9-News: 45.016 – O’Macken Dealt to Phoenix

[RonCo]

Off Topic

Cost-Cutting Measure Claims Nine Nebraska Winner

O'Macken O'Movin'

January 1, 2045: Yellow Springs – Most insider knew something had to give. The Nine had been threading a needle in an attempt to keep the band together, but at the end of the day it was just too fine of a line. Rumors of the imminent trade of Tiernan O’Macken were apparently true, as 9-News has learned of a commitment made to deal the elite left-handed bullpen ace to Phoenix in return for three prospects. The Nine also will retain $2.5M of O'Macken's contract--which is set to run out this year.

“It’s a sad day,” O’Macken said from his apartment in downtown Yellow Springs. “I’ve loved my time here. It’s been a lot of fun beating Loserville.”

O’Macken won a historic Nebraska award in 2043 when he became the first Frick League bullpen man to be so named. He leaves the organization at age 26, with a 37-19 career record, 39 saves, and a sparkling 2.61 ERA.


Finances, Bullpen Glut, Force YS9 Hand

“We really hate to see Tiernan go,” said GM Ron Collins. “He’s been a major part of our team. But we were within a few bucks of the salary cap, and you just can’t run that close and still be able to deal with the roster moves you need to make throughout the season. That is, of course, why we have the cap in the first place.”

Rumors had circulated that O’Macken or starter Tomas Ramirez might be moved to create a little financial breathing room. Given both the overall values of each player and the organizational depth in the bullpen, it’s probably no surprise that the club moved the reliever.

“It’s possible we’ll need to move another player to really make things easier,” Collins said. “But I hope not.”


Farm System Restocked

The return for O’Macken was three kids at A-ball level or below.

Roy Minty is probably the highlight. He’s a 22-year-old right hander who throws 96 and carries four solid pitches. He projects into a #3 kind of starter in the big leagues, but has a projected debut of perhaps 2047.

The club also received a familiar name in 22-year-old Kandy Soufax—a hard-throwing lefty who the Nine drafted a few years back. He’s probably more of a guilty pleasure. Collins fully admits he’s got dreams of watching Soufax and his 101 MPH fastball become a dominant pitcher in this alternate world, but the facts are that it’s more reasonable to see him as a bullpen guy at best.

Finally, the club added corner outfielder Martin Herrera, a 21-year-old who hits from the left side of the plate. Herrera projects to be a professional hitter, and likely a righty-masher who can put dents into outfield walls. At question is whether he’ll be a platoon candidate or a full-timer.

“We haven’t been as successful getting some of the draft and development steps in place that we needed to keep our farm system toward the top of the charts,” Collins said. “So with this deal we kind of kill two birds with one stone.