Moscow Taps Caldwell as new Manager - 63.07
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2025 1:30 pm
It was a trying 2063 season, but Mike Bauer and the Thunder Bears front office was caught off-guard by the sudden retirement of manager Brayden Bonaddio at the end of the GBC regular season. Bonaddio had one year left on his contract and there was every indication that the team would show a little more patience in 2064 and let Bonaddio try to turn things around.
But Bonaddio, a 20-year veteran of BBA minor league levels, decided this was the right time to slow things down and enjoy life with his family. Brayden tallied a lot of time in the Drake and Spike Nolan levels as a hitting coach, and made the transition to manager in the last five years. But he quickly found out that the pro level, even the GBC, is a whole other animal. Critics wouldn't quite say Bonaddio was in over his head, but there were some indications that his instructional skills and relationships with players were substandard.
The Thunder Bears were prepared for a length search to find Bonaddio's replacement as manager, but both Moscow and interviewee Dan Caldwell quickly realized this was a good fit for both parties and wasted very little time negotiating. For the last two years, with no previous relevant experience (sorry OOTP engine, working at Tractor Supply and Petsmart doesn't count), Caldwell got his start as a bench coach with Sydney. In 2063, he was part of a staff that helped the Sharks improve their win total by 18 games. Nonetheless, Sydney coveted recent Johannesburg 1B Coach Matt Brear and signed him as bench coach while allowing Caldwell to walk.
Caldwell will earn a reported $904,000 over the next 3 years with the Thunder Bears. With a smallball philosophy, he's already begun to gel with veteran speedster OF Godofredo Chucha. A lot of the other Thunder Bears player also feel confident in Caldwell and apparently value experience at the major league level instead of the minors, even as an assistant.
What's next for the T-Bears this offseason? Some development regimens and arbitration decisions have reportedly already been made. The team also resigned a slew of minor league free agents to keep the momentum of minor league upgrades from this last season going. Next will come UFA, IFA, the Rule V draft and the remaining offseason window where the team will reportedly seek some trades to shore up depth and weaknesses still present after most of free agency and Rule V has settled down.
But Bonaddio, a 20-year veteran of BBA minor league levels, decided this was the right time to slow things down and enjoy life with his family. Brayden tallied a lot of time in the Drake and Spike Nolan levels as a hitting coach, and made the transition to manager in the last five years. But he quickly found out that the pro level, even the GBC, is a whole other animal. Critics wouldn't quite say Bonaddio was in over his head, but there were some indications that his instructional skills and relationships with players were substandard.
The Thunder Bears were prepared for a length search to find Bonaddio's replacement as manager, but both Moscow and interviewee Dan Caldwell quickly realized this was a good fit for both parties and wasted very little time negotiating. For the last two years, with no previous relevant experience (sorry OOTP engine, working at Tractor Supply and Petsmart doesn't count), Caldwell got his start as a bench coach with Sydney. In 2063, he was part of a staff that helped the Sharks improve their win total by 18 games. Nonetheless, Sydney coveted recent Johannesburg 1B Coach Matt Brear and signed him as bench coach while allowing Caldwell to walk.
Caldwell will earn a reported $904,000 over the next 3 years with the Thunder Bears. With a smallball philosophy, he's already begun to gel with veteran speedster OF Godofredo Chucha. A lot of the other Thunder Bears player also feel confident in Caldwell and apparently value experience at the major league level instead of the minors, even as an assistant.
What's next for the T-Bears this offseason? Some development regimens and arbitration decisions have reportedly already been made. The team also resigned a slew of minor league free agents to keep the momentum of minor league upgrades from this last season going. Next will come UFA, IFA, the Rule V draft and the remaining offseason window where the team will reportedly seek some trades to shore up depth and weaknesses still present after most of free agency and Rule V has settled down.