56.07 Rhys Cripps Signs for $2.35 Million

[pandan]

London Monarch's front office announced on 22-Jul that they'd come to an agreement with free agent SS Rhys Cripps. The 33-year-old last played professionally in Las Vegas in the BBA, where he was released last September. He signed onto the Chicago Black Sox minors system at the start of 2056, but was released before Spring Training in March. He's been searching for a new landing place since.

$2,350,000 may seem a bit steep for a 9-year-veteran who has produced negative WAR in both the GBC and BBA, but his career marks at SS certainly buoy his usefulness, boasting a 1.024 career defensive efficiency and +38.1 ZR in over 8838.2 innings at short. He'll shot in to replace the injured SS Barrett Marshall. Given Marshall's strong defensive marks, having a similarly strong glove at the position should help ensure that London can stay atop a competitive GBC.

"We needed to move quickly to bolster our infield, and we had additional cash to spare," GM Rigatoni shared at the press conference. "We approached Cripps' camp and were able to negotiate a deal that we were both happy with for the remainder of this season."

Rumors swirled that London was caught in a bidding war with a BBA team. While the terms of that tentative deal were not made public, it is clear London's price point was enough to scare them off from continuing the bidding.

Cripps is looking for a bounceback year. In 240 PAs in 2055 with LV, he posted a .248/.283/.372 slash line, good for a 67 wRC+. While poor, it certainly wasn't as bad as his campaign in 2054 in San Antonio, where he posted a .164/.188/.261 slashline in 139 trips to the dish, good for a woeful 14 wRC+.

However, you do not become a 9 year veteran without having positive traits as well. Cripps was originally picked in the 1st Round with the 10th overall pitch in the 2044 UMEBA draft out of Honiara, joining the Cairo Chariot Archers BC. At his height in 2042, he was ranked the #44 UMEBA prospect. He was traded to Baghdad in 2043, where he would struggle in his first 3 full-time seasons, eventually getting released in 2048. While his offensive metrics disappointed, his glove-first profile drew interest in San Antonio in a bench role. He had a brief renaissance in 2051-2052, where he posted 3 career WAR over two seasons, closing his 2052 campaign (his age 29 season) with a strong .296/.332/.518. He's not been able to repeat this success, but having such a strong line in the top league certainly has earned him continued chances to show those flashes of greatness into his age 33 season.

Cripps is hoping his return to the now GBC will be the spark he needs to show he can still contend. Owed slightly over half the value of his contract through the remainder of the year, Cripps will likely start at shortstop for the Monarchs.

"I look forward to competing with the Monarchs," Cripps said as he donned his new hat in the press conference. "It's an honor to be here and I look forward to winning some games."

IF Cary Brackett was DFA'd in a subsequent move to make room for Cripps on the roster. Brackett appeared in 4 games for the Monarchs, making 5 plate appearances, going hitless with a walk and one RBI on a sacrifice hit.