Los Angeles Dodgers Pushing Hard For Ricky Nolasco
June 4, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco (47) delivers to the plate during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillis defeated the Marlins 7-3 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
A trade involving right hander Ricky Nolasco is imminent at this point, as ESPN’s Buster Olney reported this morning that the Miami “Marlins have been aggressively working to move Ricky Nolasco, ASAP.” The report makes a lot of sense, as the Marlins could be able to command more for him before the market is set.
Nolasco is slated to make his next start on Friday, against the San Diego Padres. However, that start maybe in question, as Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted that the Dodgers are “on blitzkrieg” to acquire Nolasco’s services:
Schulman makes a great point about the Dodgers being able to take on the entirety of Nolasco’s $6 million contract, something that the Marlins would obviously prefer. With the Dodgers also being in a hurry to acquire Nolasco before one of their division rivals, the Rockies, Padres, or Giants, can acquire his services. Nolasco has been linked to the Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies, Giants, Orioles, and Yankees in the past few weeks and with the Marlins motivated to make a deal soon, it won’t surprise anyone to see Nolasco to be gone before the end of this month. Until today, the thought around baseball was that the Giants were the favorites to land the all-time leader in wins for the Marlins. That could still very well be the case, as Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted that nothing is close as of right now:
Nolasco is having his best season since 2010, posting a 3.68 ERA and a 3.55 FIP in 100.1 innings of work. He would be a huge boost to a struggling Dodgers rotation, who are still are only a manageable 7.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the division lead.
If all three parties have their way, Ricky Nolasco won’t end up taking the mound for the Fish in their matchup Friday. The Dodgers seem fixated on acquiring Nolasco’s services and blocking a move to San Diego or San Francisco. The Marlins are motivated to shed the final big money contract off their books, and Nolasco wants to be anywhere but Miami.
Stay tuned to Marlin Maniac for all the latest Miami Marlins trade rumors leading up to the 2013 MLB Trade deadline.