It has been a rough start to the Jay Wells’ era in San Juan – the Coqui are on pace to record their second worst record since the transition from the League of the Rising Sun to PEBA, and are in shouting distance of the franchise’s worst PEBA-era record, the 102-loss campaign in 2027.

The recycled GM made a flurry of moves in July, shaking up the front office and the bullpen:

– Out is manager John Collins, whose Coqui team got progressively worse: 47-51 as an early season replacement in 2035, 69-93 last season, and a 33-48 start this season

– Veteran PEBA manager Rod Carver, who had been serving as bench coach, was elevated to replace Collins. Carver is hardly a spring chicken.. His long record as a PEBA manager is 765-1017, all with the Kentucky Thoroughbreds. He was announced as the “Manager” rather than the “Interim Manager” but sources close to the organization advise not to read any permanence into that title.

– Veteran minor league manager Nicky Breed was hired to serve as Carver’s bench coach. Breed served one season as manager of the Palm Springs Codgers in 2035, finishing 73-89, after working his way up the minor league ladder for 14 seasons. Breed’s minor league teams made the playoffs in 12 of those 14 seasons, finishing under .500 only once.

– Second year pitching coach Dan Mosley was also let go, despite the team’s ERA improving from 4.18 under his watch last season to 3.83 thus far in 2038. He is replaced by relative newcomer Edgar Rodriguez, who has served as a pitching coach in the Shisa organization for the last three seasons.

– Wells dealt superstar closer Barry Rodriguez to the Borealis for minor league 1B Xavier Toro, minor league outfielder Carlos Martinez, journeyman reliever Ryan Tate, and a 2nd round draft pick in the 2038 amateur draft.

– In a minor deal, Wells traded Freddy Fierro, a third round pick in last season’s draft, for AAA SP Euan MacKinlay, a former second round pick from the Hartford organization. MacKinlay is expected to make his San Juan debut later this season; he had recorded a 6-5 record with a 2.30 ERA for the Harpoon’s AAA affiliate.

At a press conference following the flurry of transactions, Wells was matter-of-fact: “We have to identify who is going to be a part of the next good Coqui team. We are not finished dealing.”

A look at the Coqui balance sheet indicates that a potential $48 million in salaries could come off of the books this offseason, led by veteran LF Kelvin McDonald, former (and newly re-installed) closer Jose Gomez (subject to a team option), reliever Fernando Castro, and starting catcher Claudio Lara. The Coqui have an additional $7 million-plus going to arbitration-eligible players. The Coqui could be big players in the free agent market this offseason.