28.1. A Little Maintenance

[agrudez]

With London on league control, my goals are considerably more simple than they otherwise would be. As their temporary caretakers, I'm not trying to swing for the fences as is my usual modus operandi, but rather I'm attempting to take a more measured approach as to allow flexibility for the next, real regime to put their own fingerprints on the final picture. As such, there isn't going to be a huge "splash" in London in the offseason - and, perhaps, there doesn't really need to be one, truth be told. The team finished 89-73 last year - just 4 games behind the Paris Patriots for the WA crown - and nearly the entire ML roster will be returning in 2028, with the one notable exception of Francis Rodriguez.

One offseason goal was cleaning up some finances for the Bishops. With 37 guys under contract, the finances were unnecessarily strained for an EBA team with a low budget. As such, the first move was to release 6 superfluous bodies and waive another (whom was subsequently picked up off waivers) - freeing up over 1M in payroll (over 10% of the team's budget). With the increased flexibility, whomever takes over London next will be more readily able to shape the team, though before the league control tenure is over, one move will need t be made - replacing Rodriguez in CF. As the offseason unfolds, that will be the main priority for management in their pursuit of an EBA crown.