Around the League: Free Agency Day 1 (8/13/13)

      Day 1 of Free Agency was fairly active, but mostly with moves that we'd seen coming for a while. Ryan Hutchings returns to the franchise he was drafted by and won his first title with on a 3-year deal. The Goodfellas signed an experienced smart player in Justin Geri. The Raft Riders signed a veteran bat in Matt Garvey to help stabilize their lineup, as well as extending a few of their core players. And finally the Monstars gave their superstar Matt Creamer a 2-year extension. Below we'll talk about all of today's moves and our analysis of what's to come in Around the League.

Monstars:
     Captain/Owner Rich Camacho really has his team right where every owner wants theirs to be. After signing Matt Creamer to a 2-year extension today, he's got his stars locked up to multi-year deals, he's got an open roster spot, and over 10 in value still to play with. But according to reports the Monstars may look to fill their final roster spot within their farm system by promoting OF Franky Lamberty once again for WP8. The Monstars are a team built on great chemistry and a positive attitude, so it seems unlikely that they would mess with those vibes.

Flapacamingos:
     Flapacs ownership seems to once again be all-in to try and raise another banner. They put themselves at the salary cap summit by signing former PDS captain and WP3 Title-game MVP Ryan Hutchings to a 3-year deal. Hutchings hasn't participated since WP4 due to injury and absence, so who's to say what he'll actually bring to the table. But there is a real level of excitement around the clubhouse and the fanbase about this signing. Whether or not Hutchings can return to his prime form is questionable, but either way he'll bring and energy and focus that this team seemed to lack in Wiffle 7. If Hutchings is in prime form, he'll fit perfectly in the clean-up spot, moving Ricci to 3rd and Etter back to the lead-off spot, making this once again the most potent lineup in the league.

Goon Squad:
    Longwood LLC was very quiet on the first day of free-agency. The team doesn't have a ton of value to spend, but they do have enough to add 2 quality players, which may explain the delay. With this tournament being for money, you know the Goons aren't gonna slack off again. They seem to really be doing some work behind the scenes to make the right decisions. Goon Squad has to get this right if they want to contend in Wiffle 8. They are just 3-8 over the last 3 tournaments and have a core that seems to be past its prime. Some moves that would make sense for the Goons, if they were to go the 2-player route, snagging veterans Kevin Smick, Brian Browne and Bobby Gifford would give them 8 players, cap clearance, and new weapons in every area. If they were to go the one player route, Fernando Gonzalez would cost a lot, but could be a real star in the league. He would fit well for the Goons, and if they could find one more pitcher they would be in great shape.

Goodfellas:
     The Goodfellas only move on the first day of free-agency was a crucial one. Justin Geri joins the squad as another quality veteran bat and although he's never had a ton of success on the mound its a possibility he could contribute for this team. The Goodfellas had their worst showing ever at Palooza this past year, but they still managed to be one win away from the Playoffs. They're definitely not done making moves in this offseason, but if they keep making quality additions like Geri, they could be very relevant again next summer.

Cuban Raft Riders:
     The most noticeable issue the Raft Riders had in Palooza 7 had nothing to do with statistics. In the playoffs, when trouble showed up, this group of inexperienced players fell apart. They took a step to righting that issue today by signing veteran hitter Matt Garvey. Garvey had his best tournament ever this past year as a member of the Flapacamingos, who could not keep Garvey due to salary cap restrictions.  He is a solid fit for the Raft Riders who not only need some veteran stability, they could certainly use more power at the plate. They hit just 3 homers as a team, while Garvey hit 4 by himself in Wiffle 7. The Raft Riders were 5th out of 6 teams in overall offense, so Garvey will certainly help that as well. Another move made today, CRR extended their All-Star pitcher Matt Glogau through Wifflepalooza 9. The move is smart considering his ability to pitch to anyone and to gut out tough victories. More moves certain to come for the Raft Riders. They have plenty of cap room, and 2 roster spaces left. But an overall lack of desire to go there will test their team building ability.

Salary Cap Figures for Wifflepalooza VIII

Ok so here's how this works. In order to keep a better competitive level, we're instituting a salary cap where each player now has a value to them. Each teams captain also gets an automatic additional 3.5. Each team may have 6 to 8 players under contract, all with a total value of 60 or less. Here are the rosters as we stand today, 8/13/13.

Flapacamingos             Years    Expires   Base    Incentive    AAV
Matt Bocchese                 5        WP12      2.3       3.5              5.8
Jake Lambert                   5        WP12      7.5                          7.5
Ryan Ricci                       4        WP11     12.3                        12.3
Al Etter                            3        WP10     13.6                        13.6
Kris Lapsley                    2         WP9       9.3                          9.3
Pat Ney                            2         WP9        4                             4
Perry Barse                      1         WP8        1                             1
Ryan Hutchings               3        WP10      6.4                          6.4
                                                                                 TOTAL   59.9
                                                                                   +/-           -0.1

Goodfellas                  Years     Expires   Base    Incentive     AAV
Rocco Lombardo           3          WP10     2.3       3.5               5.8
Mike Mazzochi              3          WP10    8.75                         8.75
Brian Stanzione             1           WP8     11.6                         11.6
Dimitri Paraskevas        1           WP8      9.5                            9.5
Angel Santiago              1           WP8       2                               2
Allen Rivera                  1           WP8      8.1                            8.1
Justin Geri                     1           WP8      5.7                            5.7
                                                                                 TOTAL   51.45
                                                                                    +/-         -8.55

Goon Squad              Years      Expires   Base    Incentive     AAV
Mark Ronchetti             5          WP12     9.1      3.5               12.6
Jeff Ronchetti                2           WP9     11.3                         11.3
Nino Bonanno               5          WP12     7.6                          7.6
Tyler Martini                 3          WP10    10.4                         10.4
Danny Martini               3          WP10     1.8                          1.8
Fernando Gonzalez       1            WP8    12.3                         12.3
Patrick Hennessey         1            WP8     1.1                           1.1
                                                                                TOTAL    57.1
                                                                                   +/-        -2.9

Monstars                  Years      Expires   Base    Incentive      AAV
Rich Camacho              3          WP10     1.7      3.5                5.2
Vinnie Foschi               2          WP9       6.3                           6.3
Carlos Negron              2          WP9       6.8                           6.8
Matt Creamer               3          WP10     13.9                         13.9
Craig Chammings        2           WP9      4.1                           4.1
Jeff Pilla                       2           WP9      6                               6
Shawn Robinson          2           WP9      3.1                           3.1
                                                                               TOTAL    45.4
                                                                                  +/-         -14.6

Cuban Raft Riders  Years      Expires   Base    Incentive       AAV
John Bergen                3          WP10     2.6      3.5                 6.1
Matt Glogau                2           WP9     11.1                          11.1
Chris Sheldon             2           WP9      3.6                            3.6
Pete Polo                     2           WP9     .689                          .689
Matt Wallace              2            WP9       7                              7
Matt Garvey               3           WP10     3.7                           3.7
                                                                              TOTAL    32.189
                                                                                 +/-         -28.811

Free Agents

Steve Gonzalez		14.7 m
Mark Rowan		11.2 m
Jeff Rowan		9.7 m
Jeff Lunsford		6.7m
Jacob Bertonazzi		6.3 m
Kyle Lunsford		6m
Dustin Graiff		5.5m
Tyler Day		5.2m
Kevin Smick		4.8m
Brian Browne		4.1 m
Zach Klaudi		3.8m
Troy Day		3.6m
Mike Lapsley		3.5m
Peter Gervasio		3.1m
Bobby Gifford		2.4m
Jake Habina		2.3m
Lee Timmons		2.3m
Sean Lent		2.1m
John Taormina		2m
Mike Tedesco		1.8m
Luke Bencie		1.7m
Matt Lewis		1.6m
Eric Ciancaglini		1m
Brandon Lipschultz		900k
Richard Cugini		750k
Emory Pierson		743k
Joe D'Amato		689K
Alexi Paraskevas		250k

Welcome!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the new place to find all your news for WIFFLEPALOOZA, and all things Major League Wiffleball. This is the site to find all stats from WIFFLEPALOOZA and all updates on rules, times, dates, etc. This will also be where all free agency lists and updates will happen as teams try to build for next season. We hope you enjoy and feel free to interract with us as well.

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      Office of the Commissioner