Dwarf Division Preview: Erebor Takes Bree's Best Arm, and MESN Takes Erebor
mesn-preseason-desk · 2026-10-27
The biggest trade in the Dwarf Division never left it. In January the Erebor Eagles pried right-hander Llamryl "Matchbox" Tindomieon out of Bree. They took 172.7 innings of 3.70 ERA and 4.0 WAR from the division's last-place club and gave up a minor-league second baseman and a 23-year-old outfielder with four big-league plate appearances. That deal, plus a 35-year-old slugger, is why MESN picks Erebor to win a division OOTP projects it to finish last in, at 80-82. The Sacred Chickens, who reward service time, did most of the arguing. OOTP takes the defending champion Minas Ithil Wyrms to repeat at 94-68. Last spring the Predictor Monkey had Rivendell first and the Wyrms second. The Wyrms won it.
Since our last preview
Nothing has touched the Dwarf Division since the Elf preview. The rest of the league stayed busy:
- The Karak Kadrin Slayers sent LF Dene Sosa and RHP Njål Dap to the Dol Guldur Dragons for 1B Marmadas Gardener. - The Old Forest Merry Fellows moved LF Teryani Ipyllasc and RHP Xu-gang Sharmistha in separate deals for two 24-year-old arms. - The Isengard Raiders lost Allyson Bunce to a concussion listed at 1,000 days. The Weathertop Witch Kings lost Andy van Cleave (243 days) and Rudolph Bramblebush (322 days) to torn plantar fascia. - The Misty Mountain Hops signed Celamer the Sly and Hyun-suk Titsworth. The Minas Morgul Slayers got Mlartlar Elumbor back from elbow reconstruction. - The release wire ran to several hundred names.
Erebor Eagles (MESN #1, OOTP #4)
Erebor went 88-74 and made the playoffs after back-to-back losing seasons, then added without subtracting much. Along with Tindomieon, Shivaji "Gambler" Brown arrived from the Babylon Five Rangers for two minor leaguers. Brown hit .273 with 20 homers and 3.5 WAR in 528 plate appearances last year. The departures barely register. Bingo Banks retired at 41 after a -0.7 WAR season, and catcher Koji Isadriel (-1.0 WAR) signed with Bree. Payroll still fell $4.7M to $96.7M, though $23.6M of it goes to Guruvayur Livertrembler, a 50-OVR third baseman. Gavin Hardbottle closes games, and at 80 OVR he is the highest-rated player in the division. The rotation is less settled. It projects to open with 21-year-old Lomli Beardworker, promoted this winter at 50 OVR, and that is the whole case for OOTP's 80-82. The Sacred Chickens laid an egg on Brown's photo before the handler had finished pinning it to the coop wall.
Rivendell Royals (MESN #2, OOTP #3)
Rivendell won the division in 2050 and 2051, slipped to second at 91-71 last year, and spent the winter replacing most of an outfield. Center fielder Kamer Evensta (589 PA, 14 HR, 1.7 WAR) signed with the Diagon Alley Wizards, and Odessa Zooty took her 444 plate appearances to Bywater. The headline arrival is shortstop Mirthal Sil-Gal from the Minas Tirith Titans, who hit .283 with 24 homers and 6.3 WAR. He now earns $19.8M. He cost shortstop Gandaudur Tyriand (1.7 WAR), two minor-league right-handers and at least two draft picks. Center fielder Amitabha Jagarlamudi came from the Ravenhill Darkwings in exchange for two players, a fourth-rounder and $20M in Rivendell cash. He opens on the injured list. Gildor *Inglorion (68 OVR, 90 control) leads the rotation, Snugzog Deathskull (69) closes, and Bahumanya Hileman (68) anchors the lineup. Por the Crusher, the club's top salary at $25.2M, also starts on the IL. The Predictor Monkey pawed the Royals' logo off the board for the second straight March and has not been told how the first one went.
Minas Ithil Wyrms (MESN #3, OOTP #1)
The champions climbed from 72-90 in 2050 to 94-68 last year and posted the division's best ERA at 3.54. Their winter was quiet in the transaction column. Payroll rose $18.8M to $133.5M, and nobody on the arrivals list accounts for it. The losses came from the pitching staff. Darrick Hafer, 38, signed with the Narnia Badgers after a 3.49 ERA over 90.3 innings and 2.0 WAR, and Arzhir Egorshin left for the Lond Daer Warriors (3.84 ERA). The replacements are internal. Twenty-one-year-old shortstop Dejaria Phelps (57 OVR) was promoted, and free-agent right-hander Vebur Alvear opens on the 60-day IL. Frugorn Coronda (78 OVR, $26.8M) still fronts a rotation with Dubpug Malona (66) and Linda Grundy. Zurthug the Masher (70) remains the best-rated bat in the division. OOTP sees no reason they won't repeat. MESN's objection is the dugout. The Phrenologist's Bumps Chart, which reads only the manager, ranked the Wyrms fourth of four after a palpation the handler logged at under four minutes.
Bree Cheese (MESN #4, OOTP #2)
Bree finished fourth at 76-86, its third straight losing season. The club then cut payroll by $38M and spent $50.2M of what remained on two pitchers. Molg Bloodcrawler, 34, left the Minas Tirith Titans for $27.2M after a 2.83 ERA over 184.3 innings and 3.8 WAR. Iwao Borwick, 37, came from the Isengard Raiders at $23M after 19.3 innings of 6.52 ERA. Those two now head the rotation, which is what replacing Tindomieon costs on the open market. The lineup also lost Semolina Wisebattler, traded to the WeMadeIt Crashlanders after hitting .297 with 2.5 WAR. First baseman Camillo Meriken (16 HR) went to Ravenhill for Stephano Cameras. Left fielder Belba Nightstalker (69 OVR) and first baseman Trabmak Dwarftopper (62 OVR, 79 eye) lead what remains. Marçal Ivatt (64 OVR) is the best arm Bree did not have to buy. Second baseman Bushog Spearripper opens on the 60-day IL. OOTP has Bree second at 84-78. MESN sees two departed regulars and a rotation leaning on a 37-year-old, and ranks Bree last.
Verdicts
- Team to beat: Erebor Eagles. Tindomieon and Brown bring 7.5 WAR of 2052 production to an 88-win team that lost nobody it will miss. - Sleeper: Rivendell Royals. Sil-Gal's 6.3 WAR is the biggest single arrival in the division, and the Royals have made three straight postseasons. - Over/under: Minas Ithil Wyrms at OOTP's 94 wins. MESN takes the under.