Cafardo on Nelson Cruz and Brandon McCarthy

Nick Cafardo, a Red Sox reporter from The Boston Globe, wrote a column on Sunday that included updates on nine players and the second name on that list was Orioles’ outfielder Nelson Cruz, who will apparently be coveted by the Yankees once the season is over:

“Cruz did his one-year pillow contract and now riches seem to await. The Orioles will make him the $15 million-plus qualifying offer, but Cruz, as one of the few righthanded power hitters on the market, will be in demand. The Yankees will bid. Cruz also loved playing in Texas, and the Rangers need righthanded power.”                             (h/t, Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe)

The 34-year-old slugger has been one of the league’s most productive hitters this season.

Cruz has set career highs in home runs (39, which is also good for the Major League lead) and RBI (103, leaving him tied with Jose Abreu for second in the American League).  He also ranks fifth or better in slugging percentage (.524), extra-base hits (69), and total bases (299).

Despite his PED suspension, which came at the end of the 2013 season, Cruz will be one of the most sought after free agents this offseason.

Cafardo also mentions another player whom the Yankees will be looking to lock up during (or before) the open market, starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who has been a godsend for the Bombers since he was acquired in early July.

According to Fangraphs, since the All-Star break McCarthy is among the AL’s ten best in K/9, BB/9, xFIP, earned runs, walks, and SIERA (minimum: 60 innings pitched.) Also, his 2.65 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in that span is the best of any Yankees’ starter aside from Michael Pineda‘s 2.30 and 0.88 (minimum: 30 innings pitched.)

According to Cafardo, the Yankees will try to retain their new success story.

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“McCarthy’s tremendous half-season is going to thrust him into the top five of free agent pitchers. The Yankees will try to re-sign him, but McCarthy, who struggled in the first half with Arizona, is a great example of a pitcher who is better in the AL. McCarthy is 43-43 with a 3.90 ERA in the AL and 8-21, 4.75 in the NL.”

With the way he’s pitched, Yankees fans should hold their collective breaths that McCarthy will be in pinstripes come 2015.