MLB Rumors: Latest Rumblings on Brian Cashman, Jon Niese and More
The Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics kicked off the MLB postseason in grand style Tuesday, but there are far more teams that have already shifted their attention toward the offseason.
There will be plenty of rumors and speculation that pop up between now and the Winter Meetings regarding free agents, the trade block and potential retiring players. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the early rumors floating around the league.
Brian Cashman Staying With Yankees?
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Buster Olney of ESPN.com noted that the New York Yankees will likely keep general manager Brian Cashman around for the immediate future. As Olney wrote, “The New York Yankees have begun the process of constructing a new contract for longtime general manager Brian Cashman, sources close to the situation said.”
Cashman’s current contract expires on Oct. 31, and it is only natural to at least question the direction of the team after it missed the postseason for consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-93.
Still, it’s hard to hold much of this season’s disappointment against Cashman, considering the rash of injuries that struck the team. CC Sabathia missed the majority of the year, Ivan Nova had Tommy John surgery, Michael Pineda missed most of the year and Masahiro Tanaka missed a significant portion of the season.
That is a lot of attrition among the pitching staff alone.
Olney also pointed out that Cashman has a solid relationship with the Steinbrenner family, which will likely play a role in any contract discussions.
Jon Niese on the Block?
Marc Craig of Newsday provided an update on Jon Niese and his future with the New York Mets:
Niese turned in a solid season and finished with a 3.40 ERA in 187.2 innings pitched. However, he is owed $16 million over the next two seasons.
For those wondering why the Mets may want to move Niese, starting pitching was far from the problem this year. New York finished ninth in the majors in ERA and seventh in quality starts in 2014, while the offense placed 28th in batting average, 27th in slugging percentage, 21st in runs and 22nd in on-base percentage.
It may be time to focus on the offense in Queens.
Matt Harvey will theoretically be back in the rotation as well, so there could be an opportunity to move Niese. He is only 27 years old and a left-handed pitcher, so there should be a thriving market for him.
The Mets are probably not going to get back a complete superstar for Niese, but they could get some solid pieces to improve a middling offense.
Life After Baseball for David Ross
Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com provided an update on Boston Red Sox catcher David Ross:
Ross struggled mightily at the dish this season and finished with a .184 average, seven home runs, 15 RBI and a .629 on-base plus slugging. He is also 37 years old and was riddled with injuries for much of the season.
Ross commented on his future earlier in the year, via Tim Britton of The Providence Journal:
"I definitely want to play next year. It’s been in my mind. I don’t know how many more I’ve got left in me. I had a lot of fun last year. This year hasn’t been probably the way we planned it, or even near close to as fun. But I’d like to get back on the winning side of things and try to go out one more time and win. I don’t see myself playing too many more, but at least one to two more.
"
Clearly, his age, recent injury history and lack of offensive production in 2014 are all deterrents for the Red Sox or any other team that could possibly pursue him, but there is something to be said about having depth at the catcher position. It is a physically grueling spot that often sees its share of attrition, so having Ross as a backup who could occasionally fill in or play designated hitter could work for some teams.
That being said, it is nice for Ross’ sake that there appears to be plenty of opportunities waiting should he choose to retire. He actually did some work for ESPN after Boston's season ended, too.
Regardless of whether it is on the field or in some other capacity, Ross will likely be around the sport of baseball next year.
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