The 2040 season is drawing near and teams are prepping for Spring Training over the next few weeks. Fans in Portland are starting to get excited about what the 2040 season could hold and who may actually take to the field come opening day and for the first games in the franchise's history. The roster moves have been plentiful over the last few months and fans heads have been spinning trying to figure out who may be on the team come April.
Things are starting to settle down some now and the front office and the fans can finally start to pencil in what they expect to see come Opening Day. One thing the team projects to have hear in the early going is a solid defense. Hitting and Pitching may be questionable, but defense looks solid. Here is what we are seeing right now.
Veenman is the front runner to get a bulk of the catching duties in 2040. He's decent with the glove. Will walk a lot. Unfortunately he'll also K a lot and struggle to hit his weight. If he can hit over his weight (he weighs 200 pounds by the way) then we think he'll have a positive WAR. Clapper is the front runner for the back-up as he just has better skills. Both Clapper and Diaz have options so one of them will be sent down to Triple-A Quincy barring a spring injury.
It's a no brainer here. The money basically dictates that Mick play everyday and Wilson won't let one of his Madison player just rot on the side. Mick was basically a DH in Madison so it'll be interesting to see how he handles playing in the field again. Also, regardless of the fact he's overpaid, he is still the better player of the three listed even though the other two aren't bad either. Wishart could be used as a DH against lefty hitters or maybe even some spot starts at the position as a 1B against lefties. It'll be surprising if Portland keeps his bat out of the lineup completely as he shows good platoon splits. Nunez also looks good as a bat against righty pitching. The problem Portland has is all 3 really need playing time and to be getting at-bats. None of the 3 have options so all 3 will be on the roster come opening day.
Showing that Wilson is concerned with defense this season, Portland went out and acquired Martinez in a trade after the expansion draft. He is overpaid as well, but he has put up a WAR over 2.0 in three of his last 4 seasons and has some solid defensive ability. His range is a little lacking now it seems but he shouldn't make very many errors and is a wizard in turning double plays. Albers is a solid backup option. Not great on defense or offense, but not a huge liability. He has options so there is a good chance he starts the year in Triple A if roster spots are scarce.
Reports from the front office indicate that Ramirez has had some trade interest but thus far the team has held on to him. The club has held on to him, despite probably being overpaid, because he can play elite defense on the left side and the Lumberjacks have plans for him at SS and 3B. There is obviously a chance the team trades him away because he does make over $9 million, but he's a guy the Lumberjacks hope can return to a 3 WAR season like he's had in recent years. Schipper is a guy that could very well make the roster because he's an elite glove guy. He's not going to hit for much, but could be a platoon option. He had a 1.1 WAR two years ago in Charm City. Anything like that would be welcomed this year in Portland.
Juoun is out of options so he's likely a lock to make the roster. He doesn't have much range but has a great arm and won't make many errors. His bat won't hurt him as a platoon option against lefties. Reyes has a better bat against righties and is better defensively. He does have options but likely needs to make the roster. A lot depends on how Portland chooses to play the Ramirez/Schipper combo at SS. If Schipper starts at SS versus lefties, then that could spell more PT for Reyes at 3B against RHP as Ramirez will shift to 3B. As of now, Juoun is the odd man out of the mix.
All in all that is 12 decent infield options. One catcher and Albers are likely locks to be sent back down either at the end of spring training or during spring training to wait their time in Quincy. The main roster decisions to really make with this group heading into Spring and the regular season is who stays between Juoun, Reyes, and Schipper. Early on, we'd prefer to keep Reyes and Schipper but with Juoun out of options it is likely one of the other two head down to Quincy.
