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« Discussion: What's Next For The Dodgers? | Main | Odds & Ends: Chapman, DeRosa, Lackey, Hinske »

Odds & Ends: McCourt, Manny, Duncan, Blue Jays

A few links to check out between ALCS pitches...

  • Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt has fired his wife, Jamie, as CEO of the team. The McCourts are famously going through what will likely be a messy divorce, and Jamie's lawyers maintain that "she owns 50 percent of the team."
  • Diamond Leung tweets that the Dodgers and GM Ned Colletti are planning on having Manny Ramirez around next year. Manny has a $20MM player option that he has until shortly after the World Series to exercise.
  • Now that they've brought in hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, Mark Potash of The Chicago Sun Times wants to see the Cubs go after pitching coach Dave Duncan. Duncan has said he's going to wait and see what Tony LaRussa does before deciding on his coaching future.
  • ESPN's Keith Law, former special assistant to the GM in Toronto, mentioned a few interesting Blue Jays' non-trades in his chat today. He says that the Mets once offered 19-year-old David Wright for Jose Cruz Jr., but J.P. Ricciardi said "I'm not trading a major league player for some guy in the (Low Class-A) Sally League." Klaw also mentions that the Jays had a chance to trade Cruz Jr. for Rafael Soriano, but wouldn't do it unless the Mariners kicked in Clint Nageotte as well. What could have been, Jays fans.


Comments

Honestly, the fact that McCourt's wife owns 50% of the team just seems like some BS to me.

If the Dodgers have to significantly cut payroll because of the divorce, Mrs. McCourt would be best using most of that money to hire bodyguards. Lord knows she'll need them

If Duncan is available, which i highly doubt at this point, the Mets should pick him up. He'd turn Pelf into the stud he should be, raise Neisse as he develops as a major league pitcher, and possibly fix Oliver Perez.

Didn't Ricardi also turn a Vernon Wells for Lincecum deal. What could have been for the Jays.

Who is more of an incompetent GM, Steve Phillips for making the Wright-Cruz offer or J.P. Ricciardi for turning it down?

I really don't think Duncan will be available to any team other than the Cardinals, which is basically the only team LaRussa will go if he doesn't retire. If LaRussa returns, Duncan probably will. If LaRussa retires, I think Duncan will as well.

It is easy to laugh at that proposal in hindsight, but at the time Cruz had come off a year with 30 homeruns and 30 stolen bases ... it really doesn't make sense to trade him for a single-a player ... think of how that would look to the organization dealing one of your best hitters for a no-namer at the time. keith law is bitter he never got the GM job

"Who is more of an incompetent GM, Steve Phillips for making the Wright-Cruz offer or J.P. Ricciardi for turning it down?"

Well the trade offer must have came in 2002 when Cruz was coming off of a his career year (2001) but was struggling to get things started (in 2002) and Wright wasn't exactly burning up the Sally League but he was still a 19 year old power hitting prospect drafted in round 1, so plenty of time to break out. So I'd say both were crazy but Phillips was worse.

So let's see, so far Cubs writers have speculated on signing LaRussa, trading for Pujols, and signing Duncan. Really now, it is getting a bit ridiculous.

Maybe now Phillips will stop mentioning that he discovered Wright every godd@mn time he's on TV. This guy is a real piece of work.. soo sick of this trashhole

"Didn't Ricardi also turn a Vernon Wells for Lincecum deal. What could have been for the Jays."

Pretty sure it was Rios.

it was Rios for Lincecum, and I'm not sure who it was that hung up.

the jays were the one who hung up the phone on timmy for rios.. i was also saddened to find out the reds took Drew stubbs over lincecum

If Manny is opting out, he is retiring. No one, not Boras, not the Lord, no one will get him 20 million this offseason.

"the jays were the one who hung up the phone on timmy for rios.."

What's your source? The last one I heard was Sabean said no in the end.

if im correct Sabean was asking for another minor leaguer and jp hung up the phone , a not yet provend pitcher for a all star centerfielder at the tim

Wow Keith Law does not give a damn.

I really don't think Duncan will be available to any team other than the Cardinals, which is basically the only team LaRussa will go if he doesn't retire. If LaRussa returns, Duncan probably will. If LaRussa retires, I think Duncan will as well."

I dont think Duncan retires if LaRussa does. He'd consider, but he can make a good amount of money for as long as he wants to with about any team he wants. Not many teams wouldnt take him, if not as pitching coach, as some other coach

cubs fans think they can get anybody and everybody .. duncan will NOT be the cubs pitching coach

"Maybe now Phillips will stop mentioning that he discovered Wright every godd@mn time he's on TV."

I don't think Steve Phillips is going to be doing much TV in the near future, thank god.

I love how Chicago Sports writers think the Cubs will sign every big coach out there just because they signed Rudy as a hitting coach. Now Duncan people? Whats next? Joe Torre leaves LA and the Cubs need to sign him as a Bullpen Coach?

Sabean said no to the Rios swap, get your facts straight.

start_wearing_purple and joe87 hit the nail on the head. I'm sure there are a million trades that 'could have' went through and didn't for good reason.
As I use as an example all the time, Pujols went in the 13th round, we can go on forever how every team passed on him for the first 12 rounds and what 'could have been'.

I love how Chicago Sports writers think the Cubs will sign every big coach out there just because they signed Rudy as a hitting coach. Now Duncan people? Whats next? Joe Torre leaves LA and the Cubs need to sign him as a Bullpen Coach?

Posted by: andre14 | October 22, 2009 at 11:21 PM

that is really funny... but i have to agree with everyone here... and say larussa leaves does anyone think that duncan might try to be the manager for the cards??? jw

that is really funny... but i have to agree with everyone here... and say larussa leaves does anyone think that duncan might try to be the manager for the cards??? jw


Posted by: cubs4life | October 22, 2009 at 11:50 PM


Would be nice, but dont really see it happening. If Tony does retire, I think Duncan moves on to another franchise, he's not going to retire if Tony retires. I think Washington would be a smart place for Duncan to become apitching coach. Reason being they have John Lannan (who reminds me of a young Chris Carpenter on Toronto) and not to forget Strasburg will be there shortly most likely. Those two would be great projects for Duncan to work on. Seen Milwaukee go out and sign Rick Peterson to bring philosphy to the Brewers staff, could it work just as well in D.C.? Comments?

Why does everyone in baseball remind us that Riccardi was possible the worst talent scout in history. My god, it is hard enough to be a jays fan without constant reminders of what could've been. If that man ever gets another job with baseball it better be sweeping the stands!!!

It's no wonder so many baseball fans have such nonsensical opinions when it only takes a couple of years for a sizable portion of them to totally screw up a relatively simple memory - and thus base their opinions on things that never actually happened.

To wit - The Jays offered Rios for Lincecum, the Giants took most of a week thinking about it and ultimately said no.

There were unsubstantiated claims by a Toronto sports writer (one notoriously hostile to JP) that the Jays could have closed the deal if they had added another player that the Giants wanted but no one has ever confirmed this to be true.

JP made enough ACTUAL mistakes, it's surprising people feel the need to rewrite history in order to find yet something else to bash him about.

As for the Wright deal, yeah, it sucks. but EVERY GM can tell you stories about the wrong choice they made on a potential trade or draft pick sometime in their past.

There's a story going around now that while working for the Marlins Anthopolous pleaded with the GM to take Prince Fielder instead of Clint Evert, for instance.

That stuff happens.

Exactly WillRain.

Plus, how on earth could we possibly know how good some of these guys would have been had the trades gone through. For all we know, if the David Wright deal did go through, there is no way one can adequately say he would have had the similar success with the Jays as he has had for the Mets.

I'm not usually one to blast MLBTR writers, but in this case I'm going to. Mike, posting KLaw's article about what could have been for the Jays was pretty unnecessary. It's not a real trade rumor, and all it does is reinforce bad memories for fans of certain teams (in this case, the Blue Jays). We understand that is a slow time for baseball news while we are in the middle of the playoffs. You don't have to post something for the sake of posting it. Quality over quantity, my friends...that's what made this site the best baseball site on the Web.

"Mike, posting KLaw's article about what could have been for the Jays was pretty unnecessary. It's not a real trade rumor, and all it does is reinforce bad memories for fans of certain teams (in this case, the Blue Jays)."

A lot is posted on this site that isn't simply a transaction rumor, a good chuck is opinion pieces. Take for example today: A Cubs writer wants them to get Duncan, the discussion on the Dodgers future, Ryan Howard made more money, etc. As much as we like to bash those writers they do get conversations and sometimes even civil arguments going.

@ bkug

First off, the site is free. If YOU want to pay, go to espn and read articles which are far worse, on a daily basis, then what I read here.

Otherwise, just ignore what you don't like.

mlbrumors, keep up the great work!

Actually, the JP Ricardi post was interesting. In fact, I'd like to see a post by someone who compiles every current GM's worst deal that never was. In other words, deals like the forementioned Cruz-Wright deal, Rios-Lincecum deal, etc..
I think if someone could put that together, it would:
a) be interesting
b) show just how many times this happens in baseball
c) Probably would create the longest comment thread in MLBTR's history

Tim, make it happen please!?

It's easy to blast Ricciardi now, but at the time Cruz was one year removed from going 30-30 and Wright was, as mentioned, a 19 year old in low-A posting a mid-.700's OPS with bad defense. I wouldn't have made that move either, and most of you know-it-all types wouldn't have either. This was just yet another opportunistic, immature action on Law's behalf. He's intelligent, but he's a baby.

Everybody Hates JP. It's so easy to do this stuff in hindsight and Keith Law sure is just perfect isn't he? He NEVER made a bad decisions or suggestion while working for JP. Now Law is writing for ESPN instead of working in baseball and JP just got another job with the Red Sox. Keith, if you're so good, why aren't you in an MLB office somewhere? I thought it was just an awful experience with JP and not baseball in general? There have been many, MANY GMs worse than JP since 2001.

First of all, you guys attacking me, back off. If you've ever read any of my posts that defend MLBTR writers against people that treat them like ESPN writers, believe me when I tell you that I'm not nice. This is the best baseball site on the web, and if you took the time to read my post, you would have better understood what I wrote. Clearly none of you did, but that doesn't surprise me. Most people simply read the parts they want to and immediately they have an opinion.

I read the KLaw article as I am an ESPN insider (ESPN the Mag is cool so that's how I've got it). And Palehose35 and WillRain hit the nails on the head. How could anyone have possibly known that David Wright was going to become the player that he is today. You never know what could have been, but hindsight is always 20-20 and somebody has to take the blame.

"Wow Keith Law does not give a damn."

Evidently you're not too familiar with his work...

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