2036.31 - The Long Beach Independent - And On To The Next

[Lane]

GONZALES OPTS OUT, NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN

November 10th, 2036
Long Beach, CA

In the wake of a heartbreaking loss to the San Fernando Bears in the Cartwright Cup, our attention now turns towards the offseason transactions leading up to the return of real baseball in April 2037.

Up first is player options, and it's a big one. It's unofficial right now, but sources have told us that superstar right fielder Carlos Gonzales will be opting out of the remaining 4/$56 on his current contract. There's no word yet on his demands, but it seems highly likely that he wants to test free agency. He was drafted by the team in 2023, and has been the regular right fielder since opening day 2029. He's hit .306/.365/.536 with 317 HR over that time. He ranks among the franchise leaders in many, if not most offensive categories, and will be a huge loss for the team on and off the field if he is not retained.

There's one team option to be decided, and sources have indicated that the front office is leaning towards declining the option on Mike Bailey's contract. Despite the likelihood of another shortage of pitching on the free agent market, Bailey is coming off a season in which he was only healthy enough to pitch 64 innings. It's not unlikely that the team attempts to re-sign him for a smaller deal, but he is also likely to head to free agency.

Finally, to salary arbitration. The Surfers have six arb-eligible players this season, and it's likely that at least 4 of them will be retained. Irving Espinoza, Diogo Lindt, Kellen Scherer, and Peadar McIihome are near locks. Ray Carter and Harvey Specter are less certain, though it's probably more likely that Carter is kept around due to his ability to play catcher. Specter fell out of favor towards the latter half of 2036, and the team will almost certainly look for someone else to fill the utility infield spot.

No word was available on negotiations with the following pending Free Agents:

Juan Parra
Dillon Young
Felix Alvarado
Mike Manning
Mario Lopez

If Gonzales opts out, and Bailey's option is declined, the team payroll will be approximately $70 million. This will be the first offseason in a long time where the Surfers have this kind of money to spend, so it could be an exciting one, even if Gonzales is lost to another team.