Headlines

  • Ben Joyce Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
  • Dodgers Promote Dalton Rushing, Designate Austin Barnes For Assignment
  • Major League Baseball Rules That Permanent Ineligibility Ends At Death
  • Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List
  • Cubs Promote Moises Ballesteros
  • Evan Longoria To Sign One-Day Contract, Retire As Member Of Rays
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2025
    • Free Agent Contest Leaderboard
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Relief Market Notes: Hunter, Nationals, Mets, Zagurski

By Steve Adams | November 23, 2015 at 7:59pm CDT

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.
Share 9 Retweet 1 Send via email0

Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers New York Mets San Diego Padres Washington Nationals Darren O'Day Mike Zagurski Tommy Hunter

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/23/15
Main
Ah-Seop Son Does Not Draw Any Bids From MLB Teams
View Comments (10)
Post a Comment

10 Comments

  1. YourDaddy

    9 years ago

    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?

    Reply
    • aff10

      9 years ago

      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?

      Reply
    • zippytms

      9 years ago

      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.

      Reply
    • stymeedone

      9 years ago

      haven’t seen that reported anywhere. what is your source?

      Reply
  2. Monkey’s Uncle

    9 years ago

    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.

    Reply
  3. stymeedone

    9 years ago

    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.

    Reply
  4. Paco 3

    9 years ago

    No way that THunter gets more than a two year contract worth 2-2.5 mil per year…

    Reply
  5. gopads

    9 years ago

    Papelbon or Storen end up in San Diego?

    Reply
    • zippytms

      9 years ago

      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.

      Reply
      • gopads

        9 years ago

        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)

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Ben Joyce Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

    Dodgers Promote Dalton Rushing, Designate Austin Barnes For Assignment

    Major League Baseball Rules That Permanent Ineligibility Ends At Death

    Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List

    Cubs Promote Moises Ballesteros

    Evan Longoria To Sign One-Day Contract, Retire As Member Of Rays

    Diamondbacks To Promote Jordan Lawlar

    Rockies Fire Bud Black

    Cubs Promote Cade Horton

    Rafael Devers Unwilling To Play First Base

    Pirates Fire Manager Derek Shelton

    Mariners Claim Leody Taveras

    Rangers Hire Bret Boone As Hitting Coach

    A.J. Minter To Undergo Season-Ending Lat Surgery

    Blue Jays Sign Spencer Turnbull

    Blue Jays Sign José Ureña

    Ross Stripling Retires

    Rangers Place Leody Taveras On Outright Waivers

    Triston Casas Likely To Miss Entire 2025 Season Due To Knee Surgery

    Orioles Recall Coby Mayo

    Recent

    Poll: National League Playoff Outlook

    Phillies Place Aaron Nola On IL With Ankle Sprain

    Yankees Designate Tyler Matzek For Assignment

    Red Sox Select Nick Burdi

    Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

    Pirates To Activate Spencer Horwitz

    Cubs Sign Kenta Maeda To Minor League Deal

    Pirates Announce Further Changes To Coaching Staff

    White Sox Designate Jacob Amaya For Assignment

    White Sox Acquire Miguel Castro From Astros

    ad: 300x250_5_side_mlb

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • 2024-25 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Nolan Arenado Rumors
    • Dylan Cease Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Marcus Stroman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2024-25 Offseason Outlook Series
    • 2025 Arbitration Projections
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version