London Underground Blog - A New Era

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Robert_Ogden
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London Underground Blog - A New Era

#1 Post by Robert_Ogden »

Blog Entry #1

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

That seems to be the motto of the new regime. Not only has that held true so far in the 2022 off-season, but it's also a goal for upper management. Under Nigel Laverick, London reached the pinnacle of PEBA success winning a championship ring in 2018. That doesn't nearly tell the whole story, however. London is just 2 seasons removed from a franchise record of 3.48M in attendance at none other than the renowned Wembley Stadium. Fan Loyalty is through the roof, and loyalty to the squad seems to run as deep as football team allegiances nowadays. An expected record of 104 wins last year was only just missed - yeah, this team is still awfully good. I now realize that motto is more an expectation than a goal. Can the success be continued in an increasingly tough division?

I entered the off-season with my mind everywhere on how to approach this ballclub. Obviously this dynasty could be sustained for a few more years, but how much longer? And more importantly, will it all come crashing down around us? This was a big worry on my mind as big expectations + new manager + slow results = :shake:

40% of our active roster is over the age of 30 on opening day. The number reaches 56% when you include 29 year olds. That is manageable, but only just. I was real, real close to blowing the whole crew up at the winter meetings. I figured that amazing offers would come rushing into my office for stars such as Leonard Carver and Leonard Ramsey. No doubt, offers did find my way. It was clear, however, I was in over my head. Now was the time to sit back, get a feel for the team and league, and go from there. The Londoners deserve that much.

I quickly set out a checklist for the off-season -
1. Make progress on extensions
2. Improve depth on roster through cost-aware transactions
3. Start planning for the future
Number one is already half way done. After a 'quick get-to-know-you' holiday to Chester and then London, our staff entered negotiations with team ace Leonard Carver. Given that Carver just came off a career year, we figured he'd have all the negotiating power. Expecting the worse but hoping for the best, we arrived to the negotiations table armed with snacks :lol: . Turns out Carver really likes playing for London. Our first offer for 16M x 7 years was accepted immediately. Maybe he's not greedy and just loyal. Maybe he's smart enough to realize that it's fun to play for a winner; smart enough to realize his .244 BABIP will almost certainly not be repeated. Whatever the reason, we're glad his very minor pay-raise is forgiving (so be kind, baseball gods!)

Improve depth? I think we succeeded in this area as best we could. In FA we lost powerful catcher Victor Martinez. His defensive wizardry will be missed, and it's too bad there was no salary space to resign him. The previous administration predicted this dilemma, so they went shopping and found old Underground C Al Murdoch. If he's a net nuetral player that is fine with me. To add to the bargain bin shopping, London claimed C Juan Gonzalez off Arlington waivers. For now the 900K man will be the starter, but he will have a short leash.

The maneuvering didn't stop there. During Rule V day we picked up 1B/3B Nobuo Suzuki from Dayton, who actually turns out to be a fairly good bench option. His .968 OPS in AA is indicative of raw talent, while his defense at the very least should make him viable at the PEBA level. Lastly, we claimed Domingo Bravo to be our corner OF sub. It remains to be seen how much of an upgrade he'll be over AAA counterparts, but I think his defense will give him an edge.

As Opening Day approaches, we still have tough decisions to make. Do we resign Leonard Ramsey and Decheng Wen? Will any players be traded as the deadline nears? I suspect performance this season will drive my thoughts, but a long-term focus needs to be established regardless.
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roncollins
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Re: London Underground Blog - A New Era

#2 Post by roncollins »

No pressure taking over a mega-club, Noah. No pressure. :)
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Nigel
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Re: London Underground Blog - A New Era

#3 Post by Nigel »

Given Wen's age, you could possibly gamble and let him hit free agency. With luck no one will bite on his high demands and you could resign him late in the off season on a very team friendly contract. I managed to do that with Dennis Carter but Wen might still be too productive for it to work


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Nigel Laverick

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