On the eve of spring training kicking off, Boise finds themselves one of the bigger "winners" of the winter. Despite only inking $72M in short-term contracts -- a philosophy General Manager Joe Lederer continues to stress since joining two seasons ago -- the Spuds added 9.4 of WAR from 2040, second to only the Des Moines Kernels (12.0).Introduced at press conference, owner Francis Nephi Grigg IV, manager Millard Davis and Lederer were flanked by the team's three biggest off-season signings: 2B Jared Gillstrom, C/DH Cisco Arreola, and RP Jesús Arce .
Gillstrom, 36, decided to join Boise to potentially finish his Hall of Fame career to provide center fielder Dennis French with much need additional offensive support. After learning of the signing, a BBA GM noted that "Arguably the two top players of their respective generations are now in the same lineup."
Arreola, also in the twilight of his career at 37 years old, has spent the majority of playing time as a starting catcher, however with Hank Brewer returning as the starting backstop, Boise will likely use the Venezuelan slugger as a DH and third emergency catcher.
Many pundits expected Boise to make a big splash in free agency, but perhaps in terms of pitching rather than improving the offense. "We had our eye on some impact arms," Lederer to Brewster Baseball Today, "but despite making aggressive offers, we were beat out so we have to pivot our plans. We are still happy with the additions to our staff and bullpen, both in terms of free agents and some of our younger players expected to contribute at some point this season."
Arce's two-year deal for $10M was the key pitching signing, with hopes that the veteran righty stabilizes a bullpen that ranked near the bottom of the Johnson League last season. Arce, a fan favorite during his career in Calgary, arrives in Boise after one season with expansion Charlotte. While Davis and pitching coach Jumah Hamid have yet to disclose how Arce will be used, it's expected he'll likely be used in a multi-inning role, which Arce will likely embrace considering his inning-bonus written into his Boise contract.
2040/2041 OFF-SEASON SUMMARY
| PLAYER | POS | CONTRACT | ROLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jared Gillstrom | 2B | 2 x $19.2M | starting 2B, top of lineup |
| Jesus Arce | RP | 2 x $10.0M | multi-inning set-up |
| Cisco Arreola | DH | 2 x $8.8M | starting DH, middle of lineup |
| Taisuke Suzuki | SP | 1 x $2.0M | back-end rotation |
| Martín Torres | RP | 1 x $1.8M | righty specialist |
| Arief Alatas | INF | 1 x $1.6M | infield defensive specialist |
| Abay Omoruyi | OF | MiL | 5th outfielder |
| Calvin Clohessy | UTL | MiL | super-sub defensive specialist |
