The Miami Marlins have received offers for starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco from the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
According to Frisaro, the Dodgers offer includes one pitching prospect and would have the Dodgers assume the approximately $5.7 million still due Nolasco this season, while the Giants are offering little in the way of salary relief but would give up two pitching prospects. Nolasco is the final year of his current contract and will be free agent at the end of the season. There is no word at this point which prospects are on the table, but under the newest collective bargaining agreement teams have been hesitant to part with premium talent for players on the verge of free agency.
Nolasco is currently having one of the better seasons of his career. Over 18 starts and 112-1/3 innings, the righty has a 3.85 ERA and the second-lowest WHIP of his career at 1.22. Durablity has been a major strength for Nolasco over his eight-year career. He topped 190 innings last season and 200 innings in 2011 and he has made at least 30 starts in four of the last five years.
Given his strong season, durability and the close race in the NL West, Nolasco has natural appeal for both clubs. Less than five games separate the last-place Giants from the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, leaving the division wide open as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. San Francisco has struggled on the mound this season; Giants' starters have a combined 4.56 ERA, which is the second-worst mark in the National League. The Dodgers have gotten better numbers from their starters, but they have had trouble keeping them on the mound. They have lost two starters, Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley, for the season and three of their current starters have seen time on the DL.
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