Brooklyn State of Mind: The Story Behind Robinpalooza (2054.7)

[lordtoffee]

The Brooklyn Robins have been one of the most surprisingly active teams in the BBA this season. The Robins have been considered one of the teams who have been improved by WAR added, and have spent serious organizational capital on the pitching side. Questions have been raised on how the team will look next year, with the Brooklyn Eagle calling the offseason "Robinpalooza" as an analogue to the 2014-15 "Prellerpalooza" by the San Diego Padres in the fictional MLB. But what were the reasons for the sudden spending? Just what happened during those secret meetings in Brooklyn during the BBA postseason? What were the front office looking for? Time for answers.

The Meetings:
During the BBA postseason, the Robins were very quietly studying every single game of the postseason looking for players who would help the team, as well as wargaming the offseason. With oodles of cap space, it was determined that while the X Generation would take time to develop. The top free agents and trade targets could be expected to go to the top contenders, so the Robins decided to make a strong effort in the free agent market to shake up the market. After all, nobody was predicting the Robins to be major players in free agency. What is the harm in being active and improving the team?

McBride Was The Key:
Getting McBride in was the top goal, and the Robins front office was very aggressive in making sure that he would sign early on. McBride is someone who brings a ton of attention, and would give the Robins an anchor to their lineup, and would give Morales Jr. some protection in the lineup. Once McBride signed, that gave the Robins credibility and made the Robins a more attractive free agency destination.

Revamped Pitching: The Key
The other top goal for the Robins was making sure that the pitching staff could focus on run prevention and success in the back end of the bullpen. The Robins were an atrocious pitching team, so by improving the offense and getting some good bullpen arms, that would allow the Robins to switch Cantrell into the rotation and get Fenomore off the books from Louisville as the staff ace. The pitching should be improved, and the Robins have added some veterans to mix in with the X Generation pitchers.


Brace Brings Another Bat:
Signing Pete Brace was the culmination of the Robinpalooza plan, as he would be another strong bat in the middle of the Robin lineup, increases Fan Interest, and having him play second improves the middle of infield offensively. Quite honestly, the Robins needed some run producers, and Brace is another option besides McBride.

[neugey]

Really seems like another team will have to finish last in the Johnson Atlantic in 2054. And on top of what you've listed, Robins also have the first overall pick in the draft!

[lordtoffee]

Really seems like another team will have to finish last in the Johnson Atlantic in 2054. And on top of what you've listed, Robins also have the first overall pick in the draft!

First pick is great, and I have some ideas about how I want to approach that, but don't want to tip my hand for obvious reasons. Glad to see that you share my optimism for this year.