Probably be easier to snag Jared Sandberg, back to back championships with Durham.
https://www.milb.com/milb/news/durham-bulls-manager-jared-sandberg-leads-succeeds-with-a-smile/c-295065304
Oh yeah he'll be just fine, have a feeling he'll get the money anyway. It wasn't like it was a spur of the moment decision, he had plenty of time to consider his options while the Yankees were pounding on Kittredge in the top of the inning (they recorded 5 exit velocities of 100+ in that same inning after he threw behind Romine). I'm sure he's at peace with his choice.
Could really go either way. They aren't a team that I can call a sure contender but they have a lot of quality players. Varlamov has been a big x factor in net so getting Grubauer to supplement was a good idea. They'll need some repeat performances from guys like MacKinnon and Rantanen.
You're right, many feel that it's a broken system. Back when a game could end in a tie, it made sense that the two teams split the two points in the event of a tie. Now that every game ends with a win, they could ditch the points system.
Used to get 2 points for a win, and one each for a tie. Now there are no ties, but they hand out a point to a team that loses in OT or shootout - some fans refer to it as a loser point.