Inside Baseball: Samardzija still OK, plus other walk years, MLB notes

Impending free-agent Jeff Samardzija should still find an acceptable deal after his down season. Here's a look at his year, as well as 24 other soon-to-be free agents. Plus, more MLB notes.

Jeff Samardzija is a big, athletic guy. He's strong. He throws hard -- as hard as ever, in fact.

The velocity is good, the spin rate exemplary.

He's a competitive guy, and a guy who cares. He's also a fellow who stays healthy and answers the bell every fifth day.

He's relatively young, at 30. And better still, there's far less wear on his arm than your average big-time free agent. In fact, he has little more than half the innings of some other top guys.

There's a simple reason for that lack of use. He was a star wide receiver first (at Notre Dame) and then a relief pitcher before becoming a starter.

To be sure, there are lots of great things about Samardzija, the White Sox right-hander. But to be frank, he has bombed this year, his walk year.

Of all the top free agent pitchers, and there are a lot of them, by some measures Samardzija did about the worst, at least among the ones who remained healthy and in rotations.

When the season started he was surely looking at a contract worth at least $100 million easy. So now, after a few straight weeks of unexpected shellackings, he leads the AL in runs and hits allowed (as well as batters faced), and it's fair to ask: Just how well will he do?

This is a question that seems to stump many. Baseball executives say it's going to be interesting how it all shakes out for him -- the "most fascinating free agent case in years," one GM called it.

Well, Samardzija obviously didn't max out. But the guess here is, he's still going to do pretty well, perhaps better than most believe. He turned down about $80 million over five years from the Cubs a few years back, and that's probably a decent target figure.

Two contract experts say Samardzija should easily beat Ervin Santana's $55-million deal, and one said he'd actually blow it away. I think that's correct.

At this point, it would take some fancy talking to get a nine-figure deal. But in the end, I don't think he can't get close. He will almost surely become the highest-paid player ever toting a 5.00-plus ERA before signing the deal.

"He'll get dinged a little bit, but there's too much good stuff there," one longtime market observer said. "One bad month isn't going to matter much."

The White Sox will kick things off by extending him a qualifying offer, and he seems extremely unlikely to accept that one-year offer. No one's ever taken it.

Plus, things haven't worked out on the South Side for him. The team's been bad, the defense almost as bad as the early Cubs teams he played for. There have been disagreements about coaching.

Anyway, as much as anyone, he has been looking forward to free agency. It may not be quite what he expected, but it's hard to see him giving it up for the safe play of taking the $16 million or so and staying in a place that just didn't work for him.

Samardzija's agent Mark Rodgers of Frontline has had a great deal of success in the free agent market. He and partner Darek Braunecker got Cliff Lee a monster deal to go back to Philly worth $120 million. He got Mike Hampton a ridiculous contract of the same amount. And they helped make A.J. Burnett one of the most overpaid players in history.

"He got $120 million for (a little guy) like Hampton, so he should do fine here," one other agent remarked.

Of course, Hampton had a nice walk year, as another exec pointed out. It wasn't his best year, but it wasn't bad.

Samardzija hasn't had that, not even close. He has great qualities, and he's had stretches of great dependability. In 13 of 14 starts between May 17 and July 28, in fact, he pitched at least seven innings. So there have been signs.

But not lately. In recent days, it's just all fallen apart.

Not only did Samardzija have a terrible year, he was at his worst at the end. The ERA, a respectable 3.94 at the trade deadline, is all the way up to 5.27, which is better than only two other qualifying pitchers throughout baseball.

Of course, when it comes to free agency it takes only one to love, and only two to make a market. And Samarzdija, despite a surprisingly rough walk year, has so many other things going for him that he'll probably still do a lot better than most figure he possibly could.

Jeff Samardzija has struggled in his walk year. (USATSI)

It's a big free-agent class, and no surprise, while some have asserted themselves, others have fallen back a bit. Here's a rundown of 12 up and 12 down among better free agents:

12 Up

1. Yoenis Cespedes, Mets. He's taken New York by storm as maybe the most successful fourth choice in MLB history (Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce were all tried first), hitting 17 home runs and knocking in 42 runs. He's impressing so much that some are trumpeting for MVP off seven specatacular weeks. He isn't the MVP. But he may have made himself an extra $75 million or so. He was viewed as fourth among the excellent crop of outfielders about to hit the market (behind Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon, who's expected to decline his player option), but he's very likely separated himself from the others. "Well, he's better than them," one NL GM said.

2. Chris Davis, Orioles. While Davis hasn't grabbed the headlines, he's had a monster second half. And besides the raw numbers, Davis, with Buck Showalter's blessing, has showed he can play four positions adequately (the corners on the infield and outfield). So he combines power and versatility like no one before him. He had a rough year last year when he neglected to get his prescription drug approved, but that seems long forgotten now. Agent Scott Boras is expected to market him as the top position player available, with youth and even more power than Cespedes.

3. Zack Greinke, Dodgers. There's no doubt he uses the opt-out to win a big raise or extra years. The $71 million on three remaining years looks extremely cheap after a spectacular season in which he's posted the lowest ERA since Greg Maddux. He deserves the Cy Young (more on that below in the Dodgers blurb).

4. David Price, Blue Jays. He's going to "crush it" on the free-agent market, as one contracts expert said. No doubt about that. With Dallas Keuchel's recent implosion vs. the Rangers, Price may even be in line for his second Cy Young award. He's 7-1 since going to Toronto, which loves him and has interest in trying to keep him (though the Jays have historically set term limits on pitchers, which could make it difficult). The potential for a bidding war between at least two other big-market teams could easily develop; with Price's old bosses, Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon, now with the Dodgers and Cubs, respectively, Price should have little trouble getting into the Max Scherzer/Clayton Kershaw $200-million territory.

5. Dexter Fowler, Cubs. After a rough first half, he's probably separated himself a bit from two other fine and similar free-agent center fielders, Austin Jackson and Denard Span. The difference between his halves is actually stark, as he is posting a .939 OPS in the second half, about 300 points higher than his first-half mark. The Cubs will give him a qualifying offer, which could hurt his free agency a bit.

6. Asdrubal Cabrera, Rays. Like Fowler, he's been a second-half hero, with a .935 OPS. He's also played a very nice shortstop in Tampa, putting himself in much better position this year than last year, when he had to take a one-year deal.

7. Bartolo Colon, Mets. He's practically a folk hero in New York, and between his hitting, his fielding (the behind-the-back flip was a classic) and a record scoreless streak, he earned at least one more year. There is word he might even like two years like he got last time. It probably won't be the pitching-rich Mets. But sure, why not?

8. Yovani Gallardo, Rangers. He proved he can pitch in the American League, and also pitch at home. In Milwaukee, he'd already shown he can pitch in a hitters' park. One of the most underrated free agents out there. He will get a qualifying offer.

9. Ian Kennedy, Padres. Following a dreary first two months, Kennedy's pitched well enough that San Diego is expected to extend the qualifying offer, something that would have been unthinkable early. He's pitched well enough that he probably turns it down, too.

10. J.A. Happ, Pirates. He has remade himself since going to the Pirates, and is riding the hottest streak of his career right into free agency. He's 5-2 with a 1.96 ERA since going to Pittsburgh, just one of many great moves by the Pirates.

11. Scott Kazmir, Astros. While he isn't often mentioned with the top free-agent pitchers (Price, Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann, etc.), he's posted a 2.63 ERA in the AL, setting himself up for a nice annual salary in free agency, though maybe not the length of some of those others. Another plus: The trade to Houston precludes the qualifying offer.

12. Mike Leake, Giants. He's a terrific athlete and consistent competitor and that came through with a nice walk year. Very popular at the deadline. A bonus: No qualifying offer.

12 Down

1. Samardzija, White Sox. See above.

2. Mat Latos, Dodgers. He struggled on both coasts, to the point where he may have to seriously consider a very short-term deal. "He's toast," one executive said. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but between his shape, his reputation for spotty makeup and a dropoff in performance, this wasn't how it was supposed to be for him. In a market stacked with terrific arms, it won't be easy. But we can't forget that Latos has been traded in his day for a lot of great young players, showing where he stands with execs after a career that featured ERAs often below 3.50 and WHIPs below 1.25, until this year anyway.

3. Doug Fister, Nationals. He's been pushed to the bullpen, an unusual spot for such an accomplished starter. He's been a very good starter in the past, though two execs predicted he wouldn't even get the qualifying offer now. He may get lost in the shuffle this year.

4. Ian Desmond, Nationals. This terrific talent was below par (for him) at bat and in the field. Some will question why he didn't take the offer of around $100 million, though it's understandable since he has to figure he has more ability than Elvis Andrus (who got $120 million) and looked forward to free agency. He should still do fairly well considering the shortstop shortage.

5. Johnny Cueto, Royals. He is said to be healthy, but it's a mystery what's gone on so far in Kansas City. There have been suggestions he has an issue with mechanics or pitch calling, but the pitcher who was limiting opposing batters to a .196 average in Cincinnati is getting knocked around at a .312 clip now. He's still one of the best pitchers in the game, so a blip of a few weeks shouldn't ding him too much, especially if he has a decent start or two in October (the plan has been to start him all the Game 1s).

6. Austin Jackson, Cubs. He's a very nice talent who felt a double-edged sword when he was traded from Seattle. The deal removed any possibility of a qualifying offer but it also landed him in a place where he's mostly a defensive replacement and fill-in.

7. Matt Joyce, Angels. A very nice hitter for years in Tampa, he's had a nightmare season out in paradise. First he didn't hit, then he suffered a concussion. He's hitting .176, with his last hit coming July 9.

8. Denard Span, Nationals. An injury-wrecked season isn't what he had in mind prior to free agency. He's an extremely gifted player who's simply suffering from bad timing. It will be interesting to see whether the Nats compound his bad timing by giving him a qualifying offer (one exec predicted no way).

9. Matt Wieters, Orioles. A switch-hitting catcher with power and leadership ability, he should still do extremely well in free agency. But he hasn't helped himself with a so-so season after returning from Tommy John surgery.

10. Alfredo Simon, Tigers. He had virtually no value at the trade deadline, which says all you need to know. He won 13 games but with a 4.91 ERA. Bottom-of-rotation guy.

11. Will Venable, Rangers. He's a useful player but certainly didn't have the walk year he hoped for. Still a question whether he's a starter or just a useful backup.

12. Shane Victorino, Angels. The 2013 World Series hero struggled through one injury year, then spent one backing up in Southern California. A great guy to have on a team, though no longer a star.

More Inside Baseball ...

Team	News
	Atlanta Braves News
Atlanta has some money to spend this winter as they've cleared a lot of room with some trades (especially the one that sent Melvin Upton Jr. west), and while they like Cespedes, as Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com said, they also anticipate him being way out of their price range ... There's reason to think Price and Greinke like the geography of Georgia. Price is from Tennessee, Greinke hails from Orlando, Fla. (where the Braves train, for now, anyway). But they are going to be very pricey too ... The Braves' bullpen, which was woeful this year, should benefit from comebacks for injured pitchers Chris Withrow, Jason Grilli and Shae Simmons ... Atlanta's system has gone from bottom three to top three ... The Braves are behind Fredi Gonzalez, but second-half slides in 2011, '14 and '15 are concerning.
	Boston Red Sox News
Former Braves and Orioles GM Frank Wren is still seen as a likely hire by his old friend Dave Dombrowski, the new Boston president, as GM or some other big capacity ... Boston has scored more runs than anyone lately, and is now suddenly third in MLB in runs ... Interim manager Torey Lovullo deserves kudos for not only doing a nice job but also for being respectful of manager John Farrell, his good friend who is out receiving treatments for lymphoma. Farrell was fortunate that his issue was caught early, and it is said he should have 97 percent recovery rate ... Pretty amazing that David Ortiz passed Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez with a sixth season with at least 35 home runs. The other three had five apiece. Congrats to Papi on the 500th home run, too.
	Chicago White Sox News
Despite his awful season, the White Sox do plan to give Samardzija a qualifying offer ... Ex-White Sox coach Joey Cora should be a managerial candidate somewhere. There isn't a harder worker in baseball. He was a finalist with the Mariners when Lloyd McClendon was hired and with the Brewers when Ron Roenicke was hired ... Mike Olt became the first player to homer for the White Sox and Cubs.
	Cincinnati Reds News
Manager Bryan Price is not expected back in Cincinnati. The Barry Larkin rumors have been going around since the All-Star Game. GM Walt Jocketty, who hired Price after a playoff season with Dusty Baker at the helm, said recently he'd like to be back as GM for at least one more year ... Anthony DeSclafani and Raisel Iglesias made the most positive impressions among their five rookie starters ... The Reds still view Billy Hamilton as their regular CF going forward, despite his low OBP (.274).
	Detroit Tigers News
A big Tigers contingent was in Minnesota for the series there, and while it may be a stretch, some wondered whether they could be considering ex-Twins manager Ron Gardenhire as a possible replacement for Brad Ausmus, who is not expected to be retained. The Detroit Free Press and other Motown outlets reported that Ausmus would be fired at year's end after it was reported in this space that his spot was very tenuous ... Joel Hanrahan isn't rushing back from his second Tommy John, which isn't a bad plan; 2017 seems like a reasonable goal.
	Houston Astros News
Can't blame GM Jeff Luhnow for taking a break from talking about how the Astros were built (if I've read that story once, I've read it a hundred times), but it isn't helping. The Astros are 0-3 since Luhnow called a halt to those features ... The inability to win on the road is a major issue.
	Kansas City Royals News
Closer Greg Holland has switched to Boras. Holland hasn't had his usual year, and may not be quite 100 percent. If there's one team where Boras has close to as big a foothold as Washington, it's the Royals (Kendrys Morales, Alex Rios, Luke Hochevar, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer). Ben Nicholson-Smith first reported the change.
	Los Angeles Angels News
Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler, who interviewed for the Angels GM job, is seen as a favorite for the opening. Also having been identified as candidates are Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen (via Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston), Indians exec Ross Atkins, Jays exec Tony La Cava and Angels execs Matt Klentak, Scott Servais and Hal Morris. None of those seven has GM experience, though there could be more to come.
	Los Angeles Dodgers News
The Dodgers are among the favorites to sign Cuban outfielder Eddy Julio Martinez, which is not a surprise since they are already over in this signing period following the signing of prodigy right-hander Yadier Alvarez ... Alvarez is working out in the Dominican Republic due to the strange law that would have taxed him heavily on his $16 million if he pitched here this year but not at all if he remained in the DR ... Greinke should be the Cy Young winner. The argument advanced in some places that Clayton Kershaw has a better xFIP is a case of overthinking things. No one has done a better job than Greinke of preventing runs. The stat xFIP might be worth looking at if the two pitched for different teams, but Greinke and Kershaw have the same defense, pitch in the same parks and against the same opponents, as Twitter user @DettMusic pointed out. Greinke leads in the NL ERA (1.61), WHIP (0.85) and WAR (8.4), and that's plenty good enough. His ERA is the best since Greg Maddux in 1994 ... The Dodgers aren't pushing Yasiel Puig, but he's hoping to be back for the playoffs ... Corey Seager is every bit as good as advertised, and it will be difficult to deny him some serious playoff time.
	Miami Marlins News
Marcell Ozuna has been reported to be a potential trade candidate. But Marlins president Michael Hill said, "He's extremely talented and very much in our plans moving forward." ... Martin Prado has been the key man in Miami's recent hot spell. He's just the kind of veteran they need on such a young team, so it was good they resisted trading him ... Manager Dan Jennings still has yet to decide whether to come back to his GM job with the Marlins, and the team appears to be giving the well-liked, well-respected baseball man his space while they try to finish out the season strong. In the interim, Mike Berger is handling a lot of those duties, and he is said to have the ear of owner Jeffrey Loria ... They are getting some nice performances from some of the kids in the pen, including Kyle Barraclough, who came in the Steve Cishek trade, and home-grown 100-mph-throwing Brian Ellington ... Henderson Alvarez's shoulder injury that knocked him out most of the year is not thought to be too serious, so the Marlins have decided they will tender him a contract despite him missing almost the whole season.
	Minnesota Twins News
Folks are shocked by the Twins' ability to remain in the race, and chemistry seems to be part of the answer. Torii Hunter has had a big positive effect there, but rookie manager Paul Molitor also deserves credit ... When the outfield is Byron Buxton flanked by Aaron Hicks and Eddie Rosario, defensively it's as good as anyone's ... Kevin Jepsen, who leads the AL with 68 appearances and is seven for seven in saves since replacing injured Glen Perkins (back), has been a key pickup ... With Ervin Santana ineligible for the postseason, Molitor wants to make sure there are enough available starters ... Byron Buxton (.202) has looked overmatched enough at times that Molitor pinch hits for him at key late-game junctures ... Max Kepler, a German whose parents are ballet instructors, could still get a late September callup. He hit .322 at Double-A Chattanooga ... Hunter is a valuable asset for his leadership and bat, and while he's said that he'd only return to the Twins, some wonder whether how much interest he'd have in returning as a fourth outfielder at age 40. Whatever happens, it's been a terrific career. And give him credit for being about the only one who legitimately believed the Twins could contend (maybe him and GM Terry Ryan).
	Milwaukee Brewers News
Young A's exec Dan Kantrovitz is seen by many as a favorite for the Brewers GM job. He's a "very strong" candidate, is the way one person put it. Kantrovitz, like Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, went to Brown, as Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com pointed out, and it doesn't hurt he also went to Harvard, where Attanasio's wife Debbie went. Attanasio is also close to A's owner Lew Wolff, a Los Angeles neighbor. Kantrovitz is an analytics expert, which fits what Attanasio seeks. Some other prospective names, even ones with a numbers bent, have been deemed "not analytical enough."
	New York Mets News
GM Sandy Alderson, Matt Harvey's agent Scott Boras and Harvey's surgeon James Andrews held a conference call, and it's believed Andrews reasserted his concern about Harvey's potential fatigue. He'll be on limiting pitch counts for his few remaining regular-season starts, and the parties are expected to reconvene by phone before the postseason to see about the possible October plans ... Jacob deGrom, who has thrown 181 innings, hasn't been quite the same since the All-Star break. Mets people have admitted being concerned. He has a 3.48 ERA since his brilliant 10-pitch ASG appearance after going into the break with a 2.14 ERA ... Things obviously have been great with the Mets, but there are also worries about set-up man Tyler Clippard now. The Mets did well to get Clippard but tried for other relievers at the deadline as well, including lefties ... Alderson will likely get Executive of the Year in the NL after so many excellent mid-year pickups. But he owes a major hat tip to Omar Minaya. Here is Michael Powell's column in the New York Times ... Curtis Granderson is the Mets' MVP.
	New York Yankees News
There are concerns about Jacoby Ellsbury, who hasn't hit much in recent weeks. He is hitting just .204 in the second half ... Chris Young has hired back CAA Baseball, and he should have an easier time of it off his very nice year (14 home runs as a backup) ... Free-agent-to-be Howie Kendrick would make great sense as a winter target.
	Oakland A's News
The A's are talking to Billy Beane and David Forst about being bumped up to president and GM, respectively, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported. Forst recently turned down an interview chance with the Mariners ... Two former A's have a shot at MVPs this year: Josh Donaldson and Yoenis Cespedes (though Cespedes would seem like a long shot from here). But Beane, who's made more trades than anyone, maybe even in history, doesn't look back. "If you find someone who hasn't made many trades it's someone who hasn't been in the job very long, or won't be," he said ... In the Donaldson trade, the A's did receive shortstop Franklin Barreto, who looks terrific. Barreto hit .302 with 13 home runs as the youngest player in the tough Cal League. "He has a chance to be a star ... he had better be," Beane said, joking ... Jarrod Parker expects to be back pitching by next spring training. It's been an especially rough year for the A's in terms of injuries ... Nice touch to bring up former A's great Barry Zito for a late-year cameo. He earned it by spending the entire year in Triple-A. Beane, not usually Mr. Nostalgia, said it's "kinda cool" to have Zito there possibly even to pitch against former teammate Tim Hudson, who also is wrapping up a wonderful career. Zito had told friends he was retiring after pitching only an inning over the last month, but a spate of injuries (Kendall Graveman, Jesse Chavez, Jesse Hahn, Chris Bassitt) put the idea in Beane's head to make one final call-up. Kinda cool, we agree.
	Philadelphia Phillies News
The belief is that interim manager Pete Mackanin will be given a chance to return in 2016 after doing a nice job after taking over for Ryne Sandberg. He's earned it (his 30-43 mark is actually a major improvement). Mackanin was once hired as interim manager by Wayne Krivsky in Cincinnati, and probably earned a return there, too, but owner Bob Castellini decided to hire Dusty Baker instead (Baker actually did an excellent job before he was let go after a playoff year) ... Klentak is still connected to the GM job, as is Royals exec J.J. Piccolo.
	Pittsburgh Pirates News
GM Neal Huntington has to be an Executive of the Year candidate, as just about every move has worked, from Francisco Cervelli to A.J. Burnett to Francisco Liriano to Jung Ho Kang to Happ to Joe Blanton. It's really been a remarkable run of success ... Kang sadly is out for the year after a second-base collision with the Cubs' Chris Coghlan. Kang very kindly issued a statement through agent Alan Nero absolving Coghlan of blame.
	St. Louis Cardinals News
The Cardinals really have had a remarkable year. And they are a tough October team. But one small concern may be the games logged by the relievers so far. Kevin Siegrist leads MLB in appearances with 72, and Seth Maness (70), Randy Choate (66) and Trevor Rosenthal (63) have been used a lot, as well.
	San Diego Padres News
Should the Padres hire a manager to replace interim manager Pat Murphy, and there's a decent chance that will happen, they might consider Brad Ausmus, who's expected to be let go in Detroit. Ausmus is a former Padre who makes his year-round home in San Diego. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe mentioned this as a possibility. Jason Varitek could become a possibility if he shows interest, as he has a connection to Mike Dee from Boston days ... Some wonder if the reason the Padres didn't do much at the first deadline is because the leaders were in disagreement after the disappointing first half (but team president Mike Dee disputed that, saying in this space last week they are looking forward) ... The Padres aren't seen as serious players for free-agent-to-be Justin Upton ... Best wishes to Josh Johnson, a good guy who will give a third Tommy John surgery a chance after a recent setback in rehab.
	San Francisco Giants News
The Giants are expected to target one, or perhaps two, starting pitchers. Leake, who came in trade just before the deadline, would make sense as a possible returnee ... Folks see the Giants and Tim Lincecum working something out, probably with a low base and lots of incentives. His hip surgeon Marc Philippon suggests he should regain his velocity with a stable hip, maybe back to the 92-94 mph range, anyway. Lincecum was actually up on the bike the day of the surgery ... Justin Upton could be a fit for the Giants. That might work for him, too; he has a home in Scottsdale.
	Seattle Mariners News
Jerry Dipoto is viewed as a favorite for the coveted Mariners GM job. They are expected to interview about seven folks, with Eppler, Levine, Blue Jays exec Dana Brown and interim GM Jeff Kingston likely among them. They've said they favor experience, though only Dipoto has had previous GM experience from that group. The more experienced Kevin Towers is seen as another possibility ... Ben Cherington is said to have turned down a chance to interview for the GM job, as he's interested in taking a little time off from the GM business after leaving the Red Sox ... There's some second guessing over passing on Corey Seager, brother of Mariners star Kyle Seager, in the 2012 draft. Seattle took catcher Mike Zunino third overall, and Seager, who used to hang around the Mariners clubhouse, didn't go until No. 18. If that draft were re-drafted, Carlos Correa would still go No. 1, with Seager, Addison Russell and Michael Wacha also worthy of top-five picks ... Whoever is hired as GM, he or she has a lot of work on his or her hands. Here are the issues entering the winter: shortstop, first base, center field, catcher, rotation, pen ... The Mariners are believed to want right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma back as a free agent, and he is also believed to want to return. While Iwakuma didn't have a no-trade clause in his current contract, word is the Mariners were saying they wouldn't even consider trading him at the deadline when teams came calling.
	Tampa Bay Rays News
Tampa Bay has done pretty well to hang close to .500 in a year when it leads the AL in DL stays. It's also 28th in baseball in offense in a division without dominant pitching (the other teams in the division rank first, second, third and seventh in runs) ... Alex Colome looks like a force in the pen ... There's discussion about whether the Rays can afford Jake McGee, which is a shame considering he figures to only make around $5 million through arbitration. It's a shame Jepsen was traded to save a few bucks ... It'll be interesting to see how they handle catcher next year, as Curt Casali hit 10 home runs in limited at-bats before getting hurt, and J.P. Arencibia has been their best hitter in recent weeks. Justin O'Connor, a defensive prodigy compared to Pudge Rodriguez, could be the catcher of the future ... One disappointment has been the team defense, which has been below par ... Congrats to Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Blake Snell, the former first-round supplemental pick in 2011 who hadn't gotten out of Class A ball entering this year, but who went 15-4 with a 1.41 ERA overall and finished at Triple-A Durham.
	Texas Rangers News
Rougned Odor's .818 OPS would rank first all-time for a second baseman under 22 years old, just ahead of Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr's .813 at age 21 in 1939. Of the top 10 figures, seven were accomplished by Hall of Famers (Doerr and Mazeroski twice, Joe Morgan, Roberto Alomar and Rod Carew once apiece). Odor would be way in front if not for an abysmal April and May before a demotion (his OPS was .486 upon his demotion). He looks like a major star in the making. Credit goes to Mike Daly, director of player development, for the Odor acquisition ... The Rangers recently added his brother, who also is named Rougned Odor, for $30,000. The check took a while to get to the second Rougned, as there may have been a mix-up. Geez, can't imagine how that happened? (Some call the second Rougned by Rougned Jr.; their father is also named Rougned) ... Jurickson Profar has made progress (he's hitting) but probably won't return until next year ... Justin Upton is a guy they've coveted before, so with their need for a righty bat to balance the lineup, he would seem to make sense in the winter.
	Toronto Blue Jays News
The Blue jays have decided to pick up the options of Jose Bautista ($14 million) and Edwin Encarnacion ($10 million) for 2016, no surprise in that they are at very team-friendly numbers ... The Blue Jays will look at new Troy Tulowitzki X-rays in two weeks in hopes he'll be able to play in the postseason. But there are no guarantees ... Justin Smoak wasn't a bad signing for $1 million.
	Washington Nationals News
Manager Matt Williams is all but assured of a pink slip if the Nats don't somehow sneak into the playoffs. Meanwhile, the prevailing belief seems to be that GM Mike Rizzo is likely to get another chance following what can only be considered a debacle if they don't make it ... Bryce Harper made a nice statement about Williams, a nice man, when he went over and hugged him after a recent homer. And Harper provided glowing comments about his belief in Williams. But the silence from that clubhouse has been otherwise deafening in that regard ... Harper should be the MVP. While Cespedes has better raw numbers since coming to the Mets (17 homers and 42 RBI compared to 10 and 22 over that period for Harper), Harper actually has better percentages. Cespedes is .302/.352/.678/1.028 and Harper .355/.489/.638/1.127 ... The Jonathan Papelbon acquisition was a very bad idea, and it seemed to kill Drew Storen's spirit, understandably so. What Papelbon said about the Phillies was unnecessary, yet predictable.

Add CBS Sports on Google

Join the Conversation

comments