Offseason Moves:- Signed free agent CF Otto Isaac to a 3-year contract worth a total of $155,000,000.
- Traded 23-year-old second baseman Owen Mack and 34-year-old third baseman Pepper Grant to the Portland Timbers, getting 25-year-old reliever Riley Valentine and 30-year-old reliever Justin Esson in return.
- Traded 26-year-old left fielder Lonzo González and 23-year-old minor league second baseman Galeno Ortiz to the Brooklyn Citizens, getting 28-year-old left fielder David Pritcher and 22-year-old minor league third baseman Deangelo Pantoja in return.
- Traded 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Byung-Joo Nam to the Houston Dynamo, getting 24-year-old minor league right fielder Aris Anaconda in return.
- Traded 23-year-old minor league starting pitcher Hudson Dorsch to the Montreal Wanderers, getting 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Orlando Vasquez in return.
- Signed international amateur CF Martín Bramasco out of Dominican Republic to a minor league contract.
- Traded 27-year-old shortstop Hamza McDonnell and 33-year-old reliever Ferdinand Loving to the Toronto Reds BC, getting 26-year-old shortstop Julian Goodwin and 27-year-old second baseman Richard McTaggart in return.
Of Note: I rebranded the team – we are now known as the Los Angeles Kings. Tony Voorhis signed with the Brooklyn Citizens, we’ll get a supplemental 1st round pick for it – I’m cool with that, the fans, however, are not. Arnold Webster, who we declined to offer Salary Arbitration, landed in Vancouver – early indications are that he’ll start at first for the new-look Giants… Derek Jeter retired, leaving only Donny in the Bigs – he signed a 1-year, $7.8M deal with the 76ers. Jules Winfield also retired – this one bums me out, but it was time. Dejuan Burns managed to finagle Minnesota out of $17.2M to pitch for the North Stars – surprised to see him command such a high salary, but I did pay Brisky more than that – so, maybe I shouldn’t be. Julen Morales left Phoenix and is now a Montreal Wanderer - $21M over two years… would love to see him recapture some of the magic he had in Los Angeles… Current King, 3B Dontrell Gay, was named the smartest player in baseball – apparently, he has an IQ of 147… listen, I’ve seen the guy light flatulence in the clubhouse, so, yeah, I’m not so sure about this one… Former Angelino, 3B Pepper Grant, partnered with teammate Peter Parrow to open up a nightclub in downtown Portland called Club Velocity – it’s a 24-hour music venue that will showcase internationally-renowned DJs… nice to see that Pepper is fitting right in with his new teammates, I’ll sure miss that guy (had to do it to make room in the budget to keep Otto)… Speaking of Otto – his weight is down to 150lbs (he’s 6’0”) after a new Unconventional workout routine led to disastrous results – he’s going back to his old routine, I hope he puts the weight back on… and lastly, Saul Guzman was picked up by Toronto just in time for Opening Day – I was getting nervous, I love the Gooz and am happy to see that he landed on an MLB club.
Wait, maybe that wasn’t everything… Pepper was suspended by his new Club in Portland after team officials finally had enough with how much energy he was spending on his new nightclub. He’ll miss the first 5 games of the season.
The 2078 Lineup:- 2B Richard McTaggart – the prototypical leadoff guy… hits for average, good baserunner. Unfortunately, he’s only average in the field – but his media savviness is unparalleled, which is perfect for Los Angeles.
- RF Ethan Mullens – our max effort LA stalwart – back in the fold to wreck things in 2078.
- CF Otto Isaac – the man, the myth, the legend… still needs to gain that weight back though. I’m worried about him, seems to be wasting away and is only 145lbs now.
- RF Rajkumar Kosciusko – he became our sparkplug late in 2077 and looks to stake his claim to stardom after winning the ROY award last season.
- 3B Dontrell Gay – outplayed Pepper and took over 3B during the second half of the 2077 regular season – he’s our everyday guy now and may be our best player when it is all said and done.
- C Dom Cooke – he’s an expert at handling our staff, and in 2078 may have the best one we’ve ever put together during my tenure.
- 1B Oh Hong – great contact hitter with some pop who can’t run to save his life. He’s beloved here in LA – we expect big things this year.
- LF Joseph Zody – after languishing in Compton for the last 3 seasons, Zody gets his first shot being the everyday guy out in left. He’s solid.
- SS Julian Goodwin – capable of drawing a walk and that’s about it at the plate, phenomenal in the field though.
The Staff:- Paul Yeager – He was great for us in 2077, looking for more of the same in 2078.
- Newton Weiser – Solid, dependable, and still getting better.
- Aiden Jensen – we are counting on him being ready for primetime – he had his struggles in 2077, time for the takeover to begin.
- Michael Brisk – an LA institution who needs no introduction
- Kenny Ibuna – a solid #5 with good stuff and even better control. Can’t hold runners to save his life.
The Closer:- Steven Barbaccia – he became the man in 2077, is still the man in 2078.