Multi-year Deal for Nolasco Possible After Season

[lou]

No, '12 is his last season. He was a super 2.
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http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/200...s_archive.html

3.142

Awesome, I didn't realize that.

We still have bargaining power with 2 arb years if he shows up in 2010.

Blanton just signed a 3/$24 deal that bought out TWO free agency years ($8.5 each). Obviously Ricky's ceiling is a bit higher and is probably more like a $12-14 million a year pitcher (Lackey mid 15s, Burnett 16s, King Felix $18-20), but if he's arbitration 5 and 6, and looking roughly.... let's say he's "good" so $6 million, then $9 million (and really giving aggressive bumps here), then free agency years...

This looks to be about the same contract Johnson got depending on performance. This would be a 4 year, $36-48 deal depending on how well he pitches in 2010. Which I mean, that's a bargain if you can get 200 innings at a low 4 era, let alone if Nolasco hits his ceiling.

[geemoney]

I'm glad they're waiting 'til after this year. Last year was a weird year so if he puts up numbers this year that are similar to the second-half of last year, I'd have no problem trying to lock him up.

[Swifty]

Swift, you have just been hating on Nolasco from the start. You were convinced he was showing his true colors last year, but then he proved you wrong by righting the ship. If Nolasco is an elite player on this team (I'd say within the top 5), then he deserves a multi-year contract. And if he's 28 when the deal starts, he'll be 33 when it's over. That's a player's prime years, isn't it? I'm ecstatic about this, because I know that he'll have another strong year and he'll earn that extension. Having our 1 and 2 in place for several years is going to be so reassuring and fun.

I don't think he proved me wrong at all.

I said he was an inconsistent starter because his greatest strength is also his biggest weakness. Slightly above average stuff that is always in the zone sometimes turns into K's and flyouts and other times turns into doubles and homers.

Nolasco's stuff doesn't change much start to start, and that's great. He's not like Beckett who you can tell when he does and doesn't have a good feel for his curve, nor is he like AJ when you know exactly when he's going to rack up 10 K's or more, nor is he like Kevin Brown who would only give up homers on mistakes. When you run through the power righties we've had, Ricky is not like any of them, and that's great, he's consistently Ricky: in the zone with slightly above average stuff.

What the problem is, is that stat sheet fans look at Ricky's line and say he's a huge K pitcher, that it's a product of his ability to overwhelm batters, I don't think it is. I think his K totals are a product of being in the zone in an era where patience is preached, as such, he's usually well ahead of the batters, when teams decide to jump on him first pitch, we have ugly games. Ricky's not getting beaten often because of hanging curves, or flat cutters, Ricky's getting beaten because teams aren't waiting back on him and letting him get ahead 0-1 or 1-2.

To me, that's a concerning kind of player to hitch your horse to. Just because he's the best in-house option we have as a #2 starter doesn't make him ideal. If you're going to hand out a 5 year deal, it had better be for the ideal player.

I'm not into running him out of town, never have been, I just don't want to make him a "whatever it takes" player, and if we have him for 2012 as nny's site suggests, I don't see any reason to buy out years with him at all. This team is built for 2012, he'll be here for it if his performance warrants, problem solved.

Buy out Coghlan if he has a strong 2010, get Maybin ridiculously cheap and just hope he puts it together, those should be the guys we're targeting right now as we try to build a nucleus.

[Swifty]

BTW (and I realize it doesn't count for a whole lot) Frisaro seems to be in agreement with me that Ricky is not club controlled for 2012:

Perhaps the next major, multiyear signing news conference at the Orange Bowl will be for right-hander Ricky Nolasco?

The Marlins on Thursday formally announced the signing of ace Josh Johnson, who has signed a four-year, $39 million contract.

Nolasco, meanwhile, is projected to be Florida's No. 2 starter. The right-hander recently signed a one-year, $3.8 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

After 2010, Nolasco will be entering his third and final season of arbitration. The Marlins have already spoken with Nolasco's agent, Matt Sosnick, who also represents Johnson, about doing a multiyear deal next offseason.

The condition is if Nolasco has another solid season, the squad would be receptive to locking up the right-hander long-term.

-- Joe Frisaro

[nny]

Why do you think he's not club controlled in 2012?

In 2007 he was optioned to AAA at the end of August and never called back up (link: http://florida.marli...=2007&month=8). The reason for the optioning was because he ran out of time for his rehab assignment (30 days). He was down for a total of 30 days after he was optioned, which eclipses the 20 day cut off period needed for an optioning assignment to not count towards ML service time.

Think JJ Hardy this past season.

[lou]

I think Frisario is just having a brain fart that most players are not Super 2s and you just assume they are done on their third arbitration.

Have to side with Swift on this heavily. And really, that's a big win for the Marlins.