2064.02 – “In the Aggregate”

[Graham]

It was quiet in Graham Luna’s office, the kind of early December lull where the only sound was the faint hum of the stadium lights outside and the rhythmic tap of a pen against a legal pad. Arbitration hearings had wrapped earlier in the week, leaving the Johannesburg Gold’s GM and his assistant, Fernando Rosario, to stare at the inevitable reality: the new season was already underway and the clock was already ticking toward the Winter Meetings.

A man could get lost in this kind of quiet. Graham liked it. Rosario looked like it was eating him alive.

“Alright,” Graham finally said, flipping through the top sheet of his notebook. “Let’s start with the obvious. Seki.”

Rosario groaned. “Reports are he's on schedule to start a long-toss program in February, flat ground work in March. We’re lucky if we see him before April.”

Graham nodded before going landing on the next topic: the outfield-sized holes in the lineup.

“Jimmie Jack, Montgomerie, Roman,” Graham said, as if reciting the names of ships lost at sea. “Gone. And before you start, we’re not bringing them back.”

James Belinda had been the big bat last season. 44 homers, a 3.6 WAR, and more than a few baseballs sent into the outer boroughs of Johannesburg. But the contact skills had slipped like a wet bar of soap. “I have him penciled in for thirty home runs next year, maybe,” Graham said. “But he’s just as likely to hit .230. And he wants four million for the privilege of finding out. Pass.”

Montgomerie was a different story. The ultimate Rule 5 lottery ticket from last year batted .297 with 28 home runs. He was also made of glass and had the defensive range of a department store mannequin. “DH-only, coming off a career year,” Graham said. “That’s how you end up paying for champagne and getting flat ginger ale.”

Roman’s numbers were solid (.273/.339/.510), but at 39, his reflexes weren’t getting faster. He couldn’t play the field, couldn’t hit righties consistently, and had been deployed last year with the caution of a priceless museum piece. “Great guy, good clubhouse presence,” Graham admitted, “but we can’t build around a part-time legend.”

Rosario let the list sink in, then glanced around the office. His eyes landed on the bare corner by the window. “Still no bonsai tree?” he queried.

Graham didn’t even look up. “Nah,” he said evenly, “Since I haven’t brought it up or looked into it's disappearance any further, that Darryl character hasn’t popped up. I’d like to keep it that way.”

Rosario nodded slowly, deciding not to push. Whatever history sat behind that missing plant and the name Darryl, it wasn’t going to be solved over an offseason strategy session.

Graham turned a page in his notebook. “Back to our offense for next season. Rosario, you’re still trying to replace those guys. I told you we can’t do it, and we can’t do it. Now…” He leaned back in his chair, as if setting up a punchline, “…what we might be able to do is re-create them. Re-create them in the aggregate.”

Both men went still. It was too familiar, too on-the-nose. Somewhere, the ghost of an old baseball movie smirked knowingly.

“Right,” Rosario said at last. “The aggregate.”

“Exactly.”

And the plan for that aggregate was already in motion.

A few months ago, at the end of the regular season, Graham had quietly plucked three minor league free agents from the scrapheap, then resigned them to minor league deals for 2064. Marshall Taylor a veteran BBA arm recovering from elbow surgery, could be ready for spring training and give them a cheap, back-end starter option. “He’s pitched in bigger parks than ours,” Graham said. “If he’s got anything left, we’ll find it.”

Then there was Diwan bin Jawhar, a Swiss Army knife infielder fresh off a .300 stretch in Annapolis, Charm City's AAA club. “Can play everywhere,” Graham said. “Maybe even third, if we squint.”

“Mei Hoong is one to watch this spring, too,” Rosario added.

Hoong, a former Long Beach outfielder with a cannon for an arm, might just be the answer in right field. High character, solid approach, 600+ big-league at-bats. “Good gamble,” Graham said.

That morning, they’d added one more piece: Brian Cobb, fresh from the BBA, eager for more playing time. A lefty bat, plus-plus arm, 26 steals in Missouri, Louisville's Triple-A affiliate. Rosario was optimistic. “AAA BBA numbers translate well here. Cobb and Hoong could be a platoon in right.”

Graham gave the smallest smile. “Like I said..”

“...in the aggregate,” they said in unison.

Still, the roster had gaps. The bullpen was lighter after several relievers had walked in free agency. Rosario, not missing his shot, muttered, “And those guys knew a thing or two about walks.” Graham didn’t laugh, but he didn’t throw anything either.

And third base loomed as a question mark. “After the surprise September he gave us, we owe Anaya a real look,” Graham said, “or try one of the AAA guys I’ve been stockpiling. Somebody’s bound to work out.”

“That’s what you said about my slow cooker,” Rosario replied.

They sat in the comfortable silence again, two men on the edge of another offseason chess match, knowing the Winter Meetings were just weeks away. Last year’s Rule 5 still lingered in memory: the chaotic picks, the awkward hallway trade talks, the karaoke night echoing down through the hotel lobby.

This year? They’d be ready. Or at least, ready enough.

Because in Johannesburg, the season never really ended. It just shifted to another kind of game.

[Jwalk100]

OIP.D7GBcMSZ4ztf2dXbN0B7eAHaEi.jpeg (17.13 KiB) Viewed 304 times

[BTuck2112]

Because he gets on base Daniel San....