New Closer in Town
Nacho Méndez Demoted
By Khepri Quraishi, Egypt Today Sports
February 25, 2049
New Closer Rides into Town (with additional help)
After watching five relievers rack up 21 blown saves last season, Cairo decided it might be time to try someone new in that role. Duh! Ergo, the Pharaohs have signed Jorge Martínez to a three-year deal, the final year being a team option. Martínez will earn $4.0 million per year. He comes to Cairo after eight years with the Valencia Stars of the BBA. He relies on a good fastball and a good curve, and he has excellent control.
And that’s not all. Also joining the battle royale for jobs in the “has to improve” Pharaoh bullpen will be former Montreal/Jacksonville/Des Moines pitcher Raúl ‘Moony’ Luna. Great stuff, good movement, questionable control – everyone is hoping for the best.
Personnel Change
Bench Coach António Zúñiga has been fired. Taking over as assistant to Manager Cevat Alpay will be José De Los Santos who signed a three-year contract.
Another One Bites the Dust
Earlier we reported that competitive balance signee Juan Nicto had retired after a disappointing 2048 campaign. Now another competitive balance signee is gone from the roster. First baseman Nacho Méndez also disappointed last year with a negative WAR. He was waived, designated for assignment, and then reassigned to triple-A Pretoria after no other team showed any interest in him.
Replacing Méndez on the roster will be rookie Jae-hyung Chi. 23 years old, Chi hit .287 last season with AAA Pretoria where he hit 18 home runs and recorded a 4.2 WAR. A left-handed hitter, he is most impressive against right handed pitching, so, if he doesn’t start all the time, he will platoon with Lawrence Blanchard at first. If Chi doesn’t work out, Méndez could be recalled.
General Manager Joe Geoghegan commented – If we were sure Chi could handle the job, we could have saved $1.25 million this year by not exercising our team option on Mendéz. Surprisingly Méndez accepted a demotion to Pretoria, so we still have the option of reversing this move.
Wrapping it up for now
