2045.3: The Good

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2045.3: The Good

Post by Rubaboo » Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:41 pm

The Aztecs entered the 2045 season with dreams of hanging in a tough Frontier division. Hsin Mei was signed out of FA, the team swung a buy low trade on Jorge Aranda and picked up Fernando Reyes as a reclamation project. It looked as though Mexico City was a team that was set to believe in a young, unproven pitching staff and a lineup that had a few bright spots and a bunch of guys hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. Turns out, it was all a pipe dream. The Aztecs stumbled out of the gate and never regained their footing, flopping spectacularly to a 63-99 record. Finding some sort of silver lining in all of this would challenge even the most seasoned of spin doctors, but there is some positivity here if you know where to look.

1) Manny Collazo and Fernando Moreno are on the cusp of BBA stardom

Where would the Aztecs be at the end of 2045 without Collazo and Moreno? The answer is not a pretty one. The Aztec lineup had a combined for a rough total of 11.4 WAR. Collazo (5.4) and Moreno (4.9) combined for 10.3. Only 2 other Aztec regulars were over 1 WAR.
The Mexico City lineup finished 10th or worse in every offensive category except for strikeouts and stolen bases. Collazo hit .326/.391/.596 with 55 2B and 34 HRs, driving in 103. Moreno, hitting leadoff, hit .332/.382/.485 with 44 doubles and 38 steals. Saying the offense would have been anemic without these two would be wildly flattering to the other 7 guys who were swinging bats in 2045. Perhaps the best news for the Aztecs is that Moreno signed an extension that is well below what he would have commanded on the open market after he put pen to paper on a 6 year deal that will pay him $54 million dollars. Collazo is just now entering his first year of arbitration and will get more expensive over the next few years if he continues on his current trend. If you focus solely on what these two brought to the table and the fact that they'll be around for a few seasons yet, the sliver lining glints a little brighter.

2) The Hsin Mei trade

There was a sense of cautious optimism surrounding the return of catcher Hsin Mei to the team on a 2 year deal worth $36M. A team that is notoriously frugal in FA must think they have something if they're going to shell out that kind of cash for a 35 year old catcher, right? Wrong. Mei started the season hot, posting a .902 OPS in April behind 9 homeruns, but that would be the best it would get. By June, Mei was basically a league average bat and was clogging up the teams budget, preventing the Aztecs from signing their first round pick, SS Ryan Geauxinue. The team blocked Mei, and was able to find a willing trade partner in Jacksonville. After a bit of back and forth, the teams hammered out a deal and Mei was on his way back to Florida along with Mexico City's de facto #1 starter Shinsaku Ine and closer Jose Castro. To suggest that Mei was such an albatross that it required an effective 24 year old SP on a great contract would be not exactly correct, although it must be admitted that the money added to the urgency of the Mexico City front office to get the deal done. The major return in all of this, aside from Geauxinue, was 17 year old IC product Jiong Liu. Liu gives the Aztecs an exciting prospect in their minors that they didn't have before and also maybe gives them a player to plan a rebuild around. Watch his progress and the moves the team makes around it, he might be a benchmark type player for the Aztecs.

3) El Paso still exists (apologies to Nigel)

There is something defeating about coming in last, especially when you go into the season with (a somewhat foolhardy) belief that you've got a puncher's chance of making some waves. The Aztecs didn't finish last. The newly minted El Paso Chilis had that dubious honor in 2045. The Aztecs finished 7th. That sounds better than last. Standing on someone else's head to keep your head above water is better than drowning right?

Silver linings are fine. It sometimes helps to look at the positive slices of a bad season. Those fleeting moments can be like a delicious sauce spread on the bread of a giant shit sandwich. You still have to eat it, but it's not as miserable as it could have been without it.
Fred Holmes
General Manager
Mexico City Aztecs - BBA

BBA Champs - 2052
JL Champs - 2027, 2052
JL MW Champs - 2022, 2023, 2024, 2027
JL Sun Belt Champs - 2035, 2036, 2038
JL Frontier Champs - 2051, 2052
JL Manager of the Year - 2023, 2024, 2026, 2052

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Re: 2045.3: The Good

Post by FuzzyRawley » Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:17 pm

Well, at least Aranda wasn't a complete disaster for you in the OF. He reminds me of Yangervis Solarte. Just can't seem to put together a knockout season at the plate.
:cool: They say it don't be like it is, but it do!

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Re: 2045.3: The Good

Post by Rubaboo » Mon Feb 01, 2021 8:22 am

FuzzyRawley wrote:
Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:17 pm
Well, at least Aranda wasn't a complete disaster for you in the OF. He reminds me of Yangervis Solarte. Just can't seem to put together a knockout season at the plate.
Yeah, he kind of tapered off after a hot start. I'm hoping he can find some consistency. If he can find his groove he could end up being pretty valuable with his positional versatility and team friendly contract.
Fred Holmes
General Manager
Mexico City Aztecs - BBA

BBA Champs - 2052
JL Champs - 2027, 2052
JL MW Champs - 2022, 2023, 2024, 2027
JL Sun Belt Champs - 2035, 2036, 2038
JL Frontier Champs - 2051, 2052
JL Manager of the Year - 2023, 2024, 2026, 2052

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