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jamus23 · 11-26-2007, 05:41 PM

Lockridge Hits The Jackpot; Three Longtime Broncos May Be Saying Goodbye

November 4th, 2082
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

Denver General Manager John Mounts has long held a policy of refusing to negotiate with players regarding contract extensions until the completion of the season. He has said that he doesn't want to be swayed by a hot or cold streak, and that waiting until the end of the season allows each player to present him with a full body of work.

Well apparently, Ray Lockridge's full body of work was extremely impressive to Mounts. Lockridge and the Broncos came to terms on a deal that will make Lockridge the highest paid player on Denver, and the second highest paid pitcher in all of baseball. The deal will pay Lockridge an average of $12 million per year over the next five years. Ellis Bolling at $10.5 million per year was Denver's former highest paid player. Meanwhile, Rochester's Segundo Narbaiza, at $15.08 million per year, is the only pitcher in baseball who will be making more money than Lockridge. Mounts said that Lockridge was "a very important part of the rotation we[Denver] are trying to build" and that he was prepared to "do whatever it took to keep him[Lockridge] in Denver." For his part, Lockridge said "I wanted to be on a winning team, but I also wanted a fair deal. Denver offers me both of those."

Lockridge wasn't the only member of the rotation to have been in the position to eye free agency. Both Kenny Pillsbury and George Buentello had that option, but both have agreed to terms with Denver. Pillsbury inked terms to a deal that will pay him $7 million per year for the next four seasons, while Buentello signed a 3 year deal that will pay him $585,000 per year. Pillsbury was excited that he, Lockridge, and Buentello would all be returning. "With the three of us, plus Robert [McNett] and Christopher [Kirk], we've got a really great rotation. It's the kind of rotation that can get us to the World Series. We were so close this year; it would have been a shame to have it broken up."

The rotation wasn't the only part of the pitching staff that received attention from John Mounts' wallet. James Virgen, who has emerged as manager John Wilkerson's most trusted reliever, received an extension worth $2.19 million per year over the next three years. As well, occasional swingman Larry Waltz was given a two year extension worth $684,000 per year. Although Waltz saw little action this year, after seemingly breaking out in 2081, there is some expectation of bullpen spots opening up for him next season.

Two key starting position players have also been retained. Left-fielder Alexis Vazquez, coming off of a stunning season in which he won the Silver Slugger Award, signed a deal that seems somewhat low given his recent accomplishments. Vazquez's deal is only for two seasons, and is worth just $4 million per year. But Vazquez dismissed claims of getting underpaid. "I feel like I've had a pretty good career, and sure, this past season was my best ever. But I'm also 34 years old. Guys my age can fall apart in an instant. At this point, I'm not looking for a ton of money. I want a championship. And I know everybody in Denver wants one, too. I've spent my entire career here in Denver. They drafted me, and helped me grow as a player, and gave me an opportunity to start. They've been loyal to me over the years, and I want to show my loyalty to them. For me, this is a fair deal. I get to stay where I've always been for a couple more years, and hopefully, win a championship. And the team gets stability at a cost that they are comfortable with. And if I'm still going strong two years from now, I'm sure that they will still be interested in me."

Shortstop Booker Romero also elected to return to the Broncos, signing a three year deal worth $2 million per year. Mounts had this to say about Romero: "Obviously, Booker is not a guy who's going to hit for a great average, or hit a bunch of homeruns. But it's hard to find good fielding shortstops in this league. Booker provides us with an excellent glove in the middle of the infield, and he offers enough offensive contributions to make this deal a good one for us."

Of the Broncos' remaining potential free agents, only reserve outfielder Armando Navarro was given an extension. Navarro signed a 2 year deal worth $900,000 per year.

Despite all of these players that Broncos will be keeping, it is somewhat bittersweet, as Denver appears to be saying goodbye to three players who were significant contributers to the revival of the franchise under Mounts. Designated-hitter Mark Bakke, second-baseman Tomas Sato, and third-baseman Joseph Swayze have not come to terms and are preparing to enter the free agent market. Bakke was acquired in 2070 and emerged as a major star, hitting 40+ homeruns three times from '72 to '76, and was named to five All-Star teams. He was also a dangerous base-stealing threat, pilfering 40 or more every year from '76 to '80. Sato broke into the big leagues in 2074, and quickly established himself as an excellent hitter for average. He's hit .329 or better in every season since 2077. He was an All-Star in 2079. Swayze has made a name for himself as being a very streaky, but dangerous power hitter. He's hit 30 or more homeruns in each of the last four seasons, and he belted 43 in 2081.

Mounts did not rule out the possibility of trying to bring back one or more of these three, but admitted that from a financial perspective, the Broncos needed to make some sacrifices. "We certainly don't want to gut this team, which has been so close to a championship for a number of years now, but at the same time, we need to be smarter and more responsible with the decisions that we make. I would love for John [Wilkerson] to be able to pencil in guys like Tomas and Joseph into the lineup every day, and if I feel that we can bring them back, I will make every effort to do so. But, I think it's also fair to allow them to test the market. Quite likely, they will be able to find a team who will be willing to pay them more than what I can."

Bakke said that he was saddened that his time with the Broncos was coming to an end, and that he may decide to retire instead of signing somewhere else. Both Swayze and Sato said that they would have preferred to stay in Denver, but Sato added that he also wanted "the fairest deal he could get, which probably wouldn't be with Denver."

Bakke's career stats:

Code:

Year     G   AB    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI    R  BB   K  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2068     2    0    0   0  0   0    0    1   0   0   0   0 .000 .000 .000  .000 POR 
2070    25   66   13   3  0   0    1    8   2  20   1   0 .197 .221 .242  .463 POR DEN 
2071   145  515  138  24  5  12   73   70  67 157  31   6 .268 .352 .404  .756 DEN 
2072   151  547  162  24  1  42  107  110  64 106  17   5 .296 .370 .574  .944 DEN 
2073   148  572  193  24  5  43  131  129  58  70  23   8 .337 .398 .622 1.021 DEN,AL 
2074   147  583  176  27  5  19   89  107  49  36  27   9 .302 .356 .463  .819 DEN,AL 
2075   147  545  156  23  2  32   87  115  55  38  38  13 .286 .352 .512  .864 DEN 
2076   144  565  190  27  7  42  127  142  65  34  42   8 .336 .405 .632 1.037 DEN,AL 
2077   147  594  199  35  0  23   86  135  60  29  47  13 .335 .396 .510  .906 DEN,AL 
2078   148  615  205  37  4  28   90  131  52  31  54  14 .333 .385 .543  .928 DEN,AL 
2079   151  656  192  31  4  25   94  104  46  36  46  10 .293 .339 .466  .805 DEN 
2080   152  642  192  50  2  15   78  114  59  57  46  12 .299 .358 .453  .811 DEN 
2081   138  517  176  25  2  29  108   97  33  32  19   5 .340 .380 .565  .945 DEN 
2082   117  457  139  20  3  10   77   64  27  46  19   5 .304 .343 .427  .770 DEN 
Total 1762 6874 2131 350 40 320 1148 1327 637 692 410 108 .310 .369 .512  .881

Sato's career stats:

Code:

Year     G   AB    H  2B 3B HR RBI   R  BB   K  SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS Teams 
2074    61  178   59   9  1  3  29  30  20  26  13  4 .331 .399 .444 .843 DEN 
2075   101  263   80  15  1  4  41  42  24  38  22 15 .304 .362 .414 .777 DEN 
2076   133  441  129  20  4  9  46  85  34  35  40 20 .293 .343 .417 .760 DEN 
2077   129  378  127  15  6  6  66  63  36  22   8 10 .336 .394 .455 .849 DEN 
2078   133  403  138  21  3  5  85  75  41  28   9  6 .342 .403 .447 .850 DEN 
2079   146  478  161  23  3 11  66  79  55  26  15  6 .337 .405 .467 .872 DEN,AL 
2080   137  433  150  15  6  8  65  72  42  16   6  6 .346 .404 .464 .868 DEN 
2081   147  565  190  28  9 14 108  94  42  28   1  5 .336 .382 .492 .874 DEN 
2082   133  504  166  17  3  7  82  90  33  34   9  2 .329 .380 .417 .797 DEN 
Total 1120 3643 1200 163 36 67 588 630 327 253 123 74 .329 .385 .449 .834

Swayze's career stats:

Code:

Year    G   AB   H  2B 3B  HR RBI   R  BB   K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS Teams 
2074   32   86  23   1  0   3  14  12   3  20  0  0 .267 .292 .384 .676 DEN 
2075   29   94  26   5  1   3  15  13   4   9  0  1 .277 .306 .447 .753 DEN 
2076  106  307  83  13  1  21  72  43  14  48  0  1 .270 .302 .524 .827 DEN 
2077  117  364 103  14  0  22  81  61  16  67  0  1 .283 .313 .503 .816 DEN 
2078  123  376  98  18  1  26  74  61   8  68  0  1 .261 .276 .521 .797 DEN 
2079  144  520 136  22  2  35 109  85  31 106  1  4 .262 .303 .513 .817 DEN 
2080  147  505 130  31  2  31 117  80  28  75  2  2 .257 .296 .511 .807 DEN 
2081  146  580 177  29  2  43 133 106  22  81  2  0 .305 .331 .584 .915 DEN 
2082  142  531 142  26  0  37 101  90  29  84  2  0 .267 .307 .525 .832 DEN 
Total 986 3363 918 159  9 221 716 551 155 558  7 10 .273 .305 .523 .828

A number of other players will find themselves as ex-Broncos as the free agency period begins: Bobby Villanueva, Michael Stennis, Michael Grace, Patrick Chason, George Treadway, Maurice Lalli, Steven Andrade, and Derek Moos. Mounts also announced that Gary Kibby, Efrain Ashlock, and Jorge Gonzalez had been released.

11-26-2007, 05:41 PM	#235 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 572	Lockridge Hits The Jackpot; Three Longtime Broncos May Be Saying Goodbye November 4th, 2082 Al Vincent Staff Writer Denver General Manager John Mounts has long held a policy of refusing to negotiate with players regarding contract extensions until the completion of the season. He has said that he doesn't want to be swayed by a hot or cold streak, and that waiting until the end of the season allows each player to present him with a full body of work. Well apparently, Ray Lockridge's full body of work was extremely impressive to Mounts. Lockridge and the Broncos came to terms on a deal that will make Lockridge the highest paid player on Denver, and the second highest paid pitcher in all of baseball. The deal will pay Lockridge an average of $12 million per year over the next five years. Ellis Bolling at $10.5 million per year was Denver's former highest paid player. Meanwhile, Rochester's Segundo Narbaiza, at $15.08 million per year, is the only pitcher in baseball who will be making more money than Lockridge. Mounts said that Lockridge was "a very important part of the rotation we[Denver] are trying to build" and that he was prepared to "do whatever it took to keep him[Lockridge] in Denver." For his part, Lockridge said "I wanted to be on a winning team, but I also wanted a fair deal. Denver offers me both of those." Lockridge wasn't the only member of the rotation to have been in the position to eye free agency. Both Kenny Pillsbury and George Buentello had that option, but both have agreed to terms with Denver. Pillsbury inked terms to a deal that will pay him $7 million per year for the next four seasons, while Buentello signed a 3 year deal that will pay him $585,000 per year. Pillsbury was excited that he, Lockridge, and Buentello would all be returning. "With the three of us, plus Robert [McNett] and Christopher [Kirk], we've got a really great rotation. It's the kind of rotation that can get us to the World Series. We were so close this year; it would have been a shame to have it broken up." The rotation wasn't the only part of the pitching staff that received attention from John Mounts' wallet. James Virgen, who has emerged as manager John Wilkerson's most trusted reliever, received an extension worth $2.19 million per year over the next three years. As well, occasional swingman Larry Waltz was given a two year extension worth $684,000 per year. Although Waltz saw little action this year, after seemingly breaking out in 2081, there is some expectation of bullpen spots opening up for him next season. Two key starting position players have also been retained. Left-fielder Alexis Vazquez, coming off of a stunning season in which he won the Silver Slugger Award, signed a deal that seems somewhat low given his recent accomplishments. Vazquez's deal is only for two seasons, and is worth just $4 million per year. But Vazquez dismissed claims of getting underpaid. "I feel like I've had a pretty good career, and sure, this past season was my best ever. But I'm also 34 years old. Guys my age can fall apart in an instant. At this point, I'm not looking for a ton of money. I want a championship. And I know everybody in Denver wants one, too. I've spent my entire career here in Denver. They drafted me, and helped me grow as a player, and gave me an opportunity to start. They've been loyal to me over the years, and I want to show my loyalty to them. For me, this is a fair deal. I get to stay where I've always been for a couple more years, and hopefully, win a championship. And the team gets stability at a cost that they are comfortable with. And if I'm still going strong two years from now, I'm sure that they will still be interested in me." Shortstop Booker Romero also elected to return to the Broncos, signing a three year deal worth $2 million per year. Mounts had this to say about Romero: "Obviously, Booker is not a guy who's going to hit for a great average, or hit a bunch of homeruns. But it's hard to find good fielding shortstops in this league. Booker provides us with an excellent glove in the middle of the infield, and he offers enough offensive contributions to make this deal a good one for us." Of the Broncos' remaining potential free agents, only reserve outfielder Armando Navarro was given an extension. Navarro signed a 2 year deal worth $900,000 per year. Despite all of these players that Broncos will be keeping, it is somewhat bittersweet, as Denver appears to be saying goodbye to three players who were significant contributers to the revival of the franchise under Mounts. Designated-hitter Mark Bakke, second-baseman Tomas Sato, and third-baseman Joseph Swayze have not come to terms and are preparing to enter the free agent market. Bakke was acquired in 2070 and emerged as a major star, hitting 40+ homeruns three times from '72 to '76, and was named to five All-Star teams. He was also a dangerous base-stealing threat, pilfering 40 or more every year from '76 to '80. Sato broke into the big leagues in 2074, and quickly established himself as an excellent hitter for average. He's hit .329 or better in every season since 2077. He was an All-Star in 2079. Swayze has made a name for himself as being a very streaky, but dangerous power hitter. He's hit 30 or more homeruns in each of the last four seasons, and he belted 43 in 2081. Mounts did not rule out the possibility of trying to bring back one or more of these three, but admitted that from a financial perspective, the Broncos needed to make some sacrifices. "We certainly don't want to gut this team, which has been so close to a championship for a number of years now, but at the same time, we need to be smarter and more responsible with the decisions that we make. I would love for John [Wilkerson] to be able to pencil in guys like Tomas and Joseph into the lineup every day, and if I feel that we can bring them back, I will make every effort to do so. But, I think it's also fair to allow them to test the market. Quite likely, they will be able to find a team who will be willing to pay them more than what I can." Bakke said that he was saddened that his time with the Broncos was coming to an end, and that he may decide to retire instead of signing somewhere else. Both Swayze and Sato said that they would have preferred to stay in Denver, but Sato added that he also wanted "the fairest deal he could get, which probably wouldn't be with Denver." Bakke's career stats: Code: Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2068 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 POR 2070 25 66 13 3 0 0 1 8 2 20 1 0 .197 .221 .242 .463 POR DEN 2071 145 515 138 24 5 12 73 70 67 157 31 6 .268 .352 .404 .756 DEN 2072 151 547 162 24 1 42 107 110 64 106 17 5 .296 .370 .574 .944 DEN 2073 148 572 193 24 5 43 131 129 58 70 23 8 .337 .398 .622 1.021 DEN,AL 2074 147 583 176 27 5 19 89 107 49 36 27 9 .302 .356 .463 .819 DEN,AL 2075 147 545 156 23 2 32 87 115 55 38 38 13 .286 .352 .512 .864 DEN 2076 144 565 190 27 7 42 127 142 65 34 42 8 .336 .405 .632 1.037 DEN,AL 2077 147 594 199 35 0 23 86 135 60 29 47 13 .335 .396 .510 .906 DEN,AL 2078 148 615 205 37 4 28 90 131 52 31 54 14 .333 .385 .543 .928 DEN,AL 2079 151 656 192 31 4 25 94 104 46 36 46 10 .293 .339 .466 .805 DEN 2080 152 642 192 50 2 15 78 114 59 57 46 12 .299 .358 .453 .811 DEN 2081 138 517 176 25 2 29 108 97 33 32 19 5 .340 .380 .565 .945 DEN 2082 117 457 139 20 3 10 77 64 27 46 19 5 .304 .343 .427 .770 DEN Total 1762 6874 2131 350 40 320 1148 1327 637 692 410 108 .310 .369 .512 .881 Sato's career stats: Code: Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2074 61 178 59 9 1 3 29 30 20 26 13 4 .331 .399 .444 .843 DEN 2075 101 263 80 15 1 4 41 42 24 38 22 15 .304 .362 .414 .777 DEN 2076 133 441 129 20 4 9 46 85 34 35 40 20 .293 .343 .417 .760 DEN 2077 129 378 127 15 6 6 66 63 36 22 8 10 .336 .394 .455 .849 DEN 2078 133 403 138 21 3 5 85 75 41 28 9 6 .342 .403 .447 .850 DEN 2079 146 478 161 23 3 11 66 79 55 26 15 6 .337 .405 .467 .872 DEN,AL 2080 137 433 150 15 6 8 65 72 42 16 6 6 .346 .404 .464 .868 DEN 2081 147 565 190 28 9 14 108 94 42 28 1 5 .336 .382 .492 .874 DEN 2082 133 504 166 17 3 7 82 90 33 34 9 2 .329 .380 .417 .797 DEN Total 1120 3643 1200 163 36 67 588 630 327 253 123 74 .329 .385 .449 .834 Swayze's career stats: Code: Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2074 32 86 23 1 0 3 14 12 3 20 0 0 .267 .292 .384 .676 DEN 2075 29 94 26 5 1 3 15 13 4 9 0 1 .277 .306 .447 .753 DEN 2076 106 307 83 13 1 21 72 43 14 48 0 1 .270 .302 .524 .827 DEN 2077 117 364 103 14 0 22 81 61 16 67 0 1 .283 .313 .503 .816 DEN 2078 123 376 98 18 1 26 74 61 8 68 0 1 .261 .276 .521 .797 DEN 2079 144 520 136 22 2 35 109 85 31 106 1 4 .262 .303 .513 .817 DEN 2080 147 505 130 31 2 31 117 80 28 75 2 2 .257 .296 .511 .807 DEN 2081 146 580 177 29 2 43 133 106 22 81 2 0 .305 .331 .584 .915 DEN 2082 142 531 142 26 0 37 101 90 29 84 2 0 .267 .307 .525 .832 DEN Total 986 3363 918 159 9 221 716 551 155 558 7 10 .273 .305 .523 .828 A number of other players will find themselves as ex-Broncos as the free agency period begins: Bobby Villanueva, Michael Stennis, Michael Grace, Patrick Chason, George Treadway, Maurice Lalli, Steven Andrade, and Derek Moos. Mounts also announced that Gary Kibby, Efrain Ashlock, and Jorge Gonzalez had been released. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver