He Who Walks Behind the Rows - The Blueprint (Dystopia or Utopia?)

[FuzzyRawley]

The 2044 regular season is coming to a close and the Des Moines Kernels are once again on the outside looking in. GM Geoff Webb is pretty sure they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs sometime in April, but he hasn’t gotten around to figuring that out in his fancy new solar powered calculator.

While everyone else in Iowa is enjoying the kernels of the harvest, the Kernels front office is staring at spreadsheets and bank accounts and wondering how the hell they will ever make the post season. Chief among the problems is the lack of money. The lack of money comes from a combination of low ticket prices, low attendance and big contracts (some on the books, some off).

The Popcorn-Men have the lowest ticket prices in all of the BBA and the UMEBA! (see graph) GM Webb recognized this in 2043 and began a program of minor increases each season to keep fan interest from cratering while increasing revenue. Unfortunately, that plan is hitting road bumps as fan interest begins to resemble the Dow Jones in a pandemic with a Trump presidency. While its been worse over the years, the loss of bodies in the seats will make righting the financial ship even harder.

The first step to keeping this ship afloat will need to come in the form of a cash infusion from the owner. This will allow the Kernels to balance the books and hopefully create some breathing room where extensions can be made and draft picks/international FAs can be signed. If enough cash can be procured, there might even be room to sign a couple middle-of-the-road free agents to improve the product on the field (and hopefully keep fans interested).

If that happens, then Des Moines can continue to increase ticket prices to get them more into the league average and hopefully create a more sustainable business. Although, will this turn into an improved team on the field?

Des Moines' history suggests that this isn't as easy as it looks. Its doubtful that a more sustainable business model will automatically translate into wins on the field. That being said, an organization with a higher budget should have more flexibility when trying to sign extensions, FA's and draft picks, so it theoretically should translate into more wins. As we see with the 2044 season, there is a correlation between budgets and wins.

So, if Des Moines can get its finances under control via increasing revenue and by getting free of contracts left on the books, then there is a better chance of getting to the playoffs.

Whilst all the financial pain is being dealt with, signing 2044 draft picks and getting high 2045 picks (and signing them!) will be the next part of this blueprint.

The third part will be selling pieces that won't fit that upcoming window. While not exactly brimming with generational talent, the Kernels are young and 2045 should provide some interesting trade scenarios where some of the power bats or the (surprisingly) above average SP staff can be used trade for players that will better fit the competitive window.

Finally, GM Webb has shown he's not shy (if not a little dumb) about signing premier FA's if it fits a need, plus the Kernels need to keep those fans happy!

[RonCo]

You had me at charts and graphs.

[7teen]

He had me at “blueprint” @HoosierVic