Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

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Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by jiminyhopkins » Mon Aug 09, 2021 10:24 am

Phoenix Sends:
--Image-----Image------Image--------Image----
C Ichizo Sugiyama | C Sang-duk Sim | SP Augusto Sanchez | SP Takashi Nakamura

Phoenix Gets:
--Image-----Image----
--SP Aki Kondo ---|--- C John Todd

December, 2044:
The Talons had just been stung by what would turn out to be the first of an ongoing streak of final weekend playoff misses. Naturally, the Reclusive Talons GM overcorrected and decided to make a huge move. The prevailing thought in Phoenix, as it had been since the franchise's inception decades ago, was that the club would always be able to find offense. Hitting was never a problem in Phoenix, and the franchise always seemed to be able to find some 6/8/5 hitter to smash 30 homers with no sweat. No, it was pitching that was at a premium, and to get some, the club would have to pay dearly for it.

To further complicate matters, the Talons (and their fans) had soured on catcher Sang-duk Sim, who had been signed with much fanfare to a 6 year, $70 million free agent deal prior to the 2041 season. Sim, who had a great career start in Twin Cities, initially recorded a nice 3.2 WAR campaign his first season in Phoenix. But years 3 and 4 would prove to be negative-WAR seasons, and the Talons were looking to get rid of the back-loaded final two years of the deal.

Meanwhile, over in Omaha, the Cyclones were going through an era which was defined by playoff years and big misses. Wins ranged from 63 to 92 in the 5 seasons prior to the trade, as the franchise whipsawed from division wins to last or near last place. To bring some stability to the club, Omaha had made the ultimate splash, signing Kondo in 2043 to what was famously the most expensive contract in BBA history. The first four seasons were $33 million apiece, followed by incredible option years of 40 and 50 million. Kondo had just come off a 7.7 WAR 2043 season, but the Cyclones were a tad unnerved by his 2044 campaign, which was "only" a mere 4.4 WAR. Was this contract really a good idea?

The Talons had room under the cap for a big addition. Would Kondo fit the bill? Phoenix could make it work if they unloaded Sang-duk Sim. In addition, the Talons had recently drafted Sugiyama, a multi-talented hitter who could play anywhere on the diamond. Sugi had fallen to the 9th overall pick, a happenstance that Phoenix saw as a gift. They publicly applauded the draft pick, but internally the franchise was very concerned about Sugiyama's defensive development and contact hitting skills, specifically his strikeout proneness. They actually described him, in an internal memo, as "the BBA's version of Mickey Tettleton".

So the Talons packaged Sim and Sugiyama, plus a couple of throw in prospects in Sanchez and Nakamura, who were examples of the numerous "free" international finds that were prominent in that era of the BBA. In return, the Talons got Kondo as well as John Todd, a 26 year old catcher seen as a team captain type of player. The salaries worked in the short term, and there was no doubt that Kondo's insane year 5 and 6 options would be denied by his new club. There was an opt out in Kondo's deal, but come on, who would be insane enough to give up 33 mil a year?

The Talons thought they were getting a franchise ace and a competant catcher. All while getting rid of the negative WAR Sim, who the fans hated, plus a recently drafted catcher who might strikeout 200 times a year and a couple of minor international prospects. What could go wrong?

Results:
2045 turned out to be an 87 win season for the Talons, their second-highest win total of the decade so far. Yet again, the club lost out on a Wild Card spot on the final weekend, a trend that sadly continues to this day. But that was no fault of the players received in the trade, as Kondo enjoyed a healthy 5 WAR season, while John Todd recorded a career best 2.7 WAR of his own. Omaha ended up winning 98 games in 2045, with no contributions from the traded players save for a couple of months from Sim before he was summarily released.

Oh, but that's not where it ends, loyal readers!! After the 2045 season, Kondo once again shocked the world by opting out of his remaining record setting contract, a move that was dismissed as being unthinkable by the Talons. So Phoenix was left without their ace after only getting one season of his services. Plus, catcher John Todd began his decline the very next season, only recording 1.0 WAR in 2046 before leaving for the UMEBA. The Talons were so shocked by Kondo's departure that they immediately threw tens of millions of dollars at an aging Feliciano Rafael in a desperate attempt to recover a player that they had lost in a similarly horrible trade years ago.

Plus, a funny thing happened on the way to Sugiyama striking out 200 times. In 2046, he ended up hitting nearly 50 home runs in a 5.5 WAR rookie season, winning the Gillstrom and a Puckett. Sugi kept it up in 2047 with another 3.8 WAR season, even though yes, he did K 211 times. Now the young catcher is considered among the best at his position. Sang-duk Sim was a speedbump for Omaha, as the release and buyout didn't faze them one bit. As for Augusto Sanchez, he remains a borderline prospect who still has work to do.

But there's another problem. That fourth guy, the throw in? Now he's a 75 POT starting pitcher who, when he develops, could be a 13/7/7 ace pitcher himself. Granted, he's a long way off as well, but Nakamura's bumps are what propel this trade from merely bad to all-time horrible. Kondo's opt out is water under the bridge, but if Nakamura reaches his lofty potential, he will haunt the Talons for years to come.

As stated, the Talons keep missing the playoffs, as late as the final regular season day in the case of 2047. But Omaha has continued to win their division, now four seasons running. They also rode Sugi's rookie of the year campaign to the BBA Championship in 2046. The Cyclones look to benefit from this deal for the better part of the next decade, while the Talons keep whiffing on the playoffs while falling further and further into financial and farm system disaster. The club still hasn't been able to react to the fact that they play in a pitcher's environment now. And even the best staff (or 2nd best, this past season) doesn't mean a thing if the club can't hit.

We would normally say Stay Tuned for More Horrible Talons Trades, but this one is so deplorable that we're honestly not sure where to go from here.

We're gonna need a minute.
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by niles08 » Mon Aug 09, 2021 10:40 am

I was shocked to see Kondo opt out. Nakamura bumping has been great, but Sanchez is starting to go the other way as his control potential is dropping.
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by bschr682 » Mon Aug 09, 2021 10:49 am

This is a really good read.
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by Dington » Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:12 am

If you're gonna do any more deals like this in the Heartland, can you call me first?
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by Fat Nige » Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:22 am

Your big error was trading for a Wichita backup catcher lol. He was at Wichita for a reason ;)
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by Jwalk100 » Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:08 pm

Me like. Please continue these!
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by jiminyhopkins » Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:44 pm

Jwalk100 wrote:
Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:08 pm
Me like. Please continue these!
Fear not, for the well of horrible Talons trades runs deep.
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by usnspecialist » Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:53 pm

Kondo might have taken the biggest 1 year pay cut in BBA history as I only paid him $3 million the season after as part of a creatively structured contract.
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by jiminyhopkins » Mon Aug 09, 2021 3:33 pm

usnspecialist wrote:
Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:53 pm
Kondo might have taken the biggest 1 year pay cut in BBA history as I only paid him $3 million the season after as part of a creatively structured contract.
Yeah what an idiot lol
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Re: Talons Tragic Trend of Truly Terrible Trades, Take 3: Aki Kondo

Post by jiminyhopkins » Mon Aug 09, 2021 3:33 pm

jiminyhopkins wrote:
Mon Aug 09, 2021 3:33 pm
usnspecialist wrote:
Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:53 pm
Kondo might have taken the biggest 1 year pay cut in BBA history as I only paid him $3 million the season after as part of a creatively structured contract.
Yeah what an idiot lol
Kondo, not you haha
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CARETAKER GM, 2053 GBC CHAMPION Tokyo Pearls (2053 - 2056)
GM, THE GREATEST MINOR LEAGUE TEAM OF ALL TIME Toledo Liberty
Vic Caleca Team News Award Winner: 2051, 2054, 2057

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