Off Topic
“Amazing” Energy Keeps Veteran In Place
October 4, 2058: Forever Land – Francisco Ortíz put his money where his mouth is … so to speak … inking a 1-season extension with the Bikini Krill today, a deal that will net him $950K. Earlier rumors were that he was looking for something short of $1.5 million to re-up, but eventually instructed his representative to essentially present the club with a blank check.
“I really didn’t want to go through the whole Free Agency tap dance, and I like what’s going on here,” Ortíz said after taking what several insiders suggest was an overly friendly deal that raises his salary from $900K to that $950K. The 33-year-old right hander finished 10-8 with a 4.35 ERA that might have been bloated with a .322 BABIP brought on by the somewhat butchery defensive acumen of the Krill this year. His FIP registered at a considerably stronger 3.65, good for an 85 FIP-, much stronger than league average. “The front office ensures me our defense is going to be better than it was. But regardless of that, this is a great place to be right now. The energy of the fans is amazing. Just amazing. The game has already made me rich enough. So I just want to be here to see how it all plays out.”
Fans from around the globe were excited about the news, taking to social media to crow about the electromagnetic feel around their favorite team and taking guesses about how much tickets to Forever Park might go for in 2059.
League pundits see the deal as a true positive for the team, too, though maybe not with the same fervor as the fans.
“History says you can never have too much pitching,” said Forever Land Sports Network’s Misty Morgan. “Ortíz is one of those guys who can be sneaky-good. He keeps the ball in the park, and mostly doesn’t walk guys.”
Keeping Ortiz around puts the team in the position of having as many as four starting slots covered, but with Ortíz, Jayden Nicholls and Armando Rodriguez on deals that total to just over $4M, would allow the club to still spend more on top SP candidates if such opportunity arises in the Free Agency market. Both Nicholls and Ortíz could quite easily scale to the bullpen if needed, too.
GM Ron Collins seemed to confirm that take yesterday, noting that holding onto Ortíz made for “a very good insurance policy” and that it was nice to be working from a position of some stability. He also noted that the team’s glovework, while never sparkling, did stabilize a bit in the last third of the season, noting that the addition of Jim Vineyard, and Craig Ablett helped stabilize things, and that the improvement of young Keith Williams was a value at points, too.
“We think Francisco Ortíz is a fine pitcher, Collins said. “We’re excited that he’s bought into what we’re doing here.”
October 4, 2058: Forever Land – Francisco Ortíz put his money where his mouth is … so to speak … inking a 1-season extension with the Bikini Krill today, a deal that will net him $950K. Earlier rumors were that he was looking for something short of $1.5 million to re-up, but eventually instructed his representative to essentially present the club with a blank check.
Fans from around the globe were excited about the news, taking to social media to crow about the electromagnetic feel around their favorite team and taking guesses about how much tickets to Forever Park might go for in 2059.
League pundits see the deal as a true positive for the team, too, though maybe not with the same fervor as the fans.
“History says you can never have too much pitching,” said Forever Land Sports Network’s Misty Morgan. “Ortíz is one of those guys who can be sneaky-good. He keeps the ball in the park, and mostly doesn’t walk guys.”
Keeping Ortiz around puts the team in the position of having as many as four starting slots covered, but with Ortíz, Jayden Nicholls and Armando Rodriguez on deals that total to just over $4M, would allow the club to still spend more on top SP candidates if such opportunity arises in the Free Agency market. Both Nicholls and Ortíz could quite easily scale to the bullpen if needed, too.
GM Ron Collins seemed to confirm that take yesterday, noting that holding onto Ortíz made for “a very good insurance policy” and that it was nice to be working from a position of some stability. He also noted that the team’s glovework, while never sparkling, did stabilize a bit in the last third of the season, noting that the addition of Jim Vineyard, and Craig Ablett helped stabilize things, and that the improvement of young Keith Williams was a value at points, too.
“We think Francisco Ortíz is a fine pitcher, Collins said. “We’re excited that he’s bought into what we’re doing here.”