Odds & Ends: McCourts, Strasburg, Cotts
Some tidbits from around baseball as we enjoy Game One of the ALCS…
- Bill Shaikin and Harriet Ryan of the L.A. Times have some ominous news for Dodgers fans surrounding the separation of Frank and Jamie McCourt: his attorneys claim he is the sole owner of the Dodgers, while her lawyers say the team's ownership is split 50-50 between the soon-to-be ex-couple.
- On the night of Stephen Strasburg's professional debut in the Arizona Fall League, Jack Magruder of the Washington Times notes that Strasburg won't pitch much in the AFL.
- Reliever Neal Cotts doesn't know if the Cubs will non-tender him, but he is just focused on pitching somewhere in 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel relates a nice anecdote about Craig Counsell to illustrate why he thinks the Brewers should bring back the veteran infielder in 2010.
- MLB.com's Mychael Urban praised the young, talented and affordable Oakland bullpen in his ongoing team report card series.
- Manny Acta and Bob Melvin "have to be 1-2" for the Houston manager's job thus far, says MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter)
Odds & Ends: Marlins, Miller, McCann
In the wake of the Phillies' bullpen giving us all Mitch Williams flashbacks, here are a few pieces of news….
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reports that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria thought about replacing manager Fredi Gonzalez with Bobby Valentine as far back as June.
- Loria, Gonzalez and other members of the Florida front office were in Paris for a short working vacation earlier in the week, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- Spencer also notes that Florida left-hander Andrew Miller (the No. 6 overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft), is pitching for Mesa of the Arizona Fall League to both get some extra work and to straighten out the kinks in his throwing motion.
- In other AFL news, MLB.com's Jason Beck thinks that Tigers prospect Scott Sizemore's performance in Arizona this winter might help him win a job in Detroit in 2010.
- Atlanta's Brian McCann underwent his second bout of Lazik eye surgery today to try and solve his nagging vision problems, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier says Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie met with doctors on Friday and was told his surgically-repaired wrist should be in top shape for spring training after an off-season conditioning program.
Astros Managerial Search Update
The Astros are more than halfway through their first round of interviews for their open manager position, so here are a few of the items stemming from their search.
- Bob Melvin cited his experience at winning with both younger and older rosters in his interview for the Astros managerial job today, reports Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle.
- Meanwhile, San Diego batting coach Randy Ready (who interviewed for the same Astros job on Thursday) may not have the experience of some of the other Astros managerial candidates, but he argues that every manager "had to get a start somewhere".
- Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that former Astros skipper Garner originally contracted the team not in search of a job, but rather to endorse fellow candidate Bob Melvin.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle believes the Astros have so many intriguing candidates that they should hire three of them.
Odds & Ends: Barajas, Red Sox, Acta, Orioles
Some links to read as we watch a couple mid-season signings dominate Game 2 of the NLCS…
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports that the Blue Jays have interest in bringing Rod Barajas back in 2010.
- As Alex Speier of WEEI.com notes, the Red Sox purchased the contract of 22-year-old indy leaguer Reynaldo Rodriguez from the Yuma Scorpions. Rodriguez has yet to establish himself at any one position, though he has been playing first.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says Manny Acta appeared to know the Astros from top to bottom after his interview for the team's managerial opening. It's no surprise that Acta knows so much; as MLB.com's Alyson Footer says, he spent 16 years in the Astros' system as a player and manager.
- Acta wasn't the only qualified candidate. Footer says Bob Melvin was also "hugely impressive."
- MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says the O's need an experienced starter and a corner infielder or two this offseason.
Rays Rumors: Zobrist, Iwamura, Kapler
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez provides the latest on a few Tampa Bay Rays:
- If Ben Zobrist becomes the team's everyday second baseman, the club may decide to bring free agent-to-be Gabe Kapler back as a backup outfielder. Kapler made $1MM this year and hit .239/.329/.439 in 245 trips to the plate.
- If the club keeps Zobrist at second, it appears highly unlikely that the Rays would pick up Akinori Iwamura's $4.25MM option.
- Other club options to watch: Carl Crawford at $10MM, Gregg Zaun at $2MM and Brian Shouse at $1.9MM.
- It's likely that the team will look for affordable late-inning relief help.
Odds & Ends: Pujols, Cubs, Strasburg, Wagner
Another round of links for the afternoon…
- The Cards were surprised to hear that Albert Pujols isn't thinking about a contract extension, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Cubs have now asked the Rangers for permission to speak with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- First overall pick Stephen Strasburg makes his AFL debut tonight, according to the AP (via ESPN).
- Earlier in the week, the New York Post reported that Billy Wagner was leaning towards retirement. Wagner's agent, Bean Stringfellow, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports this week that Wagner plans on playing next year.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says there's no question: the Red Sox will enter Spring Training with at least five starters. Even if they pick up Tim Wakefield's option, as expected, they will likely add another arm.
- The Brewers sent cash to the Reds to complete the David Weathers trade, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- Bobby Valentine side-stepped questions about the Marlins on 790 The Ticket this morning, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale says (via Twitter) that it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Padres hire Jed Hoyer or Jerry DiPoto to be the team's next GM.
Abreu Rejects Angels’ Extension Offer
FRIDAY, 2:25pm: Heyman says Abreu turned the Angels' offer down.
THURSDAY, 8:34pm: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim offered Bobby Abreu a two-year extension worth about $16MM, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman indicates that Abreu is looking for a better offer, coming off an extremely productive season for the Angels.
Abreu, who turns 36 in March, hit .293/.390/.435 with 15 homers and 30 stolen bases in 2009. Last winter, the right fielder signed a one-year deal worth $5MM (plus incentives, which have earned him another $1MM so far), making the Angels' offer of about $8MM per year a moderate pay raise. However, given the lack of elite hitters on the free agent market this offseason, besides Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, Abreu is clearly banking on receiving more alluring offers.
Do you expect the Angels to pony up the money it'll take to retain Abreu, or will he be wearing a different uniform in 2010?
Odds & Ends: Padilla, Acta, Gillick, Bradley
More links from around the majors as we await the continuation of the NLCS…
- Vicente Padilla, who starts for the Dodgers this afternoon, tells Ben Bolch of the LA Times that he's not thinking about his next contract. Padilla will be a Type B free agent after the season.
- Manny Acta is interviewing for the Astros managerial opening today, as MLB.com's Alyson Footer notes. Acta has already interviewed for the Cleveland job.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart would like to see Bob Melvin manage the Astros.
- Longtime MLB GM Pat Gillick tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that he has no interest in becoming the Padres' GM.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the team isn't likely to announce its next pitching coach today.
- Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs are still discussing a possible Milton Bradley trade with a number of teams, though no move appears imminent.
- Miles expects the Cubs to lure hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo away from the Rangers.
Discussion: The Angels And Bobby Abreu
Last offseason was hard on aging, positionless players. Just ask Jason Giambi, Luis Gonzalez or Richie Sexson. Even though he was coming off a solid season, Bobby Abreu signed a deal that guaranteed him just $5MM.
He turned out to be a real bargain for the Angels, posting an .825 OPS and stealing 30 bases. Abreu drove in 100 runs for the seventh straight year, played almost every day and drew 94 walks. The Angels had the game's second-best offense, partly because of their right fielder.
Abreu's offensive skills are still there, but he'll be 36 when next season starts and his strong arm doesn't make up for his lack of range in the outfield. He's consistently been a defensive liability in recent years, according to UZR. As a result, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says Abreu straddles the border between outfielder and DH. Cameron and Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors agree: the Angels shouldn't offer much more than the two year $16MM deal Abreu reportedly rejected.
If the Angels offer Abreu arbitration only to see him sign elsewhere, they'd receive a first or second rounder, since Abreu's a Type A free agent. If you're Angels GM Tony Reagins, how much do you offer?
Odds & Ends: Webb, Abreu, Indians
Here are some afternoon tidbits:
- The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro, in his latest piece, reiterates that Brandon Webb only wants to discuss his 2010 option. The Diamondbacks are hoping to add a 2011 option to the deal. Webb, however, hopes a healthy 2010 will increase his 2011 value.
- Dave Cameron at Fangraphs breaks down Bobby Abreu's value, and concludes that a two-year, $16MM offer from the Angels is a fair one.
- Both Bobby Valentine and Clint Hurdle refused to comment on Cleveland's managerial search, adding to speculation that both are being considered for the job.
- The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck thinks that Bob Melvin should be Baltimore's next bench coach.