STEP 1: EVALUATING YOUR TEAM -- POSITION PLAYERS

The first step with any new team is to figure out what you have. Obviously, with projected ratings not available until after budgets are set, there is a serious lack of information about players under 27 years of age. The best you can do for your prospects is look at their current ratings and, if they look fairly decent, assume/hope the guy's projected ratings will have him looking like a stud.

Therefore, the majority of my concentration until the league fills and we reach Budget Setting Day will be on what my major league roster looks like.

My team has 11 position players on its major league roster. 10 of the 11 are 27 years or older, so their projected ratings will equal their current ratings. I therefore have all possible ratings information for these 10 players and will begin my roster evaluation with them. The 11th guy is only 23 years old, so while he may not knock my socks off at the moment, there is a chance he will project into a star -- I just don't have enough information to evaluate him completely yet.

My first step is to change positions for all of my players using the position editor links in the GM's Office. I use the Recommended positions, although in some cases I will add or remove a recommended position if I don't agree. The following is my 11 major league position players:

J. Mateo (catcher), 27 years old, 3 x 3.3M contract. Mateo has offensive ratings in the 60s across the board, has a 70 arm power which is good for throwing guys out and has a 63 pitch calling. His Durability is in the 60s meaning he probably can't play more than 2/3 of my games. However, he is a solid player. I mark him down as a guy that is definitely usable, although given that he has a 3 year contract, I would not mind moving him to free up some cap space -- remember, I have over 99 million committed this season already.

V. Guerrero (first base), 34, 5 x 6.3M. I see the age and the contract and that is as far as I have to go. This guy has to be moved. I just hope I can find someone willing to take him -- odds are I will have to throw money and at least 1 prospect into a deal to get rid of him. Luckily for me, his offensive ratings are still solid and he should be able to hit close to .300, 25-30 HR and over 100 RBI on the right team.

K. Hill (second base), 31, 3x5.2M. Another bad contract, but not dreadful. Hill has decent speed and solid defensive ratings for a second baseman. His offensive numbers are in the high 40s to low 60s. Not a superstar but a serviceable guy. I list him as a guy I would like to move, but am willing to keep if I cannot find a taker. Not worth losing a good prospect to move him.

D. Mahomes, third base, 32, 3 x 6.3M. These contracts are already driving me nuts, and I still have 6 more positions players and an entire pitching staff to go. Mahomes does have decent offensive ratings (L/R splits in the 70s, solid contact and eye), and is solid defensively at third. I list him as a guy I must move - that is way too much salary for a team that is rebuilding.

O. Gonzalez, shortstop, 32, 4 x 2.4M. Another long contract, but only 2.4 million is not bad. Plus Gonzalez has 80+ ratings across the board defensively. I am probably going to keep him, at least for my first season, as I rank defense very highly and thus guy is fairly inexpensive. Of course, given his age, if the right offer came along I would move him in a heartbeat.

P. Baez, infielder, 33, 4 x 8.0M. The age and the contract are enough for me to not look further. He must be moved. Defensively, his ratings are better suited for third or second than shortstop. On offense, his 90 power, 78/63 right splits , and 86 contact should make him attractive on the trading market. Definitely a guy that can help a contender and I just have to hope the contract does not deflate his trade value too much.

G. Newson, field, 28, 2 x 3.6M. Finally a guy under 30. Too bad he can't hit. Hopefully I can unload this contract somehow. If not, at least it is only 2 years.

M. Kirwan, right field, 27. Kirwan is a rookie making minimum salary. He has decent offensive ratings. However, based on the salary, I pull out my ink pen and place him in right field for at least the next 3 seasons. Finally, a bit of progress.

W. Eusebio, field, 35, 3 x 7.5M. The good news from Kirwan ended real fast. As with a lot of these veterans, Eusebio has solid offensive ratings (power and L/R splits in the 70s). But his age and contract will make him a tough sell. He goes on the must move list, of course.

W. Long, field, 35, 4x2.8M, Long looks like he will be with me for a Long time. His offensive ratings are trash. There goes almost 3 million a season for the next 4 years.

B. Balboa, outfield, 23, rookie making minimum salary. Balboa is the one guy I could not fully evaluate. His offense isn't much yet, but hopefully he will have good projections. The prior owner appears to have had a fielding coach that was running Bill Buckner drills, as Balboa's fielding ratings took a huge hit last season. He now shows 80-36-53-29. I have no idea what to do with ratings like that. I will list him as a corner outfielder for now, and mark down signing a great fielding coach as a top priority.


That is it for position players. The prior owner signed a ton of AWFUL contracts. Luckily, most of these guys can hit and I hope I can find a couple of contenders that are willing to take them off my hands. But I realize that it may be more important to move contracts than acquire prospects at this point. All of these contracts are 3-5 years long, and there is no way I will be able to invest in scouting and prospects if I do not clear these salaries off of my books.

Up next -- the pitching staff.

STEP 1(B) -- EVALUATING YOUR PLAYERS - THE PITCHING STAFF

I normally run a 13 man pitching staff, especially with an American League team. I find that there really is not much need for more than 3 extra position players when you don't need pinch hitters because of the DH rule. So my bench on an American League team generally consists of a backup catcher, a backup shortstop/utility guy, and a guy with great speed and baserunning skill that can be used as a pinch runner in key late-game situations.

My pitching staff consists of 5 starters, 3 long relievers (guys with starter DUR/STA combinations) and 5 true relievers (4 setup and a closer). If I get very good DUR/STA combos on my relievers I may cut down to only 4 and take an extra position players. Similarly, if I have a top flight starting pitching staff, I may only go with 2 long relievers. Given that this team is a major rebuild project that should take at least 3 years to make the playoffs, I anticipate serious pitching issues until I can develop young talent. I am therefore going to change up my pattern and go with 4 long relievers in anticipation of a lot of short outings by my starters. I will cut back to 3 setup and 1 closer.

Here is my evaluation of the 11 pitchers that start the season on my Major League staff:

L. Torcato, SP, 28, League Minimum salary. Wow. I expected trash in my rotation and I start with a guy that is a keeper. Torcato has 21/80 DUR and STA making him a solid every 5th day starting pitcher. He has very good control (81) and I have come to regard control as one of the most important ratings for a pitcher. Very solid L/R splits and 2 70+ rated pitches (though also two sub-50 pitches). He will be arb eligible next season, so his pay is going to start going up soon. For the right offer I may move him, but I mark him down as a keeper.

P. Carter, SP, 36, 9.6M (final season of contract). Here is a serious waste of money. The guy has good STA/DUR, control, and L/r splits, although his 4 pitches are not very strong. He is serviceable and if I cannot move him due to his ridiculous contract and age, at least he can eat innings for me this season. Perhaps if I pay most if his contract I will be able to pick up a prospect for him. At least I don't have to move a prospect to get rid of him -- he will thankfully be gone next season.

S. Shields, SP, 33, 3 x 6.3M. Another guy with good (88) control, but weak stamina makes him iffy as a starter. Besides, his age and contract are way too much. He goes on the must move list. With 4 pitches rated 59 or higher and L/R splits of 78/59, I think I may be able to get value for him, despite the contract.

J. Martin, SP, 27, League minimum salary. Why this guy is on the major league roster is beyond me. He has starter DUR/STA, but 39/44 splits and no pitch rated 60 or higher make him a career minor leaguer. he has options so he is going to be shipped out to the farm.

L. Locko, SP, 23, league minimum. I expected a mess in my pitching staff. Instead I find not only the aforementioned Torcato, but also this guy. he is only 23 years old and has serviceable ratings across the board already. If his projections end up being anywhere close to what I think they will be, given that he is still only 23, I may have a future ace on my hands. I would have preferred he still be in the minors to develop, but I will not risk a demotion penalty and place him into my rotation.

L. Kennedy, Long relief, 37, 3.1M (final year of contract). 87 control, 42/61 splits, and 4 pitches rated 50 or higher. Noone will want to trade for a 37 year old, so I am going to simply have to eat his contract this season and use him as one of my 4 long relievers.

D. Truman, setup, 29, 4.0M (final year of contract). Someone under 30! Plus, he has solid ratings and a decent Dur/Sta combo. Definite trade value here and I intend to move him. The last thing a team with the problems that mine has needs is 4 million dollar setup men. I consider setup guys to be the final pieces to add when a team is ready to make a title run, and any team in rebuilding mode should have as cheap of a bullpen as possible.

P. Parrish, 33, setup, 3 x 8.0M (actually the final year is only 6 million). The age and contract are all I need to see to know he must go. Luckily, his ratings tell me that he could be a top-rated closer , 94 control, 72/71 splits, 2 pitches both in the 90s. I think I will be able to move him for value, despite the contract.

D. Knott, 34, setup, 4 x 1.6M. Everything looks good on the guy except the 34 DUR/17 STA combo. This means he pitches once ever 3 days at best. I may end up eating this entire contract for the next 4 seasons unless I can find a way to package him in a trade.

N. Standridge, 35, setup, 2 x 4.6M. Another guy with decent ratings, but a low DUR/STA combo. He goes on the must move list as well.

A. Blair, 34, long relief, 6.0M (final year of contract). Another guy that I may simply have to keep and use in long relief. He has no trade value but thankfully it will only be one season.


Having completed my review of the pitching staff, I am pleased that the contract problems are not nearly as bad as they were with the position players. I also begin to wonder why this team lost so many games last season. There is definitely some talent amongst the veterans and a few guys that I can get value for. However, I will not even consider attempting to keep this team together and go for a playoff run this season. They are way too old and I need to move whatever I can while these guys still have some value . I can only hope that there are a fair number of players in the world that want to win now as opposed to rebuild so I can make a few deals.


Up next -- Evaluating Arbitration Eligible and Departing Free Agents

Well hello Mr. Fancypants with too much time on his hands.

This post could not be converted. To view the original post's thread, click here.

In Moonlight Graham I took a team that won the WS in S1 and underachieved a bit in S2 and now I'm taking em right back to the WS. WORSHIP ME!!