How it Went All Wrong Pt.2 (2042.11)

[StormZ_23]

This is a continuation of the article I put out yesterday. Here it is.

Alright, now we are in spring training. I have already signed Luna and a couple of other mediocre relievers to fill out my bullpen. I always like to look at preseason predictions, so I was curious on how the game thought I would perform. It said I would finish around 82-80. I brushed this off as in the 2041 season, the predictions were wildly off. In fact, when you go to preseason predictions now, it says I would finish 92-70. Of course, that would not happen.

Now, we are at the beginning of the season. My starting lineup is essentially the exact same from 2041 and my pitching staff looks nearly the same too. In 2041, my team offense ranked among the best in the Frick and my team pitching was among the middle of the pack. So, that's what I expected coming into the season. After I finished April, I have a 9-17 record, definitely not what I expected. I certainly didn't expect one of my best hitters, Jeffrey Smith to barely hit .200 by the end of the month. I didn't expect reigning Silk winner Angel Gonzalez to end the month looking like an average player. Everyone on my team was underperforming. I always knew that my pitching would be average at best, which is what they were in 2041. I knew that as long as my offense could outscore the opposing team, then I would be fine. Well, my offense played terribly and so did my pitching. I was in a slight panic. A couple of underperforming players is one thing, but when your two highest paid players (Stone and Menne) are showing signs of regressing on both offense and defense, this worries you a bit more. How will this affect my finances in the future? Will I be able to afford arbitration for my best players? I knew I could afford arbitration, I planned ahead for a reason. What I did not plan for was seeing my players fall off a cliff so soon. Also, I forgot to mention that catching prospect Angelo Deluccio was caught taking PEDs in 2041. So, that ruined his 65 rated potential. That's a loss of trade chip for a pitcher and the loss of a possible replacement for a struggling Aaron Stone. I guess I was fearing the worst, but I knew that watching the progression of my top prospect Richie Vanness would put me at ease. Well, he went down with a 5 month long injury in the middle of April. Now, instead of a 70 rated potential player with 7/7/9 potential ratings, he is a 50 potential pitcher with 6/7/7 potential ratings. Not a bad pitcher, but not the #1 starter I was hoping for. So, that was April.

Everything spirals out of control at this point. Stone and Menne play even worse in the month of May. My starting pitching is a mess, and my bullpen is in shambles. So I thought, screw it. I need to make a change. If I can get rid of Menne's salary, I would be at ease. Then, Charlotte came and gave me an interesting proposition. Trade Menne AND Stone. I was intrigued, but worried. I did not have a backup plan for Stone, but I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable paying him for 3 more seasons seeing how he was playing. So, I made the trade. I think one of my weaknesses is that I am too cautious. I overanalyze potential deals and look at all the potential negatives before the positives. But, I knew I needed to shake this team up. Getting rid of all of the salary is what mattered most. I saw everyone in the deal, besides Marino as future assets. O'Brien fills my shortstop gap and the need for a leadoff hitter with Menne leaving. Parkinson is intriguing and Romero has some nice pitches. Noboru played better defense than Menne and had a team option as opposed to a player option in Menne's case, so that is some money saved. That's my reasoning behind the deal. Looking back, I don't think it was a bad deal, although I wish Romero would have performed better.

After the all star game, I was still somewhat in the hunt for a wild card spot. Although, I was looking past that. Even if I couldn't make the playoffs, I knew I had to trade for a starting pitcher. A catcher would be nice, but a starting pitcher is higher priority. I've had my eyes on Chris Kelly since 2041. I made an offer in 2041, but it wasn't quite enough. In 2042, I knew it would be now or never. While I was one of the final 2 or 3 offers that Jacksonville considered, ultimately he went to Twin Cities. So, back to square one.

It just got worse in August, I was essentially out at that point. I accepted my fate. I knew I would be losing potential playoff revenue. I will still turn a profit, but not nearly as much as I hoped. Fan interest is at the lowest it has ever been at 54. So I guess fan interest plummets when you lose, but doesn't rise at all when you win 97 games and make Cartwright cup. Makes sense right?

I finish the season with a 74-88 record, a 23 win difference from the prior season. In part 3 of this series, likely the last part, I'll be comparing my team stats between 2041 and 2042 to see everything that wrong.

To be continued...

[recte44]

The good news? You get a higher draft pick.

[shoeless.db]

I've been poor at reading team news lately. Glad I was able to find this retrospective. I think you'll turn it all around, and I'll be writing one of these in a year or two.