The Atlantic City Gamblers had eight arbitration cases, with the organization coming out on the winning side of six cases, and the losing side of two. On the docket was outfielder Millard Younger, right-handed relief pitcher Ignacio Martínez, right-handed relief pitcher / closer José Ordóñez, right-handed relief pitcher Lúcio Gómez, right-handed starting/relief pitcher Dusty Welch, left-handed starting/relief pitcher Yu Vgotmael, right-handed starting pitcher Torazo Tanaka, and right-handed starting/relief pitcher David Perea.
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OF Millard Younger
Salary: $6 million (Winner: Team; Player demanded $6.875 million)
Younger, 24, is coming off of a career-worst season with the Gamblers; however, the upside of the former first-round pick with the bat and versatile glove helps sustain the value of the former Atlantic City first-round pick (18th overall). Younger finished the 2041 season hitting .264/.314/.443 with 104 runs scored, 29 doubles, 12 triples, 22 home runs, 82 RBIs, 39 stolen bases in 51 attempts (.765 success rate), and a 0.0 WAR in 728 plate appearances. Younger scored eight more runs compared to the 2039 season, but experienced declines in batting average (20 points), on-base percentage (10 points), slugging percentage (87 points), OPS (97 points), doubles (10), triples (5), home runs (9), RBIs (27), and WAR (2.8). Younger has notably struggled against left-handed pitchers, which has contributed to the declines. The glut of outfield talent makes it a long-term question as to whether Younger will be in the Gamblers' plans; however, of note is the fact that Younger is one of the few on the active roster who has the ability to play center field. He can also play excellent defense at both corner outfield positions. He has one more arbitration-eligible season after the 2042 season.
Right-handed relief pitcher Ignacio Martínez
Salary: $2.2 million (Winner: Team; Player demanded $2.75 million)
Martínez, 28, debuted for the Gamblers during the 2036 season and had four seasons of very solid performance, with ERAs of 2.51 in in 2036 with 10 saves; 3.86 in 2037 with 31 saves; 4.23 in 2038 with a league-best 42 saves; and 3.94 in 2039 with 24 saves. For each season, Martínez recorded at least 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings; a 108 ERA+; at issued at most 3.6 walks per nine innings. Trouble started during the 2040 season, where he finished 1-7 with a 6.07 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 5.1 walks per nine innings, and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Questions lingered about whether a concealed injury could explain that decline, and in 2041, Martínez pitched only 4 1/3 innings before a Torn UCL ended his season. Entering his final arbitration-eligible season before being eligible for free agency, Martínez will need to revert back to his early career form if his future will be in an Atlantic City Gamblers uniform.
Right-handed relief pitcher / closer José Ordóñez
Salary: $1.5 million (Winner: Player; Team offered $1.1 million)
Ordóñez, 25, is entering his fourth season with the Gamblers, following a disappointing 2041 season where the team expected to see progress. The 2040 season to date was Ordóñez's best, finishing 2-5 with 17 saves in 21 opportunities (.810 save percentage), a 3.63 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, a 3.75 FIP, 48 strikeouts, and a 0.8 WAR in 39 2/3 innings pitched (40 appearances). During the 2041 season, Ordóñez finished the season 5-6 with 38 saves in 44 opportunities (.864 save percentage), a 4.76 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP, 75 strikeouts, and a 1.4 WAR in 64 1/3 innings pitched (64 appearances). Though there were some concerning signs in comparing his 2040 season to his 2039 season, such as an increase in walks per nine innings (4.6 versus 3.9), a slight decrease in strikeouts per nine innings (10.5 versus 10.9), he also posted his second consecutive season with a .337+ BABIP. Opponents' OPS figures between the two seasons were nearly identical (.750 in 2039, .752 in 2040). Ordóñez has three more arbitration-eligible seasons, so the Gamblers can afford to be a bit patient in Ordóñez's development, especially given he likely has the most raw talent of the Gamblers' relievers.
Right-handed relief pitcher Lúcio Gómez
Salary: $1.365 million (Winner: Player; Team offered $1.2 million)
Gómez, 27, is entering his sixth full season with the Gamblers organization and is coming off his best, most consistent season yet. Gómez finished the 2041 season 9-6 with 1 save in 6 attempts (.167 save percentage), a 3.90 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, a .207 opponents' batting average, a .656 opponents' OPS, 78 strikeouts, and a 1.4 WAR in 60 innings pitched (35 appearances). Gómez posted career-bests in ERA (3.90 -- tied with 2039 season), WHIP (1.22), strikeouts per nine innings (11.7), ERA+ (131), and walks per nine innings (4.0). Gómez has finished the season with an ERA of 3.99 or less in three of five seasons (2038, 2039, 2041), with two seasons of an ERA of 5.00+ (2037, 2040). With one additional year of arbitration-eligibility following the 2042 season, the Gamblers will need to see more sub-4.00 ERA baseball to prove consistency and convince the organization he is worthy of a longer-term investment.
Right-handed starting pitcher / relief pitcher Dusty Welch
Salary: $950,000 (Winner: Team; Player demanded $1.225 million)
Welch, 26, has two arbitration-eligible seasons following the 2042 season, with the Gamblers needing to see a step up in performance for Welch to be retained. The former Gamblers first round pick (16th overall) in 2033 was once a BBA Top 100 Prospect, ranking as high as #22 (2035). Four years of decent performance from 2036 through 2039, finishing the seasons with ERAs of 4.13, 4.28, 4.46, and 4.46 - were followed up with miserable ERAs of 6.55 in 2040 and 5.95 in 2041. Strikeouts per nine innings figured have stayed relatively consistent in his bad seasons versus his early seasons, but there have been massive declines in walks per nine innings (4.4 in 2040, 6.1 in 2041 compared to a worst figure of 3.8 from 2036-2039) and opponents' OPS (.896 in 2040, .862 in 2041, compared to a worst figure of .767 in 2039). Scouts and analysts alike have discussed the decline in Welch extensively, with some believing his decline in pitching form and control traces back to a 2038 procedure to remove bone chips. All the organization can hope for is that he has a chip on his shoulder to succeed, though it may just end up being a chip in his shoulder. Regardless, Welch is still beloved in Atlantic City for his community work, his leadership, and a work ethic that is easy to overlook given his recent results.
Left-handed starting/relief pitcher Yu Vgotmael
Salary: $750,000 (Winner: Team; Player demanded $1.25 million)
Vgotmael, 26, has three arbitration-eligible seasons following the 2042 season. Vgotmael has been a starting pitcher who can consume innings, though he has failed to establish himself as a major league player to this point. After a disappointing 2040 season where Vgotmael went 10-13 with a 5.42 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP, a 4.72 FIP, 122 strikeouts, and a 2.0 WAR in 157 2/3 innings pitched (32 starts), Vgotmael spent last season with both Atlantic City and Class-AAA Brooklyn. Vgotmael finished his season at both levels with an ERA above 5.25, making his candidacy as a starter for the 2042 Gamblers improbable. Still, he will likely get a look in spring training as the team narrows their options.
Right-handed starting pitcher Torazo Tanaka
Salary: $750,000 (Winner: Team; Player demanded $1.25 million)
Tanaka, 26, has three arbitration-eligible seasons following the 2042 season. By Atlantic City pitching standards, Tanaka actually had a decent enough season during the 2040 season to get an extended look in 2041; he finished the 2040 season 9-9 with a 4.71 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, a 4.58 FIP, 66 strikeouts, and a 2.0 WAR in 166 1/3 innings pitched (42 appearances / 23 starts). Unfortunately, Tanaka declined in 2041, finishing the season 3-3 with a 5.36 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, a 5.69 FIP, 59 strikeouts, and a 0.5 WAR in 85 2/3 innings pitched (22 appearances / 14 starts). It's still likely Tanaka will likely get a look as a starter again in 2042.
Right-handed starting pitcher / relief pitcher David Perea
Salary: $700,000 (Winner: Team; Player demanded $1.15 million)
Perea, 26, has three arbitration-eligible seasons following the 2042 season. Perea, a 2033 2nd round pick, has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that organization had for him. The 2041 season marked his fourth season pitching in Atlantic City and his best season to date; however, his career-low ERA of 5.22 was backed up by a career-worst WHIP (1.71). The positive is Perea spent substantial time with Class-AAA Brooklyn with decent performance, finishing 6-4 with a 4.48 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, a 4.52 FIP, 60 strikeouts, and a 1.1 WAR in 74 1/3 innings pitched (19 appearances / 11 starts). Perea will likely see time in Atlantic City whether as a starter or reliever.
