The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 256

256. There’s No Second Marlins in My Dictionary (4)

Steve Cohen and James Miller were excitedly chatting.

While watching them, I made eye contact with a Jewish man maintaining a blank expression behind Steve Cohen.

“Nice to meet you. You must be General Manager Joshua Pagno? I received the data on Ohtani from his time in Japan through scout Kim Jin-gyu.”

“Was it helpful?”

“Yes, in some aspects.”

“Haha, I’m glad to hear that.”

Steve Cohen resembled the Yankees’ George Steinbrenner in many ways. Especially his temperament was very similar to George Steinbrenner. After purchasing the Yankees for $10 million in 1973, Steinbrenner replaced the general manager a whopping 10 times in 20 years, and the manager even more, 20 times. Well, that doesn’t mean there were 20 managers. A manager like Billy Martin had a very bad relationship with Steinbrenner, but he was so popular that he was hired and fired five times in just 10 years.

Steve Cohen also had his circumstances, but he replaced five general managers in just three years before appointing Joshua Pagno. In the case of the manager, he was still better than George Steinbrenner, having only replaced them five times in the past eight years. It could be said that George Steinbrenner mainly fought with the managers, while Steve Cohen mainly fought with the general managers.

In fact, this was not strange. In the 70s, when George Steinbrenner was active, the role of the manager was very important, and now the role of the general manager is much more important.

“You seem to be going through a lot.”

“Does it look like that?”

“A little?”

“Haha…”

Joshua Pagno smiled gently and shook his head.

“It’s not always the case. Of course, our owner has a bit of a fiery personality. But at the root of that is a firm goal of ‘winning.’ You might ask, ‘What team in the world doesn’t have winning as its goal?’ But you might understand that, in fact, winning can be a means, not a goal, for a professional team.”

“I understand. Because not all owners have winning as their goal. That’s why George Steinbrenner is loved despite his dark history.”

“That’s right. In fact, even in a case like today, I could have come out to negotiate, but the fact that the owner comes out and talks about money directly increases credibility. In the end, what’s important is how the front office supports the owner, how to use that drive positively. Isn’t that it?”

Joshua Pagno, who was much younger than I remembered, was very positive. Frankly, I think there was a lie in what Joshua said just now.

Steve Cohen coming to the negotiation table himself increases credibility?

Well…

Yes, I know Steve Cohen is rich. I know he wants to win. But trusting the heart of a rich man who wants to win? Well…

More than anything, the Joshua Pagno I remember from the 2030s was more irritable, prickly, and negative than he is now. Just looking at that, you could infer how being with that old man ruins this young Jew in his 30s.

More than anything else…

Amazing Mets.

This word actually started with a positive feeling, but well… it’s a nickname with a negative feeling in many ways. In fact, I felt it was almost as bad as the Bombers [another nickname for the Yankees, often used derisively], even based not on ‘now’ but on the 2030s I remember.

Among the Marlins’ amazing records is having the lowest payroll among the 10 teams.

The Mets are the same. No, to be exact, they will be.

Of course, the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], where 10 teams compete equally in a single league, and Major League Baseball, which is based on divisional matches in both leagues, are a bit different. But that’s why the record of having the highest payroll among 30 teams and the lowest winning percentage among 30 teams is unprecedented. It was a great record that never existed in the past and should never exist in the future.

Of course, I led the Marlins to the championship.

But why go through that trouble again in Major League Baseball, where I have to receive the minimum salary?

Even though the Marlins didn’t give me the right to choose the team due to the draft system, I can choose the team I want to go to now, so why bother?

Okay, everything is fine.

I don’t think it’s a lie that they will give me an extension after three years, provide unlimited support for pitcher appearances, and that they will never sell players for the sake of winning, even if it means hundreds of millions of dollars in luxury tax.

But…

‘Of course, other teams may guarantee even greater opportunities than this. But you must remember that the team that can put you at the top and offer more than this to a player, regardless of their performance, cannot coexist. You must remember that a team that can make an offer that exceeds the limit to you can also make an offer that exceeds the ‘limit’ to players other than you.’

Even if it wasn’t for Brian Cashman’s story, I remembered many cases where Steve Cohen interfered with the team’s operations. Of course, it wasn’t the kind of evil that George Steinbrenner did to Dave Winfield. But he committed the act of offering a contract extension at the level of what Hank Steinbrenner gave to Alex Rodriguez not just once, but three times.

“Oh, is the cost of living in New York a bit expensive? Frankly, with the minimum salary, it would be impossible to live in a safe and decent house just with the rent.”

“I’ll give you one of my studios. I can’t give you more money because of unnecessary regulations, but if you think about the location, the rent itself isn’t that high, so if you do the accounting well, you can handle it within the budget. And if you just put in a complete remodel, there won’t be any problems living there. Oh, and for the car, if we give a corporate car to the interpreter, we can give you the car you want.”

“That’s good.”

Even in the midst of all this, my agent, James Miller, was scraping together everything other than the contract money and annual salary, which had a maximum amount set.

No, in fact, listening to those two talk, it felt more like a conversation between conspirators plotting how to get the maximum support without crossing the line of the rules, rather than a negotiation between someone trying not to give anything and someone trying to get everything.

James Miller shook hands with Steve Cohen with a very satisfied expression.

***

“First of all, I recommend the Yankees.”

“Pardon?”

I was slightly surprised by what James Miller said to me as soon as I got into the limousine. No way, he was getting along so well with Steve Cohen just a moment ago, and as soon as he turned around, he’s recommending the Yankees? Ted Park, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head back and stared at James with surprised eyes.

“The Mets have much better conditions. Personally, if you only think about money, I don’t think the Mets are bad either. But considering the many conditions Swan has set and his intention to quickly advance to MLB even with an international free agent contract instead of going through the NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s highest level of baseball], I think the Yankees are a better fit for Swan. In the first place, the Yankees are not a team that treats the best players poorly in terms of money.”

“Hmm… But isn’t the Mets’ promise to use money without limit for the sake of winning attractive?”

James Miller nodded.

“That’s definitely true. But I basically have a nasty temper that doesn’t really believe in the whims of the rich. More than anything, that old man is over seventy years old this year. He’s healthy now, but there’s no knowing how long that will last. If you look at the Detroit Tigers… Ah. About 18 years ago, they were a team with a similar feel to the current Mets. A huge tycoon named Michael Ilitch invested generously in the team, but eventually failed to win, and after Michael Ilitch passed away, Detroit has been languishing at the bottom ever since. There’s no guarantee that the Mets won’t end up like that. In the end, a promise about the future is only meaningful when the person making the promise is alive, and a promise about the future at that age is a bit hollow in that sense.”

“But isn’t that the same with Brian Cashman? Cashman’s contract is also slowly coming to an end, and according to rumors, I know that he intends to retire.”

“The Yankees are already a huge company in themselves. It’s not the owner’s pocket money, but the fans and network channels that have already been created. And the marketability of the club makes it possible to maintain that scale. And above all, Choi, you don’t seem to like the Mets very much.”

Is it true that people who succeed have a reason for succeeding?

The way he treats Brian Cashman and Steve Cohen is also like that… How did he read my mind?

“Choi tends to act directly rather than watch. I think if he liked it, he wouldn’t have just watched the conversation between me and Steve Cohen.”

“I see. But knowing that, why did you talk so much in detail?”

“This is also a negotiation. Originally, isn’t negotiation real when there is a competitor who makes concrete offers? You can look forward to it. It seems that both the Yankees and the Mets are getting impatient, so I will try to draw out the conditions in the most favorable direction. The contract money is only 5 million dollars with the minimum salary, so I have to get that much.”

“As you said, the contract money is only 5 million dollars, but you are working very hard.”

James Miller smiled and replied.

“Isn’t it natural? It’s only 5 million dollars now, but he’s a player who can easily make 500 million dollars in the future. I have to show my skills well now so that I don’t get fired and can go all the way to the renewal.”

“Haha…”

“Ah, please give me just one instruction. Should I exclude the Mets altogether? Or should I proceed with the Mets if the conditions are very different?”

“Hmm… Let’s adjust the conditions on both sides for now. If the difference in conditions is large, there’s no reason to go there even if the Yankees are a little more attractive.”

“Excellent choice.”

***

“Swan, I heard the story. You went back and forth to the club today.”

“Yeah.”

“Damn it!! If I didn’t have a family trip, I would have introduced you to the stadium. Oh, right. Have you been to Koreatown in Queens? It’s not as good as LA, but it’s pretty good.”

“Oh, really?”

Alex called me as soon as I arrived at the accommodation.

He said he went on a family trip to South America, and the beach behind him was quite nice.

“I’m already excited. Thinking about playing with you from this spring. I’ll really introduce you to everything. You’ll probably like our captain too.”

“No, Alex. It’s not confirmed yet. It’s under negotiation. You never know what will happen. Hey, how did you know I went to Citi Field [the Mets’ stadium]? I kept the schedule a secret.”

“Huh? You kept it a secret? It’s all in the articles? Your picture was taken very prominently.”

[Swan Choi moves to Citi Field after negotiations with the Yankees]

[A stiff expression. What is this young talent angry about with the Yankees?]

[Prolonged negotiations. Will the Mets be able to catch the Superman from Asia?]

[Swan Choi in the same hotel as Elisha Johnson?]

[Will the young prodigy from Asia be able to rise to become the new lover of New York?]

[Swan Choi visits a club!! The first day in New York is a night of frenzy?]

I knew the New York reporters were extreme.

But they’re already putting out scandal articles with a woman I haven’t even seen. How can someone who is quietly in a hotel room be going to a club…

Anyway, the first night in New York passed by in a frenzy without me even knowing it.