Pirates may non-tender Jeff Karstens

Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens is a non-tender candidate following a rough 2012 season, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Karstens has missed a large chunk of the 2012 season due to several injury problems, but has pitched well when healthy, and GM Neal Huntington appears to have faith in him.

"Jeff gives you everything he has every time he gets the ball" Huntington said.

Despite saying that, Huntington did not seem like he would like to resign Karstens, therefore indicating that he may be non-tendered this off-season. He will earn $3.1 million this season and could obtain a raise if Pittsburgh tenders him a contract. He has posted a 3.97 ERA in 90 2/3 innings as a starter and reliever this season.

Analysis: I don't know if it would be smart to non-tender Karstens. He can be very useful for Pittsburgh, considering that he is willing to resort to a bullpen role to help the team out. He isn't a bad pitcher, and has just had a string of injuries that have kind of derailed his season. If I was Pittsburgh, I would non-tender him (simply because he isn't worth $3.1 million or so) and try to resign him for less money. Rotation depth is always nice to have, especially when you have some unproven starters (Cole, Taillon), climbing up the ranks.

Non-tender candidate: Tommy Hunter

Tommy Hunter has had a rough go of it during his brief MLB career. After being drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Rangers, many thought that he would be a future fixture in their rotation. After putting up decent numbers with the Rangers in their farm system, he earned a few cups of coffee with them in 2008-2009. 2010 was his best year, posting a 3.73 ERA while earning 13 wins. When the Orioles acquired Hunter in exchange for Koji Uehara last summer, I liked the move at the time. Baltimore was getting Hunter, who had nice upside, and was young (25 years old at the time.) The Orioles weren't contending, so they didn't need Uehara.

I'm sure that the Orioles aren't terribly regretting this move today, even though Hunter has been awful. Their bullpen has been amazing, and the loss of Uehara hasn't really affected it. Anyway, Hunter has been atrocious this season. He has a 5.90 ERA in 24 appearances, including 20 starts. He has allowed a league-leading 26 home runs, and has only struck out 65 in 122.0 innings. The Orioles have a few young arms coming up soon, most notably Dylan Bundy, and someone will need to get kicked out of the rotation. That could be either Hunter or possibly Jake Arrieta. I feel like the organization has high hopes for Arrieta, so Hunter will most likely be the odd man out.

If the Orioles non-tender Hunter, it wouldn't be because they'd be saving money. If both sides agreed on a deal through arbitration, they would probably end up in the $600-$800k range, for a one-year deal of-course. Overall, it's clear that a change of scenery would clearly benefit Hunter, as he looks to live up to his first-round draft pick hype.

Non-tender candidate: Dallas Braden

Dallas Braden has had a rough couple of years recently due to several injuries. The Athletics thought very highly of him once he proved that he could pitch at the MLB level, but we really haven't seen him fulfill his full potential ever since he got called up to the big leagues in 2007. As you can see, due to Oakland's current record, the Athletics don't need Braden in their rotation in 2012. Their current rotation is young, and they have a lot of depth.

Now, Braden is a nice pitcher to have on your staff, when healthy. So far, it looks like he's capable of being a #3 starter at best. In 2010, he threw a perfect game, and many thought that he would finally step up and become the team's ace. I've never been a big fan of Braden, simply because the man is not durable.

I know I keep re-iterating the same facts, but the fact is that Braden will likely get non-tendered this winter. The Athletics avoided arbitration with him in the 2011 off-season, and they gave him $3.5 million for not throwing a single MLB pitch in 2012. Now that he is getting another Tommy John surgery, that will virtually wipe him out for the 2013 season as well. GM Billy Beane should look toward the future and let his young pitchers, such as Brad Peacock, play at the MLB level.

Non-tender candidate: Phillip Humber

Phillip Humber shocked the baseball world earlier this year by tossing a perfect game against the Rays. Most people didn't even know who Humber was before he tossed that gem. (I knew who he was because I remember him as a Mets' prospect.) Anyway, besides that perfect game, he has struggled this season. He has had several DL stints and has pitched like crap when on the field. The  Mets drafted him in the first round of the 2004 draft, therefore meaning that he does indeed have a high ceiling. Humber, however, will most likely be non-tendered this winter for the following reasons.

He isn't very good. I know that sounds like a stupid reason, but why would you keep a guy who is probably a number 5 starter at best when you have a young pitcher like Hector Santiago waiting under the wings. Humber walks way to many hitters, and his ERA is very ugly. He also has a 9.4 H/9 ratio, which is not very good.

He doesn't have a track record. There is a reason why he has bounced around from team to team throughout his entire MLB career. He didn't even put up good numbers in the minor leagues, which is somewhat alarming.

Overall, Humber will probably not ask for that much through arbitration ($700-$900k.) But think about it, that $700-$900k could be used to bring a proven pitcher to Chicago, not an over-hyped a bust like Humber.

Non-tender candidate: Matt LaPorta

Matt LaPorta has done nothing but disapoint since joining the Tribe in the CC Sabathia trade four years ago. After being selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2007 draft, Cleveland had high hopes for LaPorta once they acquired him. He put up solid numbers in the minor leagues, but once he got called up to the big leagues, he looked awful.

LaPorta has been one big headache for the Indians this season. His struggles have forced Cleveland's front office to acquire young first baseman Lars Anderson from the Red Sox a few weeks ago. Anderson has high upside but, like LaPorta, hasn't been able to translate his solid numbers to the big leagues. Anderson, however, is three years younger than LaPorta, and may have a future in Cleveland. LaPorta has hit .269 with 19 homers and 57 RBI in Triple-A this season, and really struggled during his brief stint in the big leagues this year. This makes me believe that Cleveland will non-tender him this off-season.

Usually team's non-tender players because they don't want to deal with that player's salary, but this isn't the case with LaPorta. LaPorta wouldn't cost that much if Cleveland wishes to retain him, but cutting him loose would probably be the best thing for them. Let Anderson get some playing time at the big league level, or sign a decent free agent first baseman. That is what Cleveland should do, because at 27 years old, LaPorta doesn't really have a future in Cleveland, even though he might hit his prime any year now.

Non-tender candidate: John Axford

John Axford has been a stabilizing force in the Brewers' bullpen for the last 2-3 years, but it seems like he has completely lost it this season. Axford finished last year with a 1.95 ERA while racking up a league-leading 46 saves. He seemed like he was developing into one of the most underrated players in the game. However, when the Brewers lost Prince Fielder last off-season, everything has gone completely different for Milwaukee. The whole team has gotten worse, and Axford is having a horrifying season. Today is August 14, and he currently has a 5.25 ERA in 50 appearances. Yesterday Milwaukee hinted at shutting Axford as well as his bullpen mate Francisco Rodriguez down for the season. K-Rod has also been awful, and it is obvious that Milwaukee is growing tired of his terrible performance.

This leads me to believe that Milwaukee actually might non-tender Axford, because they do currently have a player named Jim Henderson closing out their games and having moderate success. Now, I don't think Henderson is part of the future in Milwaukee, but he could be a cheaper option than Axford. It seems like the Brewers will be rebuilding for the next few years, and adding a closer that will probably cost a few million extra is probably unnecessary. Also, at age 29, it is clear that Axford is probably not part of Milwaukee's future plans.

Overall, I won't really criticize whatever Milwaukee does with Axford, because he all know that he is CAPABLE of being one of the best closers in baseball. However, if they don't want to deal with his inconsistency, then I wouldn't be surprised if they cut him loose. If they cut him loose, I would expect several teams to jump all over him, because he would be an awesome player to "buy low" on.