Charm City 2057.1 - Retool and Restock

[DaveB]

Well Jimmie fans the 2057 season is upon us. You might have noticed some of my moves during the off season and wondered "What the heck is this guy doing?" The answer to that question is that I decided to retool the bullpen a little bit and also replenished the farm system some as well. I'm going to review the trades that were made.
Trade 1:

Charm City Acquires Felix Nodor Bikini Acquire RP Norberto Garcia.

Let me start this by saying this. I don't like having LOOGY's on the roster. I've never understood the thought of using one of your roster spots for a guy to possibly get another player out. I prefer LHP that can get players from each side of the plate out when they are coming in from the bullpen. That was the reasoning behind this trade for me. Garcia is a player who I felt more profiles as a LOOGY. There's nothing wrong with Garcia, but our bullpen has it's complementary southpaw in John Dawson. In return we received Nodor who is a bit of project. The 19 year old starting pitching prospect will need some work to get to the majors. Our scouting team liked the progression he's made since being signed in 2054.

Trade 2:

Yellow Springs Acquire SS: Tristan Colenutt Charm City Gets P Rafael Álvarez

This trade was made because I looked at the players our team was going to be inviting to spring training and honestly I didn't see the space for Colenutt who became one of my favorite players last season. Instead of taking the risk of losing him on waivers I put him on the trade block and had two hits. I took the trade offer who I liked more. This netted us Alvarez who again is going to need some seasoning, but our scouts liked the projections he's made since being signed in 2054.

Trade 3:

Rocky Mountain Acquires: Norm 'Squirt' Collyer
Charm City Acquires Tzu-hsia Hong

Norm Collyer is a player who I feel like has been apart of my entire BBA career all the way back to UMEBA. We had a bit of a numbers crunch when it became time to protect guys for the Rule V Draft and that left Collyer needing to be removed from the 40 man roster. I thought he would be claimed off waivers or selected in the draft so thankfully we were able to get a return for him from Rocky Mountain. Hong is a hard throwing left handed pitcher who has to develop to possibly see the show in the few years.

Trade 4:

Montreal Acquired You-de Szema, Charm City receives Yen-ti Yi and Mike Johnson

Let me first say this. I absolutely love You-de Szema. This trade actually kind of had it's origins last season when Montreal asked about his availability. Szema was in the middle of his best season and I didn't want to risk hurting the bullpen mid season. Fast forward to the winter meetings and Szema is a free agent after 2057. Our team is in a bit of a cap crunch as well as a roster crunch in the upper levels so I decided to ask Montreal if he was still interested, and we went from there. Our pen is going to severely miss the innings Szema eats as well as his effectiveness, but I like the return. With Yi we get a guy who has an easy last name to spell for team news. Our scouts think his potential is pointing up and I think he could be a decent rotation option in a few seasons if he continues his progress. Mike Johnson is more of a lottery ticket. I think he'll profile more as a potential bullpen option, but we're going to try to use him as a starting pitcher until he proves he can't handle it. I'm cautiously optomistic that Juan Santana will be able to cover a good portion of the innings that we lost from dealing Szema.

Trade 5:

Vancouver receives:Bill O'Conner (Charm City retains 50%)
and Marcos Córdova

Charm City receives:
Kevin Maze (AA)
Jerome Scovell (AA)
Tony Soto (R)
Gene Rose (INT)

With this trade I really like the return. O'Connor was our setup man, but like Szema he's on an expiring contract after the 2057 season and I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to afford him and I like our depth to be able to take his spot in the late innings with Dawson as well as Siua Hooheno. Cordova was buried a bit in my own personal depth chart for catchers on the farm. He could possibly make the show as a backup in a few seasons for Vancouver. In return I'm really excited about Maze. I feel that after he clears up his defense he could possibly be our starting third baseman as soon as next season. Scovell adds a potential pen arm who projects as LOOGY, but I'm hopeful we can clear that up. Soto was more a lottery ticket to cover 50% of O'Connor's salary. Rose is a player who has a lot of potential, but is also a ways away.

Outlook:

I'm cautiously optimistic about this season. We lost some great players this off season, but we added some quality players and I feel this year will be fun to see how it unfolds. I'm hopeful we can repeat as the division winner as well as make another run in the playoffs.

[GoldenOne]

Collyer is a prime candidate for a RP Conversion.

[DaveB]

Collyer is a prime candidate for a RP Conversion.

I never gave him a chance because his control always seemed to fluctuate and when I had an opening it was down.

[GoldenOne]

Collyer is a prime candidate for a RP Conversion.

I never gave him a chance because his control always seemed to fluctuate and when I had an opening it was down.

Yeah, not good for a SP but its not as bad for a RP.

[Trebro]

Colenutt is doing exactly what I'd hoped in exchange for a prospect who might be awesome but might not. I think that trade worked well for both of us.