The Brooklyn Knights played fairly well in spring training, posting a 16-14 record. All of the teams in League 1 Division 1 had spring training records of .500 or better. The Dayton Grizzlies went 18-12 and looked particularly good. The powerful Luisville Beasts led League 1 Division 2 with a 16-14 record. After a 102-60 2017 season, the Beasts appeared ready to defend their division title. The Key West Corals also played like division champs in spring training with a 17-13 record. The Phoenix Rattlers staked their claim as perhaps the team most likely of a turnaround season. In 2017, the Rattlers finished a disappointing 3rd place after going 75-88. After signing the top two starting pitchers in free agency, however, Phoenix showed it was serious about competing in 2018. The Rattlers committed over $135 million for the contracts of MacKissock and Kerfoot and will expect big results.

The Knights had two new notable injuries. CF Romeo Usquiano will miss the first 2-3 weeks of the regular season with a high ankle sprain. Minor league RP David Sprinkle suffered the most serious injury. The 24 year old Brooklyn native tore his rotator cuff and will miss the entire season.

Key injuries in spring training:

• Cornfield Axemen: P Elijah Phillips will miss the season with a torn labrum (shoulder).
• Cornfield Axemen: SS Frankie Guijarro broke a bone in his elbow and will be out all season.
• Dunedin Otters: 1B Paul Lyons fractured his hand and is expected to miss 5 weeks.
• Dunedin Otters: A sore shoulder will keep CF Phil Tompkins on the injury list (IL) for 5 weeks.
• Key West Corals: SP Brian Harding tore a triceps muscle on March 20. He is expected to miss 3 months.
• Key West Corals: SP Ronaldo Mijangos is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a sore elbow.
• Nashville Firecats: RP Bradon Hill tore a flexor tendon in his elbow. He is looking a 11-12 months recovery time after surgery,
• Phoenix Rattlers: RP Isidoro Caspacio has elbow tendinitis and will need 4-5 weeks of recovery time.
• Phoenix Rattlers: A bone spur in his elbow will keep RP Myles Wexler off the field for about 2 weeks.
• Phoenix Rattlers: CF John Buker has a herniated disc in his back. He is expected to miss 4 weeks.
• Quebeck Sky Chiefs: Shoulder tendinitis will most likely keep RP José Sandoval off the roster for 3 weeks,
• Richmond Slam: RF Fernando Chira is out for approximately 5 weeks with a herniated disc.
• Vancouver Wild: SP Nicolas Sanalria needs surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow. His estimated recovery time is 4-5 months.
• Vancouver Wild: SP Lynden O’Hagarty has a sore shoulder, which landed him on the IL. He may return in about 6 weeks.

There were some notable NALB roster moves during the offseason and 2018 preseason.

The Brooklyn Knights made several offseason moves:

• The Knights signed SP Tony Tamayo to a 7 year contract extension worth $94.5 million.
• Bruce MacOmish signed a 3 year contract extension for $6.6 million.
• Brooklyn locked in star LF Blas Ramos for another 3 years with a 3 year $15.3 million extension.
• The Knights extended the contracts of 11 players through salary arbitration: Juan Fuentes, Alberto Pescador, Ken Hannah, Lariel Gómez, Cristófor De Jesus, Maurílio Godim, Aaron Patterson, Darius Luxton, Xerxes Scaife, Porfírio Portio, and Romeo Usquiano.
• Arbitration was offered to Hsiao-lou Yeh. He declined and opted to file for free agency.
• Brooklyn traded 31 year old 2B Haden Leventon to the Las Vegas Luck, getting 30 year old SP Marcos Delgadillo, 25 year old 2B Sylvester Helms, and 20 year old minor league SP Octávio Chávez in return. With staff ace Porfírio Portio still recovering from radial decompression surgery on his elbow, Delgadillo was an important addition to the starting pitching staff.
• Signed free agent RP Stokley “Pumpkin” McGruder to a 4 year contract worth $17.8 million.
• Signed free agent RP Jesús “Cookie Monster” Montufar for $1.65 million over 3 years.
• AAA RP Felix Comaduran was lost to the Phoenix Rattlers in the Rule 5 draft. They selected him in the 2nd round with the 20th overall pick.

Notable offseason free agent signings:

• After 11 years in Richmond, superstar power-hitting LF Tony Rodarte declared he would enter free agency. It didn’t take long for Rodarte to find a new team. He weighed several offers and decided to join the Nashville Firecats. His new 3 year contract is worth $32.6 million.
• The Dunedin Otters signed RP Benny Alazardo to a 3 year contract worth a total of $12.44 million.
• One of the more interesting signings this offseason was by the Richmond Slam. They agreed to terms with veteran outfielder Elequemedo Gonzalez. “The Mayor,” as Gonzalez is know, is a legend in his native Nicaragua. A 5 year $33.5 million contract lured Gonzalez away from Managua to play in the U.S. for the first time.
• The Luisville Beasts showed they aren’t all about hitting by signing RP Juan Miranda to a 2 year contract worth $9.68 million.
• This year’s top free agent was SP Heath MacKissock. MacKissock was expected to command big money after a lengthy bargaining process. It was surprising when he quickly came to terms with the Rattlers on November 27, 2017. A 7 year mega-deal worth $95.9 million convinced him that Phoenix was the right place for him.
• CF Roy Dabbs signed with the Richmond Slam for $18.24 million over 4 years.
• 43 year old 1B Paul Lyons will take his home run swing to the Dunedin Otters. The ageless wonder signed a $6.2 million 1 year contract.
• Luisville added another powerful bat to its already mighty lineup. Ex-Brooklyn Knight 1B Hsiao-lou Yeh was persuaded to sign with Luisville after they offered him $39.6 million over 6 years.
• The Richmond Slam sign 2B Marc-André Lavoie to a 6 year, $18.36 million deal.
• One of the top free agent starters available was Ralph Kerfoot. He opted to sign with the Phoenix Rattlers. His contract is worth $39.2 million over 4 years.
• Catcher Willie Nolan joins the Richmond Slam for 2018. His new 4 year contract is worth $24.1 million.
• Long time Stade Maple Jordan Blanchard has himself a new home. The right fielder agreed to join the Dayton Grizzlies after they offered him $73.2 million for 7 years.
• Veteran 1B Pete Porter will be joining his sixth team as he is now a member of the Stade Maples. He agreed to a 4 year, $29.2 million deal.

Notable offseason trades:

• The St. James Crusaders traded 31-year-old reliever Paul Thompson to the Luisville Beasts, getting 22-year-old minor league shortstop Ron Younger and 24-year-old catcher Filip Chambless in return.
• The Las Vegas Luck traded 32-year-old catcher Kensaku Shimada and 19-year-old minor league shortstop Vidal González to the Stade Maples, getting 24-year-old catcher Aneury Martínez and 24-year-old minor league shortstop Reiley Haws in return.
• The Key West Corals traded 26-year-old right fielder Alfonso Rocho to the Cornfield Axemen, getting 27-year-old reliever Eugene McHenry and 23-year-old minor league reliever Nathan Bósques in return.