OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2025 All-Star Break

The Angels find themselves in good position though the trend might be setting up for another second half swoon, much like last season. Still, the Angels find themselves with a sizable lead in the division.

The injury to Familia could be part of the swoon as the Angels haven't found a taker for the closer role just yet. Cam Bedrosian might slide into it, as Scoiscia seems resistant to move Chairez from his role in the bullpen, especially after another dominating year and eating up so many innings from any where in the bullpen.

Kershaw's decline seems to be continuing, perhaps even accelerating. Looks like the Angels will be right on time with the end of his contract (next season) and, despite being a fan favorite, Kershaw may not return, especially if he doesn't take a discount.

Also struggling is Stiward Aquino. The other shoe may have finally dropped on him as he's posting a borderline bad ERA all season thus far. For now, Jim Lenhart was recalled and will pitch out of the #5 spot in the rotation, moving Mukai and Mavity up a slot each.

Speaking of Mavity, he's been strong so far. The groundball rate has not been there (just 56.5%) but the home run rate has been very low, just 0.4 HR/9, and he's kept a very solid ERA as a result. One thing about Mavity, he's hit 30 batters already.

Offensively, the Angels are doing solid work, second in the AL in runs scored as they work opponents with a barrage of hits (1st in AL in batting average) and walks (3rd in AL in walks) with stolen bases mixed in (1st in AL). Power? Not really there - 10th in the AL in home runs. Which is where the friction remains in the front office.

Pressure remains on Yarrow to grab a power hitter as the deadline will loom soon after the All-Star Break. Gallo is still within reach, and reportedly, Derrick Cherry would seal the deal in a 1-for-1 trade. However, there's no confirmation as to if that's true, and Yarrow seems resistant to a move.

"There's reports that Yarrow has said that 'maybe this will get him over it', referring to the owner. He commented that 'the team is in 1st place' and 'we are 2nd in runs, what else does he want'. So, it would seem that the Angels are still not looking to pull the trigger on a trade to bring in more power, " a local L.A. reporter commented.

Derrick Cherry has been useful indeed this season, playing above average defense at several positions. However, it's hard to imagine he'd be more valuable than adding a power bat, even one is strikeout prone as Gallo's. Not helping Yarrow's position is Vientos hitting horribly at third base with Fukuda "hitting like a shortstop", providing most of his value on defense, making a move back to third unlikely given the lack of offense.

So far, the Angels have continued to maintain their current personnel. Perhaps the trading deadling will provide the impetus to make a move.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Angels Acquire Vlad Jr at Trading Deadline
Angels Ship Three Prospects to Jays

Whether the GM caved to pressure from the ownership or if he simply got tired of watching Vientos flirt with the Mendoza line, the Angels made a trade to add a hitter to the lineup in the person of Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.

Now, Vlad Jr. isn't exactly a pure slugger. In fact, he's a well-rounded hitter that sometimes gets enough lift on the ball to carry one out of the park. He's currently hitting .280 with a .500 slugging percentage that includes 23 home runs on the season. That's not a small number, but it doesn't put him on pace for 40 or 50 home runs.

"I really don't care about anything else, " Yarrow commented at the press conference where Vlad Jr. was announced, "He's a good hitter, a solid defender, and we think he will help us win games both before and after October."

"If our ownership wants to be mad because he's not Aaron Judge at third base, fine. Be mad while we win games. It makes him look bad, not the team, not the fans, not me, not anyone else, " Yarrow spoke.

The Angels ownership or other front office officials could not be reached for comment.

But, as Yarrow commented, regardless of any of that, Guerrero will certainly be an improvement over Vientos and his .214/.269/.370 batting line. A slumping Vlad Jr. will be better than that in all likelihood.

The Angels hit the deadline 2nd in the AL in runs scored. This is with three hitters literally batting barely over the Mendoza line. Now, that shrinks to two, and the other two are a Gold Glove second baseman and the catcher, a commonly light-hitting position.

In return for Vlad Jr., the Angels parted with SP prospect Juan Medina, a flame throwing K-machine that's trying to round out his skills, SP Jorge Arenallo, a pitcher that might be ready for the majors, and 3B prospect Joel Haeberle, a bit of a project that has some potential.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Season Review:

The Angels won 104 games and took the AL West crown.

The pitching staff led the way, but the offense was a surprise story all year long. Mike Trout put up nearly 50 home runs, completely unexpected, while Fukuda ran wild on the bases, outpacing all other base stealers in the AL with 83 stole bases (in 95 attempts).

Vlad Jr.'s acquisition was a positive influence down the stretch as he batted .311 with 14 HR and picking up 2.7 WAR in 251 PA for the Angels.

Dominic Hutchinson finally looked like the pure hitter that the Angels hoped he'd become. It took six years, but Hutchinson made good on the promise he showed by winning the AL batting title with a .339 mark. He also piled up 6.1 WAR on the season, his second as a major league player.

Tim Mavity's rookie campaign was largely as advertised. Keeps the ball in the park (0.3 HR/9), decent control (2.7 BB/9), handful of K's (6.7 K/9) and it worked out to a 16-3, 3.56 ERA line. What was not expected from Mavity: a pedestrian ground out rate (just 53.6%), and 58 hit batters. The ground ball rate remains a concern considering Mavity is a sinkerballer that is supposedly exceptional at killing the worms around home plate.

Meanwhile, Kershaw's decline continued, and his latest injury is not going to do him any favors. Jeurys Familia suffered greatly from his long term injury and worries are high that Kershaw will as well.

Jim Lenhart returned to the majors but continued to stuggle to find his way at the highest level. He saw some action at the plate as well with mixed, but improving, results.

Playoffs:

The Angels advanced to the World Series, but fell in six games to the Giants.

The Giants pitching contained the bats in a couple games and then their bats took care of the rest. Game six in particular will leave a bitter taste as the Angels jumped all over Bumgarner, but then squandered the lead and ended up losing 9-7.

The pitching in general pretty much disappeared for the Angels...perhaps hinting towards the next big uncertainty will be...how will the pitching staff look with Kershaw fading away and Familia pretty much gone.

"Ownership too busy looking at the offense...the mound is where our weakness might be next, " GM Yarrow commented, "That's why we lost, ultimately. You can't give up 8 and 9 runs and expect to win any game, let alone in the World Series."

Looking Ahead:

The Angels will probably be on the look out for top-level pitching, and they'll probably have to find it from outside the organization. At this point, the Angels probably won't be picky as to starter versus reliever...just getting top level arms in the system.

The Angels will have uncertainty in the dugout as well. Hitting coach Bob Melvin and manager Mike Scoscia have both decided to call it a career and enjoy retirement.

The new dugout staff members, especially the manager, will have some seriously high expectations and big shoes to fill.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2026 Angels Offseason

Signings:

The Angels signed closer Nick Burdi to a 5-year contract worth about $65 million (team option).

Burdi most recently played with the Pirates and Reds, putting up decent numbers. He will likely be the closer for the Angels.

The team also signed an extension with Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. for 7 years worth $143 million.


New Hires:

The Angels have a new manager and it's a totally unknown person. His name is Andy Moulin and he is noted for having a likely unorthodox style to running a game. Early interviews with him have hinted that he likes to do some of everything. Steal, hit-and-run, pressure the defense on the bases, shift all over the place, bunt, pitch around, even dust off the squeeze play.

He also tends to stay with pitchers, which should be interesting and a marked difference than Scoiscia. Moulin likes "giving pitchers a chance to fix themselves" and tasks the offense to support a struggling pitcher more than pulling the pitcher and potentially burning through arms quickly.

Player interviews seem to be going well. Most players stating that they are at least willing to give the new blood a chance.

"He's got big shoes to fill and we're going to have big expectations, so we'll have to do our part in the clubhouse. That won't be anything different, but it might be more important until the new routines and such get established, " Trout commented, "We're a great group of guys that get along and respect each other and handle things. I think we'll be fine in that regard."

The team also has a new hitting coach in the person of Milt Cuyler.

Cuyler comes from the independent leagues where he worked as hitting coach for the Monclova Acereros the last six years. In those years, his team made the playoffs four times and never finished with a win percentage lower than .560.

He is said to have a balanced approach to his instruction, and should be able to help hitters in what ever style they currently prefer or with what ever issues they want to work on.

While not a new hire, per se, Joe Girardi will move from AA-Mobile to AAA-Salt Lake due to the make up of the Salt Lake team. Girardi tends to be more relaxed and resonates better with guys with some experience, even in the minors, so the Angels hope he can keep the Salt Lake squad motivated.


Transactions:

The biggest transaction for the Angels was the acquisition of SP Jeferson Garcia from the Marlins. The Angels parted with pretty much its last two prospects considered good by BNN in the trade: IF Juan Zaragoza and SP Jose Farrant, both within the top 100, along with a couple other prospects in the trade.

Garcia, 25, has been up-and-down in his first four seasons. Most of his positive production has come from one season, his 2024 campaign, where he went 13-5 with a 2.36 ERA and 4.6 WAR.

Scouts rave about his skills and many of his peripheral stats look solid. He's posted 0.5 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, and 8.4 K/9 in his career 469 innings. The end results have been mixed for whatever reasons.

After this trade, the Angels GM vowed to "reseed" the farm system than has been "harvested heavily" over the years. He praised the minor league system for delivering several top performers over the years, and for making trades like this one a reality.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2026 Angels

BNN is bullish on the 2026 Angels, calling for a 100-win season and not a lot of competition coming from the rest of the division.

Andy Moulin's unorthodox ways have already shown up in the Opening Day lineups. Jim Lenhart will be used much more at the plate than Scoiscia ever used him. While not in the starting lineup, yet, Lenhart was given heavy use in Spring Training as Moulin tried to gauge just where Lenhart's bat is at in its development. Evidently, Moulin liked what he saw.

Lenhart will also be working out of the bullpen. Whether that's temporary, an effort to try to refine some of his breaking stuff, or if it's just the way he will be used is hard to figure out at this point. A lot will likely be determined from how he, and the rest of the staff, performs.

This places some pressure on Jahmai Jones. Lenhart could very well push to be the starter in left field and the Angels outfield could have a pair of two-way players, one at each corner outfield spot.

The rotation is expected to lead the way with, again, all five starters in the top pitching performers. Ohtani, in particular, is expected to be dominant with an ERA just over 2.00.

Derek Cherry might tiring of being a utility player. Some rumors have emerged that he would like to be the starting second baseman, and he's got the skills to be an excellent defender. The bat could be better, but so far, Cherry remains in his usual utility role.

As expected, the farm system was dropped dramatically in rankings. The team does have some top 100 prospects, but the system is 27th ranked.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Dang you got Vlad Jr.? In my save, his ratings are off the chart amazing. He broke in and won AL ROY for the Blue Jays in the 2019 season I just finished. You are 6 years ahead of me, lol.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Dang you got Vlad Jr.? In my save, his ratings are off the chart amazing. He broke in and won AL ROY for the Blue Jays in the 2019 season I just finished. You are 6 years ahead of me, lol.

Yep and it was a Jays initiated email. They asked if I would trade for him and I decided to explore it. They wanted Aquino as the centerpiece, but I made an offer of a more risk-reward pitcher + a stable arm and they liked it.

He's not amazing in my save, but he's very, very solid, 60-65 almost everywhere important except walks and defense...only average there. It's looking like he might be a contact hitter with some pop so something like .300/.350/.500 or something for a usual line. Definitely strong.

He had a mixed rookie year batting just .220 but still hitting average OPS. Then he started hitting for average and hasn't look back from .280-.300 since.

What can I say, I'm really liking this year's OOTP or maybe I'm just rediscovering my love of the game Really liking how I can just go get a Vlad Jr without worry about if it's "too easy".

[WaitTilNextYear]

Carolina Knights Update

END OF SEASON 2019

[SIZE="3"][B]Season Record:[/B] 60-93 (28 GB NL East)...yes that's just 153 games, you read that right
[B]September Record:[/B] 10-15
[B]Standings:[/B] 6th Place NL East

[B]Market Size:[/B] Tiny
[B]Attendance:[/B] 2,267,837
[B]Payroll:[/B] $37.90MM
[B]Fan Interest:[/B] 73
[B]Owner Disposition:[/B] Undecided[/SIZE]

TEAM PAGE

Spoiler

PLAYOFF RESULTS

Spoiler

SUMMARY

If 2018 was a qualified success (74-88) for an expansion team in its inaugural year, 2019 (60-93) was a pretty disappointing step in the wrong direction. GM/manager Bobby Cox is starting to be questioned vis-a-vis his prowess, and rumors are swirling about those nasty 3 letters A-G-E and how they are interfering with the septagenarian's ability to govern this team. So, naturally he responded by channeling his inner Phillip Wellman and diffusing that grenade in a press conference.

What went wrong in 2019? Simply put, everything.

It began in the offseason when Carolina came up just $200K AAV shy of Atlanta's winning bid for Bryce Harper. Then, they watched Bryce take the National League MVP award. What's more is he batted .400/.609/.833 with 3 HR and 16 BB in 9 intradivision games against Carolina.

It continued when the club signed mostly-forgotten Nathan Eovaldi to a team-friendly 3-year deal only to lose him to Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft the very next day (because when signing an MLB free agent, the game ludicrously doesn't place him on the 40-man roster automatically...noted). Carolina watched from afar as Eovaldi went on to start the All-Star Game and proceed to win the American League Cy Young award.

Those 2 misses on Harper and Eovaldi really hurt.

What was left over was a kind of a shell of a team that couldn't pitch at all and couldn't really hit either.

Pitching-wise, it was pretty brutal. Carolina surrendered 816 runs in just 153 games, which means opposing teams were putting up 5.3 runs per game on average. The starting staff's ERA was 4.23 last year, but it ballooned up to 5.47 this year. Lance Lynn (5.14 ERA, 29 GS), Tyler Skaggs (5.99 ERA, 27 GS), Luis Perdomo (5.68 ERA, 25 GS), Trevor Williams (6.47 ERA, 11 GS), Derek Gordon (6.44 ERA, 10 GS), Antonio Senzatela (5.96 ERA, 10 GS), and Max Povse (6.75 ERA, 7 GS) were a rotating cast of clowns that made 119 of the clubs' 153 starts. Povse [Rule 5 from Seattle] and Williams were returned and dealt respectively whereas Marco Estrada tore his UCL in his very first (and last) start as a Carolina Knight. Staff ace Collin McHugh was pretty good once again [13-14 | 219 IP | 33 GS | 4.40 ERA | 156 K | 73 BB | 3.8 WAR] and led the league in innings pitched. He simply had no help.

The bullpen was a bit better than the starting staff, but still far worse than in 2018 [4.47 ERA vs 3.43 ERA]. Dellin Betances had a good partial year [3.72 ERA | 12.1 K/9 | 15/16 SV] before being dealt to Colorado in July. Nick Gardewine (4.16 ERA, 76 G), Nick Burdi (2.88 ERA, 64 G), Tyler Jay (4.53 ERA, 61 G), Diego Castillo (4.48 ERA, 57 G), Aaron Bummer (6.39 ERA, 39 G), Zack Burdi (2.82 ERA, 24 G), R.J. Alvarez (4.76 ERA, 18 G), and Matt Festa (1.40 ERA, 16 G) ended the season in the team's pen.

Offensively, the team was once again in the nether reaches of the National League. With 640 runs scored, the club ranked 15th out of 17 teams in the NL. However, this was a 20 run increase in 9 fewer games played. A marginal improvement. Although the club ranked last in the NL in home runs (114), 12th in batting average (.257), and 13th in OBP (.327). One aspect in which this team did shine was in avoiding the strikeout--the team was best in the NL with just 1087 strikeouts suffered. A collection of slap hitters will do that for a club.

The offensive MVP on the team was...well there really wasn't one. Or, at least, the O MVP wasn't on the team beyond July. 3B Eduardo Nunez was the team's All-Star rep before being dealt to San Diego (where he flopped massively). But, before being traded, Nunez batted .324/.346/.498 with 9 HR | 56 RBI | 11/11 SB | 2.1 WAR for Carolina in 345 PA. 2B/LF Breyvic Valera did not reprise his ~4 WAR rookie performance. Valera batted .282/.317/.355 with 5 HR | 48 RBI | 0.4 WAR in 621 PA. CF Mallex Smith settled in as the leadoff hitter: .266/.363/.353 with 5 HR | 36 RBI | 44/61 SB | 1.6 WAR in 509 PA. Smith also played a solid center field [+8.6 ZR]. 1B A.J. Reed led the club in homers again although he failed to reach 20: .246/.327/.458 with 19 HR | 71 RBI | 0.7 WAR in 425 PA. Veterans RF/3B Lonnie Chisenhall [.249/.326/.394 | 12 HR | 59 RBI | 0.2 WAR in 502 PA] and C Matt Wieters [.280/.361/.397 | 5 HR | 38 RBI | 1.7 WAR in 369 PA] came on toward the end of the season after a really rough start. Rookie shortstop Nicky Lopez failed to really make the desired impact: .273/.346/.328 with 4 HR | 55 RBI | 19/29 SB | 0.7 WAR in 640 PA, although he did play in a team best 149 out of 153 games. As for other pieces that will likely be on next year's team: 2B/LF Forrest Wall [.269/.356/.360 with 4 HR | 27 RBI | 12/18 SB | 0.1 WAR in 276 PA], 1B Samir Duenez [.224/.298/.352 with 4 HR | 14 RBI | -0.4 WAR in 142 PA], and 1B/LF Sam Travis [.304/.384/.487 with 7 HR | 33 RBI | 1.0 WAR in 219 PA].

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Yep and it was a Jays initiated email. They asked if I would trade for him and I decided to explore it. They wanted Aquino as the centerpiece, but I made an offer of a more risk-reward pitcher + a stable arm and they liked it.

He's not amazing in my save, but he's very, very solid, 60-65 almost everywhere important except walks and defense...only average there. It's looking like he might be a contact hitter with some pop so something like .300/.350/.500 or something for a usual line. Definitely strong.

He had a mixed rookie year batting just .220 but still hitting average OPS. Then he started hitting for average and hasn't look back from .280-.300 since.

What can I say, I'm really liking this year's OOTP or maybe I'm just rediscovering my love of the game Really liking how I can just go get a Vlad Jr without worry about if it's "too easy".

Here's what my scout thinks of the Vlad Jr. in my save...

Spoiler

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Here's what my scout thinks of the Vlad Jr. in my save...

Good gracious - no he's nothing like that in mine.

Here's what I got:

Spoiler

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Jeferson Garcia's Career Ends
He Threw His Arm Off...Almost Literally

Jeferson Garcia was the prize acquisition for the Angels. He would help solidify a young rotation trying to form up behind Ohtani.

Well, that plan officially died when Garcia threw a pitch and his shoulder pretty much split in half.

"I have no words. I can't believe this happened, and I can't believe it happened so...gruesomely, " Garcia spoke through tears mixed of pain and disappointment.

The young pitcher's career ends at 26 years old. He was 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA this season. His career line will stand at 31-29 with a 3.64 ERA in 465 innings of work.

"We are sadden by the demise of such a promising career and that such a good young man suffered playing the game he loved. Our thoughts will be with him and his family, " Yarrow commented at the press conference.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2026 Angels Overview

Summary

BNN pretty much called it for the Angels. For a month or two, the Angels had some competition in the division, but the consistently strong pace let the Angels pull away while the others fell closer to where BNN expected. The team's .667 winning percentage was the second highest under Yarrow, and the team will be making it's ninth consecutive playoff appearance. The team has yet to miss the postseason on Yarrow's watch.

Offense

Spoiler

The surprise for this season came on the offensive side. The Angels, thought to be a lighter-hitting bunch, were 3rd in the AL in home runs, despite having just one 40-HR hitter (Trout). What the Angels ended up having was a lineup where almost all hitters were some threat to go yard instead of one or two primary power threats.

Ohtani had his worst performance as a hitter this season. Of course, it's something when 1.7 WAR and an .830 OPS is your worst season at the plate. Jim Lenhart matched Ohtani's production and got 312 PA from Moulin's extended usage.

Vlad Jr's first full year as an Angel was a success. His 31 HR and 94 RBI were both second on the team, and he was 4th on the squad in WAR with 4.7.

Despite the home runs, and overall offensive success, there are reports of the front office still not being happy the Vlad Jr's acquisition in terms of him not being a pure power hitter.

Pitching

Spoiler

The pitch staff was dealt a blow when Jeferson Garcia went down with a career ending injury. However, they didn't seem to mind too much if the results were any indication.

Ohtani's year on the mound was nothing short of spectacular. He went 20-2 on the season with a paltry 1.92 ERA. He accumulate 8.6 WAR and came away with the pitching triple crown in the AL.

Shinji Mukai also made a lot of noise with how sneaky dominant he can be. He led the league in complete games with seven. Mukai's tendency to keep pitch count keep around longer, especially given Moulin's tendencies. His 234 innings of work led all of baseball.

Tim Mavity hit "only" 36 batters this year and lowered his ERA to 2.99 this season as he continues to make progress. He induced 26 double plays, and his groundball tendency showed up more this season as 63% of his outs came via ground balls.

Jim Lenhart was a later entrant to the rotation, but his 3.21 ERA should make him a member all year next season. Lenhart looks like he will become a certain two-way player, especially if he continues to improve. The new blood in the manager's office has no qualms giving him playing time in both directions.

The bullpen was pretty much as expected with Chairez continuing his bullpen dominance. He posted a staggering 4.6 WAR, as a middle reliever, to go with his 12-4 record and 1.65 ERA.

Transactions

Spoiler

The Angels surprised experts with a couple of extensions. The team retained Clayton Kershaw for another year, though at $8.5 million, a big drop from the $21 million he commanded this season. Many thought the Angels would let the former ace walk, but, perhaps out of loyalty or the desire to keep his veteran leadership around, the team offered the extension.

The other surprise was the long-term extension for Jahmai Jones. Granted, Jones has evolved into a well-rounded and consistent threat at the plate. Another season of nearly a .300 batting average and 20-25 home runs from Jones proves that once again. However, with the improving Lenhart sticking at the major league level, a lot of folks thought there would be a pair of two-way players in the lineup. For now, at least, it seems Lenhart will have to be content as a heavy-use utility hitter, leaving Jones secure in left field.

One move that was no surprise was the extension to Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. He signed a seven-year deal that will take any concerns over losing him to free agency off the table. The strong year and a half that Vlad Jr put up made this an easy negotiation for the Angels to undertake.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Carolina Knights Update

HOT STOVE SEASON 2019-20

2019 Carolina Knights Record: 60-93 (6th Place | 28 GB NL East)

Key Free Agents/Signings

Spoiler

INF
Paul Goldschmidt - PHI - 5 yr $182.5M (36.5 aav)
Xander Bogaerts - MIN - 5 yr $122.4M (24.5 aav)
Jonathan Schoop - CLE - 6 yr $103.6M (17.3 aav)
Todd Frazier - PHI - 5 yr $62M (12.4 aav)
Justin Smoak - WAS - 5 yr $36.8M (7.4 aav)
Jedd Gyorko - MIL - 2 yr $14M (7 aav)
Yonder Alonso - POR - 1 yr $7M

OF
Billy Hamilton - LAD - 5 yr $74M (14.8 aav)
Yasiel Puig - CAR - 3 yr $19M (6.3 aav)
Nick Castellanos - WAS - 3 yr $18.9M (6.3 aav)
Aaron Hicks - CAR - 1 yr $5M

SP
Chris Sale - TOR - 6 yr $185M (30.8 aav)
Madison Bumgarner - NYY - 4 yr $103M (25.8 aav)
Yu Darvish - CHC - 5 yr $122M (24.4 aav)
Felix Hernandez - NYM - 5 yr $97M (19.4 aav)
Collin McHugh - CAR - 5 yr $82.5M (16.5 aav)
Gerrit Cole - CAR - 7 yr $84M (12 aav)
Brandon McCarthy - SEA - 2 yr $23M (11.5 aav)
Sonny Gray - MON - 7 yr $72.5M (10.4 aav)
Patrick Corbin - TOR - 4 yr $39.6M (9.9 aav)
Rich Hill - KC - 1 yr $9.8M
Justin Verlander - SEA - 3 yr $23.7M (7.9 aav)
Michael Pineda - SF - 2 yr $15.4M (7.7 aav)
Jacob deGrom - PHI - 2 yr $12M (6 aav)

RP
Andrew Miller - SEA - 2 yr $54M (27 aav)
Dellin Betances - ATL - 1 yr $11.4M
Addison Reed - LAD - 2 yr $20M (10 aav)
Jeurys Familia - BOS - 3 yr $28.2M (9.4 aav)
Joe Kelly - MIN - 1 yr $9.3M
David Robertson - SEA - 3 yr $27.5M (9.2 aav)
Brad Brach - CHC - 2 yr $12.6M (6.3 aav)
Trevor Rosenthal - CAR - 2 yr $9.2M (4.6 aav)

Carolina Free Agency

Spoiler

After not doing anything in the free agent market last offseason, the Knights watched their club fall to a last place 60-93 record. Hoping not to repeat the performance in 2020, Bobby Cox and his ~$60M in offseason spending cash went to work.

The first priority was addressing a particularly bad starting rotation. The 2019 starting staff achieved a rather hideous 5.47 ERA. Thus, the first player targeted was Madison Bumgarner. Just 30 years old and a potential horse, Carolina offered him $103M over 4 years (23.5 aav), but quickly moved on when the Yankees started bidding that up.

With Bumgarner probably going to the Yankees and the Blue Jays all in on Chris Sale driving him above $30M annually, Carolina looked at the next tier of a pretty strong free agent class. Hey, you look familiar! A "reunion" of sorts was engineered with Collin McHugh, who accepted a 5-year deal worth $16.5M annually. Although the club wouldn't get any compensation for McHugh from signing elsewhere, they liked the price after he floated $23M/yr going into the offseason. And they liked the idea of him, their original player, perhaps retiring as a Knight.

Simply getting McHugh to stay was just a starting point toward respectability. The club subsequently got Gerrit Cole to quickly agree to a potential steal of a deal--7 years at just $12M per. It's not clear why the rest of the league wasn't in pursuit of the 29-year-old, but he slots in nicely alongside McHugh.

Carolina also kicked the tires on Patrick Corbin (who signed with Toronto), Sonny Gray (who signed with Montreal), and Jacob deGrom (who signed with Philly) but didn't like the price on the former two and didn't like deGrom being out until midseason with a major injury. So, with $28.5M spent, adding Cole and re-adding McHugh, the Knights had themselves most of a starting rotation [Cole/McHugh along with in-house options: Antonio Senzatela, Jon Duplantier, and Joey Lucchesi] with some shake and bake--or Magic Man--yet to come.

To address an offense that was toward the bottom of the NL in most stats last year (dead last in HR and extra base hits), Carolina re-upped catcher Matt Wieters who got hot late in the season. Wieters had a team option worth $3M (declined) and a $600K buyout (enacted), but was ultimately re-signed for $2.75M. So, I guess the team should've just picked up the option, huh? The other two large pickups were in the outfield: Aaron Hicks (1 yr $5M) and Yasiel Puig (3 years $19M) were both added at bargain prices--Puig likely scared teams off with his "disruptive" player tag. With Hicks to patrol LF and Puig in RF, Carolina will no doubt rack up outfield assists if teams are stupid enough to take the extra base. Hicks should provide some more OBP and Puig gives them a player that is capable of hitting in the middle of the order. Lastly, Ehire Adrianza was added on a 1-year $1.5M deal to put another Swiss army knife on the bench.

As for the bullpen, the club used the savings from dealing away Dellin Betances to add both Trevor Rosenthal (2 yr $9.2M) and LOOGY supreme Jake Diekman (3 yr $7M). The team broke its "don't spend any money on bullpen pieces, you idiot" rule, but ah whatever.

Carolina Trades

Spoiler

The trade market was particularly lucrative for the Knights this time around. The team is always active here, but the club was able to add an ace in Chris Archer, a middle-of-the-order bat in 3B Kyle Seager, as well as a likely "catcher of the future" in Jake Rogers.

The biggest deal was struck on New Years Eve with Tampa Bay. Carolina sent 2019 1st round pick LHP Zack Thompson, relievers Nick Burdi, Matt Festa, Aaron Bummer and prospect pitcher Justin Steele to Tampa. In return, Carolina got Chris Archer with 15% of his 2019 salary taken care of, plus depth reliever Armando Rivero. In this interesting deal, Tampa gets a total remake of its bullpen with cheap, effective pieces as well as their main prize, the lefty Thompson who is projected to be a mid-rotation type. Carolina will get at least 2 years of Archer--he has a no-brainer of an $11M team option next season. With Archer, Cole, and McHugh in the fold, this team seems to have a much improved rotation.

The second-biggest deal occurred when the Mariners came calling for RHP Kevin Gadea who had developed quite favorably lately. In scouting who the Knights might want in return, they noticed that Seattle had splurged in free agency signing Manny Machado, which relegated Kyle Seager--a strong defensive 3B--to full-time DH duties last season. So a deal was built around that basis, ultimately with Seager (subsidized by 30%) for a package of Gadea, Yuliesky Gurriel, prospect OF Preston Jones, prospect C Justin Koger, and reliever Diego Castillo. Seager will join Puig in the middle of the Carolina batting order.

The final major deal of the offseason brought prospect catcher Jake Rogers and OF Mike Gerber to Carolina while sending 2019 4th round pick RHP Tyler Dyson and reliever Nick Gardewine to Detroit. Both teams get something to dream on here. Rogers is projected to be a solid-average and patient hitter while also an elite Gold Glover of a defensive catcher. Dyson is projected by OSA to have some of the nastiest stuff in the game (92 stuff, 83 FB, 97 SL, 93 CH) while having enough stamina to start (47).

Cleaning up some loose ends, the Knights sent franchise home run leader A.J. Reed to Toronto in a deal that netted Lourdes Gurriel Jr. It looks like the team is moving forward with some combo of Samir Duenez and Sam Travis at 1B; Reed is more of an AL player anyway.

Your 2020 Carolina Knights

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

World Series Sweep to Angels

With a 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds tonight at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels wrapped up their 5th title in team history.

Los Angeles left little doubt who was the better club. "Team" was the word of the day as the Angels celebrated the culmination of their banner year in the victors clubhouse following the game.

"Hitting, pitching, fielding; those are all things you need to win, but most importantly you need a team, a team that works together toward the same collective goal," said Los Angeles manager Andy Moulin. "Our players felt that way all year and they played that way. When one guy had an off day, 24 others stepped up their game and filled the void."

A jovial mood filled the air as Los Angeles celebrated into the night. The city's mayor said parade plans were underway and a "huge celebration" in the works.

"We're going to celebrate our team, our championship Los Angeles Angels," he said.

The champions completed the regular season with a first-place finish in the American League West Division and a 108-54 record.


Notes:

The Angels didn't lose a single game in this postseason run. They swept the Twins, the White Sox and then the Reds.

The Reds defeated the Padres, the NL's best team and winners of 106 games, to advance to the World Series.

The Reds had the NL's best offense against the Angels and their AL best pitching staff. The Reds managed just 2.5 runs per game in the World Series.

Ohtani had the worst ERA on the team in the postseason at 4.26. Tim Mavity was the best among starters with a 1.69 ERA.

Juan Chairez struck out 20 batters in 12 1/3 playoff innings. He allowed just one run.

Ohtani, however, had the most home runs with four in just 29 plate appearances.

Rookie manager Andy Moulin wins the World Series in his first year of managerial experience. All downhill from here I guess!

The last Angels World Series win came in 2022.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

I see that Max Alba has broken in for you...I wonder what kind of role he'll play going forward.