1998 MLB Preview (No Expansion / OOTP)

Another article from the unpublished vault, an article as part of my 1993 Atlanta Braves/No-Expansion (no Marlins, Rockies, Rays & Diamondbacks) project on Out of the Park Baseball.

The preseason predictions came out for the upcoming 1998 MLB Season. The season is part of my No Expansion 1993 project using Out of the Park Baseball 20, while I am currently running the Atlanta Braves.

I'm not sure if I agree with the predictions though, they have my Braves winning the division 22 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who just added Randy Johnson and Al Leiter to the rotation, which is anchored by ace Pedro Martinez.

The Braves added 2B-Bret Boone, SP-Steve Trachsel, SP-Darryl Kile, RP-Dennis Cook & SS-Mike Bordick, while extending the contracts to stars OF-Johnny Damon, 1B-Jason Giambi & SP-Tom Glavine.

Atlanta (102-60) finished 8 games back of the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who won 110 games last season. Atlanta won the 1996 World Series against Toronto the year before.

The predictions have the Blue Jays bouncing back into the picture, derailing the 1997 A.L. Champion New York Yankees from winning the division. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers that were ousted during the 1997 American League Championship Series, are solid, and predicted to win 107 games.

I was surprised to see the Pittsburgh Pirates predicted to finish 3rd, despite adding Albert Belle, Alex Fernandez, and Mo Vaughn, to join Ken Griffey, Jr. The New York Mets are predicted to win the N.L. East Division, who do have a strong trio in Vladimir Guerrero, Sammy Sosa, and Nomar Garciaparra, really didn't seem to add much, while the team was lousy in 1997 with a 68-94 record.

2019 & Beyond (OOTP 20)

I decided to finally do the new Live Feed option for Out of the Park Baseball 20, with up-to-the-date rosters. I should say that I gave it a go after some glitches, and so far it seems to be working properly.

The only thing is that OOTP had the wild card games not done, so I had to simulate them, and the results came up differently with the Milwaukee Brewers defeating the Washington Nationals.

The Tampa Bay Rays would go on to lose their series against the Houston Astros, while the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins (again, poor Minnesota), 3-2. The Los Angeles Dodgers made sure that Milwaukee didn't keep screwing up reality, by sweeping them 3-0. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves, 3-1, which I can see happening with the way both Jack Flaherty and Dakato Hudson have been pitching this second half.

In the League Championship Series, Astros swept the Yankees on the A.L. side, while the Dodgers were challenged by St. Louis, but would come out triumphant, 4-2, in the National League.

The Houston Astros would go on to win their 2nd World Series in 3 years, defeating the Dodgers in a quick series, 4-1. I have Houston over Dodgers in 6 games.

The reality of the situation is that the Washington Nationals did win their wild card against Milwaukee, came back and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers & Houston Astros. OOTP 20 almost got their overall company simulation of the Astros over Nationals, but the computer doesn't take in strange things like an all-road victories World Series, LOL!

Well, lucky for you, I will share my alternate future with you.

2019 Off-Season News

• Adam Wainwright (STL) who has been out of action since October 11th with shoulder inflammation is heading to the injured list & will be out for 7 months of action.

• Zack Greinke (HOU) will be out for 4 months, suffering from arthritic elbow. 

• Curtis Granderson announced his retirement. 

• The Detroit Tigers fired manager Ron Gardenhire. An anonymous team source told BNN, "The Tigers have been a rudderless ship for awhile now. Ron didn't seem fully focused on the job, seemed distracted. Something was going on there. We need a guy to step in and really take charge."

Early Transactions

• The White Sox traded 1B-Jose Abreu to the Nationals, along with minor league LHP-Hector Acosta, in exchange for four minor leaguers in RHP-Sterling Sharp, LHP-Seth Romero, 3B-Gilbert Lara & C-Jakson Reetz. 

• The Dodgers traded OF/SS-Chris Taylor to Tampa Bay in exchange for 2B-Brandon Lowe and minor league 1B-Russ Olive.

• Sounding pretty true to form -- The Tigers traded SP-Michael Fulmer and prospect SP-Alex Faedo to the Astros in exchange for two minor league catchers in Jaime Ritchie and Cesar Salazar. 

• The Mariners traded RP-Arodys Vizcaino to the Nationals in exchange for three minor leaguers: RHP-Jake Irvin, RHP-Chandler Day & 3B-Omar Meregildo. 

• The Giants trade 'Kung Fu Panda' Pablo Sandoval to the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league RHP Jon Harris and minor league 2B Kevin Smith.

• The White Sox traded SP-Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels in exchange for SP-Jaime Barria.

• The Indians acquired CF-Franchy Cordero from the Padres in exchange for minor league 2B- Aaron Bracho and minor league C-Brandon Benavente.

• The Reds traded C-Curt Casali to the Angels in exchange for CF-Brian Goodwin.

• The Reds also acquired minor leaguers 2B-Ricardo De La Torre & 2B-Travis Blankenhorn from the Twins, in exchange for RP-Kevin Shackelford.

• Maybe Shay is right, the "Tankers" (Tigers) trade SP-Daniel Norris to the Giants in exchange for OF-Austin Slater and minor league C-Braden Frankfort... because you know, you can never have enough minor league catchers.

• The Yankees acquire SS-Aledmys Diaz from the Astros, in exchange for backup catcher Austin Romine and $80,000 in cash.

Award Winners

• OF-Yordan Alvarez (HOU) wins the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award, while 1B-Pete Alonso wins the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award.

• Justin Verlander (HOU) won the A.L. Cy Young Award over teammate Gerrit Cole, while Jacob deGrom (NYM) also wins his 2nd Cy Young, by winning the award in the N.L.

• The Houston sweep continues with Alex Bregman named the A.L. Most Valuable Player.

• The Brewers' Christian Yelich wins back-to-back N.L. MVP Awards, becoming the 1st N.L. player to win back-to-back awards since Albert Pujols did it with the Cardinals ten years ago.

A Fighting Chance for the Future (Latest on T.C. Fighting Tigers / UAL)

It's the UAL Offseason, and we are in the middle of the 2019 UAL Draft, which involves 2018 MLB Season APBA cards.

There is plenty of changes coming my way for the Traverse City Fighting Tigers. We entered the off-season knowing we had to shred about $40 million off our payroll.

This draft started off really well for me, I drafted Cardinals' starting pitcher Jack Flaherty 16th overall, I was hoping for either him or Shane Bieber, but was nervous that I would not get a chance at either, but it all worked out. Flaherty at 16th overall was a steal.

I love my APBA bud, Ken Schulz (who I happened to acquire this team from), he made the deals possible that would result in my playoff berth and 102 win season, but the deals meant a lot of draft picks from the 2018 UAL Draft (I didn't pick until 8th Rd in that draft), while lacking a 2nd Rd & 4th Rd pick in this draft.

So after Flaherty, came my 3rd Rd pick, I was on the fence in picking between a few players ranging from 1B-Rowdy Tellez to some high end relievers, but wasn't comfortable with any of my choices. The Ohio Cougars came a calling for the pick, and in return I got a 2020 2nd Rd pick, a 5th Rd 2019 pick (#99 overall) and scrap-heap utility player Kelby Tomlinson (for position coverage). He got his reliever in the Angels' Felix Pena, who by the way, was just recently was part of that emotional combined no-hitter for the Angels, on the day they happened to be honoring the late Tyler Skaggs.

I put shortstop Freddy Galvis and reliever Bud Norris up on the trade block, and started getting hit with offers for each or them, and for both of them together. I got two good offers, and was worried for a little bit that I would lose out on both. I made an offer to the Sumner County Sounds for IF-Yairo Munoz, offering both Galvis and Norris. I missed out on drafting Munoz, hoping that he would to fall to the late 3rd Rd for me, but he was taken in the late 2nd round instead -- So I thought maybe, I could acquire him still.

Meanwhile, another team the Seven Cities Yard Goats, made an offer for Freddy Galvis, a 2nd Rd 2020 pick. The league has 24 teams, and we don't cut players prior to the draft, so a 2nd round in normal drafts may seem to be a lot for Galvis... but not in the UAL Draft. I have found that after two UAL Drafts, that the talent drops off significantly after the 2nd Round. So the chance of getting a 2nd Rd for Galvis would be a great chance towards improving the future. Galvis is currently having a career year in the Majors, but has no place at shortstop with Jean Segura owning the starting job.

It should be noted that my offer for Munoz was actually a counter-offer on my part, his offer was a good one which involved a 2020 3rd Rd & 6th Rd picks with either Chris Owings or Lucas Duda -- Owings and Duda, obviously throw-ins. Owings would have definitely helped in position coverage, but definitely not in the production area. Munoz didn't fall through though, and I don't blame him, especially since the Sumner County owner also happens to be a Cardinals fan.

The next morning, I acquired the 2nd Rd 2020 pick from Seven Cities, not wanting to hesitate another moment and lose the possibility of owning three 2nd Rd 2020 picks.

This still left Norris seeking a team. Once again, Sumner County offered a 2020 5th Rd pick for Norris, but I already had two previous 5th Rd offers by two other teams in acquiring him as well, and both teams would likely do worse than his team, so they had the advantage there.

I eventually traded Norris (Grade B*-X) to the Ephrata Diamond Dogs, my division rival, who is likely to compete for the postseason again. Norris would serve good for a contending now team, because Norris has yet to appear during the 2019 MLB Season. Along with the acquired 2020 5th Rd pick, I acquired NC' [No-Card 2018] starting pitcher Aaron Brooks.

I now own three 2020 2nd Rd picks, along with my 1st Rd 2020 pick, which will likely fall in place of being a top 5 pick, since my team should be among the worse. The team could see a 50-win decrease, with most of my 2018 roster having down years.

Two of my starting pitchers, Jimmy Nelson and Taijuan Walker were lost for the season, due to arm injuries, while Jeff Samardzija and Josh Tomlin fall to Grade D status. Rich Hill decreases from a Grade B-XY to a C-XZ.

The pitching is not the only area that got hit...

Marwin Gonzalez falls back down to earth from his outlier 2017 season to his career on-par 2018 -- Although I never benefited from his 2017 MLB Season, with Marwin batting around his career averages in most categories for me.

Domingo Santana will suffer a power outage as well, with a down year in 2018, to go along with reduced playing time. Santana was clutch for me last season, plus he out-homered his card with 35 home runs (leading the team) last season. Domingo is having a solid bounce-back in 2019, but I could do without his league-leading 121 strikeouts.

I was never a huge fan of Justin Bour, but he happened to have a good card for my UAL team last season, after hitting .289 with 25 HR for the Marlins in 2017. Then came a dramatic drop off in 2018, with a career-low .227 batting average, while playing for both Miami and the Phillies. I questioned Bour signing with the Angels, despite the fact that they had Albert Pujols and Kendrys Morales already taking up the DH and 1B slots along with another teammate -- crowded players at positions, which of course resulted in limited & unsuccessful playing time (currently hitting .183 over 45 games). So first base is quickly becoming a team need, I thankfully can plug Buster Posey and Marwin for now, but that need will have to be addressed. I will likely be in the Pete Alonso sweepstakes... just saying.

Third Base is also a place of concern, considering the future.

Next year's draft will be the telling point, and I feel I am in control of my team's destiny more by that team. Having 4 draft picks inside the top 48 picks, gives the team much flexibility. I can have the option of trading 2 of those 3 2nd Round picks up for another 1st round pick, I can use all three picks on players, or be able to package those picks in a trade or two as well.

Only time will tell how it all plays out.

Big Landings for 1997

It's the 1997 off-season, and it started off with a bang when Ken Griffey, Jr signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, on a 7-year deal worth $52.4 million. Griffey looks to help the Pirates rebound, who lost Barry Bonds to free agency last season when he opted out of his contract and landed with the division rival Montreal Expos.

The Pirates fell to 4th place with a 74-88 record last season, after two division titles in 1990 & 1991 and five consecutive 90+ win seasons from 1990-1994.

Other signings & trades...

• Ellis Burks resigns with the Chicago White Sox for 4 years, $27.6 million ($6.9 per year).
• Todd Hundley resigned with the New York Mets for 5 years, $29.14 million ($5.828 per year).
• Jeff Bagwell signs with the California Angels for 4 years, $28 million ($7.0 per year).

• Andres Galarraga leaves the Montreal Expos, where he spent 11 of his last 12 seasons, signing a 3-year deal worth $18.7 million.

• Tony Gwynn signs with the Baltimore Orioles for $14.1 million over 3 seasons. "Mr. Padre" joins his 4th team in this alternate reality, after reaching two World Series over three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, and one lone season in Detroit (1993).

• Charlie Leibrandt, age 40, signs 2-year deal with Yankees for $7.92 million ($3.96 per year).
• Jeff Fassero, the reigning N.L. Cy Young & N.L. MVP winner, signs 5-year deal worth $39.5 million ($7.9 million per year).

• Larry Walker returns to Canada, as Oakland trades him in a blockbuster deal for second baseman Roberto Alomar and SP Derek Lowe; Toronto recently acquired Lowe from Seattle in a deal barely two weeks prior.

• The computer lost its damn mind when it had Baltimore trade Cal Ripken, Jr to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for prospects LF Roberto Mendez and RP Jay Tessmer.

• The Detroit Tigers traded LF Gregg Jefferies to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for catcher Paul Lo Duca & RP-Bobby Ayala.

• The Boston Red Sox signed OF-Gary Sheffield to a 7-year deal worth $57.1 million.
• The Montreal Expos signed 3B-Robin Ventura to a 4-year, $29.9 million.

• The Baltimore Orioles traded OF-Dante Bichette to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for 1B-George Arias, 2B-Mark Bellhorn & minor league catcher Kirk Pierce.

• Baltimore acquired 2B Bret Boone via Rule Draft 5 from the Atlanta Braves (my Braves kind of goofed that one up).

• The Atlanta Braves signed CF-Steve Finley to a 4-year deal worth $20.8 million ($5.2 million per year). The Braves traded OF-Brian McRae the next day to the New York Yankees in exchange for OF-Ruben Rivera and minor league pitcher Matt Kinney.

BoS Shockwaves

The hot stove may be ice-cold like the Midwest in the real-life Major League Baseball, but in the Boys of Summer APBA Baseball League its been red-hot and very-much active!

The first couple trades happened during the last couple trades, which both included new owner David Branagan & his Delaware Blue Hens.

Seattle acquires Carlos Correa, reuniting him with his Astros teammate Jose Altuve. Nomar Mazara finds himself back with the same franchise roots that have initially drafted him, but the team was known as the Spring Branch Duffers at the time.

This is actually the third deal that Mazara was involved in, inside the last 365 days. Mazara was traded to the Traverse City Panthers during the 2018 BoS Draft for Traverse City's 5th & 8th round draft picks -- in which the Panthers just prior to the season beginning was traded to Seattle along with Traverse City's 2019 1st round pick in exchange for Justin Turner & Nelson Cruz. Turner & Cruz helped the Panthers win a BoS best 107 games, but would fall short in the NLCS, 4-1 to the eventual World Champion Portland Microbrewers.

Those same defending champion Microbrewers sent shockwaves through BoS Baseball on February 12th by trading the face of the franchise, the face of the league Mike Trout to the Seattle Rainiers in a blockbuster trade that watched Portland acquire three 1st Round Draft picks, while also re-acquiring their 1st round pick from Seattle as well, making it four total.

The deal also involved multiple other pieces as well...

Portland's owner Brad Stark mentioned that he never thought he would trade Mike Trout, I never thought he would either, as I had to re-read the trade like three times to fully process what I was reading. Then again, I never thought my Traverse City Panthers would put Corey Kluber on the trading block as well... 

So chances are this hot stove is not done baking.

1996 Braves Acquire Drabek

Drabek joins an already stellar rotation.

The Braves have been no strangers to the injury bug, we have lucked out majority wise, but we still suffered a tough blow late in April when Chipper Jones broke his hand, losing him for 5 months... We hope to have him back in time for the postseason.

The pitching rotation was stellar again, but we decided to shop around Steve Avery who is finally showing signs of struggles to come; His OOTP version has outperformed his real-life counterpart up to this point.

When I was initially shopping him around, I was hoping to shed his payroll for maybe a couple prospects, to save $5.2 million ($2.6 million-per-year). My owner hopes to shed $4.1 million in payroll when this season is over, so that was part of the goal...

At the same time, I am still trying to get the Atlanta Braves over that World Title hump, they have yet to win a title in the city of Atlanta.

So when I saw that the Pittsburgh Pirates were offering Doug Drabek, who is still pitching great, and definitely pitching better than Avery, I couldn't say no.

Our team is pretty solid, while we own a MLB best 67-34 record (.663 pct), while we sit on top of the N.L. West 7.5 games up on the Pedro Martinez & the Dodgers.

The Montreal Expos seem to be waking up in the N.L. East, with Barry Bonds (.295, 37 HR & 82 RBI) & Andres Galarraga (.313, 14 HR & 50 RBI) leading the charge. Their big investment in their reliever trio of Dennis Eckersley (1.71 ERA), Randy Myers (2.79 ERA) & John Franco (1.53 ERA & 11 Saves) is paying off.

Some familiar faces in strange places.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies are flirting with the worst record in MLB history with a 24-76 record (.240 winning pct). So it appears that the Detroit Tigers won't have the top pick this time, the last few years they have drafted Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and Roy Halladay... they should still have a top 5 pick.

1996 Off-Season in Full Swing

The Atlanta Braves have made numerous transactions after doing no major moves in 1995. The Braves just recently extended starting pitcher Greg Maddux' contract for another 10 years ($73.5 million), while acquiring OF Johnny Damon, OF Brian McRae, among others. The team also said goodbye to RF David Justice, 1B Fred McGriff and OF Tony Phillips.

Here are some of the other deals around the league...

• Wade Boggs signs with the Minnesota Twins for two-year deal worth $8.4 million.
• Kevin Brown signs 7-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds for a total of $44.8 million ($6.4 million per year). 
• Barry Bonds shocked the baseball world by signing a 6-year deal with the Montreal Expos for $40.2 million ($6.7 million per year).
• The Los Angeles Dodgers sign CF Devon White to a 5-year deal worth $21.2 million ($4.24 m per season).
• Harold Baines announces retirement at age 36 (considerably earlier than his real-life counterpart which retired after the 2001 Season). He was last playing for the Houston Astros, and has only 370 at-bats combined during his last 3 seasons.
• Orel Hershiser signed 2-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates ($1.88 million per year).
• The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired RP Doug Henry via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for OF Chris Singleton and minor league 3B Keith Johnson.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers signed RP Mark Guthrie to a 2-year deal worth $6 million.
• The Kansas City Royals traded closer Tony Castillo to the New York Yankees in exchange for LF Carl Everett, 1B Tom L Wilson & $95,000 in cash.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers signed RP Lee Smith to a 2-year deal worth $2.24 million.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers kept busy & signed 1B John Olerud to a 6-year deal worth $39 million ($6.5 million per year).
• The California Angels trade OF Garret Anderson and RHP Miguel Fermin to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for SP John Burkett.
• The Cincinnati Reds sign closer John Wetteland to 2-year deal worth $5.0 million.
• The Dodgers stay aggressive as they sign SP Bret Saberhagen with 4-year deal worth a total of $4.1 million. Saberhagen has won 77 games so far in the 90's compared to his real-life counterpart that won 62 through 1995 -- while also having 169 career wins at the moment compared to his real-life 167 win career.
• Marquis Grissom signs 4-year deal with the Texas Rangers worth $7.36 million ($1.86 million per year).
• Dennis Eckersley resigns with the Montreal Expos on a one-year deal worth $1.82 million.
• Chuck Finley will join 1996 N.L. Cy Young Winner - Al Leiter on the St. Louis Cardinals after signing 4-year deal worth $18.44 million (making $4.68 million for first three seasons, with team option for 4th.
• The Atlanta Braves sign RP Dan Pleasac to a 4-year deal worth $9.6 million ($2.4 million per year).

The Braves fell asleep in negotiations with Eric Plunk, as Plunk signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, that's when Braves switched gears and went for Pleasac. The Braves momentarily signed SS Greg Gagne as well, but he was swooped up in the Rule 5 Draft by the Texas Rangers.

Atlanta's Slide and the Off-Season Aftermath (Part 2)

What to do... what to do?

Those were the numerous questions lingering on my mind, while I try to fix up the payroll situation for the Atlanta Braves and the up-coming 1996 MLB Season.

The first move we made was trading Tony Phillips, who was often-injured and underachieved during the first two years of his three-year contract. We traded him to California in exchange for 2B/1B Carlos Garcia, OF Bill Ashley and prospect C/3B Joe Bertucci. The move was a cost-cutting move that gets us some depth at second, first & left field.

The next move, we decided to shop around David Justice after all, and Kansas City came a calling. When I noticed Johnny Damon was one of the players being dangled in front of my face, I had to make him part of the offer. I initially tried to add prospect starting pitcher Chan Ho Park to the deal, but was denied, but they were more than willing to trade off one of their bigger contracts in Brian McRae.

McRae gives me an excellent option in center field, he is due to only make $1.66 million in 1996, but afterwards the contracts jumps up to $3.56 million per year from 1997-1999. I thought about trading McRae right away, but decided he will start in center over Deion Sanders, while I will wait to cross that bridge if I want to keep McRae or not, after the 1996 season is complete.

I spoke with Greg Maddux's agent on a possible extension, in which they came back with a 10-year deal worth $73.5 million; The deal would be give him a raise from $4.6 million to $7.35 million-per-year... the pending offer was a no-brainer.

I was surprised when I tried to shop around Fred McGriff that I only got three responses, which involved the following veterans: 3B Terry Pendleton, OF/1B Kevin Mitchell & OF Lenny Dykstra... Each player is past their prime, while all featured contracts that were either equal to or more than McGriff's annual salary. I ended up finally trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for catcher Matt Walbeck, SP Scott Elarton, SS Chris Sexton and RP Mark Mimbs... the deal may make you shake your head, but I had to make room for Jason Giambi at first, plus it saves me some money, and I could use that money towards free agency.

My current lineup looks like this...

1. Brian McRae - CF
2. Chipper Jones - 3B
3. Jason Giambi - 1B
4. Ryan Klesko - LF
5. Javy Lopez - C
6. Johnny Damon - RF
7. Jeff Blauser - SS
8. Mark Lemke - 2B
9.  (Pitcher)

My bench will feature the following players...

• Deion Sanders - OF
• Carlos Garcia - 2B/1B
• Bill Ashley - LF
• Mike Mordecai - 2B/3B/SS
• Tony Tarasco - OF

By trading away these combined players, I have freed up $5 million of annual salary, while our budget will get bigger in a few years as well. I made two offers, nothing flashy, an offer for RP Eric Plunk and SS Greg Gagne.

1995 All-Star Break Report

The Atlanta Braves find themselves in familiar territory, first place while dealing with the usual untimely injuries.

Tony Phillips spent more significant time on the disabled list with a torn hamstring, missing two months (after missing nearly half-the-season, plus the entire playoffs during 1994). Phillips signed a three-year deal worth $7.8 million prior to the 1994 season (signed through 1996), while already spending a total of 7 months on the DL.

Mark Wohlers is also a repeat offender in the injury department, dealing with shoulder issues. Wohlers spent 9 months on the disabled list, while pitching only 11.2 innings (0.77 ERA & 8 saves) until his recent injury, his return status at the moment is 'unknown'.

David Justice fractured his wrist & was on pace for 38 HR & 116 RBI at the time of his injury, he returns in 6 weeks.

The team currently sits at first place (59-29), 3.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L. West. Atlanta has won the division for 3-years running, and have accomplished this with their stellar & consistent starting rotation.

Tom Glavine (12-1, 2.20 ERA), John Smoltz (12-4, 2.44 ERA) & Steve Avery (12-4, 2.54 ERA) have been excellent, while Greg Maddux (8-5, 3.76 ERA) has struggled a bit. Their 5th starter, Alan Benes (8-7, 4.49 ERA) has pitched pretty good considering that he's on the tail-end of the rotation.

On offense, the Braves' Ryan Klesko made his 1st All-Star Game, while hitting strong in all three triple crown categories, batting .341 with 20 HR & 77 RBI. Javy Lopez (.306, 16 HR & 64 RBI) was named to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.

It will be interesting to see what GM Shawn Summers (top right, handsome fella) will do in his quest for a 4th straight division title as we move forward.

Around the League....

Wade Boggs, who was leading the National League with a .371 batting average for the San Diego Padres, found himself shipped to the Oakland Athletics (June 28th, 1995) in exchange for SP Brad Radke and OF Ernie Young. Boggs joins a team that was very-much favored prior to the season, but has struggled badly, sitting in last place (44-45, 9.5 games out). The Athletics made a huge splash in the free agent market when they landed Larry Walker prior to the season.

Oakland's rotation has been disappointing considering that their top four starters are Kevin Brown, Mark Langston, Curt Schilling & Terry Mulholland.

Manny Ramirez (.339, 34 HR & 83 RBI) and Jim Thome (.348, 27 HR & 86 RBI) have the Cleveland Indians (winners of five straight games) looking good in first at 50-38, but the Toronto Blue Jays are nipping at their heals in the A.L. East. Ramirez only needs 2 HR to already match his 1994 season total of 36 dingers, while reaching his 1st All-Star Game.

The St. Louis Cardinals' Al Leiter is having a breakout year as he leads the Majors with an outstanding 1.48 ERA (13-3 record), which is totally eclipsing last season's 3.56 ERA. The Cardinals lured Leiter away from Toronto via free agency.

The Houston Astros' Darryl Kile has a 10-5 record, 1.80 ERA, with league-leading 0.89 WHIP.

The Detroit Tigers own the league's worst record with 30 wins, while they have won no more than 69 games during the last three seasons... finishing 7th each time. It is rumored that the Tigers' young superstar Alex Rodriguez is marking his days in Motown on the locker room wall at Tigers Stadium in the same way as a prisoner serving life in prison.

The Tale of Two Dickeys

Now.. now.. let's keep it mature fellas...

I am of course speaking of the knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey.

In my Boys of Summer APBA Baseball League (APBA Baseball for Windows), my Traverse City Panthers acquired R.A. from the South Side Spartans in exchange for a 2019 6th Round Draft Pick. I paid a little hefty for a guy who is pretty-much retired, but he will be of big help with the innings he still has in the tank & his Grade C upgrades the back-half of my rotation.

At the time of the trade, my Panthers currently own the league's best record 76-35 (.685). We have been excellent at home (39-12 / .765 pct), while winning many one-run games (22-7 / .759 pct) and going 10-4 in extras.

We also added some relief depth in Craig Stammen & lefty Jerry Blevins, who both had productive years in the majors during the 2017 MLB Season.

The back-end of the rotation & pen depth were my only concerns going down the stretch, and all it cost me was draft picks and reliever Micheal Lorenzen.

In the Ultimate APBA League (UAL) which I joined earlier this summer, my team the Traverse City Fighting Tigers, made their first trade by trading away R.A. Dickey to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for outfielder Keon Broxton. The league also uses real-life salaries and salary caps, so by trading away Dickey, I am also shedding $7.0 million in the trade (Dickey $7.5 / Broxton $0.5), my team happened to be $7.4 over the cap, so now I am only $0.4 million over the cap. Both players will provide their teams as decent one-year rentals for their ball clubs. Broxton is not much, but he will serve a better purpose for my team than Dickey would have, I needed one more outfielder to add to its depth, he batted only .220, but he has 20+ HR & 20+ steals... so say hello to pinch duties there, Keon.

I also have a player to cut before the roster cuts deadline (August 22nd). We can have 29-32 players on our main roster, while keeping as many non-carded XC's.

By the way, I ended up going with Traverse City Fighting Tigers, due to the fact there was another team named the Tigers in the opposite league. I will also be using the logo that I used for the Traverse City Tigers during my Mid-West Winter Baseball days.

Strapped for Cash (1995 Braves)

My previous off-seasons have all led up to this situation, I am strapped for cash, and really was quiet in this past off-season following the 1994 season, while entering 1995.

The signings of Fred McGriff, Greg Maddux, Tony Phillips, Bob Tewksbury among plenty of smaller deals have all mounted up through the years. We recently got some relief & catching depth through the Rule 5 Draft, while we couldn't tender Ron Gant with a contract, letting him go sign with the New York Yankees.

We do have a few options, we have Jason Giambi (acquired in the Tewksbury / Oakland trade) is currently backing up Chipper Jones at third, I thought of the possibility of letting Chipper play short, but he fits better at third, while we have Jeff Blauser at short.

McGriff is signed through the 1998 MLB Season & could be a trade option to a big market team that would take his contract off our hands ($4.2 million per year), but we don't plan to get rid of him until our season & franchise seems to go in a negative direction... no need to surrender when we have been knocking on the door for a world championship for four seasons now.

The eventual plan is to move Giambi over to first to succeed McGriff.

We should be making a strong push for another chance at the title this season, we will have a healthy Phillips and Mark Wohlers, while our rotation is easily the best in the National League.

1995 MLB Off-Season (No Expansion)

Schilling is one of a handful of players that Oakland landed.

Transactions

• The Oakland Athletics acquired SP Cal Eldred from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for SS Mike Bordick and CF Jason McDonald.
• The Oakland Athletics signed OF Larry Walker to a 8-year deal worth $48.7 million (just under $6.1 million per year). 
• The Oakland Athletics signed SP Curt Schilling to a 6-year deal worth $25.68 million ($4.28 million per year).
• The Toronto Blue Jays signed SP Erik Hanson to a 6-year deal worth $32.4 million ($5.4 million per year).
• Tom Candiotti returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers (after two seasons with the Rangers), signing a 2-year deal worth a total of $8.48 million.
• The Texas Rangers signed SS Barry Larkin to a 4-year deal worth $21.78 million (just under $5.5 million per year).
• The New York Yankees signed OF Ron Gant to a 4-year deal worth worth $11.52 million ($2.88 million per year).
• The Montreal Expos signed RP Dennis Eckersley to a 2-year deal totaled at $4.4 million.
• The Chicago Cubs acquired 1B Tino Martinez from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for C Don Slaught and minor league RP Terry Adams.
• The Detroit Tigers traded 1B Cecil Fielder and 2B Bill Mueller to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor league LF Lorenzo De La Cruz. 
• The St Louis Cardinals signed OF Rickey Henderson to a 3-year deal worth $6.48 million ($2.16 million per year).
• The Chicago White Sox traded OF Tim Raines and minor league OF Willie Romero to the St Louis Cardinals in exchange for 1B Geronimo Pena and minor league RP John Frascatore.
• Bob Tewksbury opted out of his contract with the Oakland Athletics (a deal he signed as a member of the Atlanta Braves) & signed a 5-year deal with the Texas Rangers at $4.44 million per season.
• The Montreal Expos sign RP Randy Myers to a 3-year deal worth $6.24 million. 
• The San Diego Padres sign SP Bill Swift.
• The Cincinnati Reds sign SP Ramon Martinez.
• The Minnesota Twins traded P Brad Radke and RP Tony Fossas to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for 1B Dave Magadan. 
• The Atlanta Braves acquire RP Scott Radinsky and C Guillermo Garcia via the Rule 5 Draft. 
• The Cincinnati Reds sign RP Lee Smith to one-year deal.
• The Montreal Expos signed RP John Franco to a 3-year deal worth $3.6 million ($1.2 million per year).

Oakland acquiring Larry Walker, Curt Schilling and Cal Eldred are already causing aftershocks across Major League Baseball, early projections have Walker batting cleanup in between Mark McGwire & Jose Canseco in the lineup. The additions of Schilling & Eldred have the five-man rotation easily being the league's best with Kevin Brown, Mark Langston, Curt Schilling, Terry Mulholland, and Cal Eldred. 

Pretty solid for a team that is already coming off a 103-win season & A.L. League Championship Series berth.

The Montreal Expos are putting together a bullpen worthy of causing hitters plenty of nightmares, they have signed relievers Randy Myers, John Franco & Dennis Eckersley, all to multiple-year deals.

The St Louis Cardinals seem to be seeking older vets with speed by acquiring both Rickey Henderson & Tim Raines, both players combined have 1,874 stolen bases.

In a head-scratcher of a trade, the Detroit Tigers traded 1B/DH Cecil Fielder and 2B Bill Mueller to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league outfielder Lorenzo De La Cruz. The deal would have made a little sense if the deal was a salary-dumping deal, but it's reported that the Tigers will retain the majority of Fielder's remaining contract. 

Beltran: Baseball's 1st Overall Pick in 1995 MLB Draft.

Notable 1995 MLB Draft Selections...

• OF Carlos Beltran (1st Overall / Detroit Tigers)
• 1B Todd Helton (#2 / Boston Red Sox - Failed to sign)
• OF Darin Erstad (#3 / Milwaukee Brewers)
• OF Vladimir Guerrero (#4 / New York Mets)
• SS Miguel Tejada (#5 / San Francisco Giants - Failed to sign)
• SP Hideo Nomo (#6 / Kansas City Royals)
• SS Carlos Guillen (#7 / Philadelphia Phillies)
• C Jason Varitek (#8 / Chicago Cubs)
• OF Geoff Jenkins (#9 / San Diego Padres)
• 1B Sean Casey (#10 / Kansas City Royals)
• 3B Mike Lowell (#16 / Texas Rangers - Failed to sign)
• SP Roy Halladay (#18 / Cleveland Indians - Failed to sign)
• SP Jarrod Washburn (#23 / Chicago White Sox)
• SP Kerry Wood (#28 / Seattle Mariners)
• SP Russ Ortiz (#29 / Cleveland Indians)
• SP Ryan Dempster (Sup 1st Rd - #33/ Seattle Mariners)
• SP Freddy A Garcia (Sup 1st Rd - #34 / Cleveland Indians)
• OF Jose Cruz Jr (Sup 1st Rd - #36 / Oakland Athletics)
• SP A.J. Burnett (Sup 1st Rd - #38 / Montreal Expos)

1995 Hall of Fame Inductions

• 3B Mike Schmidt (98.3 % - 1st year)
• C Ted Simmons (84.7% - 2nd year)

Oh, Canada! (1994 No Expansion OOTP Update)

My Atlanta Braves injury woes kept mounting as we lost Jeff Blauser to a fractured elbow in Game 1 of the 1994 National League Championship Series against the Montreal Expos. We can't seem to get over that hump and win the World Series. We came close on a couple occasions, losing close World Series to the Minnesota Twins in 1991 & 1992, while we have got knocked out of the NLCS two years straight by the Montreal Expos (The Braves and Expos played for the 3rd consecutive year in the NLCS from 1992-1994).

The Toronto Blue Jays edged the Oakland Athletics to make it an all-Canadian World Series between them and the Expos.

Before moving onto that, a little brief info on Oakland...

The Oakland Athletics' franchise has stayed strong (compared to their real-life counterparts) while Jose Canseco (.283, 38 HR & 136 RBI) and Mark McGwire (.261, 40 HR & 101 RBI) have stayed healthy. The team also had a strong rotation in Kevin Brown, Bob Tewksbury, Mark Langston & Terry Mulholland. It will be interesting to see what happens with them moving forward as Rickey Henderson & Bob Tewksbury have both filed for free agency.

The Montreal Expos repeat as World Champions, as they defeat the Jays, 4-1 (Montreal won it in 1992 over Oakland); Montreal has won two now, while Toronto is still looking to win their first... Toronto's luck is just as bad as the Braves right now.

Eric Karros was a post-season beast for the Expos, while winning the Most Valuable Player Award in both the National League Championship Series & World Series.

Off-Season Awards News....

• Erik Hanson (SEA) wins the A.L. Cy Young Award, with 24*-5 record, 3.08* ERA, 160 K & 1.16 WHIP in 254.1 IP; Hanson is currently a free agent & will likely see big offers.

• Greg Maddux (ATL) wins his 1st N.L. Cy Young Award with 18-6 record, 3.42 ERA, 203 K & 1.12 WHIP in 242.1 IP.

• Bret Saberhagen (MTL) was the runner-up to the N.L. Cy Young Award, while being my choice on the ballot for the award... 19-9 record, 2.99 ERA, 178 K & 1.05 WHIP in 264.2* IP.

• John Olerud (TOR) won the A.L. Most Valuable Player Award, batting .350 with 27 HR & 114 RBI to go along with 210 hits & 137 runs. Olerud's on-base percentage was an incredible .471, while he sported a 1.055 OPS.

• As predicted, Larry Walker won the N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, batting .338 with 41 RBI & 118 RBI, he also had 208 hits & 135 runs. The Expos' bid for a three-peat all hinge on whether or not, Walker resigns with them, he's an unrestricted free agent, and will likely haul in a lot of money. This was Walker's 2nd MVP Award, winning his first in 1992.

• Top Rookies: SS Kevin Stocker (CLE) wins the A.L. rookie crown, while 2B Adam Riggs (SF) wins the N.L. award.

• Cito Gaston (TOR) and Tom Runnells (MTL) wins the Manager-of-the-Year Awards. Gaston has won the A.L. award back-to-back now, while Runnells has won the N.L. award for three straight seasons now (1992-1994).

Off-Season transactions to come next...

Entering a New Frontier

As you may know from one of my previous posts 2017 Updated Rosters Project, I decided to shake things up & bring in expansion. I have since stepped down from the Detroit Tigers (73-89 in my alternate 2017) while taking over one of the new expansion teams, in the Charlotte Aviators.

The Charlotte Aviators will be playing in the National League South Division, while their division rivals will be the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins & Texas Rangers. If you are late to the dance, I would suggest that you read the post highlighted above, if you do know what's going on, here is the latest...

The Aviators might be able to compete sooner than later, as the other three teams had losing seasons in 2017, with the best team being the Marlins at 76-86.

Before I move on to my roster, here is a look at our farm teams' names.

• Montesano Ocelots (International League / AAA, North Division) - Montesano, Washington.
• New Jersey Outlaws (Eastern League / AA, North Division) - Jersey City, New Jersey.
• Fremont Titans (California League / A+, North Division) - Fremont, California.
• Virginia Beach Sharks (New York-Penn League / A-, McNamara Division) - Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Westchester Bobcats (New York-Penn League / A-, McNamara Division) - Westchester, NY.
• Denmark Nighthawks (Appalachian League / R, East) - Denmark, New Hampshire.
• Woodbourne Warriors (Appalachian League / R, East) - Woodbourne, Pennsylvania.

Our projected lineup is as follows for the Aviators...

• 1. Taylor Motter - 3B
• 2. Ronald Torreyes - 2B
• 3. Oswaldo Arcia - RF
• 4. Rowdy Tellez - 1B
• 5. Pat Valaika - SS
• 6. Tyler Collins - LF
• 7. Jake Smolinski - CF
• 8. Daniel Robertson - DH
• 9. Jett Bandy - C

I had no say in the drafting, because at the time I was still the Detroit Tigers' General Manager, but I watched the draft which was really fascinating. 

The leader in home runs from this bunch in alternate 2017 was actually my 9th hitter in Jett Bandy (18 HR); My most seasoned hitter (sad to say) is a familiar face in Tyler Collins (.287, 12 HR & 51 RBI), who played for my Tigers last season. My other best two power options will come from either Oswaldo Arcia & Rowdy Tellez. 

The projected rotation at the moment...

• 1. Drew Pomeranz 
• 2. Mike Clevenger
• 3. Cody Anderson
• 4. Adam Plutko
• 5. Brady Rodgers

Three of the five starters happened to play for the Cleveland Indians in the previous seasons, while Drew Pomeranz (Boston) finds himself as the ace of the Aviators. Brady Rodgers was a 3rd Round Draft Pick for the Houston Astros in 2012, the one thing that Rodgers has going for him is he has good control, but he doesn't have excellent stuff, while he's average-to-slightly above average with his four pitches, while having a tendency to give up the long ball. It's too bad this game isn't out a year later, Mike Clevenger would maybe get a little more love with his ratings after his real-life second-half emergence for the tribe.

The bullpen....

• Closer - Corey Knebel
• Setup - Trevor May
• RP - Yonny Chirinos
• RP - Tim Clooney
• RP - Brad Peacock

I love that Charlotte got Corey Knebel, I am not sure why Milwaukee did not protect him, but their loss.  Brad Peacock (like Clevenger above) would have benefited with this game being released a year later. Trevor May and Tim Clooney bring slight depth, while the 23 year-old Yonny Chirinos will make his MLB debut, while his previous highest level was Double-A; Pitched in the 2017 Southern League All-Star Game in the minors. 

My bench is interesting, I have Patrick Kivlehan (.343, 3 HR & 10 RBI / .949 OPS in 67 at-bats), he will get some playing time at first base (when Tellez needs a day off), while he can man third with a weak glove, moving Taylor Motter over to short or even the outfield occasionally. Ildemaro Vargas will get some work at short, while backing up second; Vargas is good at not striking out, while very effective stealing a base, despite not having flashy speed... plus great at bunting someone over. 

Our biggest prospect is Renato Nunez, who will likely play at third base, bumping Motter to the outfield, we plan to possibly get him just a bit more seasoning at Triple-A, but probably won't stay there for long. 

Just found out we signed our Japanese international star in Koson Yamauchi, a left fielder with tons of power; During negotiations I didn't realize I accepted his counter-offer for $81.88 million over 4 seasons, at $20.47 million per season. That will bring some much-needed pop to a lineup without pop.

1993 All-Star Break & Trading Deadline

Atlanta's new closer: Roberto Hernandez

For this 1993 Alternate Season (No Expansion), I have been the General Manager for the Atlanta Braves, we have been to the last two World Series (losing both to the Minnesota Twins), and sit on top of the N.L. West Division with a slim four-game lead over the Houston Astros right now.

The Braves (55-32) started off hot (33-10), but we are playing only .500 ball since then that start, our bullpen has been sliding, while we need some infield depth that can play defense.

We made a small trade to acquire Kansas City's backup third baseman Kelly Gruber, in exchange for pitcher Mike Hostetler & minor league second baseman Nelson Paulino, to help in the defense department. We tried to acquire 3B/2B prospect Jeff Cirillo from Milwaukee with no success.

The last night of the deadline, we sat at 26-27 since our 33-10 start, only 1.5 games up on Houston, We started by trading prospects 1B-Jeff Manto & 3B-Israel Alcantra for a Cardinals reliever with some upside, named John Kelly.

We decided to trade RF-Melvin Nieves straight up for RP-Mike Maddux of the Kansas City Royals, uniting the Maddux brothers in Atlanta.

Roger McDowell (5.04 ERA) & Greg McMichael (5.68 ERA) were disappointing as setup men for Atlanta, and something needed to be done. We are keeping McDowell, but decided to package McMichael with prospects SP-Darrell May and 3B-Grant Brittain with $600,000 to the Chicago White Sox for closer Roberto Hernandez.

Mike Stanton (5-5, 3.19 ERA & 25 Saves) has been my closer, and will slide down to be the 8th Inning setup man, while Mike Maddux will take the 7th. Mark Wohlers will get a shot at being the 6th inning setup for the Braves, if he fails, he'll either go to middle relief work, or get more seasoning in the minors. Kent Mercker is the left-handed specialist & could be a 6th inning or later guy as well.

Alejandro Pena (4.76 ERA) was waived & designated for assignment, he is currently making $1.72 million this season & will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Atlanta will be quiet come free agency, and are setup pretty solid for the next two seasons, as they will try to rebuild their farm system.

We'll see how these moves all play out.

Other MLB Trades....

• Chicago Cubs trade SS-Alex Arias & minor leaguer RHP-Ryan Hawblitzel to the Texas Rangers, in exchange for Greg Swindell; Swindell signed a 6-year deal worth $22.16 million with the Rangers prior to the season.

• Detroit Tigers traded Gregg Olson, who signed a 2-year/$1.76 million deal with the Tigers prior to the season, was traded to the Seattle Mariners for SS-Ruben Santana; Olson led the Tigers with 18 Saves, while posting a 3.70 ERA.

• The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Sid Bream (.315, 4 HR & 18 RBI) to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Tim Belcher (9-7, 5.18 ERA) & minor league reliever Ricky Bottalico (A). 

• The New York Yankees traded 2B-Randy Velarde to the Chicago Cubs for 33-year old Mike Morgan, retaining 30% & minor league closer Ben Burlingame.

• The Minnesota Twins traded C-Ron Karkovice to the Toronto Blue Jays, while acquiring Tom Henke, retaining 60% & minor league Aaron Jersild. 

• The Milwaukee Brewers traded Cal Eldred to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league outfielders Rod Myers & Eric Walls.

• The Philadelphia Phillies traded SP-Andy Ashby to the Chicago Cubs, in exchange for minor league OF-Pedro Valdes.

• One of the biggest trades may be the New York Yankees trading J.T. Snow to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for reliever Mark Guthrie & minor league SP-Brett Roberts.

Post 1992 Off-Season (OOTP)

The Braves' trio of Glavine, Smoltz & Maddux.

The off-season following the wild ending to the 1992 MLB Season, was a very busy one, with big market names bouncing around everywhere.

Starting with my Atlanta Braves, who stumbled hard in the 1992 World Series to the Minnesota Twins. I started the off-season by extending Ron Gant's contract for 5 more years / $21.4 million ($4.28 per year). Gant has the option to opt out after the 1994 season, while the Braves have a team option to buy out the 1997 season segment of the contract. I felt resigning Gant was necessary since he has averaged a 30/30 season since 1990 for Atlanta.

The Three Musketeers

I was waiting to see Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds' names among the free agent pile, but was shocked to see neither of them. They both apparently extended contracts with their ball clubs, which is humorous when you think of Bonds actually sticking around in Pittsburgh. Bonds sticking around in Pittsburgh is a sight that I can deal with in this alternate reality, a sight I cannot deal with however is the thought of the Hall of Fame trio of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine & Greg Maddux being broken up before it even started.

Castilla is traded to the Cubs.

Lucky for me, the Braves are loaded with prospects, so I sent starting pitcher Jason Schmidt (who was in A Ball), SS/3B-Vinny Castilla, RP-Brad Clontz & 1B-Mike A Bell to the Chicago Cubs to acquire Maddux. For a tad bit, I was daydreaming about Castilla becoming a star in Atlanta, but I knew I had to throw at least two big players in the deal.. Plus if I kept Vinny, he would have to play third, while Chipper Jones would have to stay at short, which really hurt our defensive setup, plus I still have Jeff Blauser under contract.

My new problem now is, with the emergence of Chipper (already) to play everyday in my 1993 starting lineup, and with Blauser returning from an injury... this now squeezes out my Gold Glove third baseman Terry Pendleton; Pendleton just won his 3rd Gold Glove (1987, 1989 & 1992). I have placed him on the trading block and have yet to hear any good offers, I am thinking about getting some bullpen help, in exchange for him.

An Embarrassment of the Riches

I increased my free agency budget up to $12,000,000, while I am aware that I may go over a bit, sacrificing a 1st Round Draft Pick in the process. Two players' names popped out at me, Fred McGriff and Bob Tewksbury. I really liked Tewksbury back then, he was a solid pitcher on my high school APBA team back in the early nineties.

Tewksbury: Atlanta's 5th starter.

McGriff, I wanted for obvious reasons, he actually played for my Atlanta Braves from mid-1993 through 1997... I even had a McGriff T-Shirt back in the day. McGriff must have opted out of his contract with the Padres, because he's a free agent a tad early.

I made an offer for both players with McGriff being the priority, and if I can snag Tewksbury to be my 5th starting pitcher, that would only be bonus. Early in negotiations, Tewksbury looked to be a shoe-in for signing, while McGriff was weighing his options, with Pittsburgh, Baltimore & St. Louis trying to woo him.

Tewksbury was the first to sign, signing a 6-year deal for $18 million, while he was announced to the press on November 28th -- while the very next day, the Braves were announcing the signing of McGriff to a 6-year deal / $25.2 million ($4.2 m per year). Tewksbury's deal has the necessary options on both ends, while McGriff can opt out after the 1996 MLB Season.


The Braves' rotation (with 1992 Season numbers):

• Greg Maddux (12-12, 3.02 ERA, 170 K, 1.21 WHIP in 256 innings)
• Tom Glavine (15-8, 2.81 ERA, 164 K, 1.23 WHIP in 237.1 innings)
• John Smoltz (17-9, 2.72 ERA, 218 K, 1.19 WHIP in 261 innings)
• Steve Avery (19-9, 2.76 ERA, 147 K, 1.17 WHIP in 225 innings)
• Bob Tewksbury (10-13, 2.79 ERA, 103 K, 1.07 WHIP in 264.1 innings)

John Smoltz, by the way, was just named the 1992 N.L. Cy Young Award winner. League leaders in bold green (above), while Tewksbury & Smoltz tied for 36 starts last year.

The Braves had a busy off-season, highlighted by the Maddux acquisition.

Reshuffling the Decks

Plenty of changes around the league as evident in teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, California Angels & others.

Matt Williams signs with Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays have loaded up in a big way, after they fell short in the 1992 American League Championship to the Minnesota Twins. They had huge signings in LF-Rickey Henderson (2 yrs/$4.4 million), 3B-Matt Williams (6 yrs/$22.4 million), and the reigning A.L. Cy Young Award winner in John Smiley (7 yrs/$26.32 million). The Smiley deal will be one to watch, since all that money is guaranteed, with no incentives or clauses, so the Jays better hope that history doesn't repeat itself. 

Toronto's lineup is ridiculous with the addition of Williams...

• LF - Rickey Henderson
• 2B - Roberto Alomar
• 1B - John Olerud
• 3B - Matt Williams
• CF - Devon White
• SS - Jeff Kent
• RF - Joe Carter
• DH - Derek Bell
• C - Pat Borders

Right before the end of the season, they started using Jack Morris in a setup role in the bullpen, he seemed to excel at it, while John Smiley fits into the 4th slot, behind Jimmy Key, Juan Guzman & David Wells in the rotation. 

Oakland has been opening up their pocket books.

A surprise team may come out the A.L. West in the Oakland Athletics, who want to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. The Athletics kicked off their off-season by acquiring starting pitcher Tommy Greene in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, which Oakland sent shortstops Tony Batista & Craig Paquette to Philly. They made their next splash by signing Mark Langston to a 2-year deal worth $6,440,000... They didn't stop there, after they resigned Dennis Eckersley (2 yrs/$5.36 million), they signed Kevin Brown (3 yrs/$6.3 million), Mike Stanley (coming off a 35 HR season for the Yankees) for 5 yrs/$16.68 million & an additional bullpen arm in John Habyan for 3 years ($2.26 million).

Oakland's rotation looks like this now (1992 numbers):

• Mark Langston (14-13, 2.32 ERA, 177 K, 1.27 WHIP in 241 innings)
• Kevin Brown (13-11, 3.93 ERA, 131 K, 1.39 WHIP in 245.1 innings)
• Tommy Greene (9-14, 3.08 ERA, 173 K, 1.25 WHIP in 216.1 innings)
• Ron Darling (12-16, 4.23 ERA, 130 K, 1.44 WHIP in 238.1 innings)
• Mike Moore (11-13, 3.97 ERA, 119 K, 1.40 WHIP in 247.1 innings)

If Oakland can add some more bullpen to help get the ball to Habyan & Eckersley, these acquisitions could pave the way for a division title & playoff berth.

The Texas Rangers are a curious case at the very least, they still have Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez & Dean Palmer in their lineup. They made a early off-season deal, by trading Kevin Reimer to the Angels in exchange for Mike Gallego at shortstop, and now have landed Lou Whitaker (.264, 17 HR & 73 RBI / .804 OPS) through free agency. They landed two dependable starting pitchers in Tom Candiotti & Greg Swindell to head their rotation. They lost Kevin Brown & Bobby Witt through free agency, but still have Jose Guzman, Kenny Rogers & Rick Helling in the 5th slot.

Jefferies signs with California.

The California Angels added 1B-Gregg Jefferies (7 yrs/$13.72 million), 3B-Bobby Bonilla (6 yrs/$8.6 million), SP-Charlie Leibrandt (2 yrs/$2.76 million), RP-Doug Jones (2 yrs/$2.56 million) & Bruce Hurst (1 yr/$442 K) through deals, landed Kevin Reimer & Matt Nokes in trades, while the lineup will have 2nd-year stud Tim Salmon & Jim Edmonds, who is about to make his MLB debut. The bullpen still has Bryan Harvey as the closer, while Jones will be used as a setup man, along with Mark Eichhorn. 

The Montreal Expos appeared to be primed up for another N.L. East Division title, with the addition of Eric Karros at first base (traded for pitcher Mark Gardner). The Expos knew what they were doing, since they plugged the holes in their rotation with the addition of vet Jamie Moyer, while Shane Reynolds will fight for the 5th slot of the rotation or be used in the pen. The team also has plenty of prospects in Cliff Floyd, Rondell White, Jose Vidro & Mike Lansing.

Hall of Fame Inductees

I was shocked to see Pete Rose on the ballot, and was even more shocked to see the impossible happen, Rose to be inducted in 1993, along with Reggie Jackson, Phil Niekro & Tom Seaver.

Mainstays in Strange Places

Some of the weirdest deals that took place, other than Lou Whitaker departing for Texas, was Alan Trammell signing a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers; Trammell still wants to play, I get it, but maybe have the San Diego native sign with the Padres. Another is a big-in, which was Tony Gwynn signing with the Detroit Tigers... Let it be noted, if it does not involve the Braves, these are all deals done by the computer. 

Meanwhile there are plenty of free agents out there, I will fill you in on further details when that time comes, we are on January 20th, 1993 on the schedule, so much can happen from now & spring.

2017 Updated Project, Expansion & Setup (OOTP 18)

Oakland's new digs (Just imagine its in Portland over this San Jose projection).

In my 2017 Updated Rosters Project, I managed the 2017 Detroit Tigers to a 73-89 record. With all the talk of expansion, and my curiosity of how expansion works on Out of the Park 2018, I decided to jump the gun & have 2018 be the season to welcome two new expansion teams. I also decided to relocate two MLB franchises, in much need for a change of scenery.

The Oakland Athletics have been in dire need for a new stadium for some time, with the city of Oakland not wanting to build a new stadium, it was a no-brainer for the franchise to move to a city that has been wanting baseball in the city of Portland, Oregon. The Athletics have made their 3rd move now in franchise history.

• Philadelphia Athletics (1860-1875, 1901-1954)
• Kansas City Athletics (1955-1967)
• Oakland Athletics (1968-2017)
• Portland Athletics (2018-)

It would be more realistic of the Athletics moving as early as 2020, but I couldn't control myself.

Another relocation will be the Tampa Bay Rays moving to Canada & becoming the 2nd come-around for the Montreal Expos; One play won't even notice that they left, while the other team will welcome it in open arms. 

The two new expansion teams will be the Charlotte Aviators and the Oklahoma City Barons. This made the league a total 32 teams, which I came up with the concept in my two expansion posts a ways back in the following blog pieces...

• 2020 (Part I)
• 2020 (Part II)

Part II featured the following set-up that I decided to go with below...

A.L. EAST

Baltimore Orioles

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays

Nothing really changes, besides the Tampa Bay Rays leaving their tomb in St.Petersburg to become the Montreal Expos in the N.L. East.

A.L. GREAT LAKES

Chicago White Sox

Cleveland Indians

Detroit Tigers

Milwaukee Brewers

This was a tough one, I know Milwaukee Brewers fans would start getting a headache (if they haven't had one already) with this move. I grew up on Baseball in the late 70's & 80's, and there was always something special with my Tigers playing these three other Great Lakes located teams... all blue collar cities. I didn't want to move Houston back so soon, and I like the idea of these rivalries to start again.

A.L. CENTRAL

Houston Astros

Kansas City Royals

Minnesota Twins

Oklahoma City Barons

The Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals would become division rivals which I feel will be exciting especially since its not been that long ago that the two teams played in an exciting 2015 A.L. Divisional Series. Throw in the Minnesota Twins & the new expansion Oklahoma City Barons, and you got a fun division.

A.L. WEST

Colorado Rockies

Los Angeles Angels

Portland Athletics

Seattle Mariners

I can hear the moans already, but hear me out! I felt that the two Texas teams, plus Oklahoma City all being in one league -- needed more balance with the fan bases, so I separated the two Texas teams, the Texas Rangers move to the National League, while the Colorado Rockies move over to the American League... Also another reason I went with OKC over San Antonio (another city heavy in the expansion talk).

Now over to the National League...

N.L. EAST

New York Mets

Philadelphia Phillies

Montreal Expos

Washington Nationals

The thought of Montreal & Washington being division rivals is a bit weird, but who can argue against having the Montreal Expos back?! Plus seeing Chris Archer & Evan Longoria wearing Expos jerseys is certainly a treat.

N.L. CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs

Cincinnati Reds

Pittsburgh Pirates

St. Louis Cardinals

It's the current setup, minus the Milwaukee Brewers.

N.L. SOUTH

Atlanta Braves

Charlotte Aviators

Miami Marlins

Texas Rangers

The Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Aviators & Miami Marlins will have a strong southeast deal going on, while the Texas Rangers are just tad further west. 

N.L. WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants

The same old N.L. West without Colorado. The Dodgers' Triple-A team had to relocate to Mesa, Arizona (Mesa Dodgers) from Oklahoma City, as the Barons take over their stadium digs.

Also I decided on All-DH while the league is still inter-league, if more teams join in the future, we may have to do away with inter-league, and revisit the pitchers batting deal.... That's for the owners & players to discuss at their next labor negotiations.

I am doing 6 playoff teams each league, 4 division winners, 2 wild cards, with 2 'byes' per league. The #4 vs #5 ranked and #6 vs #3 teams will play a best-of-three (home-field for last 2 games). I thought 8 teams going to playoffs from a 16-team league seemed too much, but that could change if I find the current playoff race not interesting & in a desperate need of a spark.

I have also decided all playoff games start no later than 6 p.m. Eastern Time... hahahaha, I wish I had the power with that move, just thought I would throw my two cents in with that department.

Coming up soon.... 

The Expansion Teams themselves...

Oh by the way, I stepped down from being the General Manager of the Tigers, and will be running the baseball operations for the Charlotte Aviators!

Woo Hoo! Time to climb from the bottom!