J.P. Ricciardi Rumors

Odds and Ends: Schilling, Manny, Mateo

Links for Thursday... If Curt Schilling does a half-season next year, he apparently will not model it after Roger Clemens' approach. Drunk Jays Fans discusses Ken Rosenthal's recent chat with J.P. Ricciardi. Richard Justice says some GMs complained privately that Ed Wade didn't do a good job letting teams know Brad Lidge was available last year. The Adam Dunn trade pushed the D'Backs a little over budget. They don't have much to spend this winter. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic elaborates on the topic. Dave Cameron looks at some free agent landmines, led by Manny Ramirez. The Giants voided...   Continue Reading

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Another Year For Ricciardi

9/25/08: Griffin was correct; the Gaston extension implied another year for GM J.P. Ricciardi. Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Godfrey announced today that Ricciardi will be back for the '09 season. You have to figure he's gone if the Jays don't reach the playoffs next year. Will Ricciardi's job status affect his offseason plans? 9/17/08: According to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays will announce an extension for manager Cito Gaston soon. Griffin believes that the timing of the announcement indicates that GM J.P. Ricciardi will be back for the 2009 season. The team's recent success...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Huff, Hardy, Russ Ortiz

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up. Mark Attanasio set a dangerous precedent by firing Ned Yost. Will he interfere with GM Doug Melvin's plans in the future? Rosenthal considers Aubrey Huff a "highly desirable trade commodity" this winter. That begs the question - why did Huff pass through waivers unclaimed in August? Trading J.J. Hardy is more likely than moving him to third base. Hardy is under team control for two more seasons. The Jays, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Giants, Dodgers, and Cardinals could be in the market for a shortstop. Demand certainly outstrips supply. Rosenthal believes...   Continue Reading

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J.P. Ricciardi - GM Trade History

MLBTR contributor Brendan Bianowicz has completed the J.P. Ricciardi trade history. Download the spreadsheet here.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Eaton, Tazawa, Royals, Jays

Today's links... SI.com's Tom Verducci ranks the five best midseason deals of the past 25 years. Peter Abraham thinks the Yankees should stick with Robinson Cano. Pat Gillick says there's a slight chance the Phils acquire a reliever this month. He was not able to acquire Kyle Farnsworth in August. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan doesn't put much stock in the rumor that Nolan Ryan will clean house in Texas. Phillies GM Pat Gillick admitted signing Adam Eaton was a mistake. Many MLBTR readers thought so when the signing was finalized in November of '06. The Red Sox hope to sign a...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Indians, Rays, Jays

Time to cobble together today's links. The Dodgers designated Tanyon Sturtze for assignment. The 37 year-old pitched only 2.1 innings for the big club. Dejan Kovacevic does not believe the Pedro Alvarez issue will prevent the Pirates from working with Scott Boras in the future. RotoAuthority assembles a fantasy team entirely of players who went undrafted in March. Dave Cameron wonders if the Indians will make a trade due to their catching surplus. Rays Index wants to make it clear that drafting high is only a small factor in the Rays' success. Drunk Jays Fans caught an amusing exchange between...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Ricciardi, Guardado, Alvarez

Let's round 'em up... Chat today, 2pm CST. Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star tries to view J.P. Ricciardi's tenure from both sides. Drunk Jays Fans gives their take on the article. Aaron Gleeman takes a closer look at Eddie Guardado, while Jamey Newberg tells us about Mark Hamburger. Inspired by Nelson Cruz's excellent '08 MLB debut, Rob Neyer and Sam Mellinger discuss cheap talent and "4A" players. Do Jeff Bailey, Mike Hessman, Joe Koshansky, Scott McClain, Terry Tiffee, and Josh Whitesell fit the bill? It's always fun when these guys get a legitimate shot. The Pirates are getting frustrated...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Angels, D'Backs, Giambi, Ellis

Here is the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Many important Angels will reach free agency this winter: Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Jon Garland, and Juan Rivera. Rosenthal doesn't expect any of these four back. Garret Anderson's $14MM option will not be exercised, but he could be re-signed. John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero both have reasonable club options for '09, but the Halos need to plan beyond that. Several journalists have noted the D'Backs may restock the farm system if they let Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson, Brandon Lyon, and Juan Cruz depart as free agents after the season. They're...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bay, Clement, Fuentes, Cabrera

We've got plenty of links today. There is speculation that Andruw Jones could be sent back to the minors. Joel Sherman wonders if MLB should've gotten involved when Manny Ramirez decided to orchestrate his own exit. Kind of reminds me of Gary Sheffield intentionally botching plays to force a trade out of Milwaukee in '92. Gordon Edes stands by his report that Manny pledged to give full effort if the Red Sox dropped his options. That phone call between Scott Boras and Theo Epstein occurred within an hour of his trade to the Dodgers. Jon Heyman takes us inside the...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Lieber, Tavarez, Oswalt

We've got mostly smaller stuff today, so let's kick it off with an odds and ends. The Mets designated Claudio Vargas for assignment. I'm a bit surprised, I think he's still a useful pitcher. Pitcher Jon Lieber may retire after the season. 130+ wins, that's a nice career. With Tom Gordon's shoulder barking, the Phillies' desire to add a reliever has intensified. Here's a look at the relief market. When a 2.93 ERA is considered underperforming, expectations were never reasonable. Anyone else get the impression that if Johan Santana's record was 10-3 instead of 7-6, there wouldn't even be a...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Cashman, Fuentes, Braves, Fielder

Time for a new Ken Rosenthal column. Rosenthal reminds us that, among other things, Adam Dunn played with a broken hand for a couple of months in '05. So maybe he does like baseball. It's not fair to criticize a player's passion simply because he doesn't make the right facial expressions or throw tantrums (not saying J.P. Ricciardi did this, but many fans do). Mark Teixeira might be looking for eight years and $160MM. Rosenthal says not to count his hometown Orioles out, though they aren't the most likely suitor. Brian Cashman "seems likely to sign a contract extension" with...   Continue Reading

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Heyman's Latest: Garcia, Ricciardi, Sabathia

Here's a look at Jon Heyman's latest column. At last count, our Freddy Garcia list included the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Indians, Mariners, Tigers, and Rays. Heyman adds the Astros, and we also have rumblings about the Cubs. Although a few may have dropped out, that's a dozen suitors. Heyman suggests Cito Gaston's hiring was not J.P. Ricciardi's decision. Ricciardi may not last past this season. Heyman's source says C.C. Sabathia "is believed to be interested in a 'Johan Santana contract.'" Santana received six years and $137.5MM with a club option, full no-trade clause, and deferred...   Continue Reading

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Wondering About The Future Of J.P. Ricciardi

With the firing of Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star speculates on the future of J.P. Ricciardi. The Blue Jays GM has certainly had a bit of a rough week, from having to axe his manager and friend Gibbons to the Adam Dunn debacle. And Griffin thinks that his firing will be the next step. Griffin writes: Make no mistake, the hiring of (new manager Cito) Gaston was not the embattled GM's idea. The statistics-driven, micro-managing Ricciardi likes his managers to be beholdin' to him – see Carlos Tosca and John Gibbons, two men never...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Kouzmanoff, Ricciardi, Wilson

Today's linkage... Athletics Nation proposes a couple of deals for the A's. RotoAuthority looks at Reds rookie pitcher Daryl Thompson, who draws a tough debut assignment on Saturday. CBS Sports' Scott Miller expects Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to be traded this summer. Kouzmanoff, 27 in July, is hitting .268/.328/.476 in 42 games following another lousy April. J.P. Ricciardi apologized for his comments about Adam Dunn. From the What Might've Been File: the Tigers offered Jair Jurrjens for Jack Wilson about a year ago. Nice to see that .500 will not be a goal for the Bucs, by the way....   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Papelbon, Darvish, Crisp

Let's round up some morning links. McCovey Chronicles feels that the Jose Castillo signing reduces the Joe Crede threat level for the Giants. Jonathan Papelbon wants to drive the market for closers upward. Keith Law discusses J.P. Ricciardi's decision to overrule scouting advisers and draft Ricky Romero over Troy Tulowitzki for the Blue Jays back in '05. If Yu Darvish is posted after this season, will it cost $75MM just to negotiate with him? From Buster Olney on Sunday: "Rival teams are not entirely sure if the Red Sox are devoted to the idea of trading Coco Crisp." Pedro Martinez...   Continue Reading

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Law: Top 10 Trade Candidates

Keith Law, a favorite here at MLBTR and at home home, River Ave. Blues, has posted an article on 10 potential trade candidates off-season. It seems that if anything big does go down this off-season, it will be in the form of a trade, since the FA market is particularly weak. So who does Law have in mind? The most surprising name on the list is the Blue Jays' Adam Lind. Law believes that with the next year's financial commitments to Frank Thomas, Lyle Overbay, and now Matt Stairs, there is no obvious spot for Lind, and he'll have to..   Continue Reading

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J.P. Ricciardi Trade Profile

Tonight I decided to take a look at the trading habits of Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, who was hired in November of 2001. Ricciardi made an array of trades soon after his hiring: out were Billy Koch, Alex Gonzalez, Paul Quantrill, Cesar Izturis, and Brad Fullmer. His only notable returns from those five were Eric Hinske and Felix Heredia. The Koch for Hinske deal was fairly even, as both players performed well in 2002. I'd consider the Heredia acquisition a mild win. Ricciardi lost in the Izturis/Quantrill deal, in that highly regarded young pitcher Luke Prokopec broke down. He..   Continue Reading

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