Express Train: Volume 6 - Change Management

[Underground]

London, UK -

On November 17th Francisco Perez signed paperwork to become the next London Underground manager and was formally announced at a small press conference at Wembley the following day. The hire raised some eyebrows around the PEBA as Perez comes with no previous management experience and has by all accounts been out of baseball since his retirement from playing in 2012. General Manager Cyan Winters stressed that Perez was the "right man at the right time" and that he was confident in the hire. Sources from within the Underground tended to echo this sentiment, with a bit more information coming in via anonymous sources. It is believed that Perez was selected due to the expectation that he will foster strong relationships with the players and will have a positive impact on the development of the younger players. Perez apparently impressed the team during interview walkthroughs and we're told several key players spoke highly of their interactions with him, helping Winters to make the final decision.

Nevertheless in more cynical circles the hire was panned as merely a financial move. It is true Perez's contract is a PEBA manager steal at just $106,000 for 2 seasons. With the team clearly shifting focus to retooling over the next few years while looking to get on more solid financial ground this move would seem to be in lock step with that. A team also not necessarily determined to win a ton of games might be less concerned about hiring an actually good manager, the online forum cynics proclaim.

However, Winters has not established a bit of a trailblazer track record when it comes to hiring first time managers. Perez's predecessor Pablo Morales was hired mid-season in 2029 with no previous experience and went on to manage the team through 2032, including back to back winning seasons in 2030 and 2031. That relationship soured in 2032 when the team massively underperformed expectations, leading to fury and frustration from the team's front office. Sources indicate Morales was only spared the mid-season axe due to cost concerns - the team did not want to pay the remaining value on his contract while also paying a new manager. Both sides saw the writing on the wall however and Morales had begun to pack his bags the second the season ended. Morales has yet to sign on to another team.

The team also announced the signing of Cesar Arellano as hitting coach. Unlike Perez, Arellano brings with him nearly a decade of experience including 4 years as a PEBA hitting coach, most recently with the Charleston Statesmen. Arellano replaces Julien Lachance who had spent 2 years with the Underground. Lechance bore the brunt of Winters blame in regards to the significant early season struggles of free agent acquisitions Bill Jones and Graham Ainsley. Though both players eventually rebounded to acceptable seasons, Winters considered the damage done and by June knew he would not be bringing back Lechance - and told him so...loudly. Arellano is not expected to see any new big name free agents join the lineup for 2033 and fully understands his job is to get the maximum out of the current lineup which Winters believes is "good enough" to win ballgames.

London is heading into the Winter Meetings with a clear vision of their 2033 plan.

[Sandgnats]

nice salary!