The Secret Diary of Paulie Beane, Aged 43 3/4

[Paulie123]

16-18 Sep 2036

STO 4 LEE 10: Hayashi 4-5, DBL. Soto 2-3, 2 HR. Jackson 6.1 IP, 1 ER. [81-73]

STO 10 LEE 8: Black 3-5, SB. van Buuren 2-5, HR. If we don't go on to win the division, this will be the game where it was lost. We took a comfortable 8-4 lead into the 8th but the bullpen, primarily Beau Simpson and Bob Douglas, threw it away. [81-74]

STO 2 LEE 3: McGivern 7.0 IP, 2 ER. Black 3-5, HR. Incredible scenes at the West Yorkshire Ballpark! Kenshin Hayashi's clutch HR with 2 outs in the 9th tied the game, before in-form Billy Black's walk-off HR in the 11th won it. The crowd went mental. I've never heard the stadium in full cry before and it's an amazing experience at this atmospheric park. We lead the Flames by 5 games with just 6 to play! [82-74, 1st place, 5 game lead over SHE]

[Paulie123]

19-21 Sep 2036

LEE 4 NEW 0: Whitfield 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER. Sheffield also won, beating the Sky Chiefs with a late flurry, but our magic number is down to 1. Come on Hedgehogs! [83-74]

What a performance from Gary Whitfield in only his second start. I kept faith with him taking his turn in the rotation in a vital game, and he repaid me and then some. Hopefully it won't come down to the final game of the regular season, but I have no qualms about him taking the mound that day now.

LEE 6 NEW 7: Brown 4-4, DBL, SB. Fuentes 3-6, DBL. We led 6-3 heading into the bottom of the 6th, but the Swordfish tied it up them won the game in the 13th after a brave effort from our bullpen. [83-75]

A disappointing loss, but it didn't matter. The Leeds Hedgehogs are the 2036 North East Division champions! Sheffield were simultaneously suffering a disappointing loss of their own, allowing 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to get beaten 5-4 by the Sky Chiefs. The players went out and partied in Newcastle as the news filtered through. What happens in Newcastle stays in Newcastle - unless it's something the GM needs to know about for media handling purposes. Iain van Buuren disgraced himself at a strip club and it'll be all over the e-newspaper websites by morning. I don't know why she let him put an apple up there, let alone why he ate it afterwards. The lads will be nursing some nasty hangovers at tomorrow's game. I and the rest of the front office staff back in Leeds are just about to go out to a local pub to celebrate and I expect most of us will also get highly lubricated. But in rather less newsworthy fashion than the players.

LEE 6 NEW 7: Jackson 5.1 IP, 2 ER. The hangovers weren't in much evidence when Moore's grand slam put us ahead. But Beau Simpson gave the Swordfish a grand slam back in return and they won it in the 11th. [83-76, 1st place, 5 game lead over SHE]

[Paulie123]

22 Sep 2036 - rest day

The entire Hedgehogs staff needed a day off to recuperate.

The English press are making us rank outsiders in the postseason. I entirely agree with them, for once. Irrespective of what happens in the playoffs, I'm not kidding myself. We're not a great team. We're a decent team, but no more. We've taken advantage of being in a poor division, and even then it has hardly been plain sailing. We need to improve again for next season. Backup catcher Juan García and infielder Jacob Starks don't want to discuss signing new contracts, so will join Iain van Buuren as free agent departures. They will need to be replaced, either from the minors or free agency. And, even though we should have Armando Cabrera and Antony Samson back for the start of the new season, the rotation needs improving. Last winter I failed to get the ace that I wanted. One way or another, I intend to sort that out this year. I spent most of the day at home, jotting down some early plans for offseason transactions.

[Paulie123]

23-25 Sep 2036

COV 6 LEE 5: Sears 1.2 IP, 5 ER. Moore 3-4, HR. Sears has played himself out of my 4-man rotation for the postseason. [83-77]

Raúl Guerrero is very unhappy to be put in the bullpen and it's affecting his performances. He's sent down to the minor leagues to continue his sulk, and Gonzalo Morán comes back in.

COV 5 LEE 4: McGivern 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 14 K. Hayashi 3-4, HR. We're ending the season in horrible form. We smashed 3 homers in the 1st inning but lost it when Arteaga blew the save and allowed 2 in the 9th. [83-78]

COV 3 LEE 8: Whitfield 8.0 IP, 3 ER. Black 2-5, HR. Another good performance from young Gary Whitfield prevents us entering the playoffs on a 5-game losing streak. [84-78, 1st place, 3 game lead over SHE]

Second baseman Ken Evans has been announced as the winner of the Northern League batting title for 2036. His .360 average was the best in the entire EBA, beating out the challenge of Manchester Falcons's superstar centre fielder Bobby Fields. Fields posted a .354 average and had a tremendous second half of the season. He's well in contention to reclaim the NL Outstanding Hitter award he won last year.

[Paulie123]

26 Sep 2036

I already consider this to be a highly successful season. Winning the division is my sole target for any season. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

We are the lowest-ranked team in the entire league for the playoffs. Of the other 4 teams to make the NL playoffs, 3 have over 100 wins, and the other, the Derby Locos, are the defending champs. It's gonna be tough, but getting here was the success for us. We'll face either the Falcons, or, if Stoke win the wildcard game, the Birmingham Lazers. We'll be massive underdogs either way.

In the Southern League, Bristol, Essex and Richmond all retained their division titles. For Essex it's their 6th straight and 9th overall. Powerhouse Bristol have won their 11th title in just 21 EBA seasons. Look at Westminster on 41-121. I can't ever recall seeing a team quite so dreadful.

[Paulie123]

27 Sep 2036

I must trim the roster from 28 back to 25 players for the division series. It's an easy decision: September call-ups Cory Murray, Juan Garza and Mark Bradford all return to the minors. I normally go with a 4-man rotation in the postseason. Ideally I try to only use the top 3 guys, but I don't like to start guys if they're not 100% fit, so the 4th man will take the mound if required. McGivern, McGinnity and Alexander are the top 3, while rookie Gary Whitfield gets the nod over inconsistent Carl Sears for the #4 spot. Sears will pitch out of the bullpen. The local media were scathing of the decision to have a guy in the playoff rotation who has only 3 career starts and 18 days of major league service time, but I'm paid to make these tough calls. I don't trust Sears not to get shelled.

Our former reliever Sakutaro Tenno announced today that he's retiring at the end of the season. He's 45 now, and after a season struggling in the Reading Vandals's bullpen he's decided he's had enough. He looks a cert for the Hall of Fame. He has a 269-192 record, putting him 4th in the EBA all-time wins list. He has a fantastic career 0.98 WHIP.

[Paulie123]

28 Sep 2036

Stoke Sky Chiefs won the Northern League wildcard game, beating defending champions Derby 5-4 after getting on top of the Locos' ace Oliver Mongrut. That means they'll face Birmingham, while we face the top seeds, the Manchester Falcons. Gulp.

[Paulie123]

29 Sep - 5 Oct 2036 - division series vs Manchester Falcons

Manchester had the EBA's best record this season, driven by the league's best offense. They scored 807 runs, nearly 100 more than the next best team, Wolverhampton (729). Their outfield trio of Philip Cooper (.413 wOBA), reigning Outstanding Hitter Bobby Fields (.418 wOBA) and Billy Rogers (.331 wOBA) are all sensational on both sides of the ball. Catcher Joaquín de Jesús is also great at the plate. However, we played well against them during the regular season, beating them 7-2 over three series.

LEE 7 MAN 2: McGivern 8.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 9 K. Moore 2-3, DBL. We scored 5 runs in the top of the 9th, including Jacob Starks's pinch-hit 3-run HR, to break the 2-2 tie. [1-0]

LEE 0 MAN 5: McGinnity 6.2 IP, 5 ER. McGinnity was scoreless through 5 innings but the Falcon's powerful lineup got to him in the 6th and 7th. [1-1]

MAN 1 LEE 9: Jackson 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 K. Evans 2-5, DBL. Another big late innings smashed apart a close game. This time we scored 7 runs in the 8th. [2-1]

MAN 16 LEE 2: Whitfield 1.1 IP, 7 R, 6 ER. Morán 0.2 IP, 3 ER. Campos 0.0 IP, 5 ER. I chose to start Gary Whitfield, because Scott McGivern wasn't fully fit and I wanted to keep him for a possible deciding game. It's fair to say the decision backfired. The Falcons jumped all over Whitfield and his mates in the bullpen. We were 15-0 down after 3 innings. Back to Manchester for a winner-takes-all showdown. [2-2]

LEE 1 MAN 8: McGivern 6.1 IP, 6 ER. Black 2-4, DBL. The Falcons smashed McGivern early and leapt into a 6-1 lead after 2 innings. That was our season done right there. Other than a couple of high scoring innings, our lineup has been very quiet in the postseason. [2-3]

[Paulie123]

6 Oct 2036

It was a brave effort, but we were always the outsiders, and the impressive Falcons offense finally took charge. They now face a classic great offense versus great defense match-up against Birmingham Lazers in the league championship series. For us, well, any postseason series defeat is agonising, but I was just glad to get here and win my first Hedgehogs division title in the process. I'll watch the rest of the playoffs from the sofa. Then it'll be down to the real business of being a GM and building a roster to be better next year.

[Paulie123]

7 Oct 2036

Ahead of the league championship series, Manchester signed their 24-year-old superstar outfielder Bobby Fields to a new 3-year, $23m per season contract. That's a great deal for the Falcons. Fields is worth every penny.

9 Oct 2036

I've stopped watching the playoffs on television. It's painful. I want to be playing in these games, not watching them. The pain of bring sent home from the postseason party is a great motivation for a GM.

[Paulie123]

10 Oct 2036

Right fielder Mario Soto is still bleating on at me about not being an every day player in the lineup. Although what he expects me to do about this over the next six months is beyond me. With van Buuren departing imminently Soto will probably get a chance in right field again next season. This time he needs to take it.

[Paulie123]

22 Oct 2036

The Manchester Falcons are the 2036 EBA champions. After their series win against us, they strolled past the Birmingham Lazers 4-1 to become Northern League champions for the 8th time. Then they faced the Richmond R's in a repeat of the EBA Cup Final series of two years ago. This time, however, the result was different, and the Falcons swatted the R's aside, again winning 4-1. After earning 108 wins in the regular season, no-one can say they don't deserve it. They have now reclaimed their crown as the single most successful franchise in EBA history with their 4th championship, albeit their first since 2019. They are a well-run and wealthy club, and they could remain the team to beat for some time.

[Paulie123]

23 Oct 2036

Rodrigo Miller emailed me today to confirm that he was keeping my payroll budget at $210m for the 2037 season. We had more bums on seats during the season at the West Yorkshire Ballpark thanks to our pennant charge, and further additional revenue from two playoff games. Yet Rodrigo gives me no extra budget. I made my displeasure clear by not bothering to reply to thank him. Extra money is always welcome of course, but to be honest I shouldn't need more in order to build a winning team. I should be able to win a ring on my existing budget.

[Paulie123]

24 Oct 2036

It was a busy day at the EBA Hall of Fame in Brighton today as no fewer than 5 outstanding players were inducted.

Joaquín Chávez I've eulogised about before. He is probably the EBA's greatest ever player. He played exactly 3000 games, all but one season of those for the Westminster Lions. His 3710 hits, 1950 RBIs, and incredible 665 home runs, are all EBA career best marks. No current players are close to them. Reading's Octávio Pérez (2729 hits at age 34) could get close to the first, but the RBI and HR marks may well never get beaten. He is a 3-time Outstanding Hitter and 13-time all-star. The word "stud" doesn't even begin to do him justice.

Jorge Arrache has played every single season in the EBA's history, a 21-year career with Bristol and Southampton. He holds the EBA records for walks (1922), runs scored (1983) and doubles (601). He was the star player in each of the EBA Championship wins by the Bristol Rockets. He was picked for the all-star game an astonishing 16 times.

Pitcher Vincent Roberts also played in every EBA season, and turned out for six different teams in that time. He achieved the unusual distinction of throwing two no-hitters 13 years apart, in 2020 and 2033. He won back-to-back EBA championships with the Croydon Thunderclaps in 2028 and 2029 and is an 11-time all-star. His 275-165 record puts him third on the EBA wins list.

Lefty hurler Ray Poole spent most of his career with the Manchester Falcons, but also turned out for Plymouth and Newcastle in later years. He retires with a 265-185 record, making him 5th all time in wins. He was rather hard done by to only get 4 all-star calls. But he does have 3 EBA championship rings from his Falcons days to look back on.

And Sakutaro Tenno as expected was inducted. A proud moment for any club when a former player goes into the Hall of Fame.

[Paulie123]

30 Oct 2036 - end of season award announcements

Outstanding Hitters
SL: Tyler Ryan (Milton Keynes) .395 OBP / .892 OPS / 24 HR
NL: Philip Cooper (Manchester) .419 OBP / .998 OPS / 45 HR - third in last four years

Outstanding Pitchers
SL: Ramón Gutiérrez (Richmond) 18-6 / 2.10 ERA / 0.99 WHIP
NL: Oliver Mongrut (Derby) 23-7 / 1.34 ERA / 0.83 WHIP - second straight, best season ERA in EBA history

Rookies of the Year
SL: Junior Garrett (Bristol) .325 OBP / .812 OPS / 17 HR
NL: Keith Wise (Wolverhampton) .366 OBP / .820 OPS / 16 HR

Ken Moore earned a Glove Wizard Award for the second consecutive season, this time at shortstop.

[Paulie123]

6 Nov 2036

Salary arbitration hearings got under way today. There's no Hedgehogs involved; Jack Starkes's season in the minors has delayed his arbitration eligibility for another year. I'm really just now waiting for the free agent filing deadline. Then I can have a clean look at my roster and salary commitments, scour the free agent market, and finalise my offseason strategy. As you can see from my players' stats from this season, improving the rotation will be top of my priority list - again.

[Paulie123]

13 Nov 2036

Six guys have left to free agency. Iain van Buuren, Juan Sierra, Juan Garza, Walt Thomas, Aurelio Reynoso and Jacob Starks. Rather disappointingly, van Buuren is only a Type B free agent. So I'll get some compensation from whoever picks him up, which is good, but not the first round pick I was hoping for. Van Buuren in right field and Sierra as backup catcher will need replacing, the latter certainly via free agency since hot prospect Will Page is still at least a year or two away from being ready. Troy Daniel will return to the active roster to replace Jacob Starkes as the 6th infielder.

With these guys gone I now get my first proper look at my payroll position for this year and beyond. Well over $20m comes off as a result of their departures, and the position is healthy. My projected payroll for the coming 2037 season is $160m, rising to $168m in 2038 when Armando Cabrera and Jack Starkes are expected to reach arbitration. I'm looking to lock Cabrera up to a contract extension to at least cover his three arbitration years, as his current estimate looks very club-friendly and reflects his recent lengthy injury absences. 2039 looks more problematic with Brian McGinnity and Cisco Valentín due to become eligible for arbitration. I estimate they'll command about $20m in total, so a projected $188m payroll in 2039. I'm left with the headroom to take on at least $30m in additional payroll this coming year and next and still stay below my self-imposed $200m ceiling. Taking that level of additional payroll would then blow the budget in 2039, but that would be a problem I could defer worrying about for at least eighteen months.





What I really want to spend that unused payroll on, of course, is an upgrade to my rotation, ideally a real ace. Getting one by trade is not my preference. I know from past trade negotiations with other teams that my one guy who has great trade value and could help land me a quality pitcher, but whose performances haven't matched that value, is Ken Moore. His stellar infield defense could be replaced by Jack Starkes, and his offense has been underwhelming so far. But my scouts give him such a high ceiling that I'm loathed to part with him when he is only now entering his first year above the salary minimum. I'd like to be the beneficiary of some of that potential. Trading Moore remains an option, but is firmly Plan B.

There are two free agent aces. The best is 31-year-old Wayne Haney, who my scouts rate as the EBA's top pitcher. He's absolute quality and an innings eater: he pitched 269 innings in the 2030 regular season for the Croydon Thunderclaps. The intriguing thing is that he's injured, and won't play until at least July thanks to a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. In my GM career I've never seen such a good free agent carrying a long-term injury, so it'll be interesting to see if any teams make a run at him in the offseason, knowing he'll miss at least the first half of the coming season.

If so, it won't be us. Also on the board is 27-year-old Clay Barnes, the EBA's second-ranked pitcher. He's got incredible stuff, with five good pitches. The one black mark is a lack of stamina: he's never pitched more than 205 innings in a season despite rarely missing a start. I've weighed up the choice: chase Barnes but keep Moore and lose my first round pick next year (Barnes is Type A, of course); or trade Moore and keep my pick. With Barnes being relatively young for a free agent, whoever gets him will see him in his prime over several years. I think that's worth keeping Moore and losing my pick. Van Buuren will bring me a supplementary round pick, which will mitigate that a bit.

Let's hope I can avoid a repeat of the Rafael Martínez farce from last year. I picked up the phone to Barnes's agent immediately. Barnes wants 4 years at $21m per year. I offered him $22.5m.

The rest of my plan for the offseason is:

- Sign a free agent backup catcher to replace the departed Sierra.
- Sign a free agent backup outfielder. Mario Soto and Henry Harris will get the chance to platoon as replacement for Iain van Buuren at right field but I want a backup.
- Sign a free agent lefty reliever to upgrade on Gonzalo Morán; Bertoldo Chiappo is still not quite ready.
- Sign cheap free agent backup infielder and a second backup catcher to stash in the minors.
- I'd also ideally like to swap 1B George Brown and SP Scott McGivern for younger players. The EBA trade market is very difficult, however, so I'm not sure I'll get back players of the quality or potential I'd want.

Beau Simpson will resume closer duties to start the new season, but I'm still unconvinced by him in that role. Trading to upgrade would be ideal. But again that will be difficult so I expect to start the new season with Simpson on the roster, and see how he goes.

[Paulie123]

14 Nov 2036

I phoned Armando Cabrera's agent to offer a contract extension. He's on minimum salary for 2037, but wants $4.4m per year for the following 4 years. I'll happily take that. Getting Cabrera for the next 5 seasons for a total of less than $18m sounds a bargain, even if he does have more injury lay-offs.

17 Nov 2036

Cabrera has agreed a 3-year extension at $4.4m per year. I think his agent belatedly realised a 4-year deal would have been buying out his first year of free agency for a bargain basement price. As it is, I've got the arbitration years of a potentially very good starter at a very cheap price. If he can stop getting injured, that is. The Hedgehogs fanbase was surprisingly happy about this. Social media not renowned for its balanced reaction to events, of course.

[Paulie123]

21 Nov 2036 - Dougherty signs

Veteran free agent Matt Dougherty (35, bats S, 1*) has signed on a 1-year deal for $800,000. He isn't great behind the plate these days, but has a good eye and gets on base. He goes to my minor league roster as 3rd catcher. I have an offer in to another prospective free agent to be the backup catcher on the active roster.

[Paulie123]

30 Nov 2036 - Vásquez signs

Catcher José Vásquez (29, bats L, 1.5*) was my target to be our new main backup to Kenshin Hayashi, and he today has agreed to become a Hedgehog. The deal is for 2 years and a total of $6m. Vásquez had a surprisingly good season behind the plate this year, unexpectedly winning the Northern League Glove Wizard Award. He's principally a contact hitter and has a distinctly mediocre amount of power. He obviously won't platoon with Hayashi, who'll play whenever he's fit, but I like that Vásquez is a lefty, and moves me yet further away from the almost entirely righty lineup I inherited nearly two years ago.

Negotiations are ongoing with Clay Barnes. Plymouth and Hull are also interested. My latest offer to him is $28.4m per year for 4 years. That's a ton of money but I'm determined to get him.