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Red Sox Don’t Expect To Trade For Starter

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The Red Sox could use pitching depth, but it doesn't appear that they're going to get any. GM Theo Epstein doesn't expect to be able to trade for a starting pitcher before the regular season ends, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

The Red Sox expressed interest in Chris Capuano this month, but weren't able to work out a deal with the Mets. There aren't many realistic alternatives on the trade market this time of year, so it appears likely that the Red Sox will have to make do with what they have this week, when they wrap up the regular season against the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Boston's lead over the Rays in the Wild Card race has diminished to a single game, which explains Boston's interest in pitchers who would be ineligible for the postseason. Getting there will be enough of a challenge for the Red Sox, who have won just six games this month. Josh Beckett, Erik Bedard and Jon Lester are scheduled to start in Baltimore, but the team could use reinforcements, especially after playing two games, including one 14 inning contest, in the Bronx yesterday.

Jack McKeon To Retire

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Jack McKeon has surprised people before. He led the Marlins to a World Series Championship after the team started 16-22 in 2003 and came out of retirement as an octogenarian earlier this season. This time, he's acting as expected - he says he'll retire once the regular season ends Wednesday, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. 

The longtime manager and GM told Capozzi that he hopes to continue to work for the Marlins in some capacity. He will return to the advisory position he held from 2005 until earlier this season, according to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (Twitter link). McKeon turns 81 this offseason, but remains remarkably energetic considering his age (he was born in the same year as Earl Weaver, the Hall of Fame skipper who last managed 25 years ago).

The last-place Marlins posted a 39-48 record under McKeon after manager Edwin Rodriguez resigned in June. McKeon told Capozzi that he can see himself managing again seven or eight years from now, health permitting.

Yankees Want To Bring Brian Cashman Back

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Yankees president Randy Levine told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com that he wants general manager Brian Cashman to continue in his current role after the season, when Cashman’s contract expires. It’s the strongest indication yet that one of the game’s longest-tenured GMs is going nowhere.

"Clearly, we want him back," Levine said.

Though Cashman’s three-year deal is mere weeks away from expiring, it’s Yankee policy to wait until the offseason before discussing new deals. Cashman says he has a great relationship with ownership and confirmed that he’s interested in returning to New York, where he has been the GM since 1998.

“They know that I would like to come back and we have a good working relationship, but we'll deal with that stuff on another day," he said.

Cashman told Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com last week that there’s no better place for him than New York, while acknowledging that his job has its shortcomings. The Cubs don’t currently have a GM and though they’ve been linked to Cashman, it appears that they’ll have to search elsewhere.

The Yankees have made the playoffs in 13 of the 14 seasons that Cashman has been their GM, winning four World Series titles. They are 97-62 this season with three regular season games to play. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported earlier in the month that the Yankees and Cashman have mutual interest in a new deal.

Gomes Would Likely Accept Arbitration Offer

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When the Nationals acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes from the Reds on July 26th, one consideration was the possibility of a supplemental draft pick.  Gomes projected as a Type B free agent then, and still did as of a few weeks ago.  However, Gomes wants to remain with the Nationals, and he told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that if the team offers arbitration, "I'll probably take it."

In Gomes, Rick Ankiel, and Laynce Nix, the Nationals have three veteran free agent oufielders.  In the opinion of GM Mike Rizzo, "all three of them have had good solid seasons."  Gomes, 30, is hitting .209/.325/.389 with 14 home runs in 372 plate appearances this year for the Nationals and Reds.  He's shown an improved inclination to draw walks, though his power has been lacking.  As a pinch-hitter Gomes has one hit and six walks in 43 plate appearances, but as a starter he's hitting .233/.347/.436 in 329 PAs.

Huntington Talks Offseason

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With GM Neal Huntington under contract through at least 2014, the Pirates can focus on the upcoming offseason.  Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to Huntington yesterday; here are a few highlights.

  • On first baseman Derrek Lee, Huntington said, "We'd like to have him return.  It's a two-way street. He's got to walk through some things. Is he going to play next year? Does he want to play in Pittsburgh next year or does he have a better opportunity to do something different?"  Lee, 36, hit .341/.390/.604 in 100 plate appearances for the Pirates since coming over in a July trade with Baltimore.  If Lee confers with his family and decides to play in 2012, he'll likely be looking at a one-year deal below the $7.25MM base salary he earned this year.
  • Huntington said the odds of the Pirates needing only six starters again in 2012 are slim, implying that the team will look to add rotation depth.
  • Trades will be considered; despite their rebuilding process Huntington said the Pirates have prospects about which they're willing to talk. 
  • The Pirates have drawn 4,337 more fans per game compared to last year, an increase of almost 22%.  The increased revenue will lead to a bigger payroll, but much of the increase will go toward arbitration raises.  The Pirates' 11 arbitration eligible players are Evan Meek, Garrett Jones, Charlie Morton, Chris Resop, Steven Pearce, Brandon Wood, Ross Ohlendorf, Joel Hanrahan, Jeff Karstens, Jose Veras, and Jason Grilli.  We'll have estimated salaries and non-tender predictions for you later this week in our arbitration eligibles series.  The Bucs opened the season with just a $42MM payroll.

Marlins Open To Trading Nolasco?

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Ricky Nolasco appeared to be off-limits as recently as July, but the Marlins may have changed their stance on the righty.  The team will give serious thought to trading Nolasco this offseason, a source who spoke to a front office member told Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The biggest issue with Nolasco is his performance; he posted a 4.67 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.87 HR/9, and 45.1% groundball rate this year in 206 innings.  In the past three seasons, Nolasco has posted SIERAs of 3.23, 3.37, and 3.64.  However, the ERAs haven't matched up: 5.06, 4.51, and 4.67.  The problem is that Nolasco has been so darn hittable, at about ten per nine innings over 2009-11.  Nolasco's batted balls have been resulting in hits about 32% of the time, with line drives a frequent outcome.

Nolasco's velocity took a dip this year, as did his strikeout rate.  But he remained extremely stingy with free passes, and showed signs of being able to prevent longballs too.  There will probably be several sabermetric-inclined teams that consider Nolasco a buy-low candidate, especially if they can put him in front of a stronger defense.

On a personal level, Marlins manager Jack McKeon seemed to question Nolasco's determination, telling Rodriguez, "I can't figure him out.  He's got too good of stuff to be a 10-12 pitcher…He better look in the mirror and see if he can make an adjustment or two. Evidently, the hitters are making adjustments to him."

Nolasco, 28, signed a three-year extension in December last year.  He's owed $20.5MM over the next two seasons.  I think the Marlins will be faced with a Wandy Rodriguez-type situation: there will be teams willing to take on that entire contract, but then the players offered won't be terribly appealing.  We've seen in the past that when the Marlins want to move a player they do it, even if they don't appear to be getting great value for him.  So it wouldn't be surprising to see Nolasco traded in November for a less-than-stellar return, freeing up cash for the Marlins to pursue a replacement.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Josh Willingham

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Left fielder Josh Willingham has established career-highs in home runs and RBIs this year, with 28 and 94 respectively and three games remain on the schedule.  On the other hand, a slipping batting average and walk rate have his OBP at a career-worst .335, and his defense doesn't come highly regarded.

Willingham

Many teams seeking power this offseason will start with home runs, and among free agents only Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and David Ortiz have more than Willingham, with Carlos Pena even at 28.  Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Beltran are at 25 and 22 respectively, and Michael Cuddyer would be at the bottom end of that range had he not missed time due to injuries.  Pujols and Fielder come with price tags only a handful of teams can consider, while Ortiz requires a DH job.

Ramirez, Beltran, Cuddyer, Pena, and Willingham form the next tier of free agent hitters.  The first three are probably looking at three-year deals paying $10MM or more per year.  Pena and Willingham may have to settle for two-year deals.  Willingham, in particular, probably will receive less than $10MM per year.  I'm thinking something in the two-year, $16MM range.

Pena comes with the wrinkle of a perenially ugly batting average.  With Willingham, the warts are his defense, durability, potential Type A status, and this year's OBP drop.  Maybe next year his walk rate comes back up a bit, and you're comfortable penciling him in for 130 games instead of 155.  The Type A issue could go away too if the A's don't offer arbitration.  Or perhaps Willingham will never hit the market, if the team offers and he accepts.  As we learned yesterday from Susan Slusser, the Athletics' spending decisions are on hold until they hear about their stadium situation.  Agent Matt Sosnick said, "Josh and I both made it clear he'd like to stay, but at this point, I'm pretty sure he'll test the free-agent market."    

Losing a draft pick for Willingham would sting, depending on what team signs him.  A team like the Indians, with the first unprotected pick at #16, probably wouldn't want to make the sacrifice.  The Dodgers and Giants also project to pick in the top 20.  Willingham should still have a range of suitors, with the White Sox, Twins, and Reds also among the teams with potential left field openings.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Arbitration Eligibles: New York Mets

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The Mets are next in our arbitration eligibles series.

It appears likely that the Mets will tender Pelfrey a contract, perhaps for the value of providing innings and the possibility that he'll be a little better next year.  We have his salary in the $5.9MM range.  Pagan is another player on the bubble.  He projects for $4.7MM and is an easy choice to tender if the Mets consider his 2011 UZR a fluke.  Buchholz missed most of the season for a shoulder injury and depression; he projects around $1.2MM.

Acosta and Paulino will be affordable, at about $1MM and $1.5MM respectively.  They figure to be tendered contracts.

The Mets have $66.83MM in 2012 commitments before accounting for minimum salary players, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.  If everyone but Buchholz remains, that puts them near $80MM plus Tim Byrdak's salary.  Mets GM Sandy Alderson implied earlier this month that the team may cut payroll to the $100-110MM range.  That'd leave enough money for Jose Reyes and a few other pieces, and that's assuming most arbitration eligible players are tendered and no one is traded.

Matt Swartz contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Nunez, Scouts, Pujols, Indians

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Links for Sunday evening as the Red Sox beat the Yankees 7-4 in 14 innings.  The Rays now sit one game back in the wild-card hunt with a three game set against the Bombers to go..

  • Marlins reliever Edward Mujica hopes that the club gives the closer formerly known as Leo Nunez another chance, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.  Nunez, or Juan Carlos Oviedo, is arbitration eligible and it’s unclear whether the club is required to tender him a 2012 contract before the December 12 deadline.
  • There's going to be some big name players on the open market this winter but there are also going to be some important scouts available for hire, Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes (on Twitter).  Among those available are Gary Hughes (Cubs), Larry Corrigan (Pirates), Bryan Lambe (Mets), Keith Champion (Pirates), and Wayne Krivsky (Mets).
  • No one knows for sure if Albert Pujols will wind up with a new club this offseason, but Cubs slugger Carlos Pena believes that he'll stay with the Cardinals, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
  • This season, the Indians drew 1.84MM in 81 home games, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).  That figure marks an increase of 450K from last season.

West Notes: Kuroda, Lopez, Sanchez, Harden, Angels

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Here are some notes from both divisions out west…

  • Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda shrugged off speculation from the Japanese media that he'll return to Japan to pitch a farewell season with Hiroshima in 2012, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.  Kuroda put the odds of him pitching in MLB or going home next season at 50-50.
  • Expect lots of teams to talk with the agent of Giants reliever Javier Lopez, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  The 34-year-old has postseason experience and teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Brewers, and Cardinals have been after a good matchup lefty this year.
  • Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez expect to be ready for opening day but manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean already have discussed the importance of covering themselves with other options at the position, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. 
  • Rich Harden would like to return to the Athletics and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says that’s something that could happen.  The injury-prone veteran would likely sign for an inexpensive one-year deal.
  • With his strong work down the stretch, Jerome Williams has become the leading in-house candidate to assume one of the spots behind Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana in the Angels' 2012 rotation, writes Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.

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