Right-handed relief pitcher Norm McConnell
McConnell, 31, joined the Gamblers as a free agent on a two-year contract this past offseason, and has a $7.5 million team option for the 2047 season. McConnell disappointed, finishing the 2046 season 3-3 with a 5.87 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP, a 3.46 FIP, a .288 opponents' average, an .812 OPS, 54 strikeouts, and a 1.0 WAR in 69 innings pitched (57 appearances). McConnell's ERA to FIP split was pretty severe, which along with his .344 BABIP, suggests McConnell's overall performance and ERA may have been adversely impacted by bad baseball luck. That said, even if one has an optimistic outlook on McConnell for 2047, the $7.5 million option is likely a steep price to pay to bank on a rebound. Furthermore, McConnell posted the worst strikeouts per nine innings (7.0) of his career, which is an additional concern.
Right-handed starting pitcher Augusto Morán
Morán, 26, has been a serviceable if not potent starter in previous seasons (4.00 ERA, in 2043, 3.15 ERA in 2044, 4.50 ERA in 2045), but that was not the case during the 2046. The trade acquisition in 2046 by the Gamblers finished the 2046 season 9-13 with a 5.53 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, a 4.61 FIP, a .325 opponents' average, a .855 opponents' OPS, 63 strikeouts, and a 1.5 WAR in 156 1/3 innings pitched (31 appearances, 30 starts). In the midst of his 2044 season, Morán suffered an elbow injury that required radial nerve decompression surgery, which some believe has impacted his performance, which is consistent with his ERA increase in both seasons following the surgery. Still, there are some signs that all is not lost -- his home runs per nine innings is currently 1.2, which matched the 2044 season in which he had a 3.15 ERA; his 1.7 walks per nine innings is an improvement from last season's 2.0 walks per nine innings, and an improvement from 2044 (1.8); and a .333 BABIP suggests bad luck versus past seasons (.231 in 2044, .283 in 2045). With the anticipated arrival of pitching prospects as soon as next season, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the organization experiments with Morán in the bullpen for the 2047 season.
Right-handed starting pitcher / relief pitcher Woody Tyler
Tyler, 23, a prospect that excited the front office of the Gamblers, has struggled since his arrival in Atlantic City for the 2045 season. Although 2046 was an improvement compared to 2045, it still has left questions about his long-term viability with the organization. Working as a starter throughout his minor league career, including in 2044 for Class-AAA Brooklyn (5-2, 3.44 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4.01 FIP, 68 IP), he debuted in Atlantic City in 2045 and delivered poor performance that warranted removal from the rotation and a demotion back to Brooklyn. He finished the 2045 season 1-2 with a 9.37 ERA, a 2.20 WHIP, a 5.88 FIP, .403 opponents' average, a 1.038 opponents' OPS, 8 strikeouts, and a 0.0 WAR in 16 1/3 innings pitched (4 starts). The international free agent out of Canada who signed with the Gamblers in May 2039 began the season as a starter in 2046 for the Gamblers, but was removed due to poor performance. Tyler finished the 2046 season 2-5 with a 5.25 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, a 5.17 FIP, a .291 opponents' average, a .833 opponents' OPS, 56 strikeouts, and a -0.4 WAR in 82 1/3 innings pitched (50 appearances, 4 starts). On the positive side, the numbers were skewed by the four poor starts, he was 0-3 with an 8.20 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, and 5.96 FIP as a starter, and 2-2 with a 4.38 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 4.93 FIP out of the bullpen. Not stellar by any means, but an improvement. It's expected that Tyler will no longer be considered a candidate for the Gamblers rotation and spring training 2047 will likely decide if he is a member of the Gamblers.
Right-handed relief pitcher Henry 'Oh Rye' Fudge
Fudge, 23, continued his struggles in his second BBA season following his disappointing rookie campaign (0-2, 5.30 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 6.00 FIP). Acquired in a trade with the Jacksonville Hurricanes in 2040, Fudge finished the 2046 season 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA, a 1.97 WHIP, a 4.75 FIP, a .324 opponents' average, a .883 opponents' OPS, 12 strikeouts, and a -0.1 WAR in 25 1/3 innings pitched (23 appearances). Fudge's 2046 season was cut short after suffering a torn meniscus in mid-June. Fudge had actually succeeded as a starter while coming up through the ranks, including his 2045 season with Class-AAA Brooklyn prior to promotion where he finished 13-6 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 3.16 FIP, a .224 opponents' average, a .633 opponents' OPS, 126 strikeouts, and a 3.5 WAR in 156 1/3 innings pitched (26 starts). After success in the rotation, the team anticipated a seamless transition to the bullpen, which is more in line with his skill set, but two consecutive seasons worth of struggles at the BBA level has resulted in questions as to whether he'll even make the Gamblers roster in 2047.
