Marietta makes more moves

How about that alliteration? The Mighty Men traded away a 2009 draft pick for third baseman Edwin Encarnacion of the Las Vegas Rat Pack. Encarnacion was drafted in the third round of the 2007 draft. Encarnacion had a decent debut season with the Rats last year (.749 OPS in 484 PAs). He had been splitting time between third base and DH until Vegas traded away Ryan Zimmerman and opened up a full-time role for Encarnacion. Vegas may now look to Alex Gordon as the future at the hot corner.

The deal effectively seals the fate of Morgan Ensberg, who had been a great surprise in 2006 but struggled mightily in 2007. Although most prognosticators already wrote off Ensberg, Landsman made it official at the press conference yesterday. "Morgan Ensberg will not appear on our protected list this season. His performance was disappointing and while he is a model team mate and the kind of individual we love to have as a member of our franchise, Edwin is younger and poised to do great things. I am not saying our relationship with Morgan is definitely over, but it has changed. We wish Morgan all possible success in the future." The Mighty Men may yet attempt to acquire the third baseman with a supplemental draft pick or a spring training invitation.

Meanwhile, the Mighty Men are not done dealing and may yet have another deal announced before the end of the day.

Levesque moves Sharks franchise to Tampa Bay

Friday night, the DMBL Commissioner's office approved the sale of the Honolulu Sharks franchise to Bill Levesque. Levesque, a native of Tampa, moved the team from its South Pacific home to Tampa Bay, re-christening the franchise the "Plunkers". Floridians were unsure what a Plunker was, though Levesque's cryptic explanation wasn't much help. "A plunker isn't really anything at all." said Levesque at the press conference. Former DMBLer Eric Plunk stated that he intended to file a lawsuit against the team for using his name without express, written permission.

The Plunkers become the second DMBL franchise from Tampa. In 1992, the Newark Crimewave became the Tampa Bay Sweat Sox when owner Paul Barbosa was tired of having his car stolen every morning. The Sweat Sox were disbanded after the 1995 strike season.

Levesque is looking into some hi-tech solutions for his coaching staff, repeated mentioning his preference for Ted Williams' cryogenically preserved head to fill the managerial vacancy.

Another deal gets done

The Hot Stove League waits for no one, including any prospective new owners for the Honolulu franchise...The Marietta Mighty Men and Philadelphia Endzone Animals completed a trade Wedneseday. The Mighty Men sent their longtime catcher Jorge Posada to the Animals in exchange for three picks in 2009's draft (1st, 3rd, and 8th). Philadelphia is going all in this year in an attempt to win the title. Philly already is down three picks in this year's draft and will lost four picks in next year's draft. After winning the Morris Division title last year for the first time in franchise history and coming within one game of the DMBL World Series, the Endzone Animals and their fans are hungry to win the coveted title. Posada beefs up an already potent Philly lineup that features Albert Pujols, Magglio Ordonez, and Mark Teixeira.

Meanwhile, the Mighty Men seem to be at the other end of the spectrum, picking up draft picks and prospects. The Mighty Men acknowledged that 2008 would likely be a rebuilding year and hope to come roaring back in '09.

Shocking news from Honolulu

Breaking news just in from Honolulu as the Sharks franchise has just been put up for sale. With a month to go, team owner Adam Kozubal stated in an official press release that he did not have the time to commit to the DMBL.

"I hate doing this on short notice, but since the rest of the league owners feel that I don't contribute enough, then I'm going to discontinue my participation in the league.

With my current work load, coupled with the baby continuing to have serious health issues, the amount of time I'm going to be able to allocate to playing a fantasy baseball game is going to be very little. And since I know that my lack of participation is a sore spot for some of the other owners in the league, I feel that this is the best course for everyone. I hope that you can find a replacement for me quickly.

It's been fun, but I feel that it is time to move on. If the other owners want to know why I'm leaving, please feel free to share this info with them.

Thanks,

Adam"

The Sharks were one of the 1997 expansion franchises and had recently had success making the playoffs in four of the last five years in addition to the fact that the franchise was one of the most popular franchise among fans. The DMBL has already reached out to persons on the waiting list to take over the franchise.

The Trade Mill keeps churning

This morning a huge deal was completed between the Arkansas Golden Falcons and the Hillsborough Hired Hitmen. The Falcons sent starter Dan Haren and young outfielder Nick Markakis plus four draft picks (spread out through 2010) to the Hitmen in exchange for sluggers Alex Rodriguez and Adam Dunn, young starters Ian Snell and Jeremy Bonderman and reliever Jonathan Broxton. The move solidifies the Falcons lineup, and makes them once again competitive for the 2008 season. A-Rod will likely fill the DH slot in the Falcons lineup with incumbent David Wright expected to man third base. The Hitmen meanwhile complete their young rotation with Haren, who will likely fill the number two or three spot.

Are there more deals to come? Stay tuned!

Big Deals rejuvenate cooling Hot Stove league

Well there certainly is a lot of discussion going on around the draft date, especially the time. We'll try to hammer this one out in the next few days.

And remember when I posted something about how quiet the Hot Stove league had become? OOPS, I guess the DMBL gods heard me and forced a couple of trades over the past 24 hours.

First it was Vancouver completing a long-rumored deal that sent outfielder Jason Bay, young first baseman Conor Jackson and a fourth round pick in 2009 to Marietta for DMBL veteran Todd Helton. Helton had been a mainstay in the Mighty Men lineup since 2001, so the fans were very upset at the news. Irate fans called into the Fan's Rude Awakening radio show this morning screaming for owner David Landsman's head. "We could have gotten the same package for Wes Helms" said livid caller Jimbo from Kennesaw. "If Landsman knew what he was doing he could have gotten Prince Fielder and Vlad Guerrero for Helton" said another heated listener. Landsman was too distraught for questions but issued a brief statement that began "Today we say goodbye to a truly Mighty Man." A tearful Landsman departed the scene while upset fans picketed the parking lot. "He was a fan favorite" said manager Graig Nettles.

Meanwhile, Honolulu finally did something about their glut of catchers. The Sharks shipped off Brian McCann to D.C. in exchange for pitcher Mark Buehrle and a third round pick. Buerhle will solidify a solid staff featuring Roy Oswalt and Jered Weaver, while McCann slides right into the starting lineup for the Bushslappers. Kenji Johjima is expected to take over the everyday catching duties for the Sharks.

Welcome to 2008

As the protected list due date draws near, it seems that the rumor mills have gotten very quiet. I expect things will surely heat up as the January 27th keeper due date gets closer.

Draft dates are now being considered and Saturday March 1 looks like a good possibility. It's a bit later than usual, but not that much. At least at this time, we'll have some spring training news to chew on. We're thinking about an evening or late afternoon draft this year, so no one has to get up early! Let me know your opinions on the draft date.

Also in the next few days, expect to hear more about this year's Hall of Fame candidates. We'll be opening up the voting this week, so keep your ears open.