Acquired 5/24/1999 from the free agent pool.

Doc may be on the wrong side of the high point of his career, but he's still got decent stuff and plenty of experience. Plus it never hurts to pitch for a team with a great offense.

Of course, that was pretty much the theory behind drafting Mike Morgan, whose spot on the roster Gooden now takes, except maybe the "decent stuff" part. If the Zingrods get a month out of Gooden like they got out of Morgan in April, everything will be hunky-dory. This will probably sound like a left-handed compliment to Gooden, but the free agent pool in the GBUFBL is hideously thin, and the Zingrods were pleasantly surprised to find somebody of Gooden's calibre available when Morgan self-destructed.

Update 7-12-1999: Gooden self-destructed faster than Morgan and was demoted to the bullpen in Cleveland. Released.