"Closing Time" for Canales as Omaha declines option on club's saves record holder.(42.01)

[niles08]

The Omaha Hawk organization has relied on one closer the entire time they have been located in the city of Omaha. They have relied on one closer for all but one season of GM Justin Niles’s now 11-year career with the organization.

Now, they enter unchartered territory.

The team announced today they will decline the $7,500,000 option on closer Jose Canales. Canales, who owns 5 of the clubs top 10 records for saves in a single season, will become a free agent for the first time in his career at the age of 30. The club will instead pay Canales his $1,500,000 buyout to play elsewhere.

He burst onto the scene in 2033, closing out 48 wins for the club, which is the most in a single season in club history. He followed that up with consistency, closing between 33-46 games every season until 2041 where he finished with just 28 saves in 51 appearances.

Canales leaves Omaha with a career 68-70 record, a 3.62 ERA over 661 innings pitched. He had 358 saves, placing him above the previous saves leader in Omaha by 118 saves. His 358 saves total also places him 30th all-time in the BBA. It now becomes unlikely that Canales will reach 400, which would have put him inside the top 20, unless of course, another team is willing to let Canales run out there in the ninth and attempt to close out the game.

Regardless “Smokey” gave the fans plenty to cheer about over the past decade, and fans will surely miss him in 2042 the first time the closer takes the mound.

[recte44]

Only 30 and his time seems over. Maybe a future UMEBA star?

[Fat Nige]

If the money was right no doubt the UMEBA would snap him up like a shot, but probably at this moment his demands would be too much even if he did (unlikely) fancy a season or two in the sun.

One to stick in the notebook and look up in a year or two

[HoosierVic]

Amazing how soon some of these guys seem over the hill, isn't it?