Discussion: What’s Next For The Red Sox?
We discussed what the Cardinals may do this offseason following their season ending loss yesterday, and now that the Angels have swept the Red Sox out of October, let's talk about what could be in store for Boston this winter.
The team has a few impending free agents, most notably outfielders Jason Bay and Rocco Baldelli. Billy Wagner will also hit the open market since the Sox have agreed not to exercise his $8MM option. Josh Beckett's $12.1MM option for 2010 has already vested, and you would think Victor Martinez's $7.7MM option is a no-brainer pickup. The team still has decide what to do with the options they hold for Jason Varitek, Alex Gonzalez, and Takashi Saito, though Varitek also has a player option that could keep him in, well, red socks next year regardless of what the club decides to do.
Boston should be prepared for Jonathan Papelbon, Casey Kotchman, Manny Delcarmen, and Ramon Ramirez to receive raises via arbitration, then of course there's Tim Wakefield's perpetual $4MM club option. The Red Sox posted the third best run differential in baseball this year at +136, but let's hear from the readers; what should the Sox do this winter to improve their team?
Jason Bay Talks About “Uneasy” Future
WEEI.com's Alex Speier has Jason Bay's thoughts on his future in Boston, following today's loss to the Angels.
Bay and Matt Holliday will be heading the free agent class for left fielders, but Bay's destinations may be limited, as he says there aren't many other places he'd play.
This will be Bay's first venture into the open market, making him a bit uneasy about the process. It's been speculated that he'll receive a four or five year deal at as much as $15MM per season.
Bay made it clear that he would love to return to Boston, and described the thought of potentially playing his last home game in Fenway Park as "very weird." He had nothing but positive things to say about his time with the Red Sox:
“It’s very weird for me…This is uncharted for me. It’s a little uneasy,” said Bay. “I’ve loved every minute [of playing in Boston]. It’s been my quickest year and a half in the big leagues…The whole experience has been very, very positive. That makes it tough [about an uncertain future].”
Odds & Ends: Griffey, Podsednik, Valentine
A few afternoon links for you:
- Some people may be expecting Ken Griffey Jr. to retire, but Phil Rogers isn't among them. Rogers says Griffey still has fun in baseball and the real surprise will be if he doesn't come back.
- Adam McCalvy says the White Sox will meet with Scott Podsednik's agent, Ryan Gleichowski, this month. The two sides have had preliminary discussions, and Podsednik has expressed interest in a return for 2010.
- Bobby Valentine may end up managing in Japan, according to Ken Rosenthal. The Yokohama Bay Stars are making a "concentrated effort" to hire him. Valentine has previously managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan.
Could La Russa Leave St. Louis?
3:57pm: Joe Strauss adds that Mozeliak, La Russa, the coaching staff, and chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. will meet this Monday. In the past, the Cardinals have waited until after this meeting to announce any changes to the front office or coaching staff. Strauss offers this quote from La Russa, regarding a potential return in 2010:
“I’ve never doubted the club’s commitment — ever,” La Russa said early Saturday afternoon. “The question is whether I want to go for a 31st year.”
When asked for his thoughts on the NLDS, La Russa said he felt as if there was a lack of energy from his team when returning to St. Louis:
“We got swept the last three. That wasn’t good,” La Russa said. “So you ask, ‘Is what you’re saying not helpful?’ or ‘If it’s helpful, are they tired of listening to you?’ Those thoughts go through your mind. We set ourselves up to play winning-type baseball in the first series. My opinion is I was really pleased with the energy, the drive and the fire we had in LA. I think we competed our tails off. They did, too…. Yesterday I think we were all really disappointed. It wasn’t the same level of chance to win.”
2:57pm: It seems like a strange concept, but both ESPN's Buster Olney and Kevin Kaduk from Yahoo Sports are asking if it's possible for longtime Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa to jump ship.
The Cards were bounced from the NLDS yesterday, swept at the hands of Joe Torre's Dodgers. While many people are focused on names like Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols, Mark DeRosa, and Joel Pineiro, Olney and Kaduk have the coaching staff on their minds.
La Russa is not yet signed for 2010, but general manager John Mozeliak has said he expects La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan (a longtime friend of La Russa) to be back for a 15th season. La Russa holds a 1232-1034 mark as the manager in St. Louis, and stands at 2552-2217 in his career. Duncan is widely regarded as one of the best pitching coaches in all of baseball, due to numerous successful reclamation projects including Chris Carpenter and Pineiro.
As Olney points out, Duncan was not at all pleased with the way that the organization treated his son, Chris Duncan, who was sent to Boston in exchange for Julio Lugo back in July. Add that to a quick postseason exit, and it stands to reason that La Russa and Duncan may not be too pleased with their situation right now.
It's all speculation at this point, and Kaduk even says that he feels La Russa will stay around for 2010, but it's certainly an interesting question. Is it possible for one or both to leave, and if so, where do they end up? Olney lists the teams that could take both La Russa and Duncan on, stating that Nationals, Astros, Mets, Blue Jays, and Reds could all be fits.
What does the MLBTR world think? Is it possible to see a change of this magnitude in St. Louis, or should Cards fans rest easy under the assumption that something will soon be worked out?
Smoltz Contemplating 2010 Return
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that John Smoltz would like to return to the Cardinals in 2010 if it's agreeable, and if he decides he still wants to pitch.
Smoltz states that while he's planning on returning right now, he'll need to begin his workouts in November and see how he feels before making a final decision. He expects to sign late again this offseason if he does indeed feel up to a return. The NLDS certainly has him considering it:
“Last night made me realize a lot of things. How much I missed it, for one. How nervous I got. … I wanted to go in there and pitch perfect and I almost did.”
Smoltz will turn 43 next season, but posted a respectable 4.26 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and .248 opponent batting average in 38 innings for the Cards this year. He struck out 40 while walking just nine.
“I want to be sure,” Smoltz said. “You know all these guys retire and then come back. I don’t want to be one of those guys.”
Odds & Ends: Rays, Joba, Pettitte
A few Sunday links to browse through….
- R.J. Anderson at DRays Bay examines Tampa Bay's 2009 season and their expectations for 2010. He figures that the Rays' most likely spot for improvement is behind the plate, and suggests they possess the chips to deal for a catcher.
- The New York Yankees nearly sent Joba Chamberlain to the minors this summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman says that the Yankees will expect Chamberlain (and Phil Hughes) to come to spring training in 2010 prepared to start. But if Joba's struggles continue, he may not merely be moved to the bullpen, but rather sent to the minors.
- Mark Carig of the Star Ledger also looks at the Yankees' 2010 rotation and questions whether Andy Pettitte will be back in the Bronx next season.
- The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch wonders (via Twitter) how much money Matt Holliday cost himself with his poor NLDS, both offensively and defensively. In a second tweet though, Hubbuch concedes that Holliday's bank account probably won't suffer, since the "Cards seem determined to sign him no matter what."
Elias Ranking Projections Update
Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts has reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings, and he's providing his projections exclusively here at MLB Trade Rumors.
We've cleaned up a few errors since last time; the following players changed types: Yorvit Torrealba from no type to B, Brian Schneider from B to no type, Brian Giles from A to B, Reed Johnson from B to no type, Gary Sheffield from B to no type, Fernando Tatis from no type to B, Mark DeRosa from A to B, and Pedro Feliz from B to no type.
There is still a chance we dig up an error involving DL days, but as of right now here are the rankings.
Astros Rumors: Valverde, Hawkins, Manager
The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice has a five-point plan to solve the Houston Astros' problems — or at least to point the team in the right direction. Here are some of his ideas:
- Bring Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins back to the bullpen.
- Focus on pitching and defense, which would mean installing players like shortstop Tommy Manzella, second baseman Edwin Maysonet, and catcher Jason Castro (a 2008 first-round pick) into the 2010 starting lineup.
- Sign a "reliable" free-agent starting pitcher to add to a rotation led by Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. Justice's wishlist includes most of the market's biggest names, such as John Lackey, Ben Sheets, and Rich Harden.
- Hire Jim Fregosi as the new manager. Justice adds that Manny Acta, Bob Melvin, Don Baylor, and Ned Yost would also be good fits for the opening.
Tigers Rumors: Rodney, Lyon, Washburn, Polanco
Following the disappointing finish to the Detroit Tigers' 2009 season, plenty of thoughts have turned to the upcoming winter in Detroit.
- Steve Kornacki of MLive.com indicates the Tigers will feel the need to re-sign either Brandon Lyon or Fernando Rodney to close games, since the club isn't sure that either Ryan Perry or Cody Satterwhite is ready for that role yet. Kornacki also wonders if the Tigers are confident in Curtis Granderson as an offensive catalyst, or if they might try to deal for a speedster like Carl Crawford or Juan Pierre.
- MLive.com's Chris Iott takes a stab at what the 2010 roster might look like. He expects the Tigers to part ways with Jarrod Washburn, Placido Polanco, and Rodney, while retaining Lyon for the ninth inning.
- Detroit squandered their financial advantage over teams like the Minnesota Twins by handing out too many bad contracts, according to Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press. Rosenberg writes that committing big money to players like Dontrelle Willis and Gary Sheffield killed their payroll flexibility and resulted in a subpar offense in 2009. Going forward, Rosenberg hopes the Tigers "show the creative thinking of a good small-market team" when making roster moves.
- The Detroit Free Press's Drew Sharp agrees that the Tigers have to spend wisely. He warns owner Mike Ilitch against succumbing to the temptation of adding another big name like Crawford. Sharp thinks the team would be better off saving some cash and hoping players like Carlos Guillen and Jeremy Bonderman stay healthy in 2010.
Rosenthal On Pujols, Holliday, DeRosa
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes a look at what lies in store for the St. Louis Cardinals this winter. A few of his thoughts:
- Despite the Cardinals' desire to sign Albert Pujols to a lengthy extension this winter, a reliable source tells Rosenthal that there is virtually no chance a deal happens so quickly.
- Rosenthal speculates that the Cardinals' chances of retaining Pujols past 2011 aren't great. The first baseman will likely use Alex Rodriguez's $275MM contract as a benchmark, and might want to sign with a club "that would operate with fewer financial restrictions than the Cardinals."
- Rosenthal suggests attempting to re-sign Matt Holliday, but not exceeding about $90MM over five years to do it. The thinking is that the Cards likely can't afford to commit over $100MM to Holliday and over $200MM to Pujols.
- An alternative to signing Holliday would be pursuing Jason Bay or bargain-hunting for this offseason's Bobby Abreu.
- St. Louis should make re-signing Mark DeRosa a priority.
Want to share your own thoughts on the Cardinals' potential offseason moves? Jump into the MLBTR discussion.