***NOW OFFERING A $10 TRANSFER OF CREDITS TO THE NEW OWNER WHO IMPROVES LAST SEASON'S WIN TOTAL BY THE MOST***
Diamondbacks has been a high-continuity, low-stress world with some consistently good franchises but an impressive level of parity at the championship level (9 different champs in the past 11 seasons). We have
3 2 1 (!) remaining opening
which is fairly high by our standards so this is a great opportunity to get in. Available franchise
s are is:
Former Madison Franchise (57-105, 4th in AL North, 2nd Overall Pick in Draft) -- This team has, frankly, been a bit of a mess going through a handful of owners in the past 7 seasons since losing a long-timer. However, that means a stocked minor league system and a high draft pick. This division has historically been pretty open so a great team to put your own stamp on and build for the long haul. At the ML level, Hunter Jeffcoat somewhat preposterously hit 67 homers a couple seasons ago. The real action is in the minors where AA SP Dale Kelly, Hi-A shortstop Brad Hines, and Low-A OF Denny McCall are all top 3 picks from the past 3 seasons.
Former Milwaukee Franchise (75-87, 2nd in NL North, 12th Overall Pick in Draft) -- Staying in the great state of Wisconsin, we have a pretty ideal blend of ability to win now and flexibility for long-term improvement. Tw genuine studs in the lineup in catcher Jumbo Oliva and OF/2B Cliff Clifton, with some good supporting players around them. On the mound we have the delightfully named J.J. Jay anchoring a staff that is already pretty decent. Lots of financial flexibility here in addition to a handful of decent players in the minors and the 12th pick in the draft. Notably, they play in a division that hasn't seen even a 90 game winner in 3 seasons so there's a real opportunity to make a few savvy moves and vault straight to the playoffs without mortgaging the long-term vision. This is the team I'd probably take first, fwiw.
Former St. Louis Franchise (81-81, 2nd in AL East, 19th Overall Pick in Draft) -- It is with some sadness that we end our tour of Midwestern American megabrewery cities in St. Louis, where this franchise was lovingly managed by the same owner for the past forty-five (45) seasons. While we're sad to see him go, he's left this franchise in great shape. Traditional contenders, they had a lean decade or so where they built up the system and have started to show that they're ready to get back in the playoff picture the last couple of seasons. They have some genuine studs at the ML level -- if you like to build teams that can mash you'll find more than enough of that with Hal Taylor, Benito Urbina, Vance Thurman, Sam Wheeler, and more. Pitching staff is young and improving. They've invested heavily in the IFA market and SP Angel Lee is about ready to lead the charge up to the ML level with some more recent signings at the lower levels to keep things balanced. Of the 3 available teams this one is for sure the likeliest to win 90+ games this season if well-run.
Sitemail me or post below for the password or with any questions! Hope to fill soon!
5/17/2024 11:31 AM (edited)