made the All-Star game but ERA is over 4, his ratings are going to hell and I think all the innings he threw as a youngster are starting to take their toll. A similar move...

Las Vegas sends:
CL Pasta Fahd (UBL)
MR Alfredo Correa (AAA)

Istanbul sends:
5th Rounder

I didn't get any cash back but I didn't have to pay off Fahd. I gave up a little for him in my previous years quest but his TO money number was just too much. Correa was a really promising player who had a horrific arm injury and ratings went to hell. He went from IMO the third best RP in a good bullpen to now just complete filler. Correa was great in AAA but hasn't been good in the WBL. But I believe I saved about $3m in not having to exercise another TO.

Las Vegas sends:
MR Ju-long Wang (WBL)

Kabul sends:
$1.5m straight cash homie

Another deal I had to make. I like Wang but he IMO is just WBL filler/AAA decent placeholder type. The cash was needed bad. He's got a ERA over 8 this year.

Las Vegas sends:
9th overall

Amsterdam sends:
17th overall
3B Chris Breezy (AAA)
5th Rounder
$5m cash money

I was thin on draft picks last draft and moved down to get another pick plus the guy I wanted was still on the board 8 picks later. Chris Brown has been huge for me this year. He's played 2B/SS/3B and hit decent. He's on pace for a 2.0 WAR year at the minimum and I hope he gets better. The cash helped me try to erase what was a $-14m balance that I had to start out with.

Las Vegas sends:
2B Barrett Hennegan (AAA)

Seoul sends:
2B Hugh Nelson (WBL)

When McHeshi got hurt, I desperately needed some OBP and offense in general. I got Nelson and traded Hennegan (who I rated as a AAA player). Nelson was making $3.5m but was awesome at getting on base (around .400 OBP with me). The problem? He sucks at defense. Like should be a DH. If I didn't have Fazackerly, I would've kept him and put him at DH to keep that OBP.

@osick87 sends

Edgardo Garcia

@doh sends

Gavin Hodge (???)
Kieron Hands (AAA)
Arhur Everhart (AAA)
Lou Purdy (AA)

This was an interesting trade. Zhou got hurt and I wanted to stay in the race. I lost to JD in the original bidding on Garcia and like him a lot. Insanely he lost 9 times in his first 22 games with me but has settled down since. I think he's on the edge of being good and deciding to non-tender or offer him arb will be a really hard decision for me.

Hodge/Hands I got in a deal from Cairo. They both have been busts and were just salary dumps. I think maybe Hodge could be good in a RH park but he just has sucked for me. Purdy IMO can be a solid 4th/5th best RP in a bullpen. He's a bit away and his ratings are a little strange. I like Eberhart who I got in a trade during my tank year from JD. He can be a swing SP/long guy. I think as a #5 SP he helps almost all rotations in the league.

Las Vegas sends:
2B Hugh Nelson (WBL)

Dublin sends:
3rd Rounder
RP Ricard Townson (AAA)

Remember when I just posted Nelson's D was killing me? Even though he was a 0.3 WAR player for me (so overall good) and had a .370 OBP, his -7.6 ZRs plus the fact he has zero range is next to Mercier who has no range too was killing my pitching. Chris Brown just overall was a better option despite his inabillity to be a high OBP player. Townson was my closer for a long time and is making too much ($7m) but is a FA. He's been dynamite for the Pac with a 1.80 ERA over 30 games. I'd like to re-sign him though and he isn't having that. I also save $1m in declining the TO on Nelson in this deal for next year.

MY bad luck went with Nelson who got hurt.

@osick87 sends
1B/Util Matt Weaver(WBL)

@doh sends
RP Derviþ Belciler (AA)
SS Rômulo Abraos (AA)

Weaver was really just needed for 1.5-2 months while I got McHeshi back. My back up options at all IF positions all couldn't hit so I wanted Weavers bat. He's decent at most IF positions with a great rating at 1B as well. He's an extra RH bat off the bench and has gotten starts at every IF position for me.

Abroas was a 2nd round pick who just hasn't panned out. Belciler I was really looking forward to making a LH specialist. I don't think he's much more than that but he has some value.

Las Vegas sends:

Both 3rd rounders
C Umarah (AAA)
LF Sean Hollingsworth (AAA)
CL Francisco Garcia (AAA)

Australia sends:

SP Kardal (WBL)

To me this is me getting fleeced. Karal won't re-sign and was traded for primarily to get me to the playoffs. I don't think he will start a game. That's been mission accomplished with a 3.81 ERA over 9 starts. He is a pitcher who fits my defense and not giving up HRs model.

Umarah has had a strange career. He started out his rookie year with a 2.0 WAR and I was excited about his future. Unfortunately he just hasn't done much at all. He's been valuable the last two years as a defensive replacement (albeit with a bad ZR compared to ratings). He is a pure salary dump in this deal.

Hollingsworth I've always really liked. His ratings aren't great but he's a LH who plays very good defense with great numbers. Career OPS over .900 and he just continues to hit. I was thinking he could be good enough to play at RF and make it so I could trade Wilkins or Shaffer but now that's not an option.

Garcia is a 5* potential RP who I think I could've gotten a lot more for. Unfortunately for NML looked like he tried to start him a little and he got TJ.

@osick87 trades
RP Ahmet Erez (Will be DFA or AAA)


@doh trades
1B Mu'awiyah bin Hamal (AAA)​

Erez has a great K/BB, K/9, BB/9... so what's his deal? HR against. I'm hoping that my big park will help with that. bin Hamal was my first 1st rounder. He just never has gotten it done for me while in the WBL. His low contact and high K rates just kill him. Maybe like others I've sent Osick like Leslie Jordan and the LHP who I'm forgetting they'll find their groove.

Las Vegas sends:
LF Numan Farid (WBL)
SP Roque Mobbs (WBL)
RP Jose Barron (AAA-DL)
RP Coffin Park (WBL)
SP Langgang Kusuma (AAA)
7th

Amsterdam sends:
SP Raul Torres (WBL)

The first real time I've let myself get really fleeced in the UBL/WBL and knowing I was getting fleeced. First, just to get it out of the way: Park, Kusuma and Barron were all just dumps of salary. Park was a disappointment for me. In June he was 5-0 and didn't give up a run over 24 IP named NL Pitcher of the Month. After that a complete disaster.

Mobbs was very solid in my starting rotation with a bit of a lucky 3.98 ERA. I think he's in the mold of Kahl of a groundball pitchers without great stars but solid ratings. The only thing that concerns me about him is that his change up is his only plus pitch (but it is an 80 pitch). His K-rate has been very good though and I think the amount of LH hitters in the NL help LHP be more effective. I was pretty happy I only spent $330k on him in IFA to get him in 2039. I've been targeting players like him and signing them and flipping them a lot.

Farid was a tough guy to get rid of. He's about to get expensive was my main reasoning. I had toyed a bit with a lineup that puts Farid in CF, McHeshi at 3B, Brown at SS, Orozco at 2B that gives me by far my most hitting. Essentially the issue with that lineup isn't those guys in those spots. It's that Shaffer and Wilkins are bad defenders and with my team needing good defense, I needed to have McHeshi in CF to help those guys. Farid is the best defensive LF in the game but just average in CF. I wish I had a DH spot to put Wilkins or Shaffer but Fazackerly is too good to trade and Mercier at 1B is great defensively and bringing a ton of power. So Farid made the most sense to move because he hasn't hit like I hope he would. He's been good but not great since his rookie of t the year when he was a 7 WAR player. He's also gotten hurt a lot.

Torres I think has his best years ahead him at 23. I figure if I want to be a serious contender for a championship, I absolutely need a top flight SP like him. Wong IMO is good enough to be a top 3 of a SP rotation for a playoff game. I am very concern with the heath of Torres but I need to take this risk.

Basically my organizational philosphy has always to build teams good enough to make the playoffs and then roll the dice from there. In years where it looks like I'm making the playoffs then trying to add pieces maybe at the deadline. I wish I was around more at the deadline this year because I would've made a couple more moves I hoped. This kinda goes against my overall philosophy.

The better thing for value would've been roll with Mobbs, get more value for Farid in the off-season (I was already getting 1st offers) or see if I could get a nice package for Wilkins or Shaffer and move Farid to make my defense a lot better. Long term I'm still going to need to move one of those two or Fazackerly because I don't know if my defense can survive them both playing. But I decided to go against my normal instincts because Torres could be that good.
 

Orlando

Well-Known Member
Utopia Moderator
You didn't get fleeced for Torres. Not one bit.

Still mad mad about our trade disappearing doh doh.
 

OU11

Pleighboi
Utopia Moderator
Lol in no world did i fleece you, torres will be fine and is just below naka and kasib rating wise and he'll be lights out next year. Maybe put him on a 100 pitch count, that's all he'll need to go 7-8 anyway


I actually got much less than i should have, but i liked farid enough to do something crazy like give up torres for him
 

Wendell Gee

dawg_gone parrothead
Agree that Torres was not a fleece of Vegas. If anything it was a fleece the other way. He's the kind of guy that takes over a playoff series and gets you those extra postseason games that bring the dollars in.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
So here I sit with the ability to clinch this week. Some keys to my season...

1. The new corner OFs

Almost out of the mistake of McHeshi injuries, I was forced to play Mark Wilkins a lot and it's been huge. Him and Shaffer while bad defensively have both raked offensively. Both are above .900 in OPS. Getting Shaffer took some luck too: the original trade I got Larry Ahern (now a PH specialist on my team) vetoed the trade. The two have been huge in my lineups. Also having Van As, Medina and Thomas play as vs. LHP specialists (as well as defensively replacements) has kept the two young kids fresh as well as maximized the value of LF/CF.

2. Defense

The two staples of my successful Las Vegas teams has been being the best at two things: defense and SP (more on that). The first key has been having defensive replacements at positions where defense isn't great (C, LF, RF). That's certainly helped things. But I've also sacrificed offense for defense with Rhys Opie who is third amongst all WBL players with a +13.8 ZR. Most insane is he's committed just four errors in 138 games. Hocine Mercier also leads the WBL in ZR amongst 1B, Chris Breezy is fifth in DE at 2B and Jorge Orozco has been above average at 3B. The OF hasn't been great but with McHeshi back in center I believe it'll be at least average. Overall, Las Vegas leads the NL in DE. The IF defense lends itself to...

3. Starters #1 in ERA

I've certainly targeted groundball pitchers to fit with my defense. A combined .283 BABIP for my SP has helped them get to a 3.96 ERA which is the best in the NL. The rotation is deep with Kardal coming along for 10 huge starts (3.80 ERA) and my #5 SP Jose Romero having a 4.81 ERA which doesn't kill me. The addition of Torres gives me a for sure guy in the playoffs to start to along with Punchy and Shulz. I feel like I have as deep a rotation as anyone. But the addition of Torres gives me a chance to have more top level talent in the rotation. I wish Franco was healthy (and his ratings have gone to hell since injury) but I'm overall satisfied with this unit.

4. Bullpen roles

My two LH specialist experiment has worked so far. Victor Wilkins was a MLFA who I thought was a perfect LH Specialist. All he's done is gone 32 appearances without giving up a run. LH hitters OPS is around .450 against him too. Camara has been OK and I'll probably let him walk. Eric Sutton has been amazing as my 8th inning guy with a 2.15 ERA out of the bullpen this year. Losing my closer to start the year hasn't hurt me much either. Zhou is back and I feel like for the first time since my second year in the WBL I have a fully stocked bullpen.

5. Lineup Depth

Even with down years from Salas and Mercier and the injury to McHeshi, guys like Chris Brown, Jorge Orozco and Rhys Opie have picked it up. None of the 2B/SS/3B are world beaters Brown has hit 46 XBH and a respectable .430 SLG. Orozco has 15 HR and has walked a good amount. Opie just puts the ball into play and has 15 SBs and is top 5 in NL SS XBH. Another thing is the flexibility I have. I have platoons most of the year at least 3 positions. At least 3 places where I can get defensively replacements. Some PH and PR options that help as well.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
I did the roster make up of my 40-man roster... anyone else who wants the analysis on their team let me know.

Where players "spawned"
Original 2033 players - 6
Auto IFAs - 4
Big IFA bonus - 6
Small IFA bonus (under $1m) - 3
1st Round picks - 7
Lower than 1st round - 2
UDFA - 1

How I acquired players
Free Agent - 1
MLFA - 7
UDFA - 0
Draft - 2
Trade - 13
IFA - 6

I have been good with signing MLFA's and have been I imagine more active than most with trades. I rarely have a player drafted and developed in my system. Larry Shaffer is one. Geiler Shulz (who was drafted by the CPU the year before we took over) was the other.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
So people have different philosphies when it comes to FA/Draft and picks/Trading/etc... I decided to explain my philosophies on stuff. I'm starting with how I set up my team. Next post will be about how I acquire talent.

Overall

Before I can get into specifics... I think my overall goal is usually just to make the playoffs. My goal every year is to get to the trade deadline knowing whether I am in it or not. If I'm not (or not way before), then I first try to sell off any parts that have zero value to me the next year. If I am, I try to go for it and fill any holes. My idea (which @Mr. Radpants is starting to sway me to not believe) is that if you get to the playoffs it is a crap shoot as long as you have a good enough team.

Lineup

I think before I can get into FA, draft, etc. I should explain how I want to construct my team. I started out with a moneyball method of power/eye. But I learned to fit it to my ballpark. My ballpark favors LH and gap power. It depresses RH power and everything. So I've tried to set up my lineup basically to go for these two things. The problems I've had are with OBP, average over my time in the WBL. I was also not doing well against LHP. I've made an effort to upgrade my platoon players in recent years. LV had its best record vs. LHP in a while last year.

Defense

A big part of my successful teams has been good defense. I look for players with range. I've tried to target good IF defense especially (more on that) and last year went 80-65-75-75 across my IF. OF defense in previous years has been a huge thing too. One year I had arguably the best defensive LF (Farid) CF (McHeshi) and RF (DLS) all at the same time. I've decided to sacrifice a little OF defense with my current alignment for offense.

Bench

I've tried to squeeze out wins from my bench over the years. It's key to me to have everyone play for a few reasons. I think you can maxmize value out of your roster and I also think guys play better if they get more action. Last year all four of my bench players were used as defensive replacements and two were used to platoon. I also try to have a catcher who plays at least once a week to keep the current catcher fresh.

Starting Pitching

My first couple years in the WBL I had elite SP. It waned a bit but the last two years it's been the top SP ERA wise in the NL. The huge key is I look for GB pitchers to fit with my IF defense. I don't care a ton about control. I do want them to be OK at it. I've also not really looked as much at stuff/K-rate as others because I think it's expensive to buy. I believe the value right now is in high GB rates with great IF defense.

Bullpen

This is maybe the place I'm different than most. With the amount of innings my starters throw (2nd to Amsterdam in NL) and a 7 man bullpen, I don't really use everyone. So I've decided to go CL, SU8, MR, MR, LR and two LH specialists. I went with two because the NL has tons of good LH hitting. I also think if you have a third MR that one of them just doesn't pitch a ton and it's a useless roster spot.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Here are my thoughts on how to build a team through various ways and how I deal with the various different avenues....

Free Agency

My biggest rule in FA: never overpay. I am probably actually one of the most active participants in FA in relation to my roster. I feel like I usually have about 6-7 FAs on my roster year in year out. But I can't say I've ever really gotten into a bidding war ever. My first off-season in the UBL I got the two best FAs 3B Tommy Shields and a catcher whose name I can't remember. I overpaid terribly for both and haven't gotten an "elite" FA since then.

I go into the off-season with very specific needs (this year: 3B, LH specialist, #4-5 type SP, 2-3 RP, OF vs LHP). I first scour FA to see if I can get any deals or if there are any MLFA's (more on that later) who are a nice fit. Last year LHRP Victor Wilkins was a MLFA who was a perfect fit and had a great season. I then usually go for mid level FAs who fit those needs. At the same time, I try to trade for those needs if there isn't a cheap guy out there. My preference is FA because I don't have to give up anything. My big rule is that I don't overpay for anyone above their value unless it's a desperate need. For instance, this year I've had a desperate need at RP but I just don't want to give a guy like Fahd two years or Garcia 3-4. I rather just get a solid player then fill in via trade later.

One more thing I've done last off-season and will do again is try to maybe get 2-3 extra arms. With my injuries and lack of depth in my system (I've traded away 10 pitching prospects last two years), I have to buy depth. I may do this this year as well.

The last thing is it is very, very rare for me to sign anyone for more than a year. I want to keep financial flexibility.

MLFA

I'd say I'm much more active in this department too. I usually check MLFA's every sim to see if there are any 1.5* star guys that my scout likes that are just sitting out there. I've been able to get a few including an All-Star last year in Andl Ebussuud.

More importantly in the off-season, I try to load up on as many as I can who'll play AAA and be solid depth for me. I've also started to target specific players (defensive good/fast) who I can bring up during the last month or even maybe use for the playoffs when I go from a 12 man pitching staff to a 11 man.

Draft

My draft philosophy is pretty simple: always BPA. I tend to favor college players who have stats I can see and more "proven" players although this hasn't been that successful. I probably favor hitters to pitchers too.

As far as my picks, I like to use them to acquire talent more than make picks.

Trades

I am always looking to trade. I think my roster composition is higher weighted towards trades than any other team. In our current system, FA is so bad and the lack of professional IFAs make it so the only way to get better quick is to trade with other teams.

I'm almost always looking to trade prospects and picks for current talent. I try to not overpay for mediocre talent unless I think it'll push me over the top into the playoffs (Kardal trade last year) or I just have a terrible glaring need and nothing there that will work (Chris Brown trade is an example of this).

Another thing I try to do is always trade guys who I don't want to extend. I don't like guys of any value walking although I'm probably a lot more willing to trade for rentals than others. I avoid guys with long term bad contracts too.

The last thing is I try to look for prospects that maybe aren't huge star guys but guys that would fit what I look for.

Overall: I see players as having value and cashing in on that value. Almost like chips. I am willing to overpay value for specific fit players that others might not see as really valuable.

IFA

I've never really made a huge splash in IFA. The only time I really have was the ill fated final UBL season that never happened. My idea is to sign specific type guys with attributes I've found to be successful. I only try to sign guys like that and then sign a ton of them. I've had a lot of success with signing cheaper IFAs and flipping them. Reginaldo Fellliti who I traded to get Fazackerly is an example. Lou Purdy who I recently traded is another example. Unfortunately, I'm starting to find certain teams are targeting the same places.

Basically overall I see IFA as a way to build depth and then trade that depth for WBL players. Long haul I think the better play is just break the bank and go for the superstar in IFA. A lot of the best players in the game were huge IFA signings. I think one year when I have a huge FA budget and not many holes on my team, I may do this.

Contracts

I'm a little different than most on here. First of all, I don't really like buying out first arb years. I think you can get the same deal after they go through arb the first time. You save money on that one year and to me, as a team that is constantly trying to compete, I value the extra $2-3m.

As I posted above, I never really give dudes more than one year of FA. I really can't remember the last time I gave a guy two years. I've done a good amount of year + TO (and have two guys I want do that with this off-season).

I never ever sign mid level players to long extensions either. I just rather let them go through arb. I cringe when I see a lot of teams give at best utility guys $2.5-$3.5m extensions for 3-4 years. To me, I can replace those guys in FA or through trade for a lot less money. It's probably tied to my overall philosophy and I don't really see get connected to players. I see them all as value chips. I'll take .3 less WAR from my utility to save $3-4m

The one thing I do try to do is extend elite players as well as guys who I traded a lot for. The only really bad extension I have right now is Mercier. When I signed it, I didn't hate it and now I don't hate it but I don't love it. The good thing is he still has value to my team and I only have one other player making over $9m. I really like the Punchy, McHeshi and Fazackerly extensions I signed. Faz might be a year too long but Punchy's is great. The decision with him will be whether to go for two extra at $18m per season. A lot of the time if I have to make decision I rather just trade the guy and let someone else cross that bridge.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
The guy who always has to shed budget never overpays in Free Agency?
This is all in a perfect world :laughing:

I haven't had a big FA sign in a while. I'm also always trying to shed any dead weight I can. I only have 20 guys on my 40-man right now.
 

Wendell Gee

dawg_gone parrothead
Good thoughts doh. I watched your use of Vic Wilkins last year. I let him go because I didn't know how to use him. He had like a 45 stuff rating or something, but great movement and control. Sort of a Mark Martinez type, but lefty, and you found the perfect use for him as a loogy in front of a good defense.
 
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doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Good thoughts doh. I watched your use of Vic Wilkins last year. I let him go because I didn't know how to use him. He had like a 45 stuff rating or something, but great movement and control. Sort of a Mark Martinez type, but lefty, and you found the perfect use for him as a loogy in front of a good defense.
He is very limited (LH specialist and that's it) but he works with my team because I have great IF defense. His ERA last year was actually inflated by a couple of mop up times he pitched where he was rocked. His ERA in his LH specialist innings had to be under 1.00. I think he went something like his last 40 straight games without giving up a run. Not giving up a HR helped him a lot which is very much luck related too though. Camara's ERA was much, much higher but he was about as effective as a LOOGY.
 
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