Ricky Nolasco and the Marlins haven’t made progress on a contract extension

Ricky Nolasco has been shut down for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee and Juan C. Rodriguez of the Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that his contract extension talks with the Marlins are also “going nowhere.” According to Rodriguez “a significant gulf exists between the two sides” and “don’t hold your breath for a celebratory press conference.” Nolasco is represented by agent Matt Sosick, who after some initial problems was able to work out a four-year, $39 million deal for Florida ace Josh Johnson, but with Nolasco already under team control through 2012 and age 29 as an arbitration eligible player the Marlins don’t have a ton of reason to commit guaranteed money to him. Plus, because his ERAs have typically been much worse than his secondary numbers Nolasco should be relatively affordable via the arbitration process. He finishes with a 4.51 ERA this season after posting a 5.06 mark last season, although his strong win-loss records could help balance that out when the panel decides on his value.