YS 25.01 - Front Office Preps for Savage Onslaught

[RonCo]

Nov 5, 2024

After the build comes the crash. After the euphoria of claiming topping rights to budding EBA star Alfredo Salazar, the front office of the Yellow Springs Nine woke to the realization that they were suddenly in the metaphorical gunsights of several bottom-dwelling nobodies with deep budgets and wads of cash burning in their pockets.

“Damn, we’re in tight spot,” one team insider said.

The club immediately used their morning huddle to moan and groan and complain about the cold, harsh world. Then they got to business. “I think it’s fair to say this situation is helping us make better decisions, really,” said GM RonCo. “We have every intention of competing for our selection, but we know there’s a good chance someone with bigger pocketbooks will win the day. But knowing we need every penny the organization has at its disposal to play in the Savage game means we’ve taken some good hard looks at players.”

Given this, it’s interesting to look at the club’s decisions over the past few days.

First, they signed Mickey Hart to a 1-season, $800K extension. At 36, you have to wonder what Hart can still bring to the table—but the Nine have always liked his defense, and the $800K represents a $500K pay cut from last year. As a 5th outfielder, this might be a decent arrangement.

The wire resonated with release notices for aging catcher Dinky Lipp (soon to be 43), and 3B David Hughes (34). Lipp was due a $1.5M pile, and Hughes $1.0. Lipp was certainly going to be no more than a back-up on a mid-level team, and one assumes that the arrival of 23-year-old Luke Jordan spelled the doom of Hughes. How many 34-year-old declining 3B does one need around in the utility role, after all?

It was also noted that 34-year-old good-glove, no-hit center fielder Frédéric Guillemot would not be offered arbitration, a move that is expected to save the club as much as $3.1M. This leaves the team with something in the range of $4M left in arbitration decisions that they haven’t commented on.

In addition, the club is apparently working aggressively to move the contracts of pitchers Julian Anderson and Jonathan Sorensen, which represent a $10M price tag for guys who might well be valuable this coming year, but certainly can’t be expected to be around when the club’s sweet spot arrives.

Of particular interest, though, is the fact that there’s been no news on the possible release of Estaban Parra, who was rumored to have been on the way out. Given the cash press the club appears to be under, this makes one wonder if the front office has reconsidered giving Parra the $900K his contract calls for.

"We needed to make these kinds of calls no matter what happens with Alfredo Salazar," RonCo said during a late-lunch radio call-in show. "If we were in a difference situation, I think we would be holding onto a couple of these guys, but I think we need to lean out and find guys who are going to be here two and three years from now rather than limp around."

It all sounds good, of course. But the proof will be in the pudding, and off-season pudding has a tendency to look better than it actually is.

[agrudez]

Guillemot wanted 3.1M in arb? Jeeze... that's an easy call.

[7teen]

+1,000,000 for the Oh Brother reference