3/30/2014: Reno, NV – Conventional wisdom tells us that the best solutions to life’s problems involve rolling up your sleeves and doing something.  Well, I will try to make the case for the opposite approach.

Much has been written about the lowly bottom feeders that refuse to spend their cash in the free agent market.  I would like to take my best shot at defending the honor of these bottom feeders.  Spending money on free agents can sometimes be just the type of thing that catapults a franchise into post-season success.  Of course, it can just as easily drown a bad franchise.  Prudence is the key to free agent acquisitions for all clubs, but it is even more important when your revenues do not provide the luxury of writing off financial mistakes.

The best-case scenario for a low-revenue team is that they fool a few extra residents into buying a hot dog and a giant foam finger.  The worst case is that they overpay for an aging, skill-declining veteran who could be blocking the path of a younger option from a developing farm system.  Doing nothing on the free agent front is certainly better than committing to a bad signing that adds a few wins but takes away too many precious dollars from the finite pool of financial resources.

The accumulation of young, near-ready talent and the identification of certain players as a “core” to build around is priority number one for teams in Reno’s class.  The Reno Tenpinnershave a plan to get to the Promised Land.  No one expects that their trip will be an automatic success, but it is important to realize that the best chance they have is by acquiring young players that have the chance to mature at the same time.  Once you have a core group together, then can you start to pepper in key veteran free agent acquisitions.  Think of this as if you are baking a cake: you don’t want to put the icing on until the cake has been given ample time to cool.

Around the diamond and on the mound, the Tenpinners just don’t yet have the upper-level minor league talent that would make it worthwhile to dip into the overpriced veteran pool known as free agency.  Ultimately, young talent will determine if this team finds its way to success.

Reno did, however, pursue two players due to their age, potential and salary demands.  Twenty-seven year old infielder Josh Wetmore agreed to a minor league contract with Reno.  According to team scouts, Wetmore brings above-average defense and power to the roster.  He is exactly the type of low-risk gamble that is worth taking for a team in Reno’s position.  The other player targeted was outfielder Gwang-soo Hong.  Hong is a 26-year-old who also has glowing reports in the area of defense, power and speed.  Sources close to the Reno front office have stated that losing out on Hong was a big disappointment.  Hong inked a one-year deal with the Tempe Knights totaling $1,700,000.

As much attention that is paid to total payroll and free agent inactivity this off-season, acquisition and retention of in-house talent is the area that a team like Reno needs to focus nearly all of their resources right now.  If a young player like Wetmore or Hong can be acquired at a reasonable price, it makes sense to “kick the tires”.  Otherwise, keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel, ’cause the 2014 PEBA amateur draft is right around the corner.