[Biggp07]

November 8–15, 2024 — Structural Adjustments
(OOTP25 Royals Journey – Manager’s Log)
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Week 2 in the offseason has a different rhythm — less frantic, more watchful. This wasn’t a week of major moves so much as monitoring the consequences of the decisions from Week 1 and making sure nothing drifted off-course.

The big administrative item was simple and overdue: we needed to get Weston Wilson formally signed to his minor league contract after acquiring him in the trade for Jonathan India. That deal needed to be buttoned up, and now it is. He’ll report to Omaha shortly.

On the same day — November 13th — my phone buzzed again with a new trade offer, this time from an unexpected source: White Sox GM Chris Getz.

Chicago finished 80–82, second in our division behind Minnesota. Respectable. Enough to deserve at least a moment’s consideration, so I gave it that. My AGM, Picollo, didn’t have a strong opinion either way — something that surprised me a little, but maybe it shouldn’t. Sometimes, the best support a GM can give is to step back and let the manager think.

The offer centered around reliever Caleb Ferguson, which instantly raised a red flag. We just extended him. We just stabilized that part of our staff. The fact that another club is already sniffing around him does tell me something, though:

The extension was the right move. Teams don’t chase players they don’t value.

Here’s the proposal as it hit my screen:
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Figure 1. Trade Proposal — White Sox Request Ferguson & Roccaforte


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The Sox dangled Jose Rodriguez, a second baseman. He’s fine — good defender, decent bat speed, a viable leadoff profile someday. But that “someday” line matters. I don’t need another infielder in Omaha. We already have Cam Devanney, Nick Loftin, and Michael Massey crowding that space, and their skillsets practically mirror his. Adding Rodriguez would create a three-way bottleneck and solve nothing.
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Figure 2. Jose Rodriguez — Scouting & Ratings Overview


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Worse, Chicago wanted one of our relievers in return — someone who’s been trending up.

And here’s the young center fielder they wanted from my side:
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Figure 3. Carson Roccaforte — Player Development Snapshot


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The Sox wanted two players (Ferguson + Roccaforte) in exchange for one redundant infielder. So in the end, it wasn’t an offer. It was a problem disguised as an opportunity.

I declined.

And I didn’t lose sleep over it.

But even a poor trade proposal has value. It tells me how the league sees us right now:

• A bullpen arm worth pursuing
• A GM they think might be persuadable
• A club still defining itself

I’m logging these insights away — not to react today, but to use later when the timing favors us.
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Evaluating the System’s Trajectory

The league released its offseason center WAR rankings through November 15th. Here’s what the sheet showed:
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Figure 4. Teams Sorted by WAR Gained — Offseason Center


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We’re sitting at 23rd of 30 teams with a –0.9 WAR gained.

Honestly? That’s acceptable. Not great, not concerning — just early.

We have players on our own ladder who can make up that difference without chasing numbers on the open market. And chasing WAR in November is a fool’s game. That number becomes obsolete the minute spring training starts and hit balls turn into real outcomes.

So, instead, my focus this week has narrowed to one priority:

Arbitration.

And doing it responsibly.

We’ve set aside $16.5 million in arbitration offers, which is $2.8 million under our initial projection. I wanted to hit $3.0M under, but we’re nowhere near cash-poor — not right now. This is what the arbitration screen looked like as of the 15th:
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Figure 5. Salary Arbitration — 2024–2025 Eligible Players & Estimates


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We have:

• $43 million in available cash,
• $53 million in projected extension money for 2026,
• Outstanding flexibility in future budgets…

…but we still haven’t allocated:

• Development budget for 2025
• Scouting budget
• International Amateur Free Agent funds (January)

Those are the next decisions — the kind that shape organizational identity, not just roster structure.
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A Shift in Hats

This is where the lines blur in my dual role — and where the GM hat starts sliding over the manager’s. The next two weeks are less about clubhouse feel and more about financial architecture:

• Arbitration
• Budget allocation
• Preparing for free agency
• Positioning for the IAFA period
• Understanding leverage before other clubs realize they have it

It’s uncomfortable, but it’s necessary. This is the part of the job I’m still learning to breathe through.

The offseason isn’t a sprint, but these weeks are the closest thing to a dead run.

And soon, we’ll see how much the discipline of these quiet decisions will matter when March rolls around.
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Built for the Crown — OOTP25 Royals Journey (November 8–15)
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