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Mark Buehrle - Pro Sports Wrap

Fourteen teams interested in Mark Buerhle

December 5th 2011 16:36
At the age of 32, Mark Buehrle is obviously only searching for a three-year contract, and this makes him a popular candidate on the free agent market. According to Sports Illustrated, 14 teams are after him, with the Rangers, Nationals, and the busy Marlins the most aggressive pursuers. This could give Buehrle a bloated contract, but he is a solid pitcher with a very low injury risk who should end up being a solid signing. Buehrle would like a no-trade clause and $14 million a year; about his market value.


A few teams are interested in the top free agent third baseman; Aramis Ramirez. Among these teams looking for a solid bat at a weak offensive position are the Brewers, Phillies, and Angels. It's looking like A-Ram wants three or four years on his deal, but I wouldn't go past three seasons with Ramirez.

There are obviously more teams interested in Prince Fielder, and it looks like the high-priced free agent will wait until the Cardinals and Albert Pujols come to an agreement before signing; thus getting more money in the process. Fielder is viewed as the better investment due to his age, and it looks like he wants to play for an east coast team who will be able to contend next season. Count the Nationals, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Brewers as a few likely destinations for the slugger.


Two rivals are fighting for solid, veteran reliever Octavio Dotel. The 38-year-old would like to re-sign with the Cardinals, and the defending champs have offered him a one-year deal.

Former Indians third baseman Casey Blake is looking to rejoin the team, and nine teams have contacted the 38-year-old who bought out his contract in order to become a free agent. Although he was injured for most of last season, his agent says that he will be completely healthy to start the 2012 season.

36-year-old RHP Hiroki Kuroda would like to sign for around $12-13 million, and he has offers from the Diamondbacks, a club in Japan, the Rockies, Red Sox, and Angels. The D'Backs are really going after the former Dodger, and he will certainly be signed very soon if he stops asking for an option for a second season.
Mark Buehrle
Garnering tons of interest
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11/24 MLB Rumors: Reliever Rumblings

November 24th 2011 09:48
The New York Times reports that Joe Torre could be interested in owning- mostly partially owning- the Los Angeles Dodgers. While this doesn't seem likely, there is a chance that Torre ends up teaming up with somebody like Rick Caruso to own the team.

The Minnesota Twins are interested in re-signing Matt Capps and implementing him as their closer after Joe Nathan signed with the Texas Rangers. Capps is a slightly below-average closer, but he's the best option they have and will likely be cheaper than making a move like trading for Francisco Cordero or Huston Street.

Speaking of which, there are six teams interested in acquiring the Rockies closer. Street, like Capps, is 28 years old, and he was also the 2005 Rookie of the Year. He's about a league-average closer, and the six teams interested (per Sports Illustrated) are the Red Sox, Jays, O's, Mets, Marlins and Reds. The Reds are also trading their closer, and Street would present a minor upgrade over Cordero. The Jays, O's, and Mets have a huge need at closer, but it is interesting to note that the Mets rejected a previous deal from the Rockies in a proposed Street-Pelfrey swap.

According to the New York Post, Mariano Rivera might retire after the 2012 season. Mo has one year left on his contract, and below are two quotes to mull over. The best closer in history is about to turn 42, and he has saved a record 603 games over his Major League career so far. I don't think he should hang up the spikes now, as he has still been pitching at a very high level. However, he knows his body more than we all do, and I'm sure that the future Hall of Famer will make the best decision for himself.

"I don't know what will happen,'' said Rivera. "I have one year left. I might call it over. I will know more in spring training.''

"Every time I talk it gets worse and worse,'' Rivera said when asked about his vocal chord problems that have arisen this offseason which may require surgery.

There are a lot of replacement-level to average starter middle-infielders who are making bank this offseason, and Jerry Hairston Jr. could be among those guys. Hairston is really just a utility backup guy. Hairston is an above-average defensive outfielder, and he plays at a high level at second. However, he is considered to be mediocre at the hot corner. But with his positional versatility, Hairston is an intriguing option and provides value to a ballclub. He was worth 1.2 WAR in 376 plate appearances, so he is an inexpensive option who would be a solid stop-gap option.

In fact, there are three teams interested in signing Hairston; the Dodgers, Brewers, and Giants all want to sign him. The Dodgers lost Jamey Carroll to the Twins in free agency, the Brewers have a hole at short, and the Giants are obviously in the market for a shortstop with their situation at the position. The 35 year old did get a one-year offer from the Brewers to re-sign with the team, but it seems like the Brew Crew want to get a marquee shortstop. They have also made it clear that signing Yuniesky Betancourt is also an option, although everybody will agree that it's not exactly a good option.

The Nationals are fighting with the Miami Marlins to sign solid veteran free agent starter Mark Buehrle. The Nats have made him their number one priority this offseason Buehrle has been worth over 3 WAR for the past three seasons, and he will definitely bolster this rotation and is worth about 10-12 million on the open market.

Count Sandy Alomar Jr. out of the race for the Boston Red Sox manager opening, as Bobby Valentine has been swooning the Sox brass recently. I expect the Sox to name Valentine their manager, but there are still a couple of candidates remaining.
Will he retire after 2012?
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8/2011 PSW AL Gold Glove Team Update

August 30th 2011 15:05
The statistics used are UZR, DRS, ARM, RngR, and UZR/150, and Fld from www.fangraphs.com.

P Mark Buehrle- He has the best rSB in the AL and the highest DRS as a result of his ability to stop base-runners. That's really the only conceivable asset a pitcher brings defensively.

C Matt Wieters- Again, the ability to snuff out base-runners is the only major asset that a catcher brings to the table defensively. It's definitely the only thing that can significantly separate catchers, and Matt Wieters has been excellent at stopping guys on base.

1B Adrian Gonzalez- A-Gone has clearly been the best defensive first baseman in baseball, and he has the best UZR and ErrR. Only Mark Trumbo has better range, and Gonzalez is the only American League first baseman with a double-digit UZR/150. The metrics say Tex is the second best, and Trumbo follows him at third. It's a pretty tight race between those two at two and three.

2B Dustin Pedroia- Although Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, and Ben Zobrist have been excellent, Pedroia has been in a class of his own. Nobody can match his range at second, and his defense is what has vaulted him into the MVP discussion.

SS Alexei Ramirez- Watch out guys, a new A-Ram is in town. Alexei Ramirez has been a force in the field, and it has definitely made up for some below average hitting. While a case can be made for Alcides Escobar, I don't see how Ramirez doesn't win this award.

3B Adrian Beltre- With all due respect to Mr. Longoria and his fine season in the field, Adrian Beltre is the man to man this spot on the Gold Glove team. His fine defensive career has continued with another terrific display in 2011, and he still has incredible range out there at the hot corner.

LF Brett Gardner- Most left fielders can't play any D, but that description definitely does not hold true when you look at Brett Gardner. Even though Dustin Pedroia has been exceptional defensively this season, Gardner has been the best defensive player in 2011. He has an accurate arm, and range that no outfielder in the game can dream of possessing. He is far and away the best defensive player at his position, and I don't think anybody- save Pedroia- can compare with him defensively.

CF Jacoby Ellsbury- Poor Peter Bourjos, his wonderful season in the outfield spent chasing flyballs pitched by Jered Weaver will not net him a Gold Glove award. Unfortunately for him, Jacoby Ellsbury has been even better this year. His defense has cemented his status as an MVP candidate, and he is certainly making up for lost time last season. Even though Bourjos does have the better arm, Ellsbury is more consistent and has even better range. That's not so say that Bourjos is a slouch in the range department, it's just that Ellsbury is such a beast.

RF Nick Swisher- Before the season started, it would be crazy to name Nick Swisher as a Gold Glove candidate. But here we are at the end of August, and I am sitting here and telling you guys that Nick Swisher is my pick for the Gold Glove winner in right field. He has the arm, the range, and Swishalicious is probably one of the most consistent outfielders in the game. The highlight shows don't reward this kind of consistency enough, but the metrics do.
AL Gold Glove SS
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