After polishing off the biscuits, he drafted a quick thank you note to Prudence, and finally set his attention to the blinking notification. The subject line read, Urgent - Press Meeting Today 1:00 p.m.
Donahue opened it. It was from his boss, Yahyah Talal, the Monarchs' owner.
Off Topic
Welcome to London, Mr. Donahue. Hope you had a smooth flight, because it's time to hit the ground running. Your introduction to the press will be this afternoon, where they'll ask you about our plan for the offseason. I've prepared a summary of some key points, which I'll expect you to act on over the coming months. Say this to the press so they'll get off our backs. Trust me — that'll be the best thing for everyone.
• Priority #1: Re-sign Motka Beteev
Motka Beteev is hands-down our best player. Just to summarize some of his achievements from this season, he threw a no-hitter against Moscow in April, he led the league in innings with 210.2, and he posted a season ERA of 2.99, the second-lowest mark in the league.
He's the definition of an ace. He's asking for a salary of over $10 million, which is steep, but we really, really, shouldn't let him get away. I've scoped out the impending free agent starters, both in the BBA and the GBC, and there aren't many in our price range. Best to just lock down the ace we already have.
• Priority #2: Find a closer
Our bullpen ERA this season ranked 7th in the GBC, and if you've counted, there are only 10 teams. That isn't good.
We're losing our current closer, Hun Kwok, to free agency, as well as several other seasoned bullpen arms, like Edwin Harney and Dylan Wonnocott. And that's good — we need to get younger and refresh the staff with some new talented arms.
But we need to find the guy to close out ball games. Could be Mustafa Derbil, a consummate workhorse in the 'pen, who threw 119 innings as a reliever this year. But I'm not sure that he's got what it takes to close. It takes a special talent — a special kind of ice in a guy's veins, to take the ball with the game on the line. Kwok didn't have it. Harney had it once, but that was a long, long time ago. I'll be counting on you to find the next guy.
• Priority #3: Protection for Chua
First baseman Yi-da Chua might be our best hitter, and the league has figured that out. That Singaporean stud breezed his way through every level in our system, and enjoyed a nice welcome to the majors last month. He batted .360 in September, and it was fun to watch, but now the league knows not to pitch to him. We need to find him some protection in the lineup. I'm tired of sending eight guys out there who can't hit their weight. Find me a real offensive threat, stick him in the lineup behind Chua, and watch Chua start to see better pitches. This ain't rocket science.
I'll stay hands-off during the season, but given that it's your first day here, you might want to follow my advice on these points. Looking forward to a profitable partnership together over the coming years. Don't fuck it up.
Yahyah Talal
• Priority #1: Re-sign Motka Beteev
Motka Beteev is hands-down our best player. Just to summarize some of his achievements from this season, he threw a no-hitter against Moscow in April, he led the league in innings with 210.2, and he posted a season ERA of 2.99, the second-lowest mark in the league.
He's the definition of an ace. He's asking for a salary of over $10 million, which is steep, but we really, really, shouldn't let him get away. I've scoped out the impending free agent starters, both in the BBA and the GBC, and there aren't many in our price range. Best to just lock down the ace we already have.
• Priority #2: Find a closer
Our bullpen ERA this season ranked 7th in the GBC, and if you've counted, there are only 10 teams. That isn't good.
We're losing our current closer, Hun Kwok, to free agency, as well as several other seasoned bullpen arms, like Edwin Harney and Dylan Wonnocott. And that's good — we need to get younger and refresh the staff with some new talented arms.
But we need to find the guy to close out ball games. Could be Mustafa Derbil, a consummate workhorse in the 'pen, who threw 119 innings as a reliever this year. But I'm not sure that he's got what it takes to close. It takes a special talent — a special kind of ice in a guy's veins, to take the ball with the game on the line. Kwok didn't have it. Harney had it once, but that was a long, long time ago. I'll be counting on you to find the next guy.
• Priority #3: Protection for Chua
First baseman Yi-da Chua might be our best hitter, and the league has figured that out. That Singaporean stud breezed his way through every level in our system, and enjoyed a nice welcome to the majors last month. He batted .360 in September, and it was fun to watch, but now the league knows not to pitch to him. We need to find him some protection in the lineup. I'm tired of sending eight guys out there who can't hit their weight. Find me a real offensive threat, stick him in the lineup behind Chua, and watch Chua start to see better pitches. This ain't rocket science.
I'll stay hands-off during the season, but given that it's your first day here, you might want to follow my advice on these points. Looking forward to a profitable partnership together over the coming years. Don't fuck it up.
Yahyah Talal