A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 329

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good – Episode 329

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good Episode 329

78. The Road Not Taken (3)

In a word,

It was chaos.

The news that Vincent Hiyama, the Baltimore Orioles’ two-way ace, had waived his no-trade clause.

-This could shake up the entire season! Who would have expected a player of Vincent’s caliber to waive his no-trade clause?

It was almost unprecedented for a league’s top player to waive his no-trade clause.

And it was even more unprecedented for the player himself to publicly announce this fact.

Whether it was the media or the internet, anywhere with even a slight connection to Major League Baseball began to offer their own analysis of the cause of this situation.

-I think there was some level of understanding with the Baltimore organization. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said something like that on the broadcast.

This was the analysis of the reporters who appeared on the broadcast immediately after the game.

-I agree. The Baltimore Orioles are probably planning to get a good deal out of this trade. And Vincent is preparing a final gift for his team.

The idea was that by getting more teams involved in the trade discussions, he would benefit his current team.

Of course, there were plenty of counterarguments.

-Hey, no way! It’s just that Vincent guy expressing his dissatisfaction with Baltimore!

This is what was said on a YouTube channel run by a former baseball player.

-He’s always making a fuss about winning, but they’re in last place in the division again this year, right? So Vincent must be completely pissed! How many years has he wasted in Baltimore!

The story was that Vincent, who had been dissatisfied, did it to leave his team as soon as possible.

In addition to that, various stories about Vincent Hiyama poured out, but among them, the Tampa Bay coaching staff offered the following:

“Kim, it’s all thanks to you.”

That was what Thomas Culkin said to Ji-seop the day after Vincent Hiyama made his ‘bombshell declaration’.

“The first thing that came up in our coaching staff’s group chat after seeing the news was that this is 100% because Vincent was impressed by you.”

“…Impressed?”

When Ji-seop tilted his head, Coach Culkin made a subtle voice, saying, ‘Isn’t that so?’

“When Baltimore leaked information about Vincent’s breaking ball, what did you say to us? We have to ignore this information! That way, we can beat Vincent even if we meet him in the postseason!”

Coach Culkin smiled, imitating Ji-seop’s words from a few months ago.

“This has been made known. It’s gone into Vincent’s ears! The Tampa Bay Rays are seriously aiming for the championship! They are a different class of team than the Baltimore Orioles!”

Strictly speaking, it was Ji-seop himself who conveyed that fact to Vincent, but at this time, Ji-seop just kept his mouth shut and listened quietly.

“I told Manager Clemblas too. If we acquire Vincent this time, Kim’s contribution should be recognized the most.”

“Oh, please don’t say that…”

Ji-seop waved his hand lightly, then changed his expression as he suddenly thought of something and asked.

“But… is it possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“The acquisition. Vincent Hiyama.”

At Ji-seop’s question, Thomas Culkin stroked his wiry beard and replied.

“The atmosphere doesn’t seem too bad? According to the manager today.”

“Is that so? I heard that the General Manager doesn’t really favor this kind of trade…”

“Well, our GM does have that tendency. But isn’t this a heaven-sent opportunity!”

A heaven-sent opportunity.

An opportunity that can never be missed.

Coach Culkin clenched his fists.

“No player who’s been called an ace has ever said they’d come to our Tampa Bay, right? But suddenly, the best player in the league has declared that he’s willing to go anywhere. If this isn’t a golden opportunity, what is it? A golden opportunity to win the World Series!”

He also added that the baseball operations office was unusually noisy this morning.

“Let’s wait and see. The General Manager will definitely not miss this opportunity!”

Acquire Vincent Hiyama and win the first championship in franchise history this year.

Not only Thomas Culkin, but also the Tampa Bay Rays, were filled with such expectations.

Exactly three days later, a phone call from the General Manager’s office turned everything upside down.

“Ah, yes, I see. I understand. Then our Future Strategy Planning Division will also organize its position…”

Click.

The person who put down the phone was John Llama Taylor, the main director of the Future Strategy Planning Division.

“Kim, it seems like the situation is getting difficult.”

He said to Ji-seop.

“The first negotiation with the Baltimore Orioles has just ended, and the conditions they have presented are a bit…”

“Outrageous… is that what you mean?”

It was David Wilson who reacted before Ji-seop.

“Hey, everyone expected that, didn’t they? You can’t show off with mediocre cards to bring in Vincent Hiyama.”

Even at this time, David Wilson had a relaxed expression.

“What kind of great conditions did Baltimore present? Brett? Danielson? No, looking at Llama’s expression… I guess they asked for about Howard, right?”

Brett, Danielson, Howard.

Each had a different position and played in a different league level, but they were the best prospects Tampa Bay Rays had.

In fact, Ji-seop was prepared to give up this level of prospect, but John Llama was shaking his head heavily.

“No, it’s not those guys.”

“Not them?”

David Wilson blinked his eyes.

“Then is there any other prospect that Baltimore would be interested in? But they wouldn’t ask for a player from Single A or Rookie League… um?”

And the next moment, the analyst from the Future Strategy Planning Division seemed to have caught on to something.

“Wait a minute, Llama! Could it be…?”

“Yes, it’s probably the player you’re expecting.”

John Llama mentioned the player in question with a short sigh.

“It’s Christopher Ben.”

He continued.

“The Baltimore Orioles have demanded Christopher Ben in exchange for giving up Vincent Hiyama.”

* * *

Christopher Ben.

He was the best prospect the Tampa Bay Rays had.

A pitcher who can freely throw a four-seam fastball at over 100 miles per hour.

A pitcher who can execute cutters, sweepers, and circle changeups excellently.

In fact, the word ‘prospect’ may not be appropriate for him anymore.

As a result of Tampa Bay Rays’ top experts devoting themselves to nurturing him for many years, he was now about to make his major league debut.

Wasn’t there an opinion at the regular strategy meeting just a few days ago to use him as a ‘one-two punch’ with Victor Johnson Jr.?

“The General Manager says he will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow.”

John Llama conveyed the situation.

“Because the issue is so important, the General Manager is finding it difficult to make a decision. So, each department should express its opinion on whether to continue this trade negotiation…”

Almost at the same time as the Main Director’s words ended, a heavy silence fell on the Future Strategy Planning Division.

“…”

“…”

Of course, there would be room for negotiation. That was clear.

Originally, it was common for both sides to present conditions that seemed a bit excessive in the first contact.

But even considering that, the Baltimore Orioles’ demands were far beyond the level that the Tampa Bay people were thinking.

They were planning to squeeze the other side dry. In exchange for giving up Vincent Hiyama.

“…It would be right to back down.”

At the end of a long silence, it was David Wilson who gave his opinion first.

“If we give an opinion to continue the negotiations here, we’re really in big trouble.”

It was David who had argued just a few days ago that ‘we should make a bold trade’.

Perhaps realizing that fact himself, he quickly corrected his posture and continued.

“The fact that Christopher Ben was mentioned in the first negotiation means that we will ultimately receive at least two or three prospects in the BA 30 list, right?”

BA. Baseball America.

It was the most recognized baseball media in the American baseball world.

Here, they announce the rankings of prospects held by all major league teams every year, and the BA 30 list means a player who is ranked within the top 30 among those many prospects.

It was truly the best prospect in the league.

“I have a similar thought, Kim.”

John Llama also opened his mouth carefully.

“Competition has intensified as the no-trade clause has been lifted, right? If we continue negotiations in this situation…”

Up to this point, it was similar to David Wilson’s context.

“Besides… I’m worried about having to express my opinion publicly at tomorrow’s meeting.”

“About that?”

“Yes, Benjamin used to meet the General Manager privately to give his opinion if he had one, but he didn’t reveal it in a public place.”

Benjamin Oznovich.

He was John Llama’s longtime friend and the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I don’t know well, but if Benjamin didn’t do it, there must be a reason. If we do something here that he didn’t do…

Wouldn’t it be better to avoid it?”

That’s what John Llama said.

* * *

That day, Ji-seop felt like one of his long-held questions was being answered.

Why hasn’t the Tampa Bay Rays won the championship? Why, despite having good results every year, have they been so far from the World Series trophy?

On the way home from work, Ji-seop was muttering the answer he had obtained in his mind.

‘Everyone… hesitates.’

They hesitate at the crucial moment.

They hesitate at the moment when they have to make a bold move, and they miss all the good opportunities.

David Wilson pointed out that it was General Manager Brian Spann’s bad habit, but in reality, it seemed to be a tendency that was prevalent throughout the Tampa Bay Rays team.

‘Well, it’s not unreasonable.’

It was a small market team from the beginning.

They don’t have many cards to hold.

If it were the Yankees or the Red Sox, they could lose one or two cards carelessly without much damage, but for a small team like Tampa Bay, wasting one card would be a big blow.

Everyone knew this environment well, so they seemed to be hesitant and looking around at the crucial moment.

‘Okay, let’s say that’s the atmosphere of our team…’

The problem was from now on.

What should he do?

‘Should I just watch and see this time? Or is the answer to close my eyes and go for it?’

If he just watched and waited, he was bothered by what Thomas Culkin said, that it was a ‘golden opportunity’.

But if he closed his eyes and went for it, he had no idea what kind of aftereffects would come.

From the beginning, he was Asian and hadn’t been with the team for very long, so he wondered what he could do.

‘Should I call Professor Pryor? No, Professor’s connections are too wide for that…’

If he made a mistake, the situation inside Tampa Bay could leak out.

Just as he was looking for his house key with a slightly frustrated feeling.

Thud.

Something caught Ji-seop’s foot.

It was a package.

‘…KH Cannons? What’s this all of a sudden?’

The sender was KH Cannons Co., Ltd. in Yeongsan City, Gyeonggi Province [a city in South Korea].

As Ji-seop tilted his head and opened the package, a faint smile began to spread across his face.

-It’s summer.

A small note placed on top of a neatly packaged box of red ginseng extract.

-In celebration of the hot summer season, we are sending a small gift to all of our KH Cannons family members who are silently sweating today…

The end of the letter, which continued in a polite tone, contained the name of the person who sent this gift.

-CEO of KH Cannons Co., Ltd.

-Park Hong-ju, respectfully.