2049.2

[bschr682]

GM: "Alright folks I'm sure you have plenty questions giving the complete collapse of the team in August. We were on the cusp and then we went 7-22. That's just a total deathblow. I'd rather not even think about but go ahead. Ask away. "

Renfork: "Lets think positively. How do you feel about the rotation and pen going into next season. You must be thrilled with Phil Cole."

GM: "Thanks Niles and right you are. Cole has been an absolute monster and has cemented himself as staff ace and one of the best pitchers in the league. He's also very young and locked up for awhile so we are extremely pleased with that. That applies to the rotation as a whole really. Walbourne and Silva have been so so solid. Barron is young yet but looks to be a keeper and Ine has stepped up yet again and been a great number 5 guy. The pen has been good too. We are very happy with the step forward Bumble has taken. Pinto has been solid again and Gerardo Lopez has been pretty good even though we keep bouncing him around in different roles. Moving Childress to the pen seems to be keeping him healthy and his performance has been great. And holy cow what about Hani Goddard?! I'd be a total liar if I said I saw this coming. So yea on the whole we are very happy with the pitching situation. We are in the top 5 in most categories despite a so-so BABIP year so there is a lot to like there."

Jenkins: "Llllleeeeerrrrroooooooyyyyy Jjjjjeeeennnnkkkkiiiinnnnnnssss!"

GM: " Thanks Leroy it would have been a mistake not to mention that on top of how happy we are with the current pitching, we have loads of young pitching on the way up. Carlton Hurt is going to force us to give him a shot next year already. Nasir Sahir took a big step forward this year and is looking very exciting. Our first rounder this year Sam Fisher impressed us so much we dropped him in AA ball already and he has handled that very well. Paul England and Lonnie Bernard down in A ball have the scouts raving. And if you want to dig real deep we got this Canadian kid down in rookie league Wilbert Bourgeois that is starting to turn heads. So yes Leroy. There are some very exciting youngsters on the way up. Gives us a lot of options this offseason to get some work done on that offense. "

Charron: "Well for starters I'm glad you didn't run away at least but yea its very clear to me that the offense is a major problem. Odds are Wilson Andrade will opt out too further cratering the offensive production. What are you going to do to fix it? "

GM: "Well Guy that sure is the million dollar question huh. Or tens of millions really. Yes we fear as well that Andrade may leave but we are doing everything in our power to convince him to stay. We are going to very aggressive in trying to put people around him to win some more games. We have youngsters that we still think will turn the corner. Davenport Hinkle should cement himself at catcher. We hope Mike Brodt settles into a good corner outfield role. We are hoping Carlos Arroyo takes a step forward and becomes a reliable option at DH. Our scouts are still dead certain that him and Eduardo Garcia should make a great DH platoon. We are hoping this is just a weird year for Francisco Martinez. Hes been great for a few years prior so we will wipe the slate clean and let him get after it next year. Luis Pena is such a good defensive SS that he is going nowhere. His bat really has been pretty decent too. And John Hopkins has had a great rookie season and cemented himself in the outfield. So where does that leave us Guy? "

Charron: "I'm not convinced on Brodt in RF and the DH platoon but putting that aside that leaves us with 3B, CF, corner OF and 2B should Andrade leave."

GM: "Exactly. We have some guys in the minors that we might try out but we also have some assets that might let us be active in the trade market. If we get aggressive and can grab 3-4 bats? Well we could really reshape this offense pretty quick if we are a little lucky.

Sullivan: "No use crying over spilled milk as they say. What's the plan moving forward?"

GM: "Quite right Ms. Sullivan. If we can find some trade partners at the positions we just discussed or if free agency goes very well? Well who knows. The core of the team is quite young and if you squint past the awful month of August the team is pretty competitive. Right now we are just trying to resist the urge to throw in the towel and just believe that some of these young guys can get a little better with age. Thats where we sit right now. I have to run."