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Brooklyn Outfielder Signs With YS9
March 12, 2048 – Fool’s Gulch, AZ: Word comes today that hold-out Free Agent Sawyer Slizz and the Yellow Springs Nine have come to an agreement on a deal that would bring the outfielder to the club for one season. The details were not fully announced, but the front of the deal appears to be worth $13M, with a large bonus attached if Slizz remains healthy. At 27, Slizz is a three-time All-Star, all coming during his time with Brooklyn.
“I didn’t think this front office knew you could actually sign players,” said Kal Freedman, Sargent at Arms for the Bleed Nine Red fan club. “After all these years, it’s nice to see them go out and try something new.”
“We’re very happy to bring Sawyer Slizz to the team,” said new Assistant GM Leland Mathews. “He’s the kind of guy you can win divisions with, and you know that’s what we’re all about.”
The one-season nature of the contract was intriguing, but a scan of the YS9 financial projections shows that this span was important due to the mega-cash the club expects to hand over to Dong-po Thum over the next two seasons. The team shows some $10M left under the cap for next year, but with various other players coming due, the ability retain Slizz for only a single year provides flexibility to make various other decisions. Some speculate that Slizz might be a trade chip at the deadline, or if nothing else, considered an investment in a future possible draft pick through the league’s compensation process.
Regardless of all that chaff, the outfielder’s presence makes the team better today.
Slizz has played center field his whole career, winning a gold glove in 2046 to go along with those three All-Star appearances. Most expect that he’ll slide to right field to platoon with Bret Powers, leaving Arvin Duggan to roam center field for most of the team’s games. His career OPS against right-handed pitching is a solid .946 but drops to .729 against lefties. That said, the team also felt the loss of Duggan when he was lost for several months last year. It’s a long season, and having a pair of ultra-high quality outfielders to handle center field is not a bad thing. Look for him to spell Duggan on occasion, too, something that should help the 26-year-old stay sharp.
Probably the only player in the Nine camp that wasn’t thrilled with the news was Sazui Kawashima, the club’s LHB right fielder for the past few seasons. The signing, and the fact that he has an option left, means that he’s likely headed for Indy as the camp breaks.
Slizz will report to spring camp immediately, and is expected to be in uniform for the club’s next game.
