In a move that many are calling reactionary, the Brooklyn Bombers and Stockholm Sluggers exchanged players today that address both of their weaknesses.

Heading to the frozen capital of Sweden is the former #2 SP for the Bombers Freddie ‘Krueger’ Mendes and 1B prospect Eddy Acevedo.  Both are expected to make a huge splash in the majors for the Sluggers and fill two holes that needed to be filled.  There is also $5M heading to Stockholm, but we are not sure how much that ends up being with the current exchange rate.

In return, the Bombers are going to strengthen their OF with Carroll ‘Burnett’ Pinon who spent last year manning 1B for the Sluggers.  He should feel more comfortable moving back to his native OF position, most likely in LF next season.  When asked about the move Pinon commented, “Hell yeah I am excited, when [Stockholm GM] Michael pulled me into his office and told me I would be playing 1B, I said I would do anything to help the team win, but really I knew that it was not for me.  I can’t wait to get back in the outfield this season and produce for the Bombers and get them back to the World Series.”

In addition, there are 2 prospects heading to Brooklyn in the form of Swedish AA SP Benedikt Salo and S A CF Clifford Harrison along with Stockholm’s 2nd Round pick in the 2008 draft.

“We are really excited at this deal for the present and the future,” said Brooklyn GM Jeremy Goldman, “Our team is much better now, and once we get the final piece of the puzzle in place we should get back to the World Series.”  It had been noticed by many an owner in the OEL that there were less than a few prospects worth trading for in the minors from Brooklyn.  “It was pretty pathetic,” Nate Wooley, Marietta GM quipped.  “They would come to us asking for a trade and have no one worth trading for.  There was really nothing any of us could do about that.”

This trade, and the above comments by GM Goldman, seem to signal that Brooklyn could be making a big splash in the FA market.  The rumors going around are that Perry ‘The Platypus’ Hodgin could sign with the Bombers as early as today.  If that happens, there will be a completely new OF hitting the field in 2008 than started the season in 2007.  Both this trade and possible FA signing will mean a totally revamped lineup including HR hitters: Hodgin, White, Pinon and Moeller to knock in the table setters: Martinez (who will be back from the DL) and Takeano.  This lineup may not be as good as the one that Gainesville claims they will have next season, but one thing is for sure, it will be much better than the 2007 version that finished close to 130 runs below the 5th ranked team in the Socratic League, and with their top-notch rotation with their league low 3.34 ERA and 599 runs allowed last season a return to the World Series would be more than just a probability it would be a definite.

Gainesville was all a buzz this weekend with the aquisition of Japanesse star Yoshii. GM Justin Katz had this to say, “We overpaid, we realize that but if it gets us to a championship can you fault us? We felt like we needed to protect Rushing a bit more this year so we had to make a deal. Losing a pitcher like Fredrickson is tough but it is time for Guy Little to step up and make a name for himself.”

Guy Little, the star prospect has not quite finished his development at the minor league level but that does not mean he is not ready. In a late season call up last year he had 2 quality starts against his disasterous opening start. It seems likely that veteran Mazza will fill out the 5th spot in the rotation and Little will work his way in.

“That is the plan, with a veteran guy like Mazza we dont have to rush ‘Chicken’, but we did not want him in the minors one more year. When you are a man you are man…and Guy is ready.”

Gving up a slate of talent to get a player like Yoshii was a tough sell but with a combined .320 BA, 70+ HRs and 220+ RBIs between him and Rushing it gives the Purpoises a feared middle of the lineup. They will need it as the other teams in the Hegel Division are making their own moves.

Dateline: Marietta – This reporter is exhausted, readers!  Running from one side of the town to the other is killing me!  Marietta owner and candidate for County Commissioner Nate Wooley has made another deal for prospects, thoroughly restocking his team for the near and far future.  Has the OEL ever seen a minor league system so stocked?  This reporter thinks not!

This time, in the second deal of the day, Marietta has dealt starting pitcher Walt Pearson to Seattle.  Pearson, a 24 year old who went 8-3 with a 3.27 earned run average last season, will likely find a home near the top of the Seattle rotation.

In return for the young hurler Marietta receives AAA 3B Randy Carman and single-A 1B Juan Mejia.  In addition to the two top prospects Seattle also sends their first and second round picks in next year’s amateur draft.

Asked about the deal Pearson commented, “Well, I knew it was only a matter of time.  Did you see the look in Mr. Wooley’s eye?  I’m not sure he’s completely in control of himself.  Plus, Seattle’s owner has been calling me everyday and hanging up.  It’s been kind of creepy, really.  I’m glad the waiting is over and I can get on with finding an apartment in Seattle.  It can’t be that expensive, can it?  Heck, my three bedroom apartment in downtown Marietta above The Marietta Register newsroom costs me over $350 per month.  It CAN’T be more than that, right?”

Reached about the deal Marietta owner Wooley said, “Now I’ve got to figure out what to do with the thirten high quality first base prospects I’ve found.  Some of them better learn some other positions, I’ll tell you that!”

It does appear to be a problem for the confluence riders.  How will 13 players share one position on a roster?  It could be that Wooley will attempt to make some moves to break the logjam and acquire some pitching prospects.  It just might be.  Stay tuned for further word as events warrant.  The off season is just beginning and there’s no telling who will end up where!

Dateline: Washington County, Ohio.  Fulfilling his earlier statement that his team was heavy on outfielders and he needed to move one Marietta owner and Washington County Commission candidate Nate Wooley today dealt star outfield Kenrokorou Yoshii to Gainesville for a package of young players.

Yoshii, only 24 himself, has been a standout player for the last two seasons.  He’s hit a lifetime .297 with an OPS of .889.  Last season Yoshii hit 31 home runs and drove in 114 runs for a Marietta team that finished the season in a surprisingly strong last place.

Going from Gainesillve to Marietta are five of Gainesville’s young platers.  Included in the package are 23 year old starting pitcher Russell Frederickson, 8-2 last year in 145 major league innings, 25-year old center fielder Alec Vandenburg, first base prospect Sancho Bojorquez, a 2007 4th round pick, 21 year old second base prospect Luis Boring, and 19-year old left field prospect Ken Lalonde, Gainesville’s 3rd round pick in last year’s draft.

Reached for comment at a campaign stop, Marietta owner Nate Wooley remarked, “It’s great to be able to bring young people to Washington County.  This is a great place to live and play and we hope to see them all have good careers here.  Dealing Yoshii was a difficult decision but the package was just too good to pass up.  I wish Gainesville and Ken all the best.”

Is Wooley done dealing?  Maybe or maybe not.  He seems committed to restocking his team to minor league talent.  Only time will tell how far this process will go!

We’re now into January 2008, and we’ve had a league first. Seattle invested $2 million of its hard-earned dollars into moving in the right-field fences, the better to bash the rest of the league with. Their home stadium has also gained the moniker Sick’s Stadium, the name of the stadium the MLB Seattle Pilots played in before Selig hijacked them to Milwaukee. (We’re kind of used to losing our pro teams here in Seattle.)

In other transaction news, a lot of older free agents retired on January 1, including some classic guys like “Funky Cold” Medina and Hung “Like a Horse” Odell. Good luck in your future careers, guys. Some minor league contracts were also handed out and a couple extensions signed. Stockholm also signed OF Mark Peters to a two-year contract worth $1.8 million and Marietta inked Wilfredo Desilva to a one-year, $900,000 contract.

The OSA also re-scouted the league, for what that’s worth.

League file is posted and I’ll try to get the web pages updated this weekend. The next sim will be Monday, by Nate. He’ll take the league up to January 31. Remember to take care of any players on your DFA list, lest Nate cast them back into free agency.

P.S. I learned a lesson this sim. If you’re going to trade your swingman to be a starter for another team, take a minute and check to make sure he’s not “Very Popular” with your fans, causing a six point hit to fan interest. Sigh.

I know, everybody would like to have an ace to anchor their staff, but I really think that an ace would be the missing piece I need to make a serious run.  Therefore, I am willing to overpay someone for the right pitcher.  You want draft picks? you can have them!  You want prospects?  Take them all!  I could die a happy man if I could just beat Mack in the World Series once in my otherwise humdrum life.  Is that too much to ask, I mean, really… OK, now I’m starting to sound pathetic…  Anyway, you can all think about it and get back to me.

In a wholly unexciting deal today, Pittsburgh sent AAA MR prospect Benjamin McGregor to New York in exchange for A IF prospect John “Captain” Morgan. New York hopes McGregor will help bolster the Knights’ bullpen this year and in the future, while the Pisces acquire a former University of Washington Husky standout in the versatile Morgan.

Real quick: Stockholm acquired one of the four starting pitchers it hopes to fill out its rotation from Pittsburgh today.

Coming to snowy Sweden is one-time Slugger Larry Casler and short-season A OF Arturo Torres. Heading to grimy Pittsburgh is rookie-league MR Bobby Farr.

Stockholm is still looking for pitching.

Just a word of warning so that no one else makes the same stupid mistake I made.  I signed AAA sucky pitcher Steven Pacheco to a minor league contract a couple of sims ago, without realizing that the game deemed him worthy of Type A status.  Never in a million years would it have occurred to me that a player who says ”I will accept a minor league contract” when asked is actually a Type A free agent.  That’s the way the ball bounces in Miami, the home of playoff (and now free agency) disappointment.  The Seattle Pilots have benefitted from my stupidity by acquiring Miami’s first round pick.  Gah.

Don’t make my mistake!

Offseason Sim #6 takes us to New Year’s Eve and the transition from the first of winter to the first faint glimmers of hope for tomorrow.  The offseason continues and Spring Training isn’t actually all that far away.

Signings for this sim are:

Miami signed SP McGurk to a 2 year deal

Stockholm signed 1B Alcala to a 1 year deal

Stockholm signed MR Pellerin to a 2 year deal

Stockholm signed LF Amell to a 1 year deal

There were also some minor league deals signed.

Next Sim is Friday by Mack.  He’ll take us to January 15, 2008!  Don’t miss it.