103 wins, fewer runs

1. Knowable by December 22, 2001

2001 results are reconstructed from a later database edition, not from an edition released by this date. The December 14 Justice trade was reported December 15 [MB4]; Koch was already acquired in the December 8 report [MB5]. Neither is a new 2002 acquisition. The December 9 free-agent list [MB6] included the four-name board, but did not confirm December 22 availability. Justice [MB4] · Koch [MB5] · Market [MB6]

The unchanged salary-only hypothetical ceiling was $33,810,750, equal to 2001 Oakland listed salaries [MB1]. Departures freed $14,503,333 in prior salaries; reserve $3,300,000 for pitching, leaving $11,203,333 in hitter room. Justice's reported 2002 salary was $7,000,000, with $1,200,000 reported from the Mets: $5,800,000 arithmetic net, leaving $5,403,333. Pricing Henderson at his prior $300,000 salary would leave $5,103,333; that was never an offer or a cash budget. The selected candidate was Rickey Henderson, not Scott Hatteberg. Salaries [MB1] · Reported payment [MB4] · Snapshot [MB6]

2. December 30, 2001: the agreement report

Associated Press [MB7] published the report on December 30, 2001, after the cutoff and before the 2002 season. It said Scott Hatteberg and Oakland agreed on Friday, December 28, 2001, to a $1,000,000 one-year deal. The same later report recounted a Boston to Colorado trade on December 19 for Pokey Reese and free-agent status on December 20 after Colorado did not offer a contract. Those earlier dates are events described by a December 30 publication, not a December 22 source. Names join People rows [MB1, MB8].

3. What the 2002 season later showed

Oakland's 2002 batting stints include Hatteberg, Justice and Koch; there is no Oakland batting stint for Henderson in this filtered packet. A roster row proves appearance, not signing date. Justice and Koch belong to the pre-cutoff column. Justice: 118 games, 106 hits, 70 walks, 11 home runs, 471 PA, 61.299 basic individual RC. Hatteberg: 136 games, 138 hits, 68 walks, 15 home runs, 567 PA, 78.354 basic individual RC. Individual RC values do not sum to team RC. Batting [MB8] · Method [MB3]

The 2002 salary row says Hatteberg $900,000, while MB7 reported a $1 million agreement; this excerpt cannot reconcile them. Justice's $7,000,000 nominal row does not subtract the MB4 Mets payment; Koch's $2,433,333 nominal row does not price his acquisition. None proves Oakland's net cash payroll or that the earlier ceiling was met. Agreement [MB7] · Salaries [MB8] · Mets payment [MB4]

What this comparison cannot establish

The new batting roster includes Hatteberg and other players, not the frozen Justice plus Henderson substitution. Actual runs fell by 84 while wins rose by one. Missing playing time, other lineup changes and pitching prevent treating the substituted 710.427 RC as a forecast or attributing the outcome to one player. Actual contract dates for roster-only players, cash payments, counterfactual runs and Henderson's full 2002 whereabouts are unknown here. MB8 is retrospective; the 2002 rows were not available at the cutoff. Baseline [MB1] · Outcome [MB8]