3/5/2011: Fargo, ND – Fargo Dinosaurs GM Cristian Shofar was given the freedom to add to last season’s playoff appearance (the team’s first ever) with an expanded budget and the full backing of ownership.  Three free agent signings and a monster-sized extension later, we have what we can expect to be the core of the 2011 roster.  Fargo will welcome a new LF/RF, a versatile defensive wizard IF, and a veteran catcher to help tutor the team’s talented young rookie catching prospect Raúl Espinoza.

Pedro Silva, LF, signed a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year that totals $86,300,000 (including the fifth year option).  The contract marks the first substantial free agent signing and in many ways will be compared to that of Ernest Conard, the all-star RF who’s contract was viewed as an albatross for the then rebuilding Dinosaurs.   The difference between the two players and their contracts are easily summed up when comparing the expectations of the 2008 team vs. this year’s 2011 team.  “This is the time for us to make a push.  The hard work we put into rebuilding and making some tough decisions along the way have brought us to the brink of where we want to be as an organization and for our fans,” stated Shofar.  Silva will represent the first player since Conard was traded in October of ’07 to be brought in to help lift the offensive burden off perennial All-Star first baseman Ramón Flores.

Silva will be entering his age 30 year and is coming off of an .857 OPS All-Star season for the Canton Longshoremen.  Silva finished 2010 seventh in homeruns (33), fourth in RBI (113) and ninth in isolated power (.237).  He’s a left-handed power bat that should play well in Jurassic Park’s shortened porch in right.  “We expect (Silva) to play both of the corner outfield positions and as needed this season… and to additionally get some at bats at DH,” Shofar stated.

Recently the Dinosaurs were able to bolster their infield by signing Rikiya Taketo, an exceptionally gifted infielder capable of playing all infield positions with nearly equal ability.  Taketo won an All-Leather Award last season for Gloucester Fishermen.  With an aging second baseman in Cipriano Carnossi who will be 36 this season and a rookie third baseman in Salvador Ruíz, Taketo will find a full-time player’s worth of at bats bouncing around the infield.  Taketo signed a one-year, $13,960,000 deal, sacrificing contract length for a more lucrative one-and-done amount.  Taketo may be a mercenary, but if the 32-year-old can bring a championship to Fargo it will be worth the risk.

The Dinosaurs also recently signed veteran catcher Maurice Kelley to help the development of Espinoza behind the plate.  Kelley brings a strong clubhouse presence and calls a good game.  Kelley is a defensive specialist who won’t be counted on for much offense this season and is likely to end up as the backup catcher as opposed to the starter.

One final note: the organization has announced the contract extension of fan favorite Ramón Flores.  He will be earning $93,480,000 over four seasons.  This represents not only the biggest contract in Dinosaurs history, but the deal makes him the highest paid player in either league at this time.  The contract, along with Pedro Silva’s, represent quite a risk if either player regresses or becomes injured for a long period of time.  It also represents Fargo’s commitment to being a playoff team for the next four years… or so hopes the Dinosaur ownership and faithful.

Steve Youngblood
–Fargo Gazette