Ah, the smell of the grass! The crack of the bat! Baseball is back again folks and it brings a tear to my eye. This years off-season was certainly an interesting one as it featured many new faces taking the league by storm. Filipino sensation Gani Josafat surprised everyone by securing himself the biggest deal of the season; a $243.74m deal from the Roswell Greys that could pay him as much as $53m the next couple season. 24-year-old promising starter Rayan Lallemand was rewarded the next highest deal, a $170m deal with the Nashville Gamblers. Another fresh-faced starter, Bernard Delannoy received the third largest contract, a $103m deal from the Jackson River Monsters. These were the only contracts of the off-season that eclipsed the $100m threshold. The biggest contract given to a position player was handed to second baseman Nando Boerkens (is this a star wars character?) who got a $84m deal from the forever-rebuilding Long Beach Otters. All four players received the four biggest deals of the off-season without having ever touched a hand-sewn regulation official RedBull® baseball.
Back to the Otters, Long Beach surprisingly also had the 5th and 6th biggest signings of the off-season, as they gave ~$60m deals to veteran outfielders Duncan Cutts and Erik Keller. Veteran designated hitter Gary Dreux also did nicely to secure himself a $55m deal from the Chicago Railmen. In trade news, star pitchers Art Morrison and Julio Mendoza changed leagues and the Friars added a needed cleanup hitter in Francisco Ordóñez. Oklahoma City most notably did well to secure the services of two top tier starters in Morrison and Sanchez, both whom should help them make a deep playoff run.
All these signings could have big ramifications on the upcoming season, below is a division-by-division projection of how each division could end up, complete with win-loss record predictions for all 30 teams and a brief analysis.
EC Metro
Projected Final Standings
| Team | Record | W +/- |
|---|---|---|
| Portland Pines | 98-64 | -8 |
| Woonsocket Mongeese | 83-79 | + |
| Harlem Sewer Rats | 76-86 | +14 |
| Boston Brawlers | 73-89 | -7 |
| Montreal Royals | 66-96 | -2 |
2056 Standings: PP, WM, BOS, MON, HAR
Synopsis: This is Portland’s division to lose. They pretty much have it in the bag, barring catastrophic injuries to several players. The team features one of the best rotations in the league with Catalani, Rivas, Garrett and Gonzáles all returning as well as adding star prospect Martín Morán to the mix. Star first baseman Steford Nart is also set to return shortly and should help reinforce a lineup that had a league-best OPS in 2056. There isn’t much else to note here, Woonsocket could be a fun team to watch as always, but remains a couple pieces away from being a contender. The remaining three teams remain in a rebuilding-stasis, especially after the departure of star pitcher Morrison from Boston.
EC Great Lakes
Projected Final Standings
| Team | Record | W +/- |
|---|---|---|
| Akron Vulcans | 91-71 | -1 |
| Motor City Madmen | 85-77 | +10 |
| Chicago Railmen | 83-79 | +4 |
| Shadowland Reapers | 74-88 | -15 |
| Cleveland Steamers | 73-89 | +2 |
2056 Standings: AKR, SHA, CHI, MC, CLE
Synopsis: The Vulcans finally broke out and won 92 games last season on the backs of star pitcher Scipio Africanus and veteran catcher Preston Brown. There isn’t any reason to assume Akron won’t build on this success, even with Motor City and Chicago trying to their best to improve their teams this off-season. With that said, this should be a very close race between the 3 teams and you could make a case for any team winning this division (especially if Motor City’s young stars Valentín, Franklin, Morgan and Cordero perform as projected). Meanwhile, Shadowland seems to be re-tooling around their young stars and Cleveland continues to work through their rebuild process, but don’t be surprised if Cleveland makes some noise.
EC Southeast
Projected Final Standings
| Team | Record | W +/- |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Manatees | 99-63 | +3 |
| Charlotte Sugar Dwarves | 93-69 | +2 |
| Jackson River Monsters | 81-81 | +7 |
| Havana Bananas | 75-87 | +2 |
| Nashville Gamblers | 69-93 | +1 |
2056 Standings: MIA, CHA, JAX, HAV, NAS
Synopsis: I can see the standings shaping out the same way they did in 2056, it seems like every team is more or less heading in the same place. Miami and reigning champions Charlotte should finish fairly close, but Miami has a number of star prospects ready to break out with the major league team, most notably #1 prospect Laviska Twongyeirwe and outfielder Jack Merritt. Charlotte meanwhile had a very quiet off-season. Jackson, Havana and Nashville continue to be on the outside looking in.
WC Heartland
Projected Final Standings
| Team | Record | W +/- |
|---|---|---|
| OKC Capitols | 96-66 | +6 |
| St. Louis Outlaws | 90-72 | +11 |
| New Orleans Crawdads | 86-76 | +1 |
| Indianapolis Yetis | 76-86 | +9 |
| Houston Red Bulls | 72-90 | +3 |
2056 Standings: OKC, NO, STL, HOU, IND
Synopsis: Synopsis: OKC had a busy offseason, adding two front-line starters in Art Morrison and Jose Sanchez. Rookie Kenny Miller is also lined up to join the rotation at some point during the year. The Capitols are ready and poised for another trip to the post-season, but the Outlaws remain on their heels after a bad season that should’ve taught them a lot of lessons. Don’t sleep on the Crawdads, the 85 wins last season was not a fluke and they should only improve with the assistance of rookies Alan McCurdy and Roderick Palmer. They could easily leapfrog the Outlaws and nab a wild-card spot. Yetis and Red Bulls have little to be excited about in 2057, but at least Houston is headed in a promising direction (keep an eye on 1B Jose Ramos).
WC Southwest
Projected Final Standings
| Team | Record | W +/- |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Dodos | 101-61 | +4 |
| Roswell Greys | 97-65 | -2 |
| Salt Lake City Saltshakers | 90-72 | -2 |
| Tijuana Tacos | 81-81 | +1 |
| Las Vegas Bunnies | 78-84 | -4 |
2056 Standings: ROS, COL, SLC, LV, TIJ
Synopsis: Synopsis: The ring hangover is a real thing, and yet the Dodos still won 97 games despite 2056 being heralded as a disappointment. The Dodos remain a team to beat and should enter the season as possible The Ring favorites thanks to numerous free agent additions. The other team to beat? Last seasons The Ring runner-up’s Roswell Greys. They have unfinished business and added a potential top-tier starting pitcher in Gani Josafat. Salt Lake City remains extremely good but simply outclassed by Roswell and Colorado, which is a shame since they’d likely be a playoff team in another division. Tijuana and Vegas remain competitive but will have to hope for a miracle in order to make the playoffs.
WC Pacifica
Projected Final Standings
| Team | Record | W +/- |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Beavers | 94-68 | +1 |
| San Francisco Friars | 93-69 | -1 |
| Seattle Geoducks | 79-83 | +2 |
| Los Angeles Brazzers of Burbank | 70-92 | -2 |
| Long Beach Sea Otters | 61-101 | +11 |
2056 Standings: SF, VAN, SEA, LAB, LB
Synopsis: Synopsis: This division should be fun to watch, and either of Vancouver or San Francisco could easily take it. San Francisco benefited from a bit of luck last season, but should still be a very good team with the additions of sluggers Ordonez and Sandoval. On paper, the Beavers look like a top tier team and should be tough to beat. Seattle, unfortunately, is lagging behind, and Los Angeles and Long Beach continue their rebuilding efforts. It should be highlighted that Long Beach made efforts to improve their team this offseason, spending the most of any team in free agency.
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