More delusional ramblings from Nick Cafardo:
The Red Sox asked for ace righthander Matt Garza. They asked for young shortstop Starlin Castro, as this correspondent had proposed.
They were rebuffed on those requests, but when the agreement was reached to let Epstein go, as a Red Sox source reiterated yesterday, the understanding was that Boston would receive a “significant’’ return….
The last thing MLB wants is to set a precedent in such matters by reassigning a player.
It’s difficult to predict whether MLB would want to discourage the future raiding of staffs by making the Cubs surrender a significant player, or whether they would go the midrange prospect route, which may upset the Red Sox but satisfy the Cubs….
The Cubs need to protect some of their better players or get top value for them in trade. Epstein could be open to dealing Garza, for instance, but he would have to get a great return. Would this type of deal constitute compensation?
The Cubs have other intriguing players, such as closer Carlos Marmol, who blew 10 saves last season but has electric stuff. Marshall is an intriguing setup man, and outfielder Tyler Colvin, a lefthanded hitter, belted 20 homers in part-time duty two years ago, though he has yet to really blossom.
Would righty Jeff Samardzija be considered “significant’’? Samardzija went 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 75 games with a WHIP of 1.29. He has been a reliever but is projected by some as a future starter. At age 26, the former Notre Dame receiver could be an intriguing player to the Red Sox.
There is a prospect in Chris Carpenter, who could be a starter or a reliever. Or the Sox could take a chance on returning starter Andrew Cashner.
So funny that the Boston media thinks they are entitled to significant compensation for Theo, when there is no precedent for that type of compensation for an executive making an upward move to another organization.