November 16, 2037
When the Las Vegas Hustlers gave Juan Sweetworld a six year contract extension following the 2035 season, it was always designed for him to choose to opt-out after the 2037 season. The Hustlers failed to consider the fact that during a two year span the veteran center fielder would go from an All-Star to a player who was struggling to barely be above replacement level. His failure to be the player of old made his decision to opt in an easy one, and left the Hustlers franchise with an $80 million albatross hanging over their necks.
Hustlers GM Matt Rectenwald had been actively shopping Sweetworld for some time now, knowing that in order to move him they were not only going to have to give up prospects but probably cash as well. Despite that the phones had been silent.
Until last week.
When the phone rang Rectenwald told us his first inclination was "it was probably about Troop who was just placed on the block". He'd gotten several inquiries on the big left-hander that day. It wasn't about Troop, though. It was about Sweetworld.
"So, basically I got a call from Alan (Ehlers, Brooklyn GM) who said that he might have some interest in Sweetworld once the dust cleared- unless you've been living under a rock lately you know the Robins have been busy," joked Rectenwald. "He mentioned Bobo (Steven Bobovnik) and Trevor Tieleman as players he might be interested in, and said he'd get back to me."
Then the phone was silent again. Finally, Rectenwald decided to pick it up himself, rang Ehlers and left a three word message- "Ready for this?"
It didn't take long for Ehlers to return the call, but now the price was higher. "He asked for Luis German and $15 million as well," said Rectenwald.
How long did it take for Rectenwald to decide to accept the offer, throwing in his #2 rated pitching prospect along with a big-league ready reliever, an interesting center field prospect, and $15 million of cold hard cash? "About 2 minutes," Rectenwald said frankly. "We won't ever be able to fill the bigger holes on the roster without that cap space."
And now they have it. Paired with the trade of Troop and Jayden Harsnett opting for the lure of free agency, the Hustlers now have about $32 million in cap space to work with.
So what are the Hustlers plans this winter? "Well, we probably need a center fielder now," said Rectenwald. "If need be we can get by with Antonio Cortez there, and he's been biding his time. Clearly we need a catcher. And if I can find the right starting pitcher at the right price, we'll pounce."
A month ago most Hustlers fans would have predicted a quiet off-season. Isn't it amazing how things can change in just "JUAN" day???
