YS9 Front Office:
We gotta get us some
of that sweet 6.96 ERA
“We’re excited to have a solid arm like Timofei’s in the bullpen,” said manager Bill Inkster, when informed of the deal. “I love his stuff.”
Bakitski has had a colorful career—mostly with Phoenix—that includes having been caught up in the infamous VODAK scandal in which the Arthur Daniels AgriBio division subsequently paid several millions of dollars in fines and other undisclosed penalties in order to settle multiple lawsuits. “That’s been behind me for a few years,” the reliever recently snapped at an interviewer who brought it up again. “I really just want to talk about pitching.”
As far as that’s concerned, Bakitski (32) is coming off the worst season of his career, posting a 2-13 record with 25 saves and a 6.69 ERA split between Calgary (where he was horrible) and Boise (where he was pretty good). He’s been a closer most of his career, but with Curt Phillips in that role, one suspects Bakitski will find more time in a set-up or early-game high-leverage kind of role. In other words, "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger." A counter argument, however, is that Bakitski righted the ship in Boise (3.79 ERA/4.51 FIP) after having the wheels blown off in Calgary (9.95/7.54).
“It looked like he still had his stuff, but his home run rate went ballistic in Calgary,” said BBA Weekly correspondent Gayle Combs. “That’s baseball, you know? Sometimes they hit’em.”
The Nine sent AAA outfielder Anastasio Hernandez to the Lumberjacks together with defensive-minded prospect Brandon Howeth-Arneson III. BHA was considered a bit of a sleeper prize, coming in the 4th round of the 2038 draft. "Defensively, he's as good as has ever played the game," said one perhaps over-zealous scout. There remains question as to how well he'll hit big league pitching. If he can manage to just hold on to a bat, though, there's a chance he could be an impact player. With both Abdeljilill Sediki and Michael Noel being young center fielders, however, it was a price the club felt they could pay. It was also felt that fellow prospects Jim Hennessey's and Ángel Ruíz progress might have played into BHA's availability.
DREAMLAND EXTENDED
In a potentially related news item, the team has also reached an agreement with Tristan “Dreamland” Alfama on an economical extension that will pay him $6M and keep him in Yellow Springs for the next five seasons (including the 2040 year that he was already under contract for. Alfama has been a versatile pitcher for the team, working best from the bullpen, but being capable of eating some inning in spot starts.
“I’m excited to be here,” Alfama said of Yellow Springs. At 28, the right-handed pitcher is entering his 7th season with the Nine after being signed as an internatila free agent a decade ago. “My representative said I might be able to do better if I hit the market, but my family has gotten kind of embedded here. It’s nice to have an idea where we’re going to be.”
