Dugout Dirt 2044.01 - Canes Ink Deal with Hsin Mei

[DugoutDesperado]

The Canes’ faithful are not sure what set off the front office into going after one of the bigger fish left in the 2044 free agent pond this past week, but it seems that many fans are happy with the move as the Jacksonville fan interest moved from 64 up to 72.

Some sources close to the front office state that the Canes were frustrated with the 13 previous offers made this off-season to no avail or that the trade talks with three different teams stalled before they even got started. Others say that with the Jacksonville coffers at league maximum ($20M cash and 38M+ bonus cash) that have another year of $30M profit was not was the doctor was ordering. And yet others were saying that the pre-season prediction of only 71 wins got the Canes’ GM a little on edge. The result was a one-year/$24M contract with all-star catcher Hsin Mei.

Hsin has hit 356 homers over his career with his last three seasons being 41, 25 and 36 respectively. The Canes are penciling in about a .250 batting average with a .325 on-base percentage in 2044 for Mei.

Hsin brings in another strong-armed catcher to go along with Mike Schofield who has become a fan favorite with his clubhouse demeanor and his 55 homers over the last two seasons although Schofield’s batting average was .210 during that time span. The Canes front office are on the page that there are enough innings to keep both catchers happy between catcher, first base and DH. Expect last year's first baseman, Pancho Costa, to spend some time in the outfield to make room for Mei, Schofield and Jose Zuniga.

Only time will tell if Hsin is a missing piece that will help the Canes make a run for the post-season in 2044 or 2045. Whether it be as some added punch to the lineup or as a means to constitute a trade later in the season.

[RonCo]

Costa in the OF isn't a bad idea.