Offense in Mile High?

Offense in Mile High?  Could it be true?  All of the limited success the Mustangs have had to date has been centered around two things.  Pitching and defense.  Offensive production has been scarce to say the least.  In game 161 of the 2015 season, Fernando Garza jacked his 30th homer of the year making him the first Mustang in franchise history to reach that milestone.  They have ranked at or close to the bottom of the league in virtually every offensive category to date.

Finally Mustang ownership decided enough was enough and in 2016 they are going to score some runs no matter what the cost!  Well it turns out the cost was 200 million dollars.  After clearing out some space in the budget, the Mustangs were extremely aggressive in the free agent market.  They scored their top two targets.  The fans are ecstatic to welcome Eric McSwan and Juan Ramirez to the club.  When it comes to run production, there is not much doubt these two guys were at the top of the free agent market.

200 million is a gigantic number but it should be manageable.  The team opted to not pick up the option for Tommy Harris.  That coupled with Eduardo Gomez completing his high priced contract freed up some money.  Add in some cash that was growing mold in the bank and this year is pretty well covered.  The way other contracts are forecasted over the next couple of years look to aid this move favorably.  Still, there is no doubt the club is depending on the increased gate revenue McSwan and Ramirez should generate to make it all work.  If it all goes south, well both of the new giant contracts are structured in a way that only three seasons are guaranteed.  So if it is a bust we can suffer through three years and start fresh again in 2019.

As far as the pitching and defense the Mustangs have been so proud to foster, well the pitching staff returns largely intact and nothing has changed up the middle.  The club still will carry two elite defensive catchers.  Wade and Ritchie will continue to suck up grounders like a vacuum.  Granted, center field has still not recovered since the devastating Eric Black CEI.  But Raymundo Gaias is far from a defensive liability.

Mustangs fans all agree that this off season cannot go by fast enough.  They cannot wait to see their shiny new toys step into the batters box and drive in some runs!