A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 519

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good 519

110. He’s Always Been Greedy (3)

Around 10 a.m. the next day.

New York Yankees General Manager Nicholas Weiner II and his aides were rushing down the south corridor of Yankee Stadium.

This was the so-called Great Hall, a corridor famously decorated beautifully with motifs from Greek temples. However, they seemed too preoccupied to notice the scenery.

The reason was simple. Exactly four minutes ago, New York Yankees owner Richard Steinbrenner had ordered them to come to his office.

Within exactly 10 minutes.

“General Manager, this way! This way!”

“Thank you, Casey!”

It seemed this commotion was nothing new. The teamwork between Weiner and his aides was truly remarkable.

Someone would run ahead to catch the elevator, and when it arrived, they would quickly jump in and swipe the card key.

As the elevator began to move with a ‘whirring’ sound, Weiner finally let out a sigh of relief and looked around.

“Do you have any idea why we were called?”

A sudden summons from His Majesty the owner.

Weiner was bewildered.

“To be summoned at 10 a.m., I can’t even begin to guess the reason.”

“W, well, to be honest, we don’t either…”

The aides trailed off.

“Frankly, we didn’t even know the owner was at Yankee Stadium right now.”

“He clearly said he would be staying in Las Vegas until tomorrow morning, didn’t he? Why suddenly…”

“He said he was going to meet with the advisory board, so maybe those old guys told him something strange again?”

Perhaps because the situation unfolded so suddenly, the aides were only spouting useless information.

Of course, it wasn’t as if the Yankees had no capable people. Some were offering plausible theories.

“General Manager, the most likely reason is Grant, I think.”

Grant. Grant Hollyman.

He was the most sought-after player in this trade market.

A 26-year-old young shortstop with the power to hit 50 home runs for two consecutive years and the best defensive skills in the league.

‘Grant is the perfect fit for the Yankees,’ Steinbrenner often said.

“Could it be that he wants to check on how the acquisition is going? The trade deadline is approaching.”

“Grant… Haha, if that’s the case, it’ll be quite a thrilling morning. But as of now, I don’t have much to tell him.”

Was trading such an easy task?

You had to match cards with the other team and consider the total salary when the player came over.

In Grant’s case, the competition was so fierce that negotiations were bound to be even more difficult.

There was no choice. He would just have to take the scolding today. As Weiner headed to the owner’s office, bracing himself-

“Oh, Nicholas! Welcome.”

Contrary to expectations, he was greeted by Steinbrenner’s gentle smile as he entered the office.

“Sorry to call you in when you’re busy. It wasn’t anything urgent, was it?”

“No, most of today’s schedule is concentrated in the afternoon… It’s fine.”

“Good, always take care of yourself while working. Oh my, our general manager looks terrible today!”

The owner, Steinbrenner, was clicking his tongue as if he was dying of pity.

In some ways, it was a very caring gesture, but at that moment, Weiner felt as if the heartburn he had been managing for a while was returning.

He had a bad feeling. There was no way this stubborn old man would act like this for no reason.

And who said it?

Sad premonitions never miss.

“Haha, that good face has become so haggard… What’s the reason? Is it because of Grant Hollyman? Is it because acquiring him isn’t going well?”

“Yes, he’s arguably the biggest name in this trade market.”

As Weiner answered and looked up, he could see a triumphant smile spreading across the owner’s face.

“I thought so. That’s why I rushed here on the morning flight.”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“Do you remember my friend Michael? You know, the friend who runs a hotel in Las Vegas! He was also an advisor to our team until two years ago.”

Before Weiner could even answer, the owner lowered his voice and continued.

“That friend is a well-known informant in Las Vegas, and he brought me some amazing news this time. I wanted to tell you about it.”

“Amazing news?”

“It’s a way to drastically reduce our team’s total salary. It’s also a way to make Grant Hollyman’s acquisition easier.”

The next moment, Nicholas Weiner couldn’t help but feel his heart sink.

“Vincent Hyama!”

The owner smirked.

“The Tampa Bay Rays, those clueless guys, are reportedly interested in acquiring Vincent Hyama. Their new manager hasn’t forgotten his old ties with Vincent, I guess?”

* * *

At this time, owner Steinbrenner was using the word ‘intel’.

News that a great informant in Las Vegas had subtly passed on. Information that most people wouldn’t even dream of knowing.

But for ‘intel,’ the information the owner brought was a little too specific.

“If we show a little sincerity with salary assistance, the Tampa Bay Rays are willing to take Vincent without complaint! And they’re willing to give up one of their top 40 prospects in the MLB pipeline as compensation!”

“Nicholas, isn’t this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Instead of keeping an idiot on my team who only eats up salary without doing anything, it’s better to get rid of him!”

“If we reduce the total salary that way, wouldn’t it ease the Grant Hollyman negotiations? We won’t have to worry about luxury taxes or anything!”

As if it were a story he had prepared in advance. Or like a story he had heard from someone.

Watching the owner excitedly ramble on, Nicholas Weiner felt his vision darken.

‘Damn it, I’ve been had.’

It was Kim. He had been had by Kim again.

The owner wasn’t mentioning Kim’s name at all, but looking at the situation, it seemed clear that his influence was at play.

He had even blocked his phone number early on, fearing this would happen, but he never imagined he would target the owner’s longtime friend.

‘How did he do it?’

Running a hotel in Las Vegas meant he was a huge figure. It was difficult to meet him easily, and even if you did, it was nearly impossible to make him move according to your intentions.

But the general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays was pulling it off. He was moving a big shot in Las Vegas and even swaying the owner’s mind.

What was the secret? What method did he use? He wanted to call and demand an explanation right away, but there was something he had to do now.

“Um… Owner?”

Guiding Steinbrenner to regain his composure.

It was something he had been doing almost every day since he took office as the new general manager of the Yankees.

“Could you give me a little time? It’s such a sudden proposal that I think we need to review it internally.”

“Review? What review?”

The owner, whose excitement had been broken, sent a menacing look, but Weiner wasn’t one to be intimidated.

“It’s true that Vincent Hyama isn’t showing his peak performance, but he’s still a player who’s responsible for the team’s core batting lineup. I don’t think he’s a player we can let go of so easily…”

In fact, this was the right thing to say. Either way, he was a hitter who could be expected to hit 20 home runs a year. As a pitcher, he was a player who could be expected to win more than 10 games.

It was a judgment that he wasn’t a player to be released even with salary assistance. However, owner Steinbrenner was much more adamant than the general manager had expected.

“I know that Vincent is part of the team’s core batting lineup! Do you think the owner wouldn’t know that? But I’ve come to the conclusion that I can no longer keep that guy on my team.”

“No, why…”

“Nicholas, do you know what I heard in Las Vegas?”

The owner glared.

“I heard that the Yankees spirit is disappearing! The Yankees spirit! You probably don’t know, do you? No player is greater than the team! All players must be loyal to the team!”

“…”

“That’s why we don’t even put player names on the home uniforms, right? Because the team is important! Because no player is greater than the New York Yankees!”

But,

What about Vincent now?

The owner questioned, as if he were pressing him.

“Even though he knows that focusing on either pitching or hitting would be much more helpful to the team… Isn’t he stubbornly insisting on being a two-way player! I heard he’s not even following the new manager’s instructions?”

“O, Owner! As I mentioned last time, that’s because the player himself is trying to find his balance…”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

Owner Steinbrenner slammed his fist on the desk.

“I don’t want to discuss it with you anymore. It’s my team! My Yankees! So go and release Vincent Hyama and bring Grant Hollyman!”

This is,

an order.

Owner Steinbrenner’s stern command echoed throughout the office.

* * *

“A, are you alright, General Manager?”

About ten minutes later.

Nicholas Weiner, who had been miserably defeated in his negotiation with the owner, was back in the Yankees Stadium office building.

On the way from the players’ locker room, past the cafeteria, to the general manager’s office.

To the general manager, who was silently looking down at the floor, his aides were offering words of comfort.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like the owner hasn’t acted like this before.”

“Or would you like to go to the training room? The previous general managers used to beat the sandbags there.”

To the aides’ worried looks, Weiner gave a faint smile and waved his hand.

“No. I’m fine. Damn, I just think it’s damn hard to get paid…”.

Weiner lowered his gaze to the tablet PC he was holding.

“After checking the specific proposal, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal. The Tampa Bay Rays seem to have offered a pretty smart prospect.”

“Yes, we actually said something similar. If you only think about Vincent, there’s no reason to accept the deal, but assuming we acquire Grant Hollyman, it’s quite reasonable…”

It was at this moment that the aides tilted their heads.

“But why do you look so reluctant, General Manager?”

Everyone looked at the general manager’s face.

“Why? Usually, no matter what the owner says, if the proposal is good, you proceed right away.”

“Could it be because the other party is Tampa Bay? Does their general manager have a hidden card?”

“Hmm, I’m a little concerned about that too. It’s just that Kim, of all people, made such a reasonable proposal…”

It seemed that distrust of the Tampa Bay general manager was widespread among the Yankees’ aides as well.

Just as Weiner raised an eyebrow and was about to say something.

Whoosh- Pow!

A pitching sound coming from the outdoor bullpen caught his attention.

“…”

It was Vincent Hyama.

Around 11 a.m., a time when it was still too early for the players to come to work.

This stubborn two-way player had already finished preparing and was practicing pitching.

Clenching his teeth, he threw a four-seam fastball, a sweeper, and a changeup [types of baseball pitches].

Even though he had two large fans running, thick beads of sweat were streaming down his face.

Nicholas Weiner, who had been quietly watching the scene, turned to his aides and said.

“I made a promise to that guy.”

“A promise?”

“Yes. Was it three years ago? When that guy collapsed due to an injury, I ran to the hospital and made a very firm promise.”

The team will take responsibility for you.

We will take responsibility for your recovery.

At least, I will make sure that you do not regret today’s start in the future.

“It was a natural promise. Back then, Vincent was the team’s ace and a player who gave everything for the Yankees.”

“…”

“So, as long as I’m the general manager, I wanted to help him recover as much as possible… But things have turned out this way. I can’t keep my promise from the past.”

At Weiner’s bitter expression, one of the aides cautiously stepped forward.

“We are well aware of Vincent’s contributions. At least until three years ago, he was the team’s best player.”

He rolled his eyes and continued.

“In that case, General Manager, why don’t you ask him what he thinks?”

“Ask him?”

“Yes, whether he has any intention of giving up being a two-way player now.”

He’s eyes lit up.

“The owner also recognizes Vincent’s abilities. If he declares that he will focus on either pitching or hitting, wouldn’t the owner also drop his idea of releasing Vincent?”

“Ah, is that so?”

It sounded plausible.

Given the situation, if he was in danger of leaving the team, wouldn’t that stubborn Vincent change his mind?

“Alright, then…”

Weiner turned around and opened the door to the indoor bullpen.

Then, he quietly called out to Vincent, who had just finished a round of pitching and was catching his breath.

“Hey, Vincent!”

It was quite an affectionate tone.

“Can you spare me a moment…?”