Sim's Done -- Welcome to 2030!

Game Date: January 7, 2030

Signings/Transactions:

• Norfolk claimed SP Kevin Gordon off waivers from Antelope Valley
• No Major League contract signings in the sim.
• Quite a few players retired, with the end of the year, headlined by future Hall of Fame inductee John Grondin. Others who retired are:
• SP Brad Buckley
• SP Adam Hone
• SS Fred Jefferson
• LF Adrián Cisneros
• SP Emílio Fernández
• 2B Rick Bryant
• SP Steve Fraser
• SP Will Ingram
• RF Juan Carrillo
• 1B Andy Robertson
• SP Joseph Curry
• C Clarence Spearman
• 2B Jorge Tapia
• RF Rubén Rodríguez
• RF Jorge Garza
• SP Bill Taylor
• CF Clint Attwood
• RF Mike Brown
• 1B Eduardo Rodríguez
• SS Jim Rodríguez
• SP Dermott Hewitt
• C Conner Kelly
• CF Harry Okel
• C Emílio Villalobos

Next Sim: Monday night. This, for real, is your last chance to vote for the Hall of Fame. You'll have to wait a few seasons to vote for John Grondin, however.

Sim's Done

Game Date: December 31, 2029 -- The 2030s are almost here!

Signings:

• Antelope Valley signed SP Jack Kaiser (Mepkin Abbey) - 2 years / $7,760,000
• Maui signed 3B Antonio Venet to a 1 year extension / $4,620,000

League News: 

• We're still looking for two new owners for the Norfolk and Atlanta franchises. 
• If and when we find new owners for those teams, should we bring back the Frank Nunn Escape Clause (original post), and make it a permanent feature for new owners?
• I'd like to get some more feedback on re-alignment, or to vote on it, so we can implement it when the preseason begins.
• This sim is your last chance to vote for the Hall of Fame class of 2030.

Next Sim: Saturday night

Sim's Done

Game Date: December 24, 2029

Signings:

• Maui signed CL Patrick Beene (Houston) - 4 years / $35,160,000
• Houston re-signed C Manny Murillo - 2 years / $1,020,000

League news: Jeremy has unfortunately had to stop playing the game due to a lack of time to commit to his team, so the Atlanta team has been placed under computer control. We now have two openings in the league (the Atlanta and Norfolk franchises). If you know of anyone who would like to take over one of the teams, please let Zev and me know.

Next sim: Thursday night. We will cross over into the 2030s, our fourth decade in the game.

Don't forget to submit your ballot for the Hall of Fame. 

Saturday Night's All Right for Simming

Game Date: December 17, 2029

Signings:

• Highland signed RF John Hicks (Houston) - 2 years / $4,700,000
• Antelope Valley signed CF Julio Rivera (Brick) - 1 year / $550,000
• Highland signed RF Juan Alvarez (Maui) - 2 years / $1,870,000
• Highland signed RP Colt Allen (Seattle) - 2 years / $6,700,000

Next sim: Monday night

Minor Shackamaxon - Maui Trade

The Maui Mashers have acquired OF Jesus Barcello from the Shackamaxon Lenape in exchange for AA OF Roberto Flores.  That is all.

Sim's Done

Game Date: December 10, 2029

Signings:

• Houston signed OF Guillermo Martinez (Maui) - 2 years / $6,640,000
• Houston signed RP Folkert Parrel (Antelope Valley) - 1 year / $356,000
• Shackamaxon signed 3B Larry McCormick (Mepkin Abbey ) - 2 years / $25,500,000
• Shackamaxon signed SP Ramon Garcia (Atlanta) - 1 year / $450,000
• Houston signed CL Matt Matthews (Appalachian) - 1 year / $454,000

League Administrivia: Does anyone object to the re-alignment plan I suggested in this post? Should we put it to a formal vote?

League News: You can now submit your ballot for the Hall of Fame (inside the SDMB League menu). You have about four weeks of game time (three or four sims) to submit your votes.

Next sim: Saturday night.

Lenape/Admirals Blockbuster Trade

On the heels of the Rule 5 draft at the end of the league's Winter Meetings, the GMs of the Highland Admirals and Shackamaxon Lenape announce a blockbuster trade involving nine players and five draft picks.

The full deal:

Highland sends:

• 1B Manuel Hidalgo
• 3B Tae-sang Pak
• RP Paul Reed
• A SP Jim Atherton
• 1st round pick
• 2nd round pick

Shackamaxon sends:

• SP Kieran Jenkins
• SP Emilio Perez
• 1B Ben Turner
• OF Chris Pace
• AAA 2B Montrel Luttazi
• 1st round pick (originally Brick's, #11 overall)
• 3rd round pick
• 10th round pick

Manuel Hidalgo is the key to the trade, and will join a young and growing potent Shackamaxon lineup. Highland wanted young pitching, and the Lenape had arms to offer. Chris Pace, acquired less than 24 hours ago in the Rule 5 draft, was a late addition to the deal. 

Rule 5 Draft Done!

Game Date: Dec 3 2029

Draft Results:

Highland:  RP Harold Gregory
Brooklyn:  SS Ramon Nieto
Shackamaxon:  CF Chris Pace
Antelope Valley:  2B Jorge Hernandez
Antelope Valley:  CF Ramon Enriquez
Brick:  2B Miguel Hernandez
Seattle: SS  Jesus Souza

Signings:
Houston:  RP Nelson Feliz (re-signed), 1yr/$600k

Next sim:  To be announced.

Important note about the Rule 5 draft

The commissioners have decided that the following players from the Maui organization cannot be selected in the Rule 5 draft this offseason:

• Pukalani Paniolos (AAA): SP Shawn Henry and SP Ron Grimes
• Spreckelsville Sharks (AA): SS Lawrence Connolly, SS Jose Antonio, and 2B Pei Gui

Please do not include these players with your selection(s), as they will not be eligible to be drafted.

Sim's Done -- Rule 5 draft is here!

Game Date: December 1, 2029

Signings:

• Antelope Valley signed RP Alfredo Hernandez (Houston) - 2 years / $1,880,000
• Houston signed RP Brian Harrington (Shackamaxon) - 1 year / $356,000
• Highland signed RP Kwang-sub Kim (Seattle) - 2 years / $4,200,000
• Mepkin Abbey signed C Ron Morgan (Shackamaxon) - minor league contract, $270,000 bonus
• Highland signed RP Steve Harris (Antelope Valley) - 1 year / $1,000,000
• Houston re-signed RP Nelson Feliz - 1 year / $600,000

The Rule 5 draft is here. Please make your selections in the game menu (SDMB Menu > Rule 5 > Draft Pool > Draft List). Remember that you must have an open 40-man roster spot in order to make a selection.

Next sim: Thursday night. The Rule 5 draft will be held on that night.

Shackamaxon acquires a fireman

The Shackamaxon Lenape and Brick Barracudas have a trade to announce:

Heading to Shackamaxon are relief pitcher Pino Pontoni and infield prospects Millard Peterson and Mario Zuziela in exchange for infield prospect Darryl Fuller and starting pitching prospect John Knight.

Pontoni is expected to help lock down the back of the Lenape games with Anthony White and Joe Younger, as well as provide some veteran experience for the young up-and-coming Lenape franchise.

Brick envisions Fuller as their 3B of the future, a role that was already fulfilled, so to speak, in Shackamaxon. "With Gene Reynolds set to hit free agency after this season," Brick GM Fred Goldfarb explained. "We needed a young 3B ready to step in."

"We see Peterson forming a strong double-play tandem with Jesus Mejia in Arizona Bay," Shackamaxon GM Michael Weintraub stated. "Pino will be expected to tutor our young relief studs this year."

Sim's Done

Game Date: 11/26/2029

Signings:

• Brooklyn signed CF Edgardo Collazo - 6 years / $74 million (Mepkin Abbey)
• Shackamaxon signed RP Jim Knowles - 1 year / $590,000 (Antelope Valley)
• Houston signed SP Dylan Robison - 1 year / $464,000 (Shackamaxon)
• Houston signed SP Alonso Chula - 1 year / $434,000 (Mepkin Abbey)

Next sim: Monday night. Make sure your 40-man roster is ready for the Rule 5 draft!

Sim's Done

Game Date: November 19, 2029

Signings:

• Shackamaxon signed RF George Candler to a 2-year contract worth $7 million (Houston)
• Shackamaxon signed 3B Cristo Bustamente to a minor-league contract (Houston)

Important note: The Rule 5 draft is coming up in a few sims. Be sure to protect eligible prospects by placing them on your 40-man roster. Also, if you wish to make a selection in that draft, you must have an opening on your 40-man roster for that player.

Next sim: Saturday night

Free Agency has begun (I guess)

Game Date: November 12, 2029

League News: Thomas has had to bow out of the league (hopefully temporarily), and I have placed the Norfolk franchise under computer control.

Signings:

• Norfolk signed RF Jorge Benavides to a minor-league contract (no prior team)
• Shackamaxon signed 2B Zane Krieger to a minor-league contract (Houston)

Reminder: Please read (and comment) on my post about re-alignment.

Next sim: Thursday (4/13) night.

Attention K-Mart Shoppers! Free Agents Available in Aisle 3!

Game Date:  Nov 5 2029

Free Agents have hit the market!

Also, please check out Michael's post on potential divisional re-alignment.

Next sim:  Wednesday night

Re-Alignment discussion

(Continuing the discussion from this post two months ago.)

I've done more thinking about this since then, and after referring with Zev, here's my suggestion:

Every ten seasons, starting with this offseason, we:

1. Tally up the number of wins each team has over the previous ten seasons.
2. Rank each team 1-12 based on the average number of wins in that time (SEA, BRI, MAU, SHK, BRK, ANT, APP, MEP, NOR, ATL, HOU, HIG for 2020-2029).
3. Put teams ranked 1, 6, 7, and 12 in division A, teams ranked 2, 5, 8, and 11 in division B, and teams ranked 3, 4, 9, and 10 in division C.
4. Use history/sentimentality to determine how to name the three new divisions after Adams, Signorino, and Zotti.
5. The three division winners, plus the next one (or two)* teams who win the most games each year, would make the playoffs.

* We're not going to discuss the expansion of the playoffs in this post, but you can use your opinions on if we should do that or not in forming your thoughts on the current discussion.

Following my idea, using the past ten years worth of data, these would be our new divisions:

Division A (average number of wins in 2020-2029: 85.4)

• Seattle (115.7 wins)

• Antelope Valley (79.8 wins)

• Appalachian (78.2 wins)

• Highland (63 wins)

Division B (79.2 wins average)

• Brick (91.5 wins)

• Brooklyn (80.5 wins)

• Mepkin Abbey (75.7 wins)

• Houston (69 wins)

Division C (78.5 wins average)

• Maui (88.8 wins)

• Shackamaxon (81.2 wins)

• Norfolk  (74.3 wins)

• Atlanta (69.5 wins)

Of course, Division A's average number of wins is skewed heavily by Seattle. Even assuming the top team will average 100 wins in a season, not 115.7, the average number of wins in that division drops to a more even 81.5. That's pretty well balanced with divisions B and C. We would repeat this process after the 2039 season, and see how things lay there.

How does this sound?

Sim's Done. Last Chance To Re-sign Impending Free Agents

Game Date:  Oct 31 2029

I purposely cut this sim short to give everyone one last chance to try to sign players who are going to be free agents.

Next sim:  Saturday night.

Sim's Done

Game Date:  Oct 29 2029

Next sim:  Thursday night.

Trade - Maui/Brick

The Maui Mashers and the Brick Barracudas agreed to the following trade today:

• Brick sends 2B Carlos Madrigal to Maui

• Maui sends AAA SP Roberto Norales and $6 million cash to Brick

The GMs of both teams expressed optimism for the deal.  Norales is expected to be a solid addition to Brick's already formidable starting rotation, and Madrigal should provide some needed consistency to the Maui lineup.

Sim's (Finally) Done!

Sim's done, but I don't have time right now to write it up.  I'll do so in the next day or so.

In the meantime, next sim will be Tuesday night.