OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - OOTP 7 Dynasty: Cubby Blue & Wrigley Field

DawnBTVS · 03-23-2008, 11:42 AM

Currently sitting here sipping hazelnut coffee (with 5 packets of sugar... but sugar rush aside) and here are the results of the 1998 playoffs.

The Atlanta Braves defeated the 1997 World Series Champion Seattle Mariners 4-2. Hats off to the Mariners GM for making it to the World Series in back to back seasons.

Speaking of GMs... I will have a budget of $50.92 Million to spend on players this offseason.

Award Winners
AL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Long hitting .250/.329/.403 with 15 HR and 73 RBI. He did have 128 AB last year so it seems kinda cheap that he'd get to win the ROY this year.
NL Rookie of the Year: Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone hitting .292/.340/.491 with 29 HR and 118 RBI. Same case as Long as he had 114 AB last year.
AL Cy Young: Jeff Fassero going 21-6 with a 3.30 ERA for the World Series losing Seattle Mariners.
NL Cy Young: Livan Hernandez with a 19-6 record and 3.34 ERA for Florida.
AL Silver Slugger: Manny Being Manny hitting .331/.430/.625 with 45 HR, 120 RBI, and 89 BB.
NL Silver Slugger: Jeff Bagwell of the New Evil Empire hitting .318/.456/.629 with 46 HR and 166 RBI. Also had 133 BB and threw in 32 SB (86.4%).

Arbitration Hearings
MR Terry Adams: $1.88 Million. I'll take it for a guy throwing 115.2 IP and hearkening back to the relievers of yore in the 70's.
SP Miguel Batista: $261K. Disappointing season out of him (101 BB in 184 IP) but he'll be 27 and should bounce back.
MR Doug Bochtler: $284K. I'll take it although he faded back to a 5.12 ERA with a 1:1 ratio in BB to K.
2B Tony Batista: A steal at $756K. Had 23 HR and a .746 OPS.
CF Doug Glanville: $397K is a bit much for a backup outfielder but he did have a modest .698 OPS last year in 202 AB.
MR Billy Brewer: $261K. Struggled but only threw 3.2 IP. Should get more time in the bullpen this year.
SP/MR Kevin Foster: $261K. Also struggled (19 HR in 44 IP). May stay in AAA.

Free Agency
I have several immediate goals in mind and they are as follows.
1: Find a solid LF upgrade over McDonald and Jennings if possible.
2: SP depth (majors and especially minors)
3: Begin to aim for players who make good contact and walk a lot. A guy with a high walk, low strikeout ability is good too (i.e. a Dave Hansen type).

My first contract offer goes to SP Bobby Jones a 2 year deal at $1.105 Million per year. He doesn't have a high K/9 rate but has had a modest BB/9 at 4.06 and 2.99 the past 2 seasons and he's only 28.

I also made an offer to SP Darren Oliver at 2 years for $965K per year. He had 26 HRA in 187.2 IP with 97 K vs. 76 BB between Texas and Florida last season. He too is only 28.

I offer SP Mike Hampton a 2 year deal at $410K per year. He's only 26 but was converted to MR by the New Evil Empire after a 1997 where he went 12-3 with a 3.03 ERA.

I make a deal to CF Rich Becker with plans to convert him to LF. The offer is a 3 year deal at $1.95 Million per season. He had a .743 OPS last year but more importantly he had 74 BB vs. 101 K in 453 AB.

On 12/1 we sign SP Mike Hampton, IMO a major coupe signing.

On 12/7 we also sign SP Bobby Jones and get compensation for Kevin Tapani which is a 2nd round pick from the New York Mets. He signed a 3 year deal at $4.05 Million per year with a team option for 2001.

On 12/8 SP Darren Oliver signs while Rich Becker continues to be dissatisfied with my offers. I decide to make a 1 year deal at $660K for 39 year old Rickey Henderson. Last season he still had 94 BB vs. 70 K and had an OPS of .832 so it's worth a shot.

Rick Becker signed with Minnesota at $2.19 Million per year for 3 years.

I make an offer of 1 year at $435K to Cecil Fielder to help backup Pedro Valdes at first base. He's 35 but still can hit and get on base at a decent clip.

On 12/20 Rickey Henderson signs and on 12/22 I get a 2nd round pick from the Chicago White Sox after they sign Steve Traschel to a 2 year deal at $4.79 Million. With Henderson signed, I send down Jason McDonald to AAA as he was the only one with a minor league option year left.

I don't like my options in CF much and throw a contract to Ellis Burks. It's a 1 year deal at $495K and he'll be 34 but he had 34 HR and a .772 OPS last year with Colorado although he only had a .658 OPS on the road. He still had 49 BB and should be a decent option over Glanville and can platoon with McRae.

On 12/29 Cecil Fielder signs and my resurrection of old players who can still hit for power and/or take a walk is continued. Ellis Burks signs on 1/16 and I opt to send Doug Glanville down to AAA.

My final offer goes to Mickey Morandini to back up Miguel Cairo at 2B. He can hit RHP well (.757 OPS in 402 AB) and will platoon with Cairo (.839 OPS vs. LHP in 163 AB). On 1/27 he signs the 1 year deal worth $495K. I feel like I'm Earl Weaver with that move.

Other Free Agent Signings (of note)
Cincinnati signed 1B Dave Magadan to a 1 year deal at $1.56 Million.
Toronto signed SP Brian Bohanon to a 1 year deal at $1.265 Million.
Anaheim signed CL Butch Henry to a 3 year deal at $4.51 Million per year.
Los Angeles Dodgers signed 3B Todd Zeile to a 3 year deal at $2.15 Million per year.
New York Mets signed 3B Cal Ripken Jr. to a 1 year deal at $1.55 Million.
Texas Rangers signed MR Dan Plesac to a 2 year deal at $4.445 Million per year.
St. Louis Cardinals signed C Tom Lampkin to a 2 year deal at $6.185 Million per year.
Texas Rangers signed CL John Wetteland to a 3 year deal at $6.57 Million per year.
Montreal Expos signed MR Robb Nen to a 2 year deal at $6.56 Million per year.
New York Mets signed SS Bill Spiers (Formerly of the New Evil Empire) to a 4 year deal at $16.36 Million per year. He had an .863 OPS last year.

Your 1999 Chicago Cubs Opening Day Roster!
Starting Rotation
SP Miguel Batista
SP Mike Hampton
SP Bobby Jones
SP Darren Oliver
SP Greg Keagle

Bullpen
Terry Adams
Kent Bottenfield
Gio Gonzalez (His movement and control should be more beneficial in the bullpen)
Tim Kubinski
Rick Helling (His stuff and lack of control won't be as harmful as a mop up reliever)
Gabe White
Closer: Roland de la Maza

The Infield
C Mike Figga
1B Pedro Valdes
1B Cecil "Big Daddy" Fielder
2B Miguel Cairo
2B Mickey Morandini
3B Dave Hansen
3B Kevin Orie
SS Tony "The Phenom" Batista

The Outfield
LF Rickey "Man of Steal" Henderson
LF Robin Jennings
CF Ellis Burks
CF Brian McRae
RF Brooks Kieschnick

I also put the ever maddening Doug Bochtler on waivers and designated him for assignment. If he doesn't get claimed and refuses AAA, I have no problem eating the $284K it would cost to cut him.

Overall, I'm wicked curious to see how this squad does. The starting rotation has been completely overhauled and the bullpen has been upgraded (Gio Gonzalez and hopefully Helling) along with some fresh faces (Gabe White and de la Maza at Closer).

The offense should be much better at getting on base with the addition of Rickey Henderson and will get some additional power from Ellis Burks. I'm also intrigued by the potential of my 2B platoon.

Wrigley Field is still set at 1.020 so the offense should be fine... the pitching on the other hand, we'll just have to wait and see.

My opening day payroll is a commanding $20.55 Million this year, once again dead last and I hope not a harbinger of things to come.

Last season I essentially paid $437K per victory and am hoping to pay even less per win this year.

My squad is also up to 11th in the minor league systems with my top prospect being 23rd ranked LF Bill Archer who hit .203/.234/.253 in 158 AB last year at AA.

03-23-2008, 11:42 AM	#46 (permalink)
DawnBTVS Minors (Double A) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sudbury, MA Posts: 145	World Series Champion, The Offseason, & Opening Day Currently sitting here sipping hazelnut coffee (with 5 packets of sugar... but sugar rush aside) and here are the results of the 1998 playoffs. The Atlanta Braves defeated the 1997 World Series Champion Seattle Mariners 4-2. Hats off to the Mariners GM for making it to the World Series in back to back seasons. Speaking of GMs... I will have a budget of $50.92 Million to spend on players this offseason. Award Winners AL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Long hitting .250/.329/.403 with 15 HR and 73 RBI. He did have 128 AB last year so it seems kinda cheap that he'd get to win the ROY this year. NL Rookie of the Year: Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone hitting .292/.340/.491 with 29 HR and 118 RBI. Same case as Long as he had 114 AB last year. AL Cy Young: Jeff Fassero going 21-6 with a 3.30 ERA for the World Series losing Seattle Mariners. NL Cy Young: Livan Hernandez with a 19-6 record and 3.34 ERA for Florida. AL Silver Slugger: Manny Being Manny hitting .331/.430/.625 with 45 HR, 120 RBI, and 89 BB. NL Silver Slugger: Jeff Bagwell of the New Evil Empire hitting .318/.456/.629 with 46 HR and 166 RBI. Also had 133 BB and threw in 32 SB (86.4%). Arbitration Hearings MR Terry Adams: $1.88 Million. I'll take it for a guy throwing 115.2 IP and hearkening back to the relievers of yore in the 70's. SP Miguel Batista: $261K. Disappointing season out of him (101 BB in 184 IP) but he'll be 27 and should bounce back. MR Doug Bochtler: $284K. I'll take it although he faded back to a 5.12 ERA with a 1:1 ratio in BB to K. 2B Tony Batista: A steal at $756K. Had 23 HR and a .746 OPS. CF Doug Glanville: $397K is a bit much for a backup outfielder but he did have a modest .698 OPS last year in 202 AB. MR Billy Brewer: $261K. Struggled but only threw 3.2 IP. Should get more time in the bullpen this year. SP/MR Kevin Foster: $261K. Also struggled (19 HR in 44 IP). May stay in AAA. Free Agency I have several immediate goals in mind and they are as follows. 1: Find a solid LF upgrade over McDonald and Jennings if possible. 2: SP depth (majors and especially minors) 3: Begin to aim for players who make good contact and walk a lot. A guy with a high walk, low strikeout ability is good too (i.e. a Dave Hansen type). My first contract offer goes to SP Bobby Jones a 2 year deal at $1.105 Million per year. He doesn't have a high K/9 rate but has had a modest BB/9 at 4.06 and 2.99 the past 2 seasons and he's only 28. I also made an offer to SP Darren Oliver at 2 years for $965K per year. He had 26 HRA in 187.2 IP with 97 K vs. 76 BB between Texas and Florida last season. He too is only 28. I offer SP Mike Hampton a 2 year deal at $410K per year. He's only 26 but was converted to MR by the New Evil Empire after a 1997 where he went 12-3 with a 3.03 ERA. I make a deal to CF Rich Becker with plans to convert him to LF. The offer is a 3 year deal at $1.95 Million per season. He had a .743 OPS last year but more importantly he had 74 BB vs. 101 K in 453 AB. On 12/1 we sign SP Mike Hampton, IMO a major coupe signing. On 12/7 we also sign SP Bobby Jones and get compensation for Kevin Tapani which is a 2nd round pick from the New York Mets. He signed a 3 year deal at $4.05 Million per year with a team option for 2001. On 12/8 SP Darren Oliver signs while Rich Becker continues to be dissatisfied with my offers. I decide to make a 1 year deal at $660K for 39 year old Rickey Henderson. Last season he still had 94 BB vs. 70 K and had an OPS of .832 so it's worth a shot. Rick Becker signed with Minnesota at $2.19 Million per year for 3 years. I make an offer of 1 year at $435K to Cecil Fielder to help backup Pedro Valdes at first base. He's 35 but still can hit and get on base at a decent clip. On 12/20 Rickey Henderson signs and on 12/22 I get a 2nd round pick from the Chicago White Sox after they sign Steve Traschel to a 2 year deal at $4.79 Million. With Henderson signed, I send down Jason McDonald to AAA as he was the only one with a minor league option year left. I don't like my options in CF much and throw a contract to Ellis Burks. It's a 1 year deal at $495K and he'll be 34 but he had 34 HR and a .772 OPS last year with Colorado although he only had a .658 OPS on the road. He still had 49 BB and should be a decent option over Glanville and can platoon with McRae. On 12/29 Cecil Fielder signs and my resurrection of old players who can still hit for power and/or take a walk is continued. Ellis Burks signs on 1/16 and I opt to send Doug Glanville down to AAA. My final offer goes to Mickey Morandini to back up Miguel Cairo at 2B. He can hit RHP well (.757 OPS in 402 AB) and will platoon with Cairo (.839 OPS vs. LHP in 163 AB). On 1/27 he signs the 1 year deal worth $495K. I feel like I'm Earl Weaver with that move. Other Free Agent Signings (of note) Cincinnati signed 1B Dave Magadan to a 1 year deal at $1.56 Million. Toronto signed SP Brian Bohanon to a 1 year deal at $1.265 Million. Anaheim signed CL Butch Henry to a 3 year deal at $4.51 Million per year. Los Angeles Dodgers signed 3B Todd Zeile to a 3 year deal at $2.15 Million per year. New York Mets signed 3B Cal Ripken Jr. to a 1 year deal at $1.55 Million. Texas Rangers signed MR Dan Plesac to a 2 year deal at $4.445 Million per year. St. Louis Cardinals signed C Tom Lampkin to a 2 year deal at $6.185 Million per year. Texas Rangers signed CL John Wetteland to a 3 year deal at $6.57 Million per year. Montreal Expos signed MR Robb Nen to a 2 year deal at $6.56 Million per year. New York Mets signed SS Bill Spiers (Formerly of the New Evil Empire) to a 4 year deal at $16.36 Million per year. He had an .863 OPS last year. Your 1999 Chicago Cubs Opening Day Roster! Starting Rotation SP Miguel Batista SP Mike Hampton SP Bobby Jones SP Darren Oliver SP Greg Keagle Bullpen Terry Adams Kent Bottenfield Gio Gonzalez (His movement and control should be more beneficial in the bullpen) Tim Kubinski Rick Helling (His stuff and lack of control won't be as harmful as a mop up reliever) Gabe White Closer: Roland de la Maza The Infield C Mike Figga 1B Pedro Valdes 1B Cecil "Big Daddy" Fielder 2B Miguel Cairo 2B Mickey Morandini 3B Dave Hansen 3B Kevin Orie SS Tony "The Phenom" Batista The Outfield LF Rickey "Man of Steal" Henderson LF Robin Jennings CF Ellis Burks CF Brian McRae RF Brooks Kieschnick I also put the ever maddening Doug Bochtler on waivers and designated him for assignment. If he doesn't get claimed and refuses AAA, I have no problem eating the $284K it would cost to cut him. Overall, I'm wicked curious to see how this squad does. The starting rotation has been completely overhauled and the bullpen has been upgraded (Gio Gonzalez and hopefully Helling) along with some fresh faces (Gabe White and de la Maza at Closer). The offense should be much better at getting on base with the addition of Rickey Henderson and will get some additional power from Ellis Burks. I'm also intrigued by the potential of my 2B platoon. Wrigley Field is still set at 1.020 so the offense should be fine... the pitching on the other hand, we'll just have to wait and see. My opening day payroll is a commanding $20.55 Million this year, once again dead last and I hope not a harbinger of things to come. Last season I essentially paid $437K per victory and am hoping to pay even less per win this year. My squad is also up to 11th in the minor league systems with my top prospect being 23rd ranked LF Bill Archer who hit .203/.234/.253 in 158 AB last year at AA.