Updating the Latest 2014-15 MLB Free-Agency Rumors, Speculation

In 11 days, the 2014 MLB regular season will be over, and the race to the World Series will enter the final stretch.

This is also the time of year when general managers around the game begin making final decisions about what direction they want to take this offseason. Part of that process is identifying which players set to hit free agency are worth pursuing.

So what new rumors and speculation have there been in the past week? Who’s talking about some of the bigger names set to cash in on large paydays or switch teams?

As a usual note, we will not be covering all of the top targets set to hit free agency, nor will the main speculation come from ideas posited earlier in the season. Older rumors and speculation may be used as supporting information but will not be central to the premise.

The names presented here have all been discussed since last Friday by prominent writers from around the country. That way we can keep the conversation driven by credibility. 

Here are some updates on the latest MLB free-agency rumors and speculation.

Will Aramis Ramirez Be the Third Baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers Next Season?

Morry Gash/Associated Press

In an unsurprising move, the Milwaukee Brewers “intend to pick up their part of the $14 million mutual option on Aramis Ramirez’s contract,” according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.

Whether or not he agrees to exercise his end of the option is a different story altogether.

See, over the past three years, he is the best third baseman who could hit the open market, putting up a .294/.355/.489 slash line with a 130 wRC+, and he has been worth a 9.4 WAR in 365 games, per team splits at FanGraphs.

Meanwhile, Chase Headley compiled a .260/.349/.425 slash line with a 120 wRC+ and a 14.0 WAR over that same stretch, but let’s not forget that his exceptional 2012 campaign (.286/.376/.498, 145 wRC+, 7.2 WAR) buoys those numbers. Pablo Sandoval is slashing out at .285/.340/.438 and has a 120 wRC+ along with a 9.2 WAR, per separate splits at FanGraphs.

From a practical standpoint, it makes sense for Ramirez to decline his option. After all, he could be sacrificing multiple years and millions of dollars if he remains with the Brewers.

Expect Ramirez to become a free agent and land with an American League club in dire need of a third baseman. Going to the AL has the added benefit of allowing him to be the designated hitter once his range at third diminishes to the point where he is no longer a tenable option in the field.

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays are among the many teams that could make a push for a guy like Ramirez.

Could Andrew Miller End Up on the Detroit Tigers?

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Baltimore Orioles reliever Andrew Miller is going to be the most sought-after left-hander in free agency this winter. That’s what a 1.96 ERA, 1.30 FIP and 14.93 strikeouts every nine innings entering play Thursday does to a pitcher’s value.

According to Nick Cafardo from The Boston Globe, “the theory on the Orioles’ side is that Miller will get in the vicinity of $21 million over three years.” While Cafardo noted that “other teams,” including the Boston Red Sox, would be willing to take on that contract, he also pointed out that Miller “came close to going to the [Detroit] Tigers” at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

So close, in fact, that a deal between the Red Sox and Tigers appeared imminent at one point, per Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi. And let’s not forget that the Tigers drafted Miller with the No. 6 pick in 2006.

Now there is no telling how manager Brad Ausmus would use Miller should he be acquired. He could close, but even if he doesn’t, Miller and Kyle Ryan, or possibly Blaine Hardy, would make a formidable pair of lefties out of the pen.

Any way it’s looked at, this idea has legitimacy. Expect general manager Dave Dombrowski to make a serious run at bringing Miller back to the Tigers.

Is There Any Way the Chicago Cubs Land Russell Martin?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The idea that Russell Martin (.294/.407/.432, 10 HR, 44 RBI) could join the Chicago Cubs was brought up by multiple writers over the past seven days.

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer, for example, wrote that “assuming the turnaround starts next year, as team officials suggest, and that building a long-term pitching staff starts to become a priority, then there might not be a better-equipped position player on the market than Pirates linchpin Russell Martin.”

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wrote (subscription required) that “Martin could turn down the [expected] qualifying offer and field multiyear offers, perhaps from the Cubs, whose first-round pick will be protected and would have to surrender only a second-round pick to sign him.”

It makes sense. As Wittenmyer noted, however, it is going to require “a sizeable three-year offer and a pretty persuasive argument from Cubs brass that the team is on the brink of a breakout similar to what the Pirates have experienced the last two years.”

Given the young talent the Cubs have at the major league level, however, that shouldn’t be a hard argument to make.

All told, the club has two real needs. First, they need to improve their pitching staff. Second, they need a backstop that has leadership skills, is solid defensively and can handle a bat.

That is not a knock on Welington Castillo, who has acquitted himself well; however, there is no argument that puts Castillo on the same level as Martin. Bringing the All-Star over would be a coup for general manager Jed Hoyer.

James Shields to the Boston Red Sox Is a Rumor That Won't Go Away

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

With caveats, Nick Cafardo from The Boston Globe wrote that the Boston Red Sox have interest in Kansas City Royals right-hander James Shields. It is a rumor that seems to be gaining strength, as a new report has surfaced two of the past three weeks.

To be sure, the speculation makes sense given Shields’ track record. Consider: Since joining the Royals, he is 27-16 with a 3.15 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 1.212 WHIP and has a 3.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio, per splits over at Baseball-Reference.com. Those numbers immediately put him at the top of manager John Farrell’s rotation.

Now as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney noted (subscription required), “the Royals intend to give him a qualifying offer,” meaning that any team that does not have one of the 10 worst records would be forced to surrender their first-round pick should they sign him to a contract.

As Olney went on to point out, however, the Red Sox do not fall into that category at the moment. In fact, they possess the fifth-worst record in MLB and are five games removed from the 11th spot as of game time Thursday. In other words, their status as a club with a protected pick is quite secure.

It must be noted that multiple reports speculate that the Red Sox will go after left-hander Jon Lester. After all, chairman Tom Werner went on the record during an appearance on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan Show saying that “we’ve got a lot of money to spend and we’re determined to go into the free agent market and improve the team," via Jerry Spar. What better target than the man who spent parts of nine seasons with the Red Sox?

Either way, safe money is on the club bringing in one of the top pitchers on the open market, and Shields certainly fits the bill.

For his part, he is only concerned about reaching the postseason and not the Red Sox, telling reporters that he’ll “worry about that after the season is over,” via the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman.

Unless otherwise noted, all traditional, team and historical statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs and are accurate as of game time Thursday, Sept. 18. Transaction, injury and game information are courtesy of MLB.com. 

Follow @MatthewSmithBR