Indianapolis Indians -- 89 wins last season was good enough for the division title, but the Injuns couldn't get out of the first round. What's the answer to that? Throw more money at it! The Indians upped the budget even more this season, with $140M put into player personnel. $20M of that goes to the timeless Chris Matthews, who is slated to get another $20M in Season 11 if he doesn't opt out of his contract. When all is said and done, he will have made $217.5M during his tenure in BPF. Jesus H Christ. He probably won't hit 200 wins for his career, but we should still vote him into the HOF just because of the cash he has made. The major FA additions of the offseason were Alan Heving ($4M), Cookie Nakamura ($5.5M), and Juan Diaz ($3M), all of whom were Type B's. Last year's offense is still there. Ryan, Gorecki, Uribe, Santos, Wilkerson.....they're just stacked. Matthews, Drew, and Frias are the top pitchers obviously, and the bullpen is solid as well. How did these guys not do better last season? Was it just a let down after the WS appearance? Will they get back there this year?
Offense: A-
Defense: A-
Pitching: B+
Prediction: 100-62
St Louis Oxbows -- Steadily progressing these last few seasons, the Oxbows are ready to make even more progress this season, which started with a brilliant signing of Hunter Bryant at a discounted price of $21.3M over three years. Combine him with guys like Borbon, Morton and Griffith, the offense is looking good. And we already know about the pitching, with Jumbo, Roosevelt, McGlinchy, and Mesa. These guys are coming back. Just you wait.
Offense: B
Defense: B
Pitching: A-
Prediction: 90-72
Hartford Insurance Men -- Since that World Series win way back in Season 2, this franchise hasn't made it out of the first round of the playoffs. But that hasn't stopped them from trudging along, making the occasional wild card appearance, and otherwise being a thorn in the side of most other NL squads. Pizzaro and Lee are still a fantastic one-two punch. Arias and Evans are still there. But the depth is lacking. And boy is the defense lacking. If you can put the ball in play, there's a good chance the Insurance Men defense won't get to it.
Offense: C+
Defense: D
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 72-90
Durham Bulls -- The yearly whipping boy of the East, they've lost 100+ games in four of the last five seasons. Poor bastards. Signing Ricky Kidd was a good step. Servais and Ruffin were good pick-ups. And they're all Type B's, so the team doesn't lose any picks. But is it just a band-aid? Should Sam Anderson get called up? Al Ramirez? The good news is, help is on the way. Three or four big-time studs are hanging out in AA right now. Will we see them at the ML level in Season 11? Will that help Durham get out of the basement? Because that's where they're going to be again this season.
Offense: C-
Defense: D
Pitching: D+
Prediction: 65-97
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