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Today the assistant editor of the DK takes a look back at the last two months of free agency! Let’s take a closer look at the Top 5 Winners and Top 5 Losers as Spring Training gets underway!
Let's take a closer look at the 5 clubs that seem to have taken a step back after this year's free agent period!
Loser #5 – Carolina Tobs
As is the case with teams that win it all, some attrition is usually the price to pay to field a championship team the season before. The Tobs magical 2037 ended with champagne dreams as they dispatched the heavily favoured Rum Runners. In a bold move, Carolina chose to add no one to the BLB’s best team. Although not the pitcher he once was, the Tobs will stay have to contend with finding someone to pick up Manabu Hamada’s leadership and role in the rotation. Of greater concern is the loss of RF Dave Hoyt. Although the offence still boasts incredible young talent, Hoyt might have been their best offensive performer and his bat will sorely be missed. Those two key losses will find the Tobs looking up at the Bats at years’ end as they fight for a wild card this season!
Loser #4 – Pittsburgh Millers
Coming off of a year with 92 wins the Millers hit a rough patch this offseason as they watched a lot of the depth pieces that are so invaluable to a winning club walk out the door. The biggest loss will be starting SS, Oscar D’Addona, who was scooped up in FA by the Washington Bats. Infielders Dave Davidson and Erik Ketcham were also let go, as the Millers will be looking for internal help to shore up the infield holes. Of greater concern may be the loss of two SPs (Mel Fagnini and Patrick Burgess) for a staff that competes in the ultra competitive Ale Division. With a few breaks and some young players filling the void the Millers may still be fighting for a Wild Card when the dust settles on the 2038 season!
Loser #3 – Hartford Whalers
This was a big whiff last year, but we are ringing the Hartford bell again this year in the #3 spot on our loser’s board! Coming off 92 wins, the Whalers had a rough offseason. Two small additions in RF Darrien Rojas and SP Robby McEvoy hardly makeup for the losses to the bullpen and offence. Tony Chieregati and his 18 home runs, and 3B Ron Snider and his 32 home runs will leave a gaping hole in an offence that will now have to heavily rely even more on Ron Hutchison to carry the load. More concerning is replacing CL Tom Kastner and his shut down innings that accounted for 35 saves last season. It’s going to be another tough wild card battle for the Whalers in 2038!
Loser #2 – Indianapolis Racers
Indianapolis fought their way to the second best record in the DL last season, but it was followed by a tough 2038 offseason for Racer fans! The pitching staff was gutted with the loss of SPs Ethan Braunscheidel, Dave Householder, Redford Jeralds, Gil Small, and Steve Fasola. Some young players will need to take a large step up for the Racers to stay competitive in a tough IL with vastly improving young teams! On the offensive side, Indy will also be looking to replace C Erik MacDonough’s (retirement) leadership, Tom Allgood’s solid two-way play, and Jimmy Jeffs’ 0321 average and 17 home runs in limited action. Some minor trades have netted the Racers some pieces for the future, but it could be a long 2038, as the Racers look to take a step back and hope to challenge for a wild card by season’s end!
Loser #1 – California Kodiaks
For the second year in a row, the Kodiaks find themselves in the loser portion of our free agent frenzy. Coming off of back to back first place finishes, the Kodiaks made a few small additions in SP Pat Moore and RP Eiichi Nagao, but that hardly makes up for the huge holes that were left once FA was over. The biggest loss will be the leadership, 30 home runs and infield anchoring defence of team captain Dusty Schmidl. The Kodiaks also say goodbye to consistent 30 home run threat Josh Wright. More minor notes are the losses of C Alex Santiago, 1B Turell Morris, and 1B Ed King. The Kodiaks also suffered a huge blow to their pitching staff as their long time closer Ed Tesluk moved on to Seattle. The Kodiak starting staff will also get very young, very quickly as SP Dusty Borchers (opt out) and Robby McEvoy have moved on to greener pastures and their replacement appears to be 34-year-old Pang Shuai. It looks like it will be a fall from the top of what is the BLB’s best division for the Kodiaks this year. With key losses in every facet of the game, it’s easy to see how we settled on California as this year’s big loser in the BLB’s 2038 Free Agent Frenzy!
Now onto the teams that look to be big winners in this year's free agent market!
Winner #5 – New Orleans Voodoo
For the second year in a row the Voodoo are highlighted in our winners list. They come in at #5, for an off-season, that although not flashy, was very solid. Coming off 85 wins, the Voodoo added LF Dan McAlear to add punch to an offence that far too often had to rely on the young bat of Elmer Caceres. Some solid under the radar signings in SS Bing-zhang Lopan and RPs Robby Diaz, Dave Stark, and Zach Hanley will look to bolster the bench and bullpen for a team that finished just outside of the playoffs last season!
Winner #4 – Maine Guides
Coming off of a miserable 2037 campaign that saw BLB blueblood Maine lose 100 games in back to back seasons and for only the third time in their storied history, 2038 needed to be a strong offseason. One notable loss was having Johnny Martin retire, but the Guides are hoping their rebuilt rotation more than makes up for his absence. SPs Efren Prestianni (trade with Phoenix), SP Dave Jeffers (trade with Philadelphia), and Free Agent Tom Smith should greatly improve a staff that had a whopping 5.05 ERA in 2037. Things are looking good for the Guides break 70 wins this year!
Winner #3 – Pawtucket Patriots
After an incredible 41-121 record in 2036, the Patriots took a small step forward last year, and are hoping to take another leap forward this year. The Patriots lost a few spare parts that will be missed, such as C Jayden Dean and 2B Dave Finlay, but 6 solid signings should more than make up for their departure. SPs Dusty Borchers and Tom Sellers lok to anchor a young rotation, while LFs Micah Anderson and Dave Maldonado look to bolster an offence that got very little production from anyone not named Robby Brainard. Johnny Swope is also looking for a career resurgence with the Patriots and the rebuild offence! With a little luck the Patriots could be fighting for a Wild Card berth until the final days of the season.
Winner #2 – Philadelphia Freedom
For the second year in a row, the Freedom hold down the #2 spot in our winner’s section. After a highly touted offseason last year fell of the rails, the Freedom decided to clean house and start anew. 24 players were let go or traded to make room for 17 new players. Creating a solid clubhouse atmosphere may prove to be tough for a club that floundered to 102 losses last year may be tough. The Freedom have rebuilt their entire pitching staff with SPs Jimmy Hallam, Patrick Burgess, Rory Piechowski, Pat Kubacki, and RPs Tom McGuffinTom Hughes, and Steve Fasola. A couple of under the radar trades have also added depth to a lineup that had a hard time scaring teams last season. With all of the new weapons, 70 wins, and some potential meaningful games down the stretch are a real possibility for Freedom fans!
Winner #1 – Denver Bulls
Just in time for an exciting rebrand Denver laps the field this year in our Free Agency Frenzy! They currently reside in the BLB’s toughest division, and look to take a major step forward this season. Boasting the BLB’s #4 system, and a bevy of young talent in the pipeline, the Bulls open up their wallets big time to completely overhaul the staff that pitched them to 53 wins last season. Having lost no one of note, the Bulls instead traded for SP Dusty Dills (Baltimore) and signed FA SP Micah Scott to front their rotation. The bullpen might go from one of the worst in the league to the Bull’s greatest strength this season. Top closer, Tom Kastner headlines a group of bullpen signings that also includes future hall of famer, AJ Inlge, Josh Robinson, and Jamie Waechter. The future looks to be now, as the Bulls look to be fighting for a 0.500 record after 5 straight 100 loss seasons! It’s easy to see how we settled on Denver as this year’s clear winner of the 2038 BLB Free Agent Frenzy!
Let's take a closer look at the 5 clubs that seem to have taken a step back after this year's free agent period!
Loser #5 – Carolina Tobs
As is the case with teams that win it all, some attrition is usually the price to pay to field a championship team the season before. The Tobs magical 2037 ended with champagne dreams as they dispatched the heavily favoured Rum Runners. In a bold move, Carolina chose to add no one to the BLB’s best team. Although not the pitcher he once was, the Tobs will stay have to contend with finding someone to pick up Manabu Hamada’s leadership and role in the rotation. Of greater concern is the loss of RF Dave Hoyt. Although the offence still boasts incredible young talent, Hoyt might have been their best offensive performer and his bat will sorely be missed. Those two key losses will find the Tobs looking up at the Bats at years’ end as they fight for a wild card this season!
Loser #4 – Pittsburgh Millers
Coming off of a year with 92 wins the Millers hit a rough patch this offseason as they watched a lot of the depth pieces that are so invaluable to a winning club walk out the door. The biggest loss will be starting SS, Oscar D’Addona, who was scooped up in FA by the Washington Bats. Infielders Dave Davidson and Erik Ketcham were also let go, as the Millers will be looking for internal help to shore up the infield holes. Of greater concern may be the loss of two SPs (Mel Fagnini and Patrick Burgess) for a staff that competes in the ultra competitive Ale Division. With a few breaks and some young players filling the void the Millers may still be fighting for a Wild Card when the dust settles on the 2038 season!
Loser #3 – Hartford Whalers
This was a big whiff last year, but we are ringing the Hartford bell again this year in the #3 spot on our loser’s board! Coming off 92 wins, the Whalers had a rough offseason. Two small additions in RF Darrien Rojas and SP Robby McEvoy hardly makeup for the losses to the bullpen and offence. Tony Chieregati and his 18 home runs, and 3B Ron Snider and his 32 home runs will leave a gaping hole in an offence that will now have to heavily rely even more on Ron Hutchison to carry the load. More concerning is replacing CL Tom Kastner and his shut down innings that accounted for 35 saves last season. It’s going to be another tough wild card battle for the Whalers in 2038!
Loser #2 – Indianapolis Racers
Indianapolis fought their way to the second best record in the DL last season, but it was followed by a tough 2038 offseason for Racer fans! The pitching staff was gutted with the loss of SPs Ethan Braunscheidel, Dave Householder, Redford Jeralds, Gil Small, and Steve Fasola. Some young players will need to take a large step up for the Racers to stay competitive in a tough IL with vastly improving young teams! On the offensive side, Indy will also be looking to replace C Erik MacDonough’s (retirement) leadership, Tom Allgood’s solid two-way play, and Jimmy Jeffs’ 0321 average and 17 home runs in limited action. Some minor trades have netted the Racers some pieces for the future, but it could be a long 2038, as the Racers look to take a step back and hope to challenge for a wild card by season’s end!
Loser #1 – California Kodiaks
For the second year in a row, the Kodiaks find themselves in the loser portion of our free agent frenzy. Coming off of back to back first place finishes, the Kodiaks made a few small additions in SP Pat Moore and RP Eiichi Nagao, but that hardly makes up for the huge holes that were left once FA was over. The biggest loss will be the leadership, 30 home runs and infield anchoring defence of team captain Dusty Schmidl. The Kodiaks also say goodbye to consistent 30 home run threat Josh Wright. More minor notes are the losses of C Alex Santiago, 1B Turell Morris, and 1B Ed King. The Kodiaks also suffered a huge blow to their pitching staff as their long time closer Ed Tesluk moved on to Seattle. The Kodiak starting staff will also get very young, very quickly as SP Dusty Borchers (opt out) and Robby McEvoy have moved on to greener pastures and their replacement appears to be 34-year-old Pang Shuai. It looks like it will be a fall from the top of what is the BLB’s best division for the Kodiaks this year. With key losses in every facet of the game, it’s easy to see how we settled on California as this year’s big loser in the BLB’s 2038 Free Agent Frenzy!
Now onto the teams that look to be big winners in this year's free agent market!
Winner #5 – New Orleans Voodoo
For the second year in a row the Voodoo are highlighted in our winners list. They come in at #5, for an off-season, that although not flashy, was very solid. Coming off 85 wins, the Voodoo added LF Dan McAlear to add punch to an offence that far too often had to rely on the young bat of Elmer Caceres. Some solid under the radar signings in SS Bing-zhang Lopan and RPs Robby Diaz, Dave Stark, and Zach Hanley will look to bolster the bench and bullpen for a team that finished just outside of the playoffs last season!
Winner #4 – Maine Guides
Coming off of a miserable 2037 campaign that saw BLB blueblood Maine lose 100 games in back to back seasons and for only the third time in their storied history, 2038 needed to be a strong offseason. One notable loss was having Johnny Martin retire, but the Guides are hoping their rebuilt rotation more than makes up for his absence. SPs Efren Prestianni (trade with Phoenix), SP Dave Jeffers (trade with Philadelphia), and Free Agent Tom Smith should greatly improve a staff that had a whopping 5.05 ERA in 2037. Things are looking good for the Guides break 70 wins this year!
Winner #3 – Pawtucket Patriots
After an incredible 41-121 record in 2036, the Patriots took a small step forward last year, and are hoping to take another leap forward this year. The Patriots lost a few spare parts that will be missed, such as C Jayden Dean and 2B Dave Finlay, but 6 solid signings should more than make up for their departure. SPs Dusty Borchers and Tom Sellers lok to anchor a young rotation, while LFs Micah Anderson and Dave Maldonado look to bolster an offence that got very little production from anyone not named Robby Brainard. Johnny Swope is also looking for a career resurgence with the Patriots and the rebuild offence! With a little luck the Patriots could be fighting for a Wild Card berth until the final days of the season.
Winner #2 – Philadelphia Freedom
For the second year in a row, the Freedom hold down the #2 spot in our winner’s section. After a highly touted offseason last year fell of the rails, the Freedom decided to clean house and start anew. 24 players were let go or traded to make room for 17 new players. Creating a solid clubhouse atmosphere may prove to be tough for a club that floundered to 102 losses last year may be tough. The Freedom have rebuilt their entire pitching staff with SPs Jimmy Hallam, Patrick Burgess, Rory Piechowski, Pat Kubacki, and RPs Tom McGuffinTom Hughes, and Steve Fasola. A couple of under the radar trades have also added depth to a lineup that had a hard time scaring teams last season. With all of the new weapons, 70 wins, and some potential meaningful games down the stretch are a real possibility for Freedom fans!
Winner #1 – Denver Bulls
Just in time for an exciting rebrand Denver laps the field this year in our Free Agency Frenzy! They currently reside in the BLB’s toughest division, and look to take a major step forward this season. Boasting the BLB’s #4 system, and a bevy of young talent in the pipeline, the Bulls open up their wallets big time to completely overhaul the staff that pitched them to 53 wins last season. Having lost no one of note, the Bulls instead traded for SP Dusty Dills (Baltimore) and signed FA SP Micah Scott to front their rotation. The bullpen might go from one of the worst in the league to the Bull’s greatest strength this season. Top closer, Tom Kastner headlines a group of bullpen signings that also includes future hall of famer, AJ Inlge, Josh Robinson, and Jamie Waechter. The future looks to be now, as the Bulls look to be fighting for a 0.500 record after 5 straight 100 loss seasons! It’s easy to see how we settled on Denver as this year’s clear winner of the 2038 BLB Free Agent Frenzy!
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