​There’s a distinct mood that descends on Little Italy during a July night, after the last of the tourists have drifted away from La Dolce Vita and the espresso machines have fallen silent. My office windows were thrown open to invite the summer breeze, and a bottle of whiskey sat prominently in the center of my desk. Frankie and I sat on opposite sides of the desk, our legs propped up in our chairs, savoring a drink after a long day of detective work. It felt like we were always at odds, but tonight we found a rare moment of consensus.
I took a steady swallow from my glass and raised a finger. “One empty chair,” I said. Frankie nodded, his head a touch heavier than usual from the effect of his drink. “One empty chair,” he agreed.
I slid my legs down from the desk and topped our glasses off. “You and I seldom agree, Frankie, so let me go over this one more time just to be sure we’re aligned. We know Ramirez and Martinez are due back from the IL after the All-Star Break. And we already saw Ingle get sent back down after a debut that looked a lot like Brito’s.” Frankie cut in, “A lot of bad defense, and not much offense.” He took another gulp, and I pressed on. “So now we’ve got Halpin, Watson, and Arias as the likely victims of a roster shakeup when Ramirez and Martinez return. Three guys, one empty chair.”
I swirled the whiskey in my glass, then settled back. Frankie picked up where I left off. “Halpin is a solid defender to bring off the bench, but he’s a placeholder, not a long-term solution.” “Agreed,” I replied.
Frankie continued, “Watson has a higher ceiling and was hot early, but he’s cooled recently. He needs a stint back in Columbus to keep getting regular at-bats and to develop.” “Agreed again,” I said. “And that leaves us with Arias.” Frankie tipped his fedora back a notch. “The kid has earned his spot at this point, Mario. His improved offense isn’t a recent development. Arias was hot during his rehab stint in Triple-A, crushing three home runs in 15 at-bats. Then, back in the majors, he hit .212 with a .333 slugging percentage in June, but he’s raised those numbers to .320 and .560 in July.”
I added, “So that means our outfield would feature DeLauter, Kwan, Martinez, Schneemann, and Fry. Arias would fill in for Ramirez, Rocchio, or Bazzana as needed.” Frankie shot back with a burst of enthusiasm, “And let’s not forget Angel Genao, who’s pushing Arias from Columbus. If Arias can’t hold his spot, Genao will be making his case. You’ve also got Ralphy Velázquez quietly laying groundwork for a potential call-up later in the season. For now, the Guards will stick with Arias and give him the chance to prove his value.”