Jan. 25, 2020

Benny Hayden, Gazette Staff

KALAMAZOO – Don O’Quinn continues to gain a reputation for being one of PEBA’s quirkiest and most colorful team owners.

The man at the helm of the Kalamazoo Badgers has made waves yet again, as O’Quinn sent out some interesting mail to his players this past holiday season.

The Kalamazoo Gazette has learned that O’Quinn sent Christmas cards to the homes of members of the team’s 25-man roster in December. While that’s somewhat peculiar enough on its own, it becomes even odder when you discover that in the cards were cheques for $20,000.

The oddity thickens when you learn that the cheques were post-dated, for Oct. 1, 2020.

“Let’s just call it playoff motivation,” O’Quinn said when reached for comment at his home in Kansas . “Depending on how our season goes this year, you may or may not see those cheques bounce by the time October rolls around,” he added with a laugh.

O’Quinn said the “time is now for returning Kalamazoo to a respectable franchise,” and he hoped his holiday cheer could play a role.

“These players, many of them are paid millions of dollars, so maybe a couple extra tens of thousands won’t mean much, but there’s other guys who that money will be a big deal. Maybe it’s going to be the difference between another hit here or there, another win or two, who knows?” he said. “Or maybe I just got a little too deep into the egg nog one night and went a little wild with the cheque book and I don’t know what I’m doing. I guess we’ll see.”

At $20,000 per 25 players, O’Quinn has put forth half a million dollars on this odd holiday splurge.

“If the team makes the playoffs, there’s going to be more revenue coming in and I’ve always been a generous man, so why not give my players a little something extra to show my appreciation?” O’Quinn said.

The Gazette has been able to confirm with 17 of the players currently on the 25-man roster that they received holiday cards with cheques, while other players offered no comment, or couldn’t be reached by press deadline.

The dent in O’Quinn’s pocketbook could even be more, as some Badgers players also have reportedly received an even larger potential payout.

“If he wants to throw money around, maybe he should go out and sign us another infielder, or maybe another bullpen arm,” said infielder Gil Sterling, who confirmed his cheque was for $30,000.

Sterling also confirmed what was written inside the card.

“It said, ‘Let’s win some ballgames’ with about a dozen exclamation marks,” he said. “Seems like he was pretty excited about it.”

“Or drunk,” O’Quinn added with a laugh when asked about his messages to players. “It’s entirely possible I was drunk. ‘Tis the season, after all.”

Other players thought the gesture was an interesting one, but didn’t plan to use the money for themselves.

“If the cheque is legitimate, I will cash it and donate the money to a charity in Michigan,” said team catcher Lorenzo Amador. “Don’s an interesting guy and he’s got a big heart and means well. I’m sure he’d be OK with that.”

It’s not the first time O’Quinn’s actions have caused a stir. Upon purchasing the team prior to the 2019 season, he immediately made waves by referring to himself as the team’s “assistant GM” and that has rung true as he’s taken a more than active role in the team’s signings and trade talks, with many speculating that current GM Cole Hobson is nothing more than a figurehead at this point.

He also immediately moved forward a rebrand of the team, noting he was tired of the franchise’s old “puke green” jerseys.

O’Quinn also didn’t mince words last season when he introduced himself to perennial all-glove,  no-bat infielder Derrek Lollar.

“(O’Quinn) introduced himself during spring training and said ‘nice to meet you,’ then he told me ‘you need to get on base more this season,’” Lollar said with a laugh in spring of 2019. “You know, he’s right. But I’ve never heard a team owner be so blunt before.”

Just this offseason, O’Quinn also potentially alienated the fanbases of his team’s minor league affiliates, when he said the goal was to win in Kalamazoo and trading away draft picks and prospects wasn’t a big deal as he didn’t care if the teams in Grand Rapids, Hamilton, Nampa and Ketchikan won ball games.

While his bravado has been high, the high-profile spending on improving the team in his second offseason at the helm has been minimal. O’Quinn’s ownership has thus far come with a trimming of the payroll fat.

The team’s payroll currently sits at $65 million, down from almost $84 million in 2019, thanks mainly to a trade that saw the contracts of Alex ‘Tapper’ Martinez and Juan ‘Rattler’ Romero – almost $20 million in total – shipped to Japan.

Despite a much lower payroll, many would agree that the team thus far looks to be improved over the 2019 version, as the club has built largely through trades at this point, with the only free agent signings being minor ones to date.

The Badgers have inked swing-man David Gutiérrez to a two-year, $5.1 million contract, that sees him guaranteed $2 million in 2020, before a team option of $3.1 million in 2021.

Reliever Oliver Mejía has also been signed to a similarly-structured deal, earning $1.1 in 2020 before a team option of $1.3 million in 2021.

The Badgers have been linked to larger free agent targets like closer Pepe Rico and dynamic infielder and power hitter Ken Keddy, but thus far no ink has been put to paper.

“The free agent market is moving somewhat slowly at the moment, but maybe when players hear about the holiday generosity of the Kalamazoo owner they will be more willing to suit up with the Badgers,” O’Quinn deadpanned.

Kalamazoo is likely to be a team to watch on the field in 2020, and if O’Quinn’ s repeated antics are any indication, there will be a lot to watch off the field as well.

“I don’t even understand why this is a story,” O’Quinn said. “Everyone sends  Christmas cards to people they care about and I love my team. It just so happens my Christmas cards are a little more interesting than Santa, reindeer and people dressed up in ugly sweaters.”