[tacklesspoem8]

New Stadium being built in the Lou

I sit at my old desk in my new office overlooking the construction for the new Archway Field next to the hallowed ground that is the rubble of the Arch. Pouring over the scouting reports for players hitting Free Agency or available thru trades is a long, thankless task but it is the kind of work that is the difference between being a good gm and a great one. We desperately need a plan that will help us produce better at the plate, preferably while filling a hole in our existing line-up either at 1B or in the out field. Kelly Hunter is making a case to be the bat as he looks as ready as any player we have brought up in the last 3 years and is said to be working diligently on his swing this offseason in winter ball, but I hate to put that much pressure on a young man who is still only 19 and has never swung a bat at USOB level. The OF position is weak this year in FA but there are a few guys who could possibly be worth kicking the tires on. Adam Horton has been a very solid OF during his career and is a fairly decent contact bat. He does provide decent pop, but at 34 he is a wreck physically and seems to always be suffering through an injury of some sort. John Riley is expected to come available too and at 32 is much more likely to want a multi year deal, but in his six years with the Care Bears he has a career ops of over .900 and knocked out 166 hr's. There is very little other than these guys in the OF that I feel would upgrade the team. At first there is even less available as James Morrow is probably the best available bat, the 34 year old does provide some pop, although not what you want from a first baseman, and a decent average bat. There are rumors circulating that Joey Votto, of Scottsdale is available, but I doubt we have the farm pieces to get a guy of his caliber. In the minors we do have Victorio Gomez still who was our fifth rounder back in 2016 the young man has progressed nicely but I worry he will be a strike out waiting to happen at the top level.

The new Stadium dimensions also have to be taken into account as our new home has a short fence, but that fence is about 20 feet further back than the next largest stadium in the USOB. A true throwback to the old days of baseball the 343ft to the poles and 425 to center easily makes this the worst hitters park in the UsoB. We designed the stadium that way to take advantage of our speed pitching and defense so we need to plan on taking advantage of that with our signings. The Left field fence buts up against the last standing piece of the Arch and we plan to put in Suites that will actually be inside the monument so you can watch the games from a piece of history. 25000 seats is huge increase from the old park and we have to be competitive if we want those seats filled. Now the question which one of these FA bats can help the Cru fill their stadium this year or would I be better served to take a shot at one of the young pitcher that are on the market in the hopes of improving our pen, which was rated 8th out 12 last year. Strasburg is out there, and although he has never been able to put it all together at the highest level as a starter he could possibly prove to be a great bullpen piece at the right price. The immortal Keith “Dino” Allison is the best starter available and could solidify my rotation making it the best or one of the best in the UsoB, but the price will most likely be high. Only time will tell what move makes the most sense for us and I plan on being aggressive this FA period but also will show restraint on long term deals as I refuse to get us in financial trouble.