By Jesse Earl James, Canton Daily News
November 5, 2013

Canton, OH – While the majority of the PEBAverse was enthralled with the playoffs, the front office staff in Canton, Ohio, were hard at work on their team for the 2014 season.  So far, Canton has signed four players to extensions: third baseman Geoff Green, left fielder Chris Wright, first baseman Frank King and shortstop Steve Fergus.  While their staff still has a lot of work ahead of them, these deals are a big first step towards fielding a competitive team in 2014.

The first of these contracts was signed during the season, with third baseman Geoff Green signing a 6-year extension worth $64,920,000.  Green will make $10,000,000 in 2014.  The sixth season is a mutual option for $11,640,000.  Green is coming off his second straight All-Star season, batting .278/.343/.389 with 7 home runs, 50 RBI, 6 stolen bases and leading the team with 89 runs scored.  He is a career .280/.355/.384 hitter and holds several Canton team records, including career OBP (.354), games played (752), runs scored (398), hits (807), doubles (181), walks (344), plus single-season and career singles (144 and 579, respectively).  The Canton front office made a point of keeping one of the best hitters in the history of the franchise in a Longshoremen uniform for many more seasons in the hopes that Green could lead to their first winning season.

The next contract was signed by first baseman Frank King, who avoided arbitration by signing a $2,300,000 extension.  It was a breakout year for King, who hit .290/.357/.484 with 19 home runs, 83 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 82 runs scored, all career highs.  For the season, King led the team in OBP (.357), runs created (103.6), hits (176), total bases (294), doubles (49), triples (6) and, unfortunately, hit-by-pitch (14).  It was a great year for King and the team rewarded him handsomely with a multi-million dollar contract.  However, some could argue that the deal benefits both sides and that King might have gotten a good deal more money if he went to arbitration.

One of the most valuable players for the Longshoremen this season was left fielder Chris Wright, and for his efforts, he was rewarded with a 3-year, $11,700,000 extension.  This season, Wright accumulated a .300/.349/.497 triple slash batting line, with a career-high 27 home runs, team leading 90 RBI and 72 runs scored.  His .300 batting average and .497 slugging percentage were the best on the team, and he managed to lead the team in OPS (.846) and VORP (35.2), as well.  Wright has shown much progress since he was traded from Arlington last season, showing improved contact, power and plate discipline.  With his new contract, Wright is primed to be a large part of the organization’s future.

The final contract given went to another All-Star, power-hitting shortstop Steve Fergus.  Fergus signed a $5,500,000 contract extension, avoiding arbitration.  Fergus was named to his first All-Star game this season.  He hit .236/.317/.456 with 89 RBI, 79 runs scored and a team-leading 28 home runs.  Fergus might have had a down year batting average-wise, but he was still able to provide lots of power and superior defense at short.  Fergus is a career .247/.317/.459 hitter, with 98 home runs and 327 RBI in 519 games.  Those 98 home runs are already a franchise record and he is quickly climbing the ladder in slugging percentage, runs, hits and runs batted in.  While his game still has room for improvement, Fergus’s ability to hit for power and his skills at shortstop are enough to make him one of the better players on the team.  He is worth keeping in the middle of the lineup for several years to come.

Though Canton has taken several steps toward fielding a competitive team next season, there still exists question marks.  The Longshoremen have several players slated to become free agents, including ace starting pitcher Pedro Cruz, second baseman Albert Rishworth, relievers Pedro Vázquez and Yoshiteru Jouon, DH/1B John Greene and backup infielder Mauro Pacheco.  Cruz, Rishworth and Greene would be the major losses if they went to free agency.  Cruz is arguably the franchise’s best pitcher since the team’s inception, and Rishworth and Greene are serious offensive forces.  Cruz had a very good season, winning 15 games with a 3.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 121 strikeouts over 217.2 innings.  Rishworth posted a .246/.334/.429 batting line with 13 home runs and 43 RBI, but only played in 94 games due to injuries.  When healthy, Rishworth provides an ability to get on base at a very high percentage.  He can hit with power and plays well at second base.  Greene was a major part of the team’s offense this season, hitting .299/.338/.473 with 24 home runs and 87 RBI.  Greene stepped his game up when players like Rishworth and Fergus went down with injuries, and his production could earn him a decent pay raise next season.

The Canton Longshoremen signed four quality players to extensions, taking a step toward the 2014 season.  While these extensions are a big positive for the club moving forward, there still exist many issues that the team will have to deal with in the coming months.  Look for more updates down the road as we get closer to the Winter Meetings and more moves are made.