Fargo Off-season Wrap-Up
March 1, 2014: Tempe, AZ – A cold winter in Fargo didn’t keep Dinosaurs fans from warming up with some exciting hot stove action. With the first spring training game right around the corner, Dinosaurs fans have some reason for excitement following a pair of moves by the organization.
The first move was a trade with the Tempe Knights that was rumored for weeks prior to its announcement during the PEBA Winter Meetings in December. The second move was a recent free agent signing that helps bolster the Dinosaurs bullpen for this upcoming season. Let’s break down the two moves and their potential implications for the Dinosaurs’ season. We’ll also cover where the organization stands financially, their minor league system and upcoming draft outlook.
The Winter Meetings were dominated by the suspense that was the Markus Hancock ransoming – or as they call it in the industry, “trade”. Since the Hancock deal wasn’t announced until the end of the meetings, many of the other trades that took place during the Meetings didn’t receive the normal level of coverage. During the Meetings, the Knights and Dinosaurs completed their aforementioned trade. Heading Tempe’s way was major leaguer Salvador Ruíz, minor leaguers Esteban Cuevas and Jesús Reyes, and Fargo’s 2014 2nd round draft pick. Fargo received José González, Orlando García, and $1,500,000. Following the announcement of the trade, Fargo general manager Cristian Shofar acknowledged that the deal had actually been agreed to in principal weeks prior, right around the time rumors began circulating. Due to García being on the disabled list, it had to wait until the Winter Meetings, when the league’s ban on trading injured players is lifted temporarily.
The second move was completed on February 8th. Realizing the bullpen was in need of more depth and specifically could use a dominate setup man, the Fargo front office came to terms with free agent reliever Peter Goodwin on a one-year contract for $5,030,000. Goodwin is a veteran who pitched for the Manchester Maulers last season. Prior to that, he was a stable part of the Arlington Bureaucrats for five seasons, including a couple years as the team’s closer. “We felt that Goodwin was a perfect fit here in Fargo. He has experience closing games, which is a plus because even though we have a fine closer in place already in Raúl Pinto. We believe that the setup role can be as pressure filled as the closer role, and we wanted someone with experience handling that pressure,” said Shofar.
There was a minor swap of draft picks between Fargo and Yuma that occurred prior to the Winter Meetings. Fargo traded one of their two first round picks (19th overall) to Yuma for Yuma’s 2nd round pick (1st overall in the round) and Manchester’s 4th round pick (9th overall in the round). “We knew at the time we were losing a pick in the trade with Tempe, so we wanted to give scouting director Scotty Ross as many chances in this year’s draft after failing to sign a couple guys last season. We will end up with seven picks in the first five rounds,” said Shofar.
As the team turns its attention toward preparing spring training lineups and rotation positions, where will these recent acquisitions fit? Following last season’s disappointing finish, Fargo had a few glaring holes that needed to be addressed. A guaranteed need was in the infield. The organization decided to part ways with last year’s second baseman Ángel Zarate. Zarate was a good enough stopgap, providing a nice glove and decent on-base skills, but his overall offensive production was below league average. The team simply needed more from its offense if it wanted to make the jump back into the playoffs this upcoming season.
This is where José González fits in. He’s obviously the main target in the deal completed between Fargo and Tempe because he fills the team’s primary off-season hole. González is a veteran at age 33 and brings with him a career .877 OPS, which includes a .411 OBP. González played mostly third base last season but will slide over to second base, his more natural position, this upcoming season. This will allow current Dinosaurs infielders Ken Keddy and Tsunesaburo Sugimoto to play their most natural positions as well, with Keddy manning third base and Sugimoto at shortstop. This should give the Dinosaurs, who were already in the top half of the league defensively last season, an even stronger infield defense.
Orlando García is an interesting acquisition for a couple reasons. First, he is coming off two injuries. In September, he suffered a fractured rib that resulted in him going down for four weeks. Soon after his return, he suffered a broken hand that knocked him out of any baseball activities for four months. He should be fully healthy by the time the first spring training game rolls around, but those injuries are cause for concern.
The second interesting item is where will he fit? The Dinosaurs benefitted from a career year from center fielder Tommy Fowler last season (.808 OPS) as well as a surprisingly strong rookie year from corner outfielder Bailey Potts, who finished with an .846 OPS. Then there is that large $17 million contract hanging out in left field. Pedro Silva had the second-worst OPS in his career (.731) but demonstrated some amazing power, hitting 25 homeruns in 397 at bats. The reason for the low at bats total was a hamstring injury that cost two months of the season.
The other outfielder that should be in the mix is Ramón Mendoza. His ability to play centerfield is a strong asset and possibly enough to secure a spot as the fourth outfielder. How this competition plays out will be one of the main stories coming out of the team’s spring training.
Both the organization and Goodwin himself report that, at least for now, the team plans on using Goodwin in the primary setup role, working eighth and sometimes seventh innings for the team before handing the ball to Raúl Pinto for the ninth. Pinto is coming off an amazing season where he walked only six batters in 68 1/3 innings pitched but is in the final year of his contract. Neither the front office nor Pinto’s agent have commented on any talks to extend the fan-favorite closer, who may go down as the league leader in saves when it is all said and done. If a deal isn’t reached before the season starts, you can expect the question to be amplified by fans and the media. It may pose a distraction to the team.
The organization has indicated that there will be enough money available to take on some salary during the season if a trade opportunity that moves the team towards the playoffs shows itself. This also means that money may be available for signing draftees to over-slot money; important considering the number of picks in the top five rounds mentioned by GM Shofar. The organization’s minor league system has failed to rank highly in many national evaluations. Certainly, the lack of first round talent has damaged it over the past few seasons, in addition to trades made for major league talent.
– Steve Youngblood
Fargo Gazette