Blowing in the Wind 2055.1: Jacksonville Signs Joe Bradshaw, More To Follow

[aaronweiner]

In a move that likely represents a lack of confidence in 2053 first round pick Luis Gonzales, the Jacksonville Hurricanes signed free agent catcher Joe Bradshaw to a one-year, $4.5 million dollar make good deal with a player option for the second season. Bradshaw is coming off the worst year of his career, and while the former Golden Bat winner has seen his skills deteriorate somewhat the switch-hitting catcher is still amongst the higher regarded players at his position.

"It's exciting to be starting for the Hurricanes," said Bradshaw. "I've always played in cold weather environments, like where I grew up in Wisconsin, so it's going to be pretty nice to be starting in sunny Florida."

Bradshaw's numbers did not drop off between the 2053 and 2054 seasons, but the five-time All Star for some reason lost a lot of regard in his advanced stats. Nobody is quite sure why, and as a result the Hurricanes may have gotten a quality starter at a backup price.

"We're very excited to have Joe," said Jacksonville GM Aaron Weiner. "One of our top prospects is a catcher and we think Luis Gonzales deserves another shot, but for at least this year and maybe next we'll have an All-Star catcher working for us, and we're very pleased he signed with us."

This is expected to be the first of many Jacksonville moves this offseason, as the team still has around $60 million in free agent money to spend and a $150 million budget.