Off Topic
Choices, Choices, Choices...
October 15, 2061 | Forever Land | With the season coming to its inevitable Nashville sweep of an end, the Bikini Krill front office turns to various decisions they will need to make in the off-season. First will be team options, and then arbitration concerns. We'll focus on Team options, first, and in this case we'll add in the question of Shea Valance and an extension, which does not seem to be in the cards. Valance's $2.5M contract runs out this year, and he's made it know he'd be happy to return for a price. That price seems to be more than the team is willing to pay, so we're expecting a Valance-less team in 2062.
Beyond that issue, the club owns three options. Let's look at them:
Felix Vidaca: $14M ($4M Buyout)
Vidaca is going to be 37 next year. He's still been an effective pitcher, but not so effective as to merit $14M. This puts the team in an awkward position. Vidaca is a player who followers of the team like quite a bit. If the Krill chose not to execute their option, fan excitement (which is already not high), could crater. If fan excitement craters, say goodbye to revenue. No revenue, no team. It would be made worse by another team scooping him up on the cheap and having a solid year. For this downfall, the club would pay the $4M buyout and get bupkis.
The flipside could be just as bad. If the club retains him, they get tagged with the full $14M and get a flaming end to a great career. The guy's ratings are obviously fading, and the team's finances are threadbare. So...no win, right?
There is apparently some conversation about trying to extend his career by converting him to a full-time reliever, which would perhaps at least staunch the velocity drops we've all seen. The theory is that if he focuses on the pen, he adds to what should already be an amazing of arms. Yes, it would be an over-pay, but if he performs perhaps the team could flip him for a prospect as the season goes. Or, if he pitches well all year, perhaps a comp pick would come along. Either might at least mitigate the cost.
What's going to happen?
I have no idea.
Francisco Ortiz: $6M ($1.25M Buyout)
A year ago, Ortiz was considered to be a solid enough pitcher that the idea of paying him $6M wasn't so bad. He was nothing flashy, of course. Not a top guy. But he was someone the manager could give the ball to and not really worry too much.
Time changes everything, though.
Like Vidaca, Ortiz will be 37 next year. There exists a chance that he'll bounce back and have another decent season or two before he's done. But I don't see the Krill betting $6M on that future happening.
Expect Ortiz to be declined.
Enrique Aguilar: $2.5M ($900M Buyout)
Take away September (and April, really) and you've got a stellar guy in the bullpen. The question, then, is to decide if it's a good idea to take away September (and April, really). Aguilar is 31 now.
He's been a little suspect to the longball, but if he has a solid enough season there is a reasonable chance the team would even extend him next year. That said, he has been a real up and down pitcher all his career. There's enough concern over the variation in his performance to raise questions.
Regardless, with the depth of the pen, I'm going to guess that the team will take the chance and execute their option rather than paying him to leave.
October 15, 2061 | Forever Land | With the season coming to its inevitable Nashville sweep of an end, the Bikini Krill front office turns to various decisions they will need to make in the off-season. First will be team options, and then arbitration concerns. We'll focus on Team options, first, and in this case we'll add in the question of Shea Valance and an extension, which does not seem to be in the cards. Valance's $2.5M contract runs out this year, and he's made it know he'd be happy to return for a price. That price seems to be more than the team is willing to pay, so we're expecting a Valance-less team in 2062.
Beyond that issue, the club owns three options. Let's look at them:
Felix Vidaca: $14M ($4M Buyout)
The flipside could be just as bad. If the club retains him, they get tagged with the full $14M and get a flaming end to a great career. The guy's ratings are obviously fading, and the team's finances are threadbare. So...no win, right?
There is apparently some conversation about trying to extend his career by converting him to a full-time reliever, which would perhaps at least staunch the velocity drops we've all seen. The theory is that if he focuses on the pen, he adds to what should already be an amazing of arms. Yes, it would be an over-pay, but if he performs perhaps the team could flip him for a prospect as the season goes. Or, if he pitches well all year, perhaps a comp pick would come along. Either might at least mitigate the cost.
What's going to happen?
I have no idea.
Francisco Ortiz: $6M ($1.25M Buyout)
Time changes everything, though.
Like Vidaca, Ortiz will be 37 next year. There exists a chance that he'll bounce back and have another decent season or two before he's done. But I don't see the Krill betting $6M on that future happening.
Expect Ortiz to be declined.
Enrique Aguilar: $2.5M ($900M Buyout)
He's been a little suspect to the longball, but if he has a solid enough season there is a reasonable chance the team would even extend him next year. That said, he has been a real up and down pitcher all his career. There's enough concern over the variation in his performance to raise questions.
Regardless, with the depth of the pen, I'm going to guess that the team will take the chance and execute their option rather than paying him to leave.
