Royals pitcher Danny Duffy left his outing after just one pitch this afternoon against the Yankees, with catcher Salvador Perez signaling to the dugout and pointing at his shoulder (as YES Network’s Jack Curry tweets). Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports that Duffy was officially removed due to shoulder soreness. An injury to Duffy would be tough news for the Royals, who lead the AL Central heading down the stretch. The lefty has been a key to a tough Royals rotation, posting a 2.42 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 141 1/3 innings so far this season. Here are more notes from around the game.
- Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett is making his 30th start of the season this afternoon, and it’ll be an expensive one, as CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury tweets. Burnett’s 30th start increases the value of his 2015 player option from $10MM to $11.75MM. In addition, he gets a $750K bonus this season for making his 30th start. The Phillies’ obligation to Burnett thus continues to accumulate even though he isn’t having the best season, posting a 4.40 ERA so far with 8.1 K/9 and a league-leading 78 walks in 184 innings.
- Colby Rasmus is one of the best available free-agent position players this winter, and he’s currently on the Blue Jays’ bench, which tells you much of what you need to know about this offseason’s crop of free agent hitters, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal writes. That juxtaposition explains why the Red Sox spent the summer acquiring hitting talent, signing Rusney Castillo and getting Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig in trades.
Characterizing Rasmus as one of the best free agent position players seems generous. Asdrubal Cabrera, Jed Lowrie, JJ Hardy, Hanley Ramirez, Chase Headley, Pablo Sandoval, Russell Martin, Adam LaRoche, Casey McGehee (I think), Victor Martinez, and Melky Cabrera are all free agents I would take before Rasmus. Being the twelfth best free agent position player on the strength of a ~5-win season in the not so distant past is hardly a terrible thing. I also might be forgetting some guys on the right side of the infield, and an outfielder or too in my calculations. Billy Butler and Josh Willingham should also be FAs, though they’re hardly imposing hitters anymore.
That is for sure. He was good last year, but he is hard to put as one of the best available. Tons of potential, but I have a hard time seeing anyone give him a big contract.
BB has an option, but that is looking very questionable after the year he has had.
My guess is since the story is Boston-centric the writer more meant along the lines of FA outfielders.
Jed Lowrie? Casey McGehee?? lol You can’t be serious. Lowrie’s having a worse year than Rasmus, and McGehee hasn’t had a decent year since 2010.
Rasmus had a 4.6 WAR season last year in only 118 games, and is 28. He is absolutely one of the best position players available this offseason.
Actually, McGehee is having a tremendous season with a 295 BA in 137 games.
Yea, his 1.3 WAR is really tremendous. Negative defender, one of the worst ISO’s in baseball, and BA inflated by a .342 BABIP.
Without the lucky average he’d have an OPS below .700 and be a replacement level player.
It’s interesting how you point to McGehee being a negative defender (-2.6 UZR/150 this season) and having an inflated BABIP of .342, but ignore the facts that Rasmus has been a negative defender (-15.5 UZR/150 this season) and had an inflated BABIP of .356 during the season (last year) you use as indicative of his true value.
I never said anything about 2013 being his true value; I just said it’s pretty ridiculous to claim he’s not as good as guys like Lowrie or McGehee, who are nobodies. Rasmus at least is only one year removed from being a top 50 player in baseball, and he’s still young.
And yes, Rasmus had a high BABIP last year, the difference is he still would’ve been valuable even without it, while McGehee would be replacement level without his.
With a .300 BABIP McGehee would be .256/.331/.325 for a tremendously bad .656 OPS. Rasmus with a .300 BABIP last year still would’ve had a .762 OPS and 22 HR’s in 400 AB’s.