57.9- Busy, Busy, Busy...

[chicoruiz]

For most teams, Opening Day is when the lineups are set, but when you're a hardscrabble team such as the Atlantic City Gamblers, it's just another opportunity to keep grinding away, trying to get the proverbial one percent better every day. Let's look at some of the Gamblers most recent moves:

1. Traded for closer Augusto Ayala. At least, I'm calling him a closer. He's only averaged about three saves per season in a five-year career, but he looks like a closer to me, he walks like a closer, he talks like a closer, I need a closer, so dammit, he's a closer until he proves he isn't. Which, knowing my luck, should be any time now.

2. Signed FA SP Anthony Jones. I know, I know... I've got more than enough of this caliber of starting pitcher already, but Anthony is a special case. I took him as the #1 draft pick overall back when I was a young and foolish GM in El Paso (I am now an old and foolish GM). Anthony's career never really took wing, but he's had some high spots too, and I couldn't resist taking him at a reasonable price. Plus his nickname is "Onion"- anyone who goes through life being called "Onion Jones" deserves a break. Maybe it means there are layers to him.

3. Signed FA shortstop Francisco Martinez. Having traded my AAA shortstop and emergency fill-in guy in the Ayala trade, I replaced him with Fernando. At age 37, I choose to think of him more as a player-coach in AAA, and if I have to call him up for a short time to fill in, it might not be an unmitigated disaster.

4. Traded 3B Jonathan Burns to Calgary for a couple of prospects. With Ober locked in at 1B for the long term, I was trying to make Jon into a third baseman, but I wasn't sure how that would work out. I'm tired of having a marginal defense. So you can plan on Burns hitting about 50 homers per year with Calgary, while the prospects I got in return sink without a trace.

That's about it for now, but the churn will probably continue; I'll keep you all posted, dear readers.

[trmmilwwi]

Can't wait to see where this 1% plan is on August 9th, 2057. This team will be unstoppable!