MLB Notes with McGowan, Papelbon’s performance

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv Sports Contributor

If Jonathan Papelbon wants to be paid like one of the top closers in baseball, he’s going to have to look elsewhere this offseason. The right-hander blew yet another save Thursday afternoon, allowing three runs on four hits as the Sox lost to the Blue Jays in the finale of a three-game set in Toronto.

Papelbon’s six blown saves this season are the most of his career and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the calls to hand the closer’s role over to lights-out (except against the Yankees) setup man Daniel Bard. Bard is second in all of baseball in holds and has only allowed two earned runs since June 10. The hard-throwing right-hander has been the only reliable pitcher in a bullpen that has quickly become the Sox biggest hole.

mlb

Barring an epic meltdown, expect Terry Francona to continue using Papelbon in the ninth inning for the rest of the season. But that will probably be it. Papelbon has gone on the record stating that he expects to receive a hefty pay raise, and given how payroll-conscious Theo Epstein was at the trade deadline, it’s unlikely the Sox will offer a huge contract to a guy following the worst year of his career. Especially with Bard waiting in the wings.

So where will Paps end up?

While his performance this season leaves much to be desired, there is no denying that Papelbon has had an incredible start to his career. Aside from playing a vital role on the 2007 World Series team, Papelbon sports a lifetime ERA of 1.97 and his next save will make him the first pitcher in baseball history to save 30 games in each of his first five seasons in the Major Leagues.

On the free agent market, there is a good chance Papelbon will command a record contract for a relief pitcher and there are plenty of teams that might be willing to bring him in. The White Sox, Angels, Mets, and Phillies all have the money and the need for someone with Papelbon’s ability.

Is age catching up to Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter moved past Babe Ruth on the all-time hit list last week, but the Yankees Captain might finally be showing some signs of slowing down. Jeter has the lowest Batting Average of his career, the lowest OPS of his career and might have his worst homerun season since 2003, when he only played in 119 games.

Like Papelbon, Jeter is in the final year of his contract, which is paying him $22.6 million this season. There is zero chance of the Yankees letting Jeter walk at the end of the year, but the team probably needs to start thinking about his replacement. He’ll become the first Yankee ever to reach 3,000 hits sometime next season, but if he continues to regress, one has to wonder when enough will be enough.

Yankees still in control

Even with Jeter struggling, the Bronx Bombers are clearly the team to beat in the American League, if not all of basebal. This is a team that has scored more runs than anybody in the game despite long stretches of poor play from Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Now that Teixeira is finally heating up (9 home runs since the All-Star break) and Rodriguez has surpassed 600 homeruns, the offense might really take off.

The only concern with the Yankees is whether or not the pitching can hold up. Andy Pettitte, the team’s best pitcher this season, was scratched from a simulated game because of a sore hip. Until Pettitte returns, the team’s only reliable starter is CC Sabathia. After that, it’s a crapshoot.

Of course, with that offense, it might not even matter.