Washington Exercises Eight Team Options at Deadline
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Dec. 15) – The Washington Wild Things have exercised the contract options of eight players for the 2024 season. The transactions are presented by McClellands Contacting and Roofing, LLC. Washington exercised the options of pitchers Lukas Young, Christian James, Griffin Baker, Kobe Foster and Justin Goossen-Brown, infielder Andrew Czech and affiliated players Nick Ward and Turner Hill.
Options being exercised means one of a few things, for those fans unfamiliar with the process. In the Frontier League, players sign two-year contracts, in essence. They play the first season, and each team has a club option for the following season, unless otherwise negotiated. If a team declines the contract option, the player is a free agent, effective immediately. If the option is exercised, teams can still extend the player on a new contract or have players play on that option that season. Essentially, it allows teams to maintain the player’s contractual rights.
In the case of Ward and Hill, despite being on affiliated contracts, the Wild Things maintain the Frontier League rights to those players, meaning if those two, or in cases like theirs, would return to independent ball, the club holds their contractual rights for the duration of the calendar year.
Ward spent the 2023 season in the Phillies’ organization and is currently an MiLB free agent while playing in Australia with the Adelaide Giants for the second-straight year. He slashed .256/.373/.362 between Double-A Reading and High-A Jersey Shore with 10 homers and 58 RBI.
Hill, who was signed by the Giants’ organization just before the 2023 Frontier League season, played 74 games with San Jose (A ball) and slashed .287/.374/.370 with 30 RBI and 19 doubles to go along with 27 stolen bases. He also played two games with Triple-A Sacramento and was 4-for-8 with an RBI, a double and a triple.
Young completed his second season in Washington in 2023 and had 14 saves and a 4-2 record in 39 games. He walked only 10 and fanned 37 in 43.1 innings. The save total was fourth in the league.
James posted a 2.24 ERA in 45 games (one start) for Washington in 2023, his second season with the team. He struck out 65 in 52.1 innings and at one point had a 21-inning scoreless streak.
Washington acquired Baker’s rights October 9 to complete the in-season trade with Sussex County that sent Jack Dellinger to the Miners for a player to be named. Baker, an All Star in 2023, was 6-4 in 12 games (11 starts) and logged 69 innings of work.
Foster was 7-5 in 18 games (17 starts) in 2023, his second season and first full with Washington. He posted a 2.66 ERA in 101.1 innings and fanned 94 to just 24 walks. The 2.66 earned run average was the third best in the league.
Goossen-Brown was 7-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 31 games (two starts). He logged 45.2 innings in his first season with Washington.
Czech slashed .260/.428/.543 with 18 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 60 RBI in what was his third campaign in Washington. Czech also walked 88 times last season, setting the new single season record in the category for the Wild Things.
Any news on extensions for the eight players will be relayed if those happen.
As of today’s option-decision deadline, the following players have become free agents as they did not have contract options for 2024 on their 2023 contracts: outfielders Anthony Brocato and Wagner Lagrange and pitcher Dariel Fregio.
Catchers Devon Fisher (last played in 2022) and Melvin Novoa, IF Scotty Dubrule, and pitchers Holden Bernhardt (acquired from Empire State in 2022, injured during 2023) and Stephen Knapp played in 2023 on their options, and thus, are free agents.
Washington, earlier this offseason, declined the contract options of IF Nick Gotta, RHP Arrison Perez, RHP Hayden Shenefield, IF Wes Darvill, OF Tomas Sanchez, OF Jack Cone, RHP Trent Dewyer, RHP Jan Figueroa and LHP Robert Gonzalez.
Washington is set to open its season at home Friday, May 10 against the Schaumburg Boomers. Season ticket and group packages are available for purchase now by calling 866-456-WILD or going to washingtonwildthings.com. Fans can also follow the team’s social media pages and site for news on the building of the roster, including on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and now, once again, YouTube. Search @WashWildThings, go to youtube.com/@WashWildThings or go to facebook.com/washingtonwildthings.
