First, an example of the kind of talent that has not been coming down the pipeline in our world, but has been in others- Pedro Seneca (not sure if it shows projections, but 97 ovr, with 84/89/94/100/92 for dur/ctr/vL/vR/velocity)

NL East

Hartford Harpoons- ($17.75m/year) Hartford has only 5 IFAs who signed for 600K plus in the period under investigation, including one big impact player and two guys who can add some depth. That impact player is Albie Torres, the most expensive signing in Morgan in season 5 at $12.8 million, and sports an ERA that is not reflective of how well he has pitched. And while it’s tough to break through on a good team like Hartford, William Lim and Vin Matos, both season six signees, will add depth to the ML squad. Hartford has three internationals on the ML roster, and a grade of B-, for the good of seasons 5 and 6 and the bad in seasons 7 and 8.

New York Metropolitans- ($18.5m/year) New owner ajf00529 has not focused on the international scene, and previous owners have been scatterbrained in this area as well. If Tony Blanco can work through his control problems and Alex Martinez can work through his control problems these two can contribute at the ML level. Beyond them, there isn’t much here. Alex Villano is ajf’s only signing, a nice defensive pick up for just $670K. There is only one international on the Met’s ML team currently, and a grade here of C-.

Wichita Twisters- ($14.25m/year) Of the first eight teams Wichita has spent the least. To be perfectly candid I believe that peteskin would be well served by investing more money into college and int’l scouting. That said, all three int’l signings have been solid. Orlando Candelaria is a solid switch-hitter, Felipe Ortiz will get on base, and Diego Santana posted a .847 ops in his cup of tea with the ML club this season. So, in spite of my criticism, a B- grade for a team with 3 internationals on the ML club.

San Juan Jumping Beans- ($32.13m/year) The biggest spender of teams looked at thus far, San Juan has signed five players with signing bonuses greater than $5 million. I am of the opinion that the two season five signees were misses, in Santiago Barcelo and Sammy Rodriguez, but beyond that there is some real talent. Enrique Mercedes and Tino Lee are both nice back of the rotation pitchers in that they lack stamina, Hiram Whang had a great glove, and Jose Soto is a nice catching prospect. Still, I get the feeling that San Juan has been jockeying to get in position for that HoF talent that simply hasn’t come along in our world. They have accumulated 6 internationals onto the ML roster, and I would give a grade here of B-. It’s the same grade as less talented Wichita and Hartford earned, but jarazix has been spending twice as much and it has not amounted to a vast difference in talent. As he won a WS, I don’t feel guilty saying this.