Hammer Time 2051.3 – Retooling Part I

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Hammer Time 2051.3 – Retooling Part I

Post by WestCoastStros » Tue May 24, 2022 11:37 pm

With more action coming in this past week than the last two combined for Jerusalem, the fanbase has quickly become divisive in its opinion on how well new management is doing to reload a team that was, quite simply, crippled by briefly being placed in the new American trial program reminiscent of English soccer administration.

The Hebrew Hammers ‘lead’ the GBC in WAR lost through from the 2050 season, even including the mass of signings already brought in. At a whooping -21.9, it would seem Jerusalem has a nigh-insurmountable hill to climb as fans clamor for an ambitious third straight championship series appearance. Breakout stud SP Leon Ludeman (the GBC leader with 5.1 WAR, 165 K and 221.1 IP) is already gone to London on a massive $14.6M one-year deal, while three-year CL standout Jan Chmelyk (104 saves and 8.8 WAR in the last three seasons) has finally made a long-anticipated move to the BBA after the Chicago Black Sox handed him a hefty 5-year deal that can max out as high as $38M.

Jerusalem still has an outside shot at the likes of SP Jorge Vega (4.9 WAR), SP Hsuang-tsung Xu (4.1 WAR) and C Baden Dutton (2.0), though by all reports each has at least one foot out the door already with significant asks even this late in free agency. Likely anticipating this, the Hammers recently added underrated 30yo C Felipe Delgado, who even as a part-timer was an All-Star in his lone GBC season with Manama after a seven-year BBA career. Youngster Shan Guan also was added on a minor league deal to improve an absolute dearth of backstop depth.
GM Mark Becker may have stumbled onto a brilliant DH platoon with both the Hammers’ bat-only targets committing to join the squad within a week of one another. Human rock and aptly nicknamed “Miner” Bartolo Ortiz snuck under the radar as another long-time BBA standout who admittedly struggled in his GBC debut at age 36, but remains a terror for right-handed pitchers. Simultaneously, perennially overlooked (noticing a trend?) Bratislev Marousek also will come to town on a similar deal ($1.3M vs. $1.1M) as more of a bat-control speedster who will look to give southpaws fits in the box and on the basepaths.

Yet the cream of the crop may well turn out to be an intra-GBC nab in 25yo SP David Diaz, who after debuting with Beirut as a 19yo back in 2044 has departed the only professional team he has known. In one of the sport’s most polarizing stories, he lost complete credibility with the fanbase in a ghastly 3-16, 5.60 ERA 2049 season after leading the league in WHIP (1.06) and notching a 14-1 record with a 2.80 ERA just the season prior. He promptly blew out his arm on Apr. 21, 2050 after a mere four starts, though is far enough along in his rehab that Jerusalem liked what it saw to the order of a $3M+ deal expecting his return just in time for Spring Training.

Owner Khalig Rajput apparently is already convinced, having seen fit to pump an additional $4M into the team’s scouting and development budgets as a result of the moves.

Part II will focus on the internal moves made by Jerusalem, including potential position changes and minor league callups.

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