Starscreams | A Talk with the GM (52.01)

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Starscreams: A Valencia Stars Baseball Blog

A Talk with the GM

11/16/2051
Brianna Robles, Starscreams contributor

We caught up with Valencia general manager Alejandro Suárez to talk about the Stars' plans as they head into the winter.

Brianna: Alejandro, the team is coming off its second ninety-win season in three years. sandwiched in between those two good seasons was a year when nothing seemed to go right. How will the team avoid the pitfalls of 2050?

Alejandro: Well, the 2050 season was just a bit before my time here in Valencia, but I sure heard all about it when I was interviewing for the job. Look, guys will have down seasons, and guys will get hurt. In 2050, all but a couple of players were either hurt or in the midst of one of their career worst seasons. Sometimes a clubhouse will manage to navigate those choppy waters, and sometimes it won't. Leadership on the team can help you out there, but the team's most high profile leader decided to lead himself out the door by demanding a trade.

Brianna: That was Klooster?

Alejandro: That was Klooster.

Brianna: Would it be safe to say that the club does not plan on bidding for his services this offseason?

Alejandro: We do not. But to answer your question, you try to have the right guys in the right places, and have sufficient depth to fill holes as they appear, all while maintaining a payroll below the cap.

Brianna: It's just that simple?

Alejandro: That's all there is to it. [laughs]

Brianna: You had several departures this past year, with catcher Kyle Baker, first baseman Juan Mateo, designated hitter Lee Stone, and outfielders Frédérick Brisset and Gilberto Falchonelli, among others, all departing for free agency. Who do you have in mind to fill some of these holes?

Alejandro: Let's see if I can address these in order. At catcher, we're pretty happy with the two young guys we have in Bobrovsky and Tyler. We think they'll do fine. At first base we'll finally be able to install Yodo Sato full time, assuming we can fill the hole at second. Luckily, there are some good options in the free agent market at second base. We're looking at having Donald Miller fill the role at designated hitter, so we've got our work cut out for us filling out the outfield, and we're looking at some guys to give us some depth.

Brianna: Care to name any names?

Alejandro: Not just yet. We'll be heading into free agency with three big targets in mind, guys I think the fans would be thrilled to see out there in a Stars uniform. But we're also looking at plan B. There are a lot of buyers with deep pockets in this market, and we may end up getting outbid on one, two, or maybe all three of our first choices. We're prepared to adjust our tack if need be.