2058.08 Nine to Five: Go Try Free Agency

[Trebro]

Nine to Five: Go Try Free Agency

by Valerie Davies, for the Yellow Springs World

Five of the Nine's 2057 players elected free agency, ranging from one who never stepped foot in the dugout to one that GM Rob McMonigal probably wishes had never entered the dugout.

None of the five were surprises. Every year, McMonigal gets players on one year deals and has a habit of flipping them before the deadline, but this year, the players didn't really shine, meaning they stayed on for the entire trip, or were needed.

We'll look at them briefly here and their chances of coming back, from most to least likely:

OF Stewart Illingsworth. Signed just at the start of the season in 2057, he was a strong contributor to the team, which was frankly really awful this past season. Despite being 37, he played in 149 games (119 starts) and had a WAR of 1.5. His 23 home runs were welcome but his batting average dropped from .322 to .255, which didn't help the struggling Nine stay away from 100 losses. Given his age, it's unlikely he'll be back but he's still the most likely for a return.

3b Jorge Lugo. Lugo was signed to play third base initially, then had to move to second when the team signed another player due to Cole's struggles. He was okay, batting a respectable .256 but with a -.2 WAR due to being a negative fielder out of position at second and sometimes even short stop. The Nine didn't really do right by him but he tried his best. Given the fielding issues, he's also probably not going to be back, but we'll see.

C Kazuki Saito. No one wanted Saito in 2057 so the Nine grabbed him on a minor league deal and brought him up after trading Ron Shiplack. Saito hit well and fielded okay, with a -.4 WAR in 53 games (50 starts). He was no Shiplack, but the Nine weren't planning to pick up his option, given his age. Saito fit the bill, but at 37, he, too will probably be replaced with someone younger.

3b Tsuyoshi Kobayashi may be the worst signing of McMonigal's career. After doing well with former rival Nashville (you can't be a rival if you don't compete), Kobayashi could not find the ball with a map tied to his bat for much of the season. He nailed down a career worst .205 batting average with 11 HR for an OPS of .573. It's amazing – and a sign of how bad the Nine were in 2057 – that he wasn't released outright. He probably killed his career in the Ohio wasteland. In fact, he'd be the least likely to return except for…

C Roelof Klooster. Klooster came over purely for salary reasons in the Shiplack trade, completely injured and unable to compete. It was a weird deal for the Nine, and one wonders if the camaraderie with the Talons' Reclusive General Manager™ might have impacted on the deal, though I suppose getting a decent minor league catcher in Jose Mendoza. Klooster was pissed from the start and McMonigal made it worse by not issuing him a jersey, not giving him a place on the team plane (or even the team bus for shorter trips), making him use outside trainers for recovery, and just generally (and inexplicably) refusing to treat the veteran like he was a part of the team.

Except, of course, when it came to advertising to the fans, where an airbrushed Klooster was inserted into promotional material. McMonigal denies all knowledge of this, blaming it on the assistant General Manager, Xi-tong Su-Tu. Reports at this time are unconfirmed. Either way, Klooster took it personally, just as Dong-po Thum did in my recent in-depth interview in relation to his attempted forced retirement.

It was a black eye on the Nine either way and it meant Klooster wouldn't even talk about an extension, though McMonigal confirmed he was extremely interested in doing so.

"I won't let them use me again," fumed Klooster in a brief interview with me. "There's something really wrong with that team, let me tell you. In a way, I'm glad my official batting records won't record a single at bat with them. I'll be telling all of my friends in the industry to steer clear until McMonigal and his minions are out the door."

Those are strong words indeed, and one wonders if it will impact on the Nine's ability to replace these men in the 2057-58 off-season. It sure won't make what was already a daunting task any easier.

[BaseClogger]

I still think Kobayashi has something left in the tank. No idea what happened to him.

[Dington]

3b Tsuyoshi Kobayashi may be the worst signing of McMonigal's career. After doing well with former rival Nashville (you can't be a rival if you don't compete)

Umm, no. We very much still hate you and are delighted to see the demise of the Nine.