A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 124

The Red Sox GM showed little interest in a business partnership with a Korean club.

How could he change his mind?

Tommy Damon’s answer was:

“Well, that’s going to be tough…”

Jiseop’s old colleague was skeptical.

“There’s nothing you can do right now. Our boss is like a bull in a bullfighting arena.”

“A bull in a bullfighting arena?”

“Once he’s fixated on something, he doesn’t see anything else.”

Tommy Damon continued.

“Right now, our boss is completely fixated on FA [free agent] pitcher Ruben Acosta. Signing him is the biggest and only goal of this Winter Meeting.”

“Ruben… Acosta.”

Jiseop had heard the name before.

Jimmy Morris, who had re-signed with the Cannons a few days ago, had mentioned him.

A tremendous player who had won the ‘Cy Young Award,’ given to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, twice.

The entire Major League was buzzing just because he appeared on the FA market.

“Unless that guy’s contract is settled in some way, our boss will never look at anything else. That’s how I know him.”

“Haha, he really is like a bull.”

A black bull, eyes fixed on the red cloth of the bullfighter, charging mindlessly.

Jiseop recalled a scene he had once seen on TV and asked in a subtle voice.

“So, what’s the situation?”

“Hmm?”

“Ruben Acosta’s contract, I mean.”

Tommy Damon was the Senior Manager of Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox.

He must have been involved in Ruben Acosta’s FA contract to some extent.

“Boston is one of the richest clubs in Major League Baseball. If they wanted to, they could easily sign Ruben Acosta, right?”

“Hey, what are you talking about? How can someone who knows everything say something so naive?”

Maybe it was because he was getting drunk.

Or because he was in front of an old friend after a long time.

Or maybe it was because the frustration he had experienced as a working-level employee suddenly surged up.

Tommy Damon’s tongue began to roll surprisingly smoothly.

“At first, I thought everything could be solved with money. We used to be like that, right? We’d be so grateful that we’d cry if we got a $500 raise, right?”

“We… were.”

Because they were independent league players.

But the best players in Major League Baseball seemed to think differently.

“It’s not easy to lure these guys with money. Maybe it’s because they’ve already made enough money through salary arbitration and contract extensions…”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, if you throw in $100 million or $200 million, they might waver. But we can’t just dig up money from the ground, can we? Money is ultimately limited.”

So what should they do?

Tommy Damon mentioned an unexpected word.

“In the end, it’s a battle of ideas.”

An idea that could change a player’s mind.

An idea that could capture a player’s heart.

Tommy Damon said he was losing his hair because of it these days.

“At first, I was planning to hire Ruben Acosta’s brothers as club employees. If his brothers had decent jobs, Ruben Acosta would feel good about it.”

But the LA Dodgers had already made the first move.

They had hired not only Ruben Acosta’s brothers but also his hometown friends as employees.

“Then I was thinking of buying some top-of-the-line motorcycles. Because Ruben Acosta’s wife is a speed demon.”

But this time, the New York Yankees moved first.

They didn’t just get motorcycles; they brought in handmade sports cars from Italy and gave them to Ruben Acosta’s wife.

“That’s not all. They’re looking into private schools for his son to attend, and they’re trying to recruit a club legend that he respects…”

But everyone thinks the same thing.

No matter what idea they come up with, there’s always a club that makes the first move.

Tommy Damon was already pale and sighed deeply.

“The final negotiation with Ruben Acosta is tomorrow morning… I’m so empty-headed now that I ran out of the office.”

Ah, I’m doomed.

The fucking bull will try to kill me.

Tommy Damon grabbed his hair with both hands and writhed.

Jiseop, who had been watching his old colleague, quietly opened his mouth.

“Tommy, let me ask you one thing.”

“What? My funeral date?”

“Haha, stop talking nonsense.”

Jiseop chuckled.

“If I give you a good idea, and it leads to the signing of Ruben Acosta… can you get me a meeting with your boss?”

“A, an idea? Did you just say an idea?”

Tommy Damon rushed in, his face brightening.

“Hey, if that really happens… I wouldn’t even have to say anything! Our boss would try to sign you to Boston right away!”

Do you have a good idea?

Do you have a decent idea?

Jiseop looked at his old colleague, who was sparkling with a desperate expression, and said in a calm tone.

“I’d say the odds are fifty-fifty, but there’s an idea worth trying.”

Jiseop’s eyes lit up.

“Your boss has great intelligence, right? I think using that is the answer.”

“Our boss’s… intelligence?”

Tommy Damon blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, when you meet Ruben Acosta…”

Jiseop told his friend, who said he was going to lose his hair from stress, his idea.

It was from that moment that the color began to return to Tommy Damon’s pale face.

* * *

Around noon the next day.

Jiseop was in a cafe near the Winter Meeting venue with General Manager Seo Chang-gi.

“General Manager, it looks like it’s going to take a while. There are so many orders piled up…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! With so many people, it’s greedy to expect coffee to come out right away.”

General Manager Seo Chang-gi waved his hand, looking around the crowded cafe.

But in fact, at this time, General Manager Seo seemed to think that he didn’t care about a cup of coffee.

As soon as Jiseop sat down across from him, he stretched his neck and asked.

“So, what was that idea?”

“Pardon?”

“The idea you told the Red Sox employee. You were about to tell me, but you went to order coffee.”

“Ah, that?”

It’s nothing much.

Jiseop put down the buzzer he had received and continued.

“I told him to prepare a simple presentation before meeting Ruben Acosta.”

“Presentation? About what?”

“A presentation about the weaknesses of starting pitcher Ruben Acosta.”

“…What?!”

General Manager Seo’s eyes widened, but Jiseop continued his explanation without paying attention.

“Boston knows everything about Ryu Jang-ho. There’s no way they wouldn’t know about Ruben Acosta’s weaknesses, right?”

“That’s… true.”

“I told him to reveal everything. Very specifically, in detail. If possible, even attach video footage.”

“No… but why?!”

General Manager Seo’s voice rose slightly.

“Hey, Special Advisor Kim! Did someone like you not know the basics of FA negotiations? Mentioning a player’s weaknesses is… a taboo in FA negotiations!”

To be exact, it was about ‘negotiations with a player who must be signed.’

Referring to a player’s weaknesses is seen as an attempt to lower the contract amount.

“Actually, it’s not even about taboos. You’ve been a player, so you know. Do you feel good when a coach points out your weaknesses? You wouldn’t, would you?”

“That’s right. I didn’t feel very good.”

Jiseop answered obediently, and General Manager Seo seemed even more dumbfounded.

“See, everyone feels the same way. I’m the boss, and there are many places that want me, so who would want to sit there and listen to harsh words?”

So, when negotiating a FA contract, you should only say good things as much as possible.

But Jiseop opened his mouth without changing his expression.

“Yes, everyone would think so.”

“Hmm?”

“I think it’s unavoidable. Almost no one working in the front office has ever been in the same position as Ruben Acosta.”

That’s true in Korea and in the United States.

General Manager Seo Chang-gi, Jiseop, Tommy Damon, and even the Boston Red Sox’s general manager, who was said to be like a ‘bull.’

They had all had mediocre careers as active players.

So there was an area they didn’t know.

“I used to think like General Manager. No one likes to hear bad things. So, you have to be especially careful when pointing out players’ shortcomings.”

“…”

“But after joining the Cannons, I learned one thing while spending time with top-class players like Ryu Jang-ho and Cheon Jin-woo.”

Really the best players,

Those players who had dominated or are dominating an era-

“Their thoughts on weaknesses are different from most players.”

“…Different?”

“They welcome criticism of their weaknesses. They like it. Like a child receiving a toy as a gift.”

Why do they react that way?

Only Jiseop knew the reason.

“They seemed confident. Confidence that they could overcome any weakness. Confidence that they could become better players by overcoming their weaknesses.”

“…These crazy bastards.”

General Manager Seo looked a little disgusted.

Jiseop sympathized with his feelings and continued.

“Even the best players in Korea are like that, so wouldn’t the ace players in Major League Baseball welcome criticism of their weaknesses even more?”

“…Hmm.”

“Rather than trying to change a player’s mind with clumsy gifts, it’s better to analyze their weaknesses coldly and in a way that makes their eyes light up… That’s how I saw it.”

Seo Chang-gi was nodding without realizing it as he listened to Jiseop’s words.

“Now that I hear it, that’s true. I’ve always thought from my own perspective, but I’ve never considered what the players at the top might be thinking…”

“Hehe, that’s Kim Special Advisor for you.”

General Manager Seo ‘tapped’ Jiseop on the shoulder.

“The players at the top think differently… You’re not ordinary either, saying that. Do you know that?”

“…You flatter me.”

“However, when it comes to people’s minds, there are ten different minds for ten people…”

General Manager Seo frowned slightly.

“Whether the Boston GM adopted your friend’s opinion, and even if he did, whether Ruben Acosta moved as he thought… It’s not easy to guess.”

Jiseop felt the same way.

That’s why he told Tommy Damon that ‘the odds are fifty-fifty.’

“If the negotiations went as planned, it’s about time the results came out…”

General Manager Seo was anxious as he checked his cell phone.

Jiseop was also impatient and was tapping the table with his fingers when-

“…It’s Ruben!”

A voice shouted loudly from inside the cafe.

“It’s Ruben! Ruben Acosta is out!”

“I, I think he’s going to the media room?!”

“The media room? Then does that mean the FA negotiation results are out?!”

The already chaotic cafe began to become even more chaotic, as if a beehive had been poked.

People hurriedly grabbed their laptops, made phone calls, and threw away their coffee and ran outside.

People were buzzing at the sudden appearance of the biggest FA in this off-season.

General Manager Seo stood on tiptoe and asked Jiseop.

“Special Advisor Kim, you’re tall, so you can see, right? Ruben! Who’s following Ruben Acosta?”

His voice was quite urgent.

“The person following behind Ruben Acosta is the one who signed him. Who is it? Is it the Boston GM? Or the Yankees?”

In fact, this was a question that didn’t make much sense.

Jiseop, who was visiting the Winter Meeting for the first time, didn’t know all the faces of the Major League GMs.

“Th, that is…”

Jiseop stretched his neck and checked the people following Ruben Acosta.

A proud smile appeared on his face the very next moment.

Tommy Damon.

The Senior Manager of Baseball Operations for Boston.

His old colleague, who had once roamed the ground with Jiseop, was walking next to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Truly,

A confident gait.