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timmyw3 · 09-12-2005, 01:26 PM

Free Agency Update

With the free agency period coming to a close, the Speed inked 4 more players to contracts, 3 of which should solidify what was an incredibly shaky pitching staff.

Alton Colligan, RHP, 32 (5/7/8)
2003 Stats w/ Caracas: 7-17, 3.43 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 135 K, 204.2 IP
Alton represents our biggest signing of the offseason at $7.7 million per year over 2 seasons. We may have overpaid but we really needed a #1-#2 type starter and we think Alton can fill the bill. His win loss record suffered from a lack of run support but with our offense he should be a better pitcher.

Eddie Schuller, LHP, 32 (6/6/4)
2003 Stats w/ San Juan: 3-3, 2.89 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 37 K, 62.1 IP
Schuller is the lefty set-up man we needed. Last season we went much of the year without one and when we brought one in, he was horrible. In 2001 Eddie had a standout year (2.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) but was awful in 2002. He turned it around a bit last year but we are hopeful he can complete the turnaround with an excellent season in SLC.

Donald West, RHP, 36 (5/5/7)
2003 Stats w/ Buenos Aires: 3-4, 3.61 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 56 K, 77.1 IP
The veteran West has been a mainstay in the bullpen for the Dorado over the past 3 seasons. All we’re looking for is some solid middle relief. A repeat of his 2003 season would be an improvement over what we had in that role last season.

Richard Smith, IF, 32 (4/5/2/3/3)
2003 Stats w/ DC: .292 AVG, .686 OPS, 1 HR, 12 RBI
Smith was signed to a 1-year, $450,000 deal to be our utility man. He can play 2B, SS, and 3B reasonably well and hits for a decent average with very little power.

Across The League

DC made the biggest splash by signing top free agent Harold “Thumper” Murphy to a record contract worth $25.5 million per season over 5 years. The 27-year-old third baseman, who looks like he’ll be moved to 2B, has averaged 43 homers per season and last year hit 51 for Nashville.

The Shadow didn’t stop there, signing OF Rene Castro formerly of the Guatemala City Quakes. The switch-hitting 34-year-old is always amongst the league leaders in on base percentage and should score a ton of runs hitting ahead of Murphy.

The second biggest contract went out to SS Juan Zaragoza who signed for 5 years at $21.84 million per year with rebuilding New Orleans. What makes this scenario a little odd is that he will earn more than the other 24 players on the roster combined. It may be a few years before his impact can truly be felt.

One player we looked long and hard at was veteran 2B Kyle Gallucci, who spurned our best offer to sign with Guayaquil for 1 year at $12,532,000. At 38, Gallucci’s best years are probably behind him but he showed no signs of slowing down last year as he hit .328 with 43 homers for Mexico City. I may regret not going up to $13 million for him.

One of our former players, RHP Samuel Marpons, signed a 2-year deal at $15 million per with the Mexico City Aguilas. He’s probably the most dominant pitcher in the league but he has endurance issues which drove us crazy while he was here. For the Aguilas’ sake I hope their bullpen is strong (debatable).

Trade

To fill the hole at 2B, we traded a pair of prospects to Las Vegas for:

David Cardenas, 2B, 30 (5/6/9/3/5)
2003 Stats w/ Vegas: .232 AVG, .749 OPS, 36 HR, 97 RBI
Think Tony Batista. Lot of power but doesn’t hit for average nor draw a lot of walks (28 in 566 PA). He is versatile though, being able to play 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and CF, and play them well. He is signed through 2005 with a salary of just below $4 million. We just didn’t have many other options after Gallucci and Aaron Sinnott were not interested in signing here.

Going to Vegas are OF Noel Whitesides and 3B/P Michael Saum. Whitesides was one of our Top 10 prospects and our first round pick in 2003 but was a disappointment in his first year of pro ball, hitting just .216. I was hesitant to give him up so early though and wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a solid player one day. Saum is an interesting case. At 26, he’s a little old for a prospect but his ratings are relatively high. But his performance has not matched the ability. In AA last year he hit .275 with 13 HR and 50 RBI. He does have abilities as a pitcher and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas tried him out there.

09-12-2005, 01:26 PM	#22
timmyw3 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD	Free Agency Update With the free agency period coming to a close, the Speed inked 4 more players to contracts, 3 of which should solidify what was an incredibly shaky pitching staff. Alton Colligan, RHP, 32 (5/7/8) 2003 Stats w/ Caracas: 7-17, 3.43 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 135 K, 204.2 IP Alton represents our biggest signing of the offseason at $7.7 million per year over 2 seasons. We may have overpaid but we really needed a #1-#2 type starter and we think Alton can fill the bill. His win loss record suffered from a lack of run support but with our offense he should be a better pitcher. Eddie Schuller, LHP, 32 (6/6/4) 2003 Stats w/ San Juan: 3-3, 2.89 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 37 K, 62.1 IP Schuller is the lefty set-up man we needed. Last season we went much of the year without one and when we brought one in, he was horrible. In 2001 Eddie had a standout year (2.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) but was awful in 2002. He turned it around a bit last year but we are hopeful he can complete the turnaround with an excellent season in SLC. Donald West, RHP, 36 (5/5/7) 2003 Stats w/ Buenos Aires: 3-4, 3.61 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 56 K, 77.1 IP The veteran West has been a mainstay in the bullpen for the Dorado over the past 3 seasons. All we’re looking for is some solid middle relief. A repeat of his 2003 season would be an improvement over what we had in that role last season. Richard Smith, IF, 32 (4/5/2/3/3) 2003 Stats w/ DC: .292 AVG, .686 OPS, 1 HR, 12 RBI Smith was signed to a 1-year, $450,000 deal to be our utility man. He can play 2B, SS, and 3B reasonably well and hits for a decent average with very little power. Across The League DC made the biggest splash by signing top free agent Harold “Thumper” Murphy to a record contract worth $25.5 million per season over 5 years. The 27-year-old third baseman, who looks like he’ll be moved to 2B, has averaged 43 homers per season and last year hit 51 for Nashville. The Shadow didn’t stop there, signing OF Rene Castro formerly of the Guatemala City Quakes. The switch-hitting 34-year-old is always amongst the league leaders in on base percentage and should score a ton of runs hitting ahead of Murphy. The second biggest contract went out to SS Juan Zaragoza who signed for 5 years at $21.84 million per year with rebuilding New Orleans. What makes this scenario a little odd is that he will earn more than the other 24 players on the roster combined. It may be a few years before his impact can truly be felt. One player we looked long and hard at was veteran 2B Kyle Gallucci, who spurned our best offer to sign with Guayaquil for 1 year at $12,532,000. At 38, Gallucci’s best years are probably behind him but he showed no signs of slowing down last year as he hit .328 with 43 homers for Mexico City. I may regret not going up to $13 million for him. One of our former players, RHP Samuel Marpons, signed a 2-year deal at $15 million per with the Mexico City Aguilas. He’s probably the most dominant pitcher in the league but he has endurance issues which drove us crazy while he was here. For the Aguilas’ sake I hope their bullpen is strong (debatable). Trade To fill the hole at 2B, we traded a pair of prospects to Las Vegas for: David Cardenas, 2B, 30 (5/6/9/3/5) 2003 Stats w/ Vegas: .232 AVG, .749 OPS, 36 HR, 97 RBI Think Tony Batista. Lot of power but doesn’t hit for average nor draw a lot of walks (28 in 566 PA). He is versatile though, being able to play 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and CF, and play them well. He is signed through 2005 with a salary of just below $4 million. We just didn’t have many other options after Gallucci and Aaron Sinnott were not interested in signing here. Going to Vegas are OF Noel Whitesides and 3B/P Michael Saum. Whitesides was one of our Top 10 prospects and our first round pick in 2003 but was a disappointment in his first year of pro ball, hitting just .216. I was hesitant to give him up so early though and wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a solid player one day. Saum is an interesting case. At 26, he’s a little old for a prospect but his ratings are relatively high. But his performance has not matched the ability. In AA last year he hit .275 with 13 HR and 50 RBI. He does have abilities as a pitcher and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas tried him out there.