Here are the highlights from Nick Cafardo’s latest column with the Boston Globe:
- In this year’s Arizona Fall League, MLB could consider using earpieces allowing direct communication between managers, pitchers and catchers, Cafardo writes. Such a move would be designed to help prevent sign-stealing, while also improving the pace of the game by reducing mound conferences.
- Cafardo notes the strange story developing in the Dominican Republic, where Raul Mondesi — the longtime big-league outfielder and father of the Royals infielder of the same name — has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of embezzling over $6MM from the city of San Cristobal during his time as mayor there. Mondesi had been involved in Dominican politics since the end of his big-league career in 2005.
- The Red Sox acknowledge that catcher is a “two-man position,” although manager John Farrell thinks Christian Vazquez could take 110 to 120 starts next year. That means Sandy Leon could lose playing time. Vazquez has batted .298/.336/.420 this season, including .336/.376/.493 in the second half. Leon hasn’t had a good season and is eligible for arbitration this winter, although it seems very likely, from my perspective, that the Red Sox will bring him back — Blake Swihart has struggled at Triple-A, and Leon is a strong framer who works well with pitchers, including ace Chris Sale.
- After playing under an extremely team-friendly contract for the last six seasons, Rockies catcher Jonathan Lucroy is heading into free agency on a down note, having batted just .258/.328/.353 this season (although it’s perhaps worth noting he’s posted a .390 OBP since heading to Denver in late July). Still, Lucroy is only 31 and will likely get a multi-year deal, given his track record and his reputation for terrific work behind the plate. “He’s a solid receiver and he handles a pitching staff well. Those are the two most important things,” a scout tells Cafardo. “The offense is baffling because he’s always been one of the best at his position. You have to take the leap that part will come back.”
- The Royals could attempt to keep free-agent-to-be Lorenzo Cain this winter, Cafardo writes. At last check, it seemed unlikely the Royals could keep Cain. As Cafardo notes, Cain will turn 32 shortly after the start of the 2018 season. It’s unclear how the significant contract that will likely be required to retain Cain would fit into the Royals’ plans.
- The Orioles aren’t likely to exercise lefty Wade Miley’s $12MM option, Cafardo writes. That means they’d pay him a $500K buyout. It’s unclear to what extent Cafardo is reporting on Miley’s status based on sources from within Miley’s camp or the Orioles organization, but either way, it does seem likely the Orioles will go in another direction — Miley has posted a 5.52 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in what’s been a very rough 2017 season.
Excercising Miley’s option would be a horrible idea. We could get him back for 7 million at most if we wanted to anyway. Really hope we dont want to. Anyone who can throw strikes consistently is better.
Thing is, this is the first year in Miley’s career that he’s done this. Prior to this season, his worst full season had him at 3.4 BB per 9 IP, and most of his career he’s been under 3. If there’s a chance he can get his mechanics straightened out, I wouldn’t mind bringing him back on a lower value deal.
I don’t know. He couldn’t soak up innings last season without the sky high walk rate. His calling card throughout his career had been his ability to eat innings and if he’s not doing that, there isn’t much there. I’d like to look elsewhere first but wouldnt be completely opposed to resigning him if it’s around 1yr 5mil with some incentives to get him up to say 9-10 if he can throw 185-190 innings or something. If he’s soaking up that many innings he’d be worth it but he’s trending in the wrong direction. He’s gone from a career average of north of 6 innings a game down to 5.5 innings last year and all the way down to 4.9 this year. If we sign two other pitchers and give him a deal like that, that’d be acceptable. I don’t want to have to rely on him for a rotation spot. I don’t know if that kind of deal is realistic for Miley, but there’s a lot of fringe options out there to compete with.
After I typed that, I still don’t know about that. His HR/9 is going in the wrong direction too. He’s trying to keep everything low and that’s where all the walks are coming from. Even though he’s keeping things low and throwing balls his HR rate is spiking too. It’d have to be on an incentive laden deal where we aren’t giving him a spot in the rotation. Honestly I think Ynoa would put up better numbers than Miley but it’d be nice to have a lefty in the rotation.
The problem is that at $7mil/season, the O’s, due to budgetary considerations, will feel obliged to pitch him regularly–just as they did with Jbaldo for these last four years.
Tillman, incentive laden, makes more sense.
Tillman is also far more likely to find a better deal than wade Miley. Tillman isn’t far removed from being a pretty good pitcher although advanced metrics never liked him quite as much. Don’t know if he has interest pitching in Camden yards in a rebound year.
I’m not sure we’d lock a guy in making 6-7 mil in the rotation if there are other options. I want to agree that ubaldo has been given too many looks but honestly who was any better. Tillman missed a significant chunk of time and our rotation depth was already nonexistent. We ran out Asher, Tyler Wilson, Aquino they all bring less than ubaldo to the table. Ynoa should’ve been given a shot earlier on but he wasn’t exactly earning a promotion in AAA. Hellickson was no better and Tillman was more of a mess. I’d like to say it was buck’s fault for running him out there but what else could he do? We’ve sent ubaldo to the pen a couple times eVery year but there’s nothing to choose from.
Sounds like another oriole’s to cubs reclamation project to me
Sign Castillo from the Oriole ( hes a free agent !! Then trade Bradley for Ozuna
The earpieces sound like a really good idea to me. Speeds up the game without really changing it
It will take some getting used to because some experienced players can read lips
They already hold their gloves up whenever speaking.
Also it would be weird because a catcher may have to move away from the plate so the batter doesn’t hear what is being said. Also, not sure on how bulky or the form of these headsets, the last thing you want is the headset annoying the pitcher
The point about the catcher is valid, but headsets can be made incredibly small without messing up the pitcher. Some simply fit inside your ear and are almost completely hidden from sight
It might just depend how much money MLB wants to put into this
AndyM It probably wouldn’t be a headset, but more of a wireless earbud/earpiece.
im sure they would have some type of verbal codes
Leon is Sale’s personal catcher. As long as Sale wants him he isn’t going anywhere. Like Maddux/Perez, Lester/Ross or Wakefield/Mirabelli. He will be back.
That’s what everyone said about A.J. Ellis when he was Kershaw’s personal catcher. And Sale isn’t even close to becoming as good as Kershaw
It doesn’t hurt Kershaw has always had half his games in that home ballpark of his either and NL teams to go against.
Statistically they are very similar pitchers. Sale has pitched on a below average White Sox team but now that he is the Red Sox he is having a career year. You also have to remember he is doing this in the AL not the NL the DH in the AL makes it tougher to pitch in my opinion. Either way they are very close and no Kershaw is not way better then Sale you must not watch Sale pitch very much or you wouldn’t say that.
4/52 would be my max for Cain. He’s a good all around cf’er with no standout tool. He’s also on the wrong side of 30. Somebody will regret giving him a big deal.
Colorado makes sense for Cain
Considering he’s playing in Colorado now, lucroys slugging is concerning, to say the least
Making it worse, the unbelievably impressive looking .390 OBP since going to Colorado is heavily influenced by the 4 HBP and 4 IBB
Take them away as they are largely out of his control, and his OBP already falls to .356. Still nice …but again, Colorado
Wonder what happens in Boston with Swihart. He certainly hasn’t earned his way back into the 2018 picture, but they aren’t going to want to lose him for nothing on waivers.
They’re having him play winter ball so he can work out at third and first base. Thus, they can either keep him as a 3B-1B-C-DH utilityman or increase his value in a deal.
Unless he continues to be trash at the plate. Then you got a no bat and probably no glove infielder
Yea, though if that happens he will be DFA coz they won’t care if they lose him
Swihart was one of the most mishandled/overrated prospect out there. Depends how you want to look at it. Probably a little bit of both. Another jurickson profit type deal here.