Right-hander Tommy Hunter is drawing interest on the free agent market, with the Padres, Tigers and Indians among the clubs teams intrigued by the former Orioles setup man, reports Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Hunter, 30 next July, split the season between the O’s and Cubs, though he enjoyed considerably more success in Baltimore than in Chicago. Hunter was surprisingly traded in exchange for Junior Lake in July after 44 2/3 innings of 3.63 ERA ball (3.38 FIP) but saw that mark soar to 5.74 (5.11 FIP) in 15 2/3 innings with the Cubs. Those late struggles notwithstanding, Hunter has a 3.26 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against just 1.7 BB/9 across 207 1/3 innings dating back to 2013, so he figures to draw further interest as the offseason wears on.
Here are a few more notes from the relief market…
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson joins others in characterizing the Nationals’ interest in Darren O’Day as serious, though he also notes that some clubs could offer O’Day the opportunity to close games, which Washington cannot currently promise. The market for O’Day is deep, Ladson adds, but he could be a much-needed reliable setup man for the Nats, who are “looking to trade” Drew Storen.
- We’ve heard varying reports on the Nationals’ interest in shipping out Storen and Jonathan Papelbon, but Jayson Stark tweets that executives from three clubs have told him that the Nats are pushing to trade both righties. The club’s plan would be to rebuild the back of its relief corps with new acquisitions. Of course, as I explained in the Nationals’ offseason outlook, Washington is in need of pen additions regardless of what it does in the late innings.
- The Mets’ bullpen focus, meanwhile, is on adding a lefty, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. New York seems prepared to give Josh Smoker a chance at cracking the pen after adding him to the 40-man roster. And the team has indicated interest in bringing back Jerry Blevins. But a surer thing would be preferable, says DiComo, who says the team is prioritizing the acquisition of a quality LOOGY this winter.
- Former big league lefty Mike Zagurski is hoping to return to the U.S. after pitching in Japan last season, MLBTR has learned. Zagurski has struggled in a handful of Major League chances but has a 2.68 ERA with 12.0 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 in parts of six Triple-A seasons. The 32-year-old posted a 2.40 ERA in Japan last year, albeit in a small sample of 15 innings.
Hunter is reportedly looking for a 4 year deal in excess of $25 million. Is that really something the Padres need? A $6-7 million middle reliever?
There’s no way Hunter will get a 4 year deal. Are you thinking of O’Day, or did you see somewhere that Hunter is seekingthat much?
He might be looking for that but he certainly won’t get anything close to that. He’s 29, so there isn’t a breakout around the corner. He’s coming off of a bad year. His career has been inconsistent. He just made $4.65mil and didn’t earn it. I doubt he’ll get more than two years with a team option for a third, and I’ll be shocked if it’s above $5mil/year. I’ll be surprised if it’s even $4mil.
haven’t seen that reported anywhere. what is your source?
If Zagurski came back to the States in shape, then by all means teams should give him a call. If he still looks like he did before, which was one donut shy of a slow-pitch softball team pitcher, then I hope he has a backup plan.
Did the Tigers learn nothing from signing Joba? They already have a better version of Hunter in Al Al, and I’m not satisfied that he keeps making the roster. Wilson out pitched Hunter last year, and Ausmus doesn’t trust him. How would Hunter help? Mark Lowe, Daniel Hernandez, Shawn Kelley, Bobby Parnell, even Trevor Cahill, all offer more upside than Hunter. Hunter is filler, and that’s all the Tigers bullpen currently has, which is why it is in the state its in.
No way that THunter gets more than a two year contract worth 2-2.5 mil per year…
Papelbon or Storen end up in San Diego?
Highly unlikely, and I really hope nobody in the Padres’ FO is interested.
Storen has yet to go through arbitration, but is projected to make $8.8M. Considering the Padres just traded away Benoit and Kimbrel (Benoit is a fair comp due to role and salary), I doubt the Padres are looking to spend that kind of money for an experienced guy. Papelbon’s due $13M, which is silly considering his declining performance over the past few years.
The Padres are more likely to roll through 2016 with existing bullpen pieces plus high-risk, low-cost guys like prospect talent or bounceback veterans like Tommy Hunter. This team is retooling. They want to be respectably competitive in 2016, but 2017 is the target.
Papelbon being in a contract year should pitch well & was thinking the Nationals would cover half his salary – but clubhouse/dugout may not want his attitude (regardless the Nationals currently have 20 million tied up in 8th and 9th inning options they don’t seem to want, guessing some team will get one or 2 of those guys for cheap)