Published: Dec. 016, 2039, 12:38 p.m.

By Peter Barroquiere |timespicayune.com

The 2039 Winter Meetings are just about underway. The team staffs are wheeling their bags, packed for five days’ worth of dealing, trading, evaluating and wondering. For the New Orleans Trendsetters, they have to be wondering how to fill the holes in a roster that lost over a 100 games last season and has lost no fewer than 90 games for seven straight seasons, four of those years with over 100 losses. The holes are many at the major league level and the material to fill them are few. At least within the organization.

This is the result of Trendsetter’s GM Chuck Valenches plan to rebuild the organization from the bottom up. Since taking over just after the Winter Meetings in 2038, Valenches has stripped the major league roster bare, not that it had many serviceable parts to begin with. When the new GM took over the team had lost 107 games the previous year and had a farm system ranked 25^th out of 32 teams. The rebuild began in earnest almost right away, with New Orleans dealing veteran players, mostly relievers, for prospects and picks. Some have worked out, some have not. Closer, Hideo Miura, was dealt to Toyama in exchange for a 2nd and 3^rd rounder as well as SP prospect David Sanz. Sanz did show some potential the last two years, especially in his 2038 debut, but a torn elbow tendon means he will miss almost the entire 2040 season. As for the picks they managed to get RP Santiago Garcia with the second-round pick, Garcia will move up to SA Anchorage next season as will 3^rd rounder 1B Wilbren Van Houten. Van Houten displayed a good bat in Rookie Ball last year but his glove is still very suspect. Other relievers were dealt for picks and the influx of young talent has moved the New Orleans minor league system up from 25^th to 14^th, in keeping with the plan. Valenches also spent some money last year in the IFA signing period, nabbing prize 1B Keiji Shiroi and C Beco Wolton. Shiroi is still just 16 and will spend at least another year in the International Complex while Wolton will likely move to AA.

So far the big money has goner three places; Player Development, Scouting, and Joe Arnold’s bank account. While all three had better than expected results last year with Arnold putting up solid, if not eye-popping stats in 2039, this has kept the major league payroll low and the cupboard barren. New Orleans will head to the Winter Meetings trying to find upgrades at almost every position, but with few attractive options for other teams besides picks and younger prospects, which is the foundation of the team for now. However, Valenches knows that continuing to lose season after season is hurting the fan base, the budget and the ability to bring in free agents or re sign the promising core once they do arrive in the big leagues. The Trendsetters will be looking at finding away to make some improvement in the win loss record without giving up the prospects that comprise the future lineup and staff. Will Valenches be able to do it? Hard to say. He has not shown himself to be a great dealmaker (see Joe Arnold) and the ability to scout others has been hampered by the switch in Scouting Directors. Scouting Director Dan Collins retired after 23 years in the game and was replaced by Masayuki Ohayashi, a former pitcher for the old Kawaguchi Federals of the Rising Sun League.

Hopefully the New Orleans brass can come up with a couple of decent FA signings to help bolster the worst staff in the league and improve one of the worst defenses in the league as well. Trendies everywhere are not holding their breath.