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.......... Not Many Changes From 98 Win Club! .....
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THE INFIELD
You won't see a lot of turnover in the hitters as the team returns most of it's players from the 98 win team of last year. 27 year old Lineu Aldo and his 6.0 WAR returns for his second full year as a first baseman. In 2046 he earned his fifth All-Star nod while collecting his first Zimmer Award. He could move back to second base if circumstances warrant but the team would like to keep the pending free agent at first. Coy Skinner and Tomas Borges will platoon at second base. Skinner missed time with an injury but hit a respectable .286 with a .376 OBP. His biggest challenge will be staying on the field. Borges came over in a late season trade and he should provide some power against lefties. Shortstop will be another platoon situation, at least until Orlando Lopez can do enough to prove he should be the full time guy. Lopez played stellar defense last season and hit enough against righties to put up a 3.6 WAR. Hedde Aalbers is back to play against lefties and push Lopez for playing time. Third base is locked down by veteran Eduardo Gonzalez but even he needs to improve. His hot and cold streaks over the last three seasons have kept the club from winning as many games as they should. He needs to build off a good post season and play more consistent for the full season.
THE OUTFIELD
Manoell Whanon has improved in each season since coming to Montreal from Vegas before the 2044 season and the team is counting on that trend continuing as they awarded him a six year contract extension that begins with the 2047 season. Keith Schulte returns as a full time player but he will have to do better than his .247 batting average from a year ago to keep his spot. Gilberto Villanueva and free agent signee Gipper Kengos will platoon the final outfield spot.
Catcher
In 2046 the Blazers finally got the Joe Bradshaw they thought they were trading for three years ago. Like Whanon, Bradshaw had improved each season in Montreal and had earned himself a contract extension. He posted a 4.4 WAR in just 128 games and the team expects more of the same going forward.
Designated Hitter
Cesar Feliciana caught fire late last season and ended up leading the team with 32 homers in 119 games. He is an accomplished first baseman and could easily slide into that slot if needed by poor performance or injury. Feliciana is a free agent at the end of 2047 with little hope of getting an extension from Montreal. The team hopes his impending free agency will motivate Feliciana to have his best year to date. Rule five pickup Pablo Martinez cannot field but he could be a long term replacement for Feliciana at DH if he makes it through the season.
The Bench
Catcher Ramiro Cheron struggled last season and Bradshaw's extension made it pretty clear that the team saw him as nothing but a back up. With four years of team control left Cheron can only hope for a trade if he wants to be a starter soon. Pedro Moran and Theodosio Narcisio were out of minor league options couldn't be sent down without exposing them to waivers. Narcisco is well respected in the clubhouse so if a spot on the roster is needed it would most likely be Moran who was let go.