Blue Jays right-hander Clay Buchholz, who turned 35 last month and is closing in on another trip to free agency, told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe that he intends to play again in 2020. But there’s one condition: Buchholz isn’t willing to pitch in the minors, Abraham reports. “I told my agent that,” Buchholz said. “I feel like I’m capable of pitching as well as I did five or six years ago. It’s not about money. It’s about considering myself a major league pitcher.” Buchholz took a minor league contract a year ago and then proceeded to revive his career with the Diamondbacks, which persuaded Toronto to hand him a $3MM guarantee last offseason. The investment hasn’t paid off for the Jays, though, as a shoulder injury has limited Buchholz to eight starts and 42 1/3 innings of 5.31 ERA/5.15 FIP ball. Buchholz could have trouble landing a guaranteed deal during the upcoming winter as a result, and that might put his career in jeopardy if he’s not up for another minor league stint.
More from around the majors…
- The Phillies reportedly showed interest in left-hander Dallas Keuchel during his long stay in free agency, but the 31-year-old suggested Wednesday that wasn’t the case. “If you don’t come calling, what is there for me to be mad about? I think a lot of those guys over there in that front office are second-guessing themselves. I would too,” Keuchel said to Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other reporters. He made those comments after stymieing the Phillies with six innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 victory for the Braves. Despite the defeat, the Phillies (75-70) are still just two games back of a wild-card spot, though they might be in better position had they signed Keuchel. The former AL Cy Young winner has posted a terrific 3.35 ERA over 96 2/3 innings since joining the Braves on a one-year, $13MM contract in June. While Keuchel’s peripherals aren’t as impressive, he’d still rank among the absolute best starters on a Philly team whose rotation has fallen flat in 2019.
- The Mets have named Terry Collins a senior advisor for player personnel, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Collins had already been serving as a special assistant to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, so it’s unclear what new responsibilities he’ll take on in a changed role. Of course, the 70-year-old isn’t far removed from a run as the Mets’ manager. He held that job from 2011-17 – a span in which the team went 551-583 with two playoff trips, including a World Series appearance in 2015.
- Indians closer Brad Hand underwent an MRI on his left arm Wednesday, but results came back clean, manager Terry Francona revealed (via Always The Jake and James Rapien of 92.3 The Fan). Hand’s dealing with “kind of a tired arm” and will get the next couple days off, according to Francona. That’s a less-than-ideal development for a Cleveland team that’s in a three-way battle for a wild-card spot. The Indians have been without the 29-year-old Hand since Sunday, and though that was an effective performance, he yielded two earned runs on four hits in a third of an inning in the appearance preceding that one. The normally lights-out Hand has surrendered at least a pair of ER four times since the beginning of August.
And the beat goes on in Cleveland…next man up!
I’ve got to Hand it to them, they’ve hung in there a lot longer than I thought they would. I wasn’t even sure they’d survive the Lindor absence at the start of year
I’m not sure they did survive the Lindor absence. They would probably hold the top the wild card spot right now if they’d had just a little bit of offense back in April.
Oh, goody goody goody!
Clay is 35 & its not about the money however given his past & still made beyond he deserves …he’s doesnt accept a minor league deal. Good luck
You’re right, Clay should definitely be more malleable.
He’ll change his tune come March if he still wants to play.
I see what you did there….
Well, Buchholz’s 5.31 ERA would fit in nicely in the Pirates rotation, though he is way out of their price range.
I fear this may be the end of Claydro then.
Did anybody notice the Mets had 9 runs and 11 hits on the day of 9/11
Clay Buchholz was finished in 2019 spring training as we heard in these pages at that time. -that he would be no help for the Jays and it was a stupid signing.
Good luck to him with that attitude.
Attitude?
Saying he doesn’t want to pitch in minors at his advanced age hardly qualifies as attitude.
Clay’s heart is still in it. Clay’s head still wants it. His body can’t do it anymore. If he desires to keep playing, good luck to him. His best days are long behind him.
One team that does figure to call Dallas Keuchel this offseason is the White Sox. Unlike last winter, Keuchel won’t have the yoke of a qualifying offer attached to him. Two other more premium FA’s will in Gerrit Cole and Madison Bumgarner.
Keuchel would be a nice fit on the White Sox pitching staff in 2020 and beyond. They could use a crafty veteran to help anchor a young rotation chock full of power arms. The White Sox could also use a southpaw to help balance out a rotation that will be all right-handed on opening day with Carlos Rodon still rehabbing from his May TJ surgery.
The White Sox haven’t been keen on dishing out expensive long term contracts to pitchers in the past. Keuchel won’t command the dollars and years that a younger Cole and Bumgarner will. The QO factor is also huge since the White Sox won’t have to forfeit a second round pick in the top-10 of next June’s Rule 4 Draft and $500k of international bonus dollars.
Keuchel would also give the White Sox a pitcher with a wealth of pennant race and postseason experience. An added bonus is his ability to be quality starter in a hitter and HR friendly ballpark. He pitched effectively in Houston’s Minute Maid ballpark, taking home the AL Cy Young Award in 2015. The White Sox also play in a park that is considered a hitters haven.
Keuchel’s pitching ability very much resembles that of former White Sox fan favorite Mark Buehrle. Each have been All-Stars while also accumulating multiple Gold Glove Awards.
Keuchel would be a nice addition to the White Sox as they look to transition from rebuilders to contenders beginning next season. His price tag should also fit into the White Sox budget, perhaps a 3 year guaranteed contract with an AAV around $15M that could come with an additional vesting option year or two based on GS and IP to help qualm Keuchel’s injury concerns.
Could make sense. I think ChiSox would have to offer more $ than some other teams though. At his age I’m guessing that he would rather play for a team he knows is going g to win if the money is the same. I hope he resigns with my Braves but I doubt they will offer top $. I think it’s likely he gives the Braves an opportunity to match any offer.
With Scott Boras as his agent you can bet every team will have all offseason to “match any offer” for Dallas Keuchel. Boras may even have the club with the top offer bidding against itself before all is said and done.
The biggest obstacle for the White Sox signing Keuchel just might be his agent. Boras and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf haven’t exactly had a great relationship in the past. It’s probably why the team will eventually lose Carlos Rodon to free agency in two years potentially leaving the team devoid of any southpaws in its rotation with a system short on elite left-handed arms.
If the White Sox can’t sign Keuchel this offseason their next best option might be to reunite with another southside fan favorite the following offseason…Jose Quintana. Quintana has one more team option available this offseason which the Cubs are sure to pick up. He can then potentially become an “unrestricted” FA for the 2021 season.
Can’t believe Bucholz is 35! I remember when he was a rookie. Sheesh I am getting old
That’s funny. Keuchel dominates the Phillies so management lies and tells the fans they went after him so they don’t look stupid. Then they end up looking stupid anyway when Keuchel calls them out on the lie. Why didn’t they go after him? Did they really think they stood a chance with THIS rotation?
Phillies never really said they went after him though,they didn’t even attend the workout he had before signing with Atlanta.The rotation faltered,and he obviously would’ve been an improvement.But when he signed,the Phillies were already missing 2/3rds of their outfield and most of their bullpen,they had enough problems to warrant caution about signing him to what was basically a prorated 1yr 20m contract.The Phillies fell apart after McCutchen got hurt,and he was just 3-5 on a much more consistent Braves team,prior to his current 5 game winning streak.Playing what if is ok,but his 8-5 record with Atlanta is probably 6-7 or worse in Philly.
I’e watched Buchholz pitch the few games he’s played this season and he’s changed from the hard thrower when he was in Boston. He is now more of a finesse pitcher, he has four good pitches and when they are working he’s pretty good. His big problem has been staying healthy. He’s a good mentor for a lot of the young rookie pitchers coming up with the Jays so he settled for 3 mil this season, which is a lot less then the money they threw away on some of those other pitchers (Jackson, Norris to name a couople so hell why not give him one more year.
They.’ve been babying his arm the last few months and he still has tired arm ? They have a sure win against the wsox Carassco blows its because they want to give him work at home. Bad timing on their part ! I guess the fans money doesn’t count or mean a damn thing.