2058.03: The Bears Ain't Hibernating - Part 2

[BaseClogger]

1/26/2058


Now to finish my offseason roundup by covering some free agent signings, the player we drafted in the Rule 5 draft, the players lost in the Rule 5, and one major splash in International Amateur Free Agency.


LF Jeffrey Smith – 3 years/$42M
I’ll be honest, I remember seeing Smith had never been horrible in the field and thought of him as a left fielder when I offered the contract. Only the next day on discord was I made aware of the fact he hasn’t taken the field since 2052. We’ll have to see how the 38 year-old holds up playing nearly every day in the field, but there’s no denying the potential offensive production we should get out of Smith at Chico’s Bail Bonds Field. This acquisition should move Michael Schultz and his poor left field defense to first base full-time. Smith’s contract is only guaranteed for one year.

C Clinton Tyler – 4 years/$30M
Tyler’s struggled to keep his OPS over .600 recently but he still should be an upgrade both offensively and defensively from the negative WAR production the Bears received from Joe Zwicker in 2057. He’s a great pitch framer with a much stronger arm than what San Fernando has put behind the plate since I took over as GM. He’s had a couple of above-average offensive seasons before and I could see him putting it together again in our park. His contract is only guaranteed for two years.

RP You-cheng Hang – 2 years/$8.5M
I wanted to fill out my bullpen with a few more certainties and I only saw two more relievers I really liked on the free agent list at this point in the offseason. Hang’s 12-9-7 pitcher ratings are right up my alley. The now 33 year-old Hang has spent his entire career abroad so there is uncertainty around what kind of performance to expect but he was worth 1.8 WAR in 113.1 relief innings for Buenos Aires last year. The second year of the contract is a team option.

RP Rolf Reinhardt – 2 years/$9.25M
The other free agent reliever I liked, Reinhardt’s ratings only read 10-9-8 but he has another similarity with Hang—he’s never pitched in the BBA. Reinhardt’s been worth at least 1 WAR in less than 100 innings of work each of the past three seasons with Tokyo. He’s mostly worked as a reliever recently, but Reinhardt put up some decent FIPs as a starting pitcher with Athens in the early 2050s. The second year of the contract is a team option.

CF Nicolo Penni – 26th overall in R5 from CCJ
What is it I like so much about Penni? When I saw that I drafted him and opened his player page my first reaction was “this guy was good enough to be one of the ten players I put on my Rule 5 list?” But the more I analyzed his page (for a second time) the more I liked the pick. He’s a true center fielder, already excellent in the corners, and even looks serviceable at second base in a pinch. His offensive ratings look comparable to the player I lost (Mick Scott below). Sure, he doesn’t have the AAA success but he was no slouch last year in AA. Having said all of that, Penni is injury depth for spring training and more likely than not he’ll be returned to Charm City.

CF Mick Scott – 47th overall in R5 by CHA
Losing Scott is why I’m glad I ended up with Penni. Scott was a nifty minor league free agent signing—a true center fielder who at 25 years old still has room to bump—as evidenced by the fact Charlotte is talking about his role on the Opening Day roster. As good as he was in AAA last season, I’m not sure he’s going to hit much and I stand by keeping him off my 40-man roster.

C Juan Suarez – 89th overall in R5 by MEX
As I put it recently in a TN post, Suarez has been a pet prospect for me. However, from that same post we can see that I consider him my sixth best catching prospect so he’s not exactly the jewel of the San Fernando farm system. Suarez has never gotten more than 200 ABs in a professional season nor has he played above A ball. He’s perfectly fine defensively but should struggle to make contact against BBA pitching. I expect he’ll be returned by Mexico City before the season starts.

CF Liang Wan - $4.75M signing bonus
With the Bears attempting to get back to the postseason and max out the salary cap on only a $138M team budget we didn’t have a ton of money to throw around at IFAs. My strategy was to go for a middle-tier prospect with a max offer. Wan doesn’t have great offensive tools but he’s a legitimate center fielder with strong makeup.

[BaseClogger]

Small Sample Size Alert, but in 16 starts in LF Jeffrey Smith has a +1.4 ZR.

[BaseClogger]

I'm really surprised Mexico City carried Juan Suarez on the roster. Not a guy I can ever imagine protecting on the 40-man.

[Krathan]

Speaking of small sample sizes, Mick Scott is off to a great start. 6-12 with 3 walks, a triple, 2 stolen bases, and 7 runs scored appearing in 7 games.

[BaseClogger]

Speaking of small sample sizes, Mick Scott is off to a great start. 6-12 with 3 walks, a triple, 2 stolen bases, and 7 runs scored appearing in 7 games.

Boo this man