A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 402

New Recruit of Baseball Team Is Too Good – 402

New Recruit of Baseball Team Is Too Good 402

89. Another Sunshine Day (4)

Nashville, Tennessee, is known as the “Music City” of the United States.

It’s said that country music, considered traditional American music, developed from here.

Even now, famous singers from all over the United States come here to record albums.

‘The Triple-A baseball team in this area is probably the Nashville Sounds, right?’

But for people working in Major League front offices, Nashville is famous for a slightly different reason.

Along with Las Vegas in the western United States and Montreal in Canada, it’s a region trying to attract a new Major League team.

The league office has made several supportive statements, and a well-known figure in baseball has become the public face of the project.

However, in Nashville, which has repeatedly faced disappointment despite these efforts, they seem to have reached out to a new partner.

And that new partner is…

The Tampa Bay Rays.

“It seems Lauren Ortega’s long efforts are finally paying off,” Brian Sphan, the general manager, said.

“As far as I know, the Nashville city government was only interested in creating a completely new team.”

The person who changed that was ‘Mama’ Lauren Ortega.

She joined the lobbying group [Dynamic Days for Nashville] and has been slowly persuading local politicians for a long time.

After lobbying for about two years, the Nashville city government finally changed its position.

“Of course, the league office’s recent announcement must have had an impact as well. They announced that a joining fee of over $2 billion would be required to create a completely new team.”

$2 billion is an enormous amount.

Bringing the Tampa Bay Rays would save that money, so the Nashville city government’s perspective was bound to change.

“According to Ms. Ortega’s data, the conditions in the Nashville area seem to be quite well-established.”

It was a region that had been working hard to attract a Major League team for a long time.

That’s only natural.

“More than 50% of the funds for stadium construction have already been secured. More than 70 companies have already come forward to sponsor the new team. And above all…”

Swish.

The general manager looked at Ji-seop.

“Kim, do you remember when we visited the White House a while ago, the word the President mentioned in his speech?”

“A new opportunity… are you talking about that?”

As Ji-seop spoke the words in his mind, Brian Sphan slowly nodded.

“Indeed, Kim, you’ve caught on.”

He looked satisfied.

“It seems that DDFN, Ms. Ortega’s lobbying group, was also behind that word suddenly appearing. It must have been to create leverage to pressure the Nashville city government.”

“Ah, that’s how it happened.”

Having heard this, Ji-seop took a bite of his sandwich.

Not because he was hungry, but because he needed time to organize his thoughts.

‘Relocate the team to Nashville?’

It wasn’t an easy decision.

Is it the right choice, or the wrong choice?

Will it help me if I agree? Or will it benefit my career if I oppose it?

It was a problem that made Ji-seop, who had only played baseball his whole life, feel slightly overwhelmed, but one thing seemed certain.

‘Damn, the difficulty level has gone up quite a bit.’

Just recently, he was discussing when to take the starting pitcher out of the game, but now he was hearing a story that could determine the fate of the team.

He used to be in a place where only the names of players or coaches were mentioned, but now he was in a place where the names of presidents and politicians were mentioned.

Was it because his promotion to deputy general manager was imminent? A noticeably different type of problem.

What should he do now? There was one question he had to ask to decide that.

“Then… is the negotiation with St. Petersburg suspended for now?”

Ji-seop looked at the general manager.

“Didn’t the St. Petersburg city government also promise to build a new stadium? The negotiations on that have been ongoing. But listening to what you’re saying now…”

“Why, does it seem like my heart is leaning towards Nashville?”

Brian Sphan gave a subtle smile.

“No, that’s not it. It’s true that St. Petersburg is showing a somewhat ambiguous stance… But we can’t just end the negotiations abruptly.”

It seemed there was a certain protocol in this area as well.

“Besides, no matter how long Lauren Ortega has worked with us, it’s difficult to trust her words 100%. After all, she is representing Nashville’s position right now.”

So, about that.

The general manager stroked his chin.

“I’m thinking of dispatching some of our Tampa Bay Rays employees to Nashville as a fact-finding mission.”

“Ah.”

“If we go there and see for ourselves, we’ll get a sense of things. What is Nashville’s state of readiness, what is the city government’s position, what are the people we’ll be working with thinking?”

And then, Ji-seop realized why the general manager had taken so long to explain the situation.

“I’d like the Future Strategy Planning Department to take charge.”

“Yes?”

“Of the composition of the fact-finding mission. How many people to take, who to take… If possible, it would be even better if you could take charge of the command on-site and the report upon return.”

There seemed to be a reason for this.

“We can’t have a general manager-level or president-level figure leading the fact-finding mission in a boisterous manner. That would be too much of a provocation to the St. Petersburg city government. The media would be all over it.”

“…”

“But if we send a main director-level person, the people in Nashville will be concerned. They’ll want a representative who is appropriate for their level.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“So… you mean us?”

“In many ways, you are the right person, aren’t you? The only son of owner Jeffrey Taylor, and the superstar of the Tampa Bay front office who is about to be promoted to deputy general manager.”

In fact, up to this point, it was a familiar situation.

It wasn’t the first time the general manager had utilized John Llama’s position, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to appreciate Ji-seop’s abilities.

But then, Brian Sphan said something he’d never said before.

“And Kim, if you are the person I’ve seen so far… I think you can easily grasp the hidden meaning of this fact-finding mission.”

The general manager was looking at Ji-seop with a more serious look than ever before.

“Can I trust you on that?”

* * *

Late that afternoon.

Ji-seop was having dinner with David Wilson in the Future Strategy Planning Department office.

John Llama had gone to Lauren Ortega’s welcome event, so it was the first time in a while that the two of them were eating together.

The menu was stir-fried noodles from a nearby Chinese restaurant. And the topic Ji-seop brought up was the composition of the Nashville fact-finding mission.

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

Ji-seop thought he would be surprised by the Nashville story, but David Wilson’s reaction was surprisingly calm.

“There’s been some talk in the public relations and media department. The St. Petersburg city government has started to complain.”

Slurp.

David continued, sucking on the noodles.

“There’s also talk that they’re picking on the average attendance, and making an issue of Vincent Hyama’s departure… So I thought there might be a second plan.”

“Geez, the St. Petersburg city government is really annoying. Why are they changing their minds like that?”

“Isn’t that what politicians are like? If it’s not 100%, they get awkward.”

David chuckled and gulped down the water in front of him.

“Kim, you have a lot to do, so I’ll make a draft first. Baseball-related departments and non-baseball-related departments… Should I make it about half and half?”

“Yes, please do that.”

“Okay. Then let’s see….”

As soon as Ji-seop answered, David Wilson took out his cell phone and started recording.

Ji-seop could feel that David Wilson had changed quite a bit.

He used to only think about returning to the field and focus on baseball-related work, but now he seemed to have adapted to the unique atmosphere of the Future Strategy Planning Department.

Now, David Wilson seemed unfazed by most things.

“…”

Maybe that’s why.

After thinking for a moment, Ji-seop brought up this story to David Wilson.

“David.”

“Yes?”

“This fact-finding mission… It seems like there’s an intention behind it.”

“Intention? What intention?”

“I’m not sure if it’s the general manager’s idea or the owner’s idea. But…”

Ji-seop lowered his voice.

“It seems like they’re trying to give John Llama a boost with this opportunity.”

It was a fact that Ji-seop learned by reading Brian Sphan’s mind.

“I don’t know how Ortega persuaded them, but the team’s executives seem to have their hearts set on Nashville.”

They may have been fed up with St. Petersburg’s change of heart.

“And if the team moves to Nashville, it will be done under John Llama’s leadership… Yes, it seems like they’re envisioning that.”

What does this mean?

David in the past might not have known, but David now seemed to grasp it easily.

“Does that mean…”

David swallowed hard.

“Does that mean the owner has made up his mind? To pass his position on to John Llama?”

“Yes, I sense that.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“The lawyer who entered the law firm thanks to John Llama’s consideration has laid a suitable bridge. If the fact-finding mission led by John Llama gives a positive opinion, and that ultimately leads to a successful relocation…”

John Llama will be able to succeed owner Jeffrey Taylor while receiving everyone’s recognition.

This was what Brian Sphan had in mind.

And what he wanted Ji-seop to know.

Ji-seop continued cautiously.

“But it’s not certain that this will go as the owner or the general manager thinks. If things go wrong, it could have a pretty big impact on employees like us.”

“Ah…”

At that moment, a faint smile appeared on David’s lips.

“So you’re telling me to think carefully about leading this fact-finding mission?”

“Yes, please think about it and tell me. I don’t want to entrust you with anything that’s too burdensome.”

Not everyone is fiercely ambitious.

Some people may want a peaceful daily life rather than taking risks.

Ji-seop wanted to give his colleague, who had worked hard, a choice.

He wanted to be considerate so that he could avoid things he might regret.

But David just laughed loudly, ‘Hahahaha.’

“Kim! Do you know that? You seem to know people’s minds very well, but… sometimes you say strange things like this?”

“Strange things?”

“Yes, it’s strange. It’s very strange!”

David looked dumbfounded.

“There’s no choice to make here? Don’t we have to go unconditionally?”

He continued.

“Of course, it’s also for John Llama. I don’t hate that guy either. But this is… when you think about it, it’s a matter related to you, Kim.”

“Me?”

“Yes, Kim!”

David said firmly.

“Kim, think about it. No matter how much the culture of Major League Baseball has changed, there is still racism left. Blacks and Hispanics are better off, but unfortunately, the perception of Asians isn’t very good.”

At best, people who are good at calculations.

At best, people who work hard.

That was the realistic perception, he said.

“Kim, you broke that and rose to the position of deputy general manager. That’s great! But if you want to go higher from here…”

David Wilson’s eyes turned to Ji-seop.

“You must achieve it here. Relocation? You have to bring it as your achievement.”

“Hey, wait a minute, wait a minute.”

Ji-seop raised both hands to calm David down.

“What are you talking about? I was talking about you, David. But why are you suddenly talking about me…”

“Kim! I’m really going to be upset? Did you really not know?”

David Wilson said.

“Both Llama and I… we are the people who have decided to follow you, Kim. In other words, are we people who belong to ‘Kim’s line’?”

Your success is my success.

Your failure is my failure.

“There’s no need to ask me about my position separately. Isn’t that right?”

“…David.”

Ji-seop hesitated for a moment at the unexpected words.

David clenched his fist at Ji-seop.

“Kim, let’s give it a try!”

Looking back, it was the oldest problem of the Tampa Bay Rays.

That there are many problems with the home stadium. So the audience doesn’t come. And so, we can’t get the momentum to create a better team.

“Let’s solve the Tampa Bay Rays’ long-standing problem and go to the very end!”

Higher,

Higher.

And so,

To the pinnacle of this team.