Reds Report: Volquez, Bruce, Gomes
To put it mildly, this has been a rough year for Reds fans. Edinson Volquez had the Cincinnati faithful buzzing after posting a 3.21 ERA with 9.5 K/9 in his first full season in 2008. After logging just nine starts in the 2009 campaign, Volquez needed surgery to repair damage in his right elbow. The Reds faded fast as their depleted staff wasn't getting much of a lift from their sagging offense. Injuries to Joey Votto and Edwin Encarnacion (prior to being dealt to Toronto) certainly didn't do them any favors.
However, if the team's recent performance is any indication of what lies ahead, Reds fans might have something to cheer about in 2010. Dusty Baker's squad has gone 19-11 since September 1st, thanks in part to stronger pitching (3.39 team ERA) and the return of Jay Bruce, who missed two months with a broken wrist.
Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and the ESPN Insider staff compiled a glance at this past season and what to expect next year in Cincy. An ESPN Insider account is needed to read the article, but here are the brass tacks for those without:
- It's no secret that the Reds don't have a top-flight budget. They opened this season with a payroll of $73MM and owner Bob Castellini isn't going to "go all Steinbrenner" and tack-on much more.
- Further exacerbating their financial woes are their pricey commitments to Bronson Arroyo, Francisco Cordero, Aaron Harang and Scott Rolen. Combined, these four players are owed $46.5 million next season.
- Olney says that considering their lack of flexibility this offseason, Homer Bailey might be their best chance for improvement as he recorded a 2.41 ERA in September. The velocity that made Bailey such a highly-coveted prospect has returned, with his fastball being clocked at an average of 94.5 MPH this year. This is a big step-up from his previous big league work and could spell an even bigger jump in 2010.
- Baseball Prospectus says that their "acceptable" rate of 4.5 runs allowed per game is due in part to their much-improved defense. It will be interesting to see if defensive-minded yet weak-hitting shortstop Paul Janish will be the Reds' starter next season. Manager Dusty Baker said on Friday that a "definitive decision" hasn't been made yet.
- Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus notes that the combined efforts of all Reds batting in the top two lineup spots resulted in a slash line of .245/.301/.354. When Willy Taveras hit the DL in August, Dusty Baker put rookie Drew Stubbs and the aforementioned Janish at the top of the order. The team has gone 27-15 since then, but Jaffe attributes most of the credit for that to the improved performance of the pitching staff.
- The "Rumor Central" portion of the piece encourages Reds fans that are anxious to see the team acquire a big bat to consider what the offense is capable of if they are healthy. Injury-free seasons from Bruce and Votto should give Cincinnati a major boost.
- The report says to expect the Reds to tender Jonny Gomes an offer as he is arbitration-eligible. This should come as no surprise as Gomes has belted 20 HRs in 311 plate appearances while posting .266/.338/.540.
- Jaffe says that Jocketty could deal Arroyo or Harang to give the team room to make a mid-level signing this winter. He adds, "…It's difficult to envision this team breaking out of the middle of the pack without keen vision and bold steps."
Scott Podsednik Will Explore Free-Agency
Scott Podsednik wants to return to the White Sox next season but will test the market, reports Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Podsednik says that he will look for counsel from his representation as he is new to the process.
Posting .306/.355/.415 in 583 plate appearances with Chicago in 2009, Podsednik proved to be one of the best minor league deals of the year. After logging significant time at both left and center field, Podsednik is sure to garner some attention this winter.
Fangraphs estimates the Texas native's 2009 value to be $7.2MM. It's difficult to ascertain what Scotty Pods will fetch on the open market as he will turn 34 in March.
How much would you fork over to sign Podsednik? Would a team in need of a solid lead-off bat overpay for his services? Your thoughts in the comments.
Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Towers, Pirates, Mets
Here are some links to kick off Sunday morning:
- Some Blue Jays players approached CEO and President Paul Beeston with complaints about Cito Gaston, reports Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun. “They raised the issues,” said Beeston. “They were listened to. They have not been addressed at this time. I had my ears open. I kept my mouth shut. I gave them some comments and that’s all I want to say about that.”
- Jordan Bastian of MLB.com writes that newly appointed Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos was emotional in his introductory presser. The article notes that the position of president and CEO will be filled soon, relieving the interim hire, Paul Beeston. Beeston says that while the next president and CEO will have the authority to hire its own staff, he will recommend that Anthopoulos remain as GM.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Kevin Towers didn't deserve to get fired considering all the obstacles he has had to work around in San Diego.
- Towers conducted a farewell press conference in San Diego and Craig Elsten of 619sports.net posted some key sound bytes. Towers insisted that the organization maintained a strong focus on scouting and player development under his watch. He also said that he has been contacted by seven or eight other teams to work immediately, but wants to take some time off before jumping into another job. The 47-year-old made it known that he wants the opportunity to be a GM again. Also available are team owner and CEO Jeff Moorad's post-podium comments.
- The Pirates have talked to Andy LaRoche about possibly moving from third base to second next year to make room for Pedro Alvarez, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pirates would like to call-up Alvarez by the middle of the 2010 season, but first he must improve his strength and conditioning. The 22-year-old excelled after his mid-season promotion to AA, posting .333/.419/.590 with 13 HR in 60 games.
- More from Kovacevic as he labels the Pirates' trade of Nate McLouth to the Braves to be the worst personnel move of the year. Kovacevic says the deal hurt the players' trust in Pittsburgh management and was a poor public relations decision.
- Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweets, "Jerry Manuel was in meetings all morning and said he expects an announcement tomorrow on changes and the team's offseason plans."
- Jon Heyman reports via Twitter that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria refused to comment on a possible manager change. Recent reports suggest that Fredi Gonzalez could be on the way out and Bobby Valentine could be on the way in.
Brewers Will Bring Back Macha Next Season
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Ken Macha will return as the Brewers' skipper in 2010. On top of that, GM Doug Melvin added an option for 2011 to Macha's contract to ensure that he will not return as a "lame duck."
Melvin did not extend contract offers to two members of the Milwaukee coaching staff – interim pitching coach Chris Bosio and bullpen coach Stan Kyles. However, the two could return to the organization, perhaps even in their present roles.
Bench coach Willie Randolph, hitting coach Dale Sveum, third base coach Brad Fischer and first base coach Ed Sedar were all invited back. Randolph says that he will pursue managerial openings that he is interested in this offseason but otherwise looks forward to another year with the Brewers.
Was the team's lackluster performance this year Macha's fault or was it the result of injuries? Do you agree with bringing Macha back and tacking on an option for '11? Your thoughts in the comments.
Farrell Out Of Cleveland Search, Valentine A Candidate
After publicly stating that he is committed to the Red Sox, John Farrell has followed through and removed his name from consideration to be the Indians' next skipper, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. This comes on the heels of a Ken Rosenthal report that Cleveland was moving on as though Farrell would not be a candidate – but would have likely considered him again if he declared his interest in the job.
If Farrell and Cleveland had come to an agreement, they would have had to negotiate with Boston for a way out of the clause barring him from managing in 2010.
Now that they have scratched their reported early favorite off the list, the Indians must move ahead with their search. Rosenthal says the Tribe plans to conduct 8-10 phone interviews before whittling their way down to 3-5 finalists by the third week of October. Olney says that Torey Lovullo – manager of Cleveland's AAA affiliate – is among the in-house options that might be considered. Both Rosenthal and Olney identify Bobby Valentine as a contender.
In a separate report, Olney says that Valentine is already talking to the Marlins about a position. Although Valentine recently signed on with ESPN as an analyst, it is believed that his contract contains an escape clause that would allow him to accept an MLB managerial job. The charismatic skipper spent the last six years managing the Pacific League's Chiba Lotte Marines, where he had the support of the fans, but not the cash-strapped organization. The Mets reached the NLCS in 1999, the World Series in 2000 and went 536-467 (.534) in six seasons and change under Bobby V.
Would Valentine be your pick to manage the underachieving Indians? Who else should the Indians interview for the job?
Odds & Ends: Padres GM, Valentine
Here's a few links that just couldn't wait until tomorrow…
- MLB.com's Corey Brock tweeted plenty of goodies about the Padres' search for a new GM tonight. First of all, CEO Jeff Moorad said that there are no internal candidates for the job, nor are there any candidates from the Diamondbacks organization. That would eliminate Paul DePodesta and Jerry DiPoto. Moorad also mentioned that he has already interviewed three candidates. Any guesses?
- Secondly, and definitely not more importantly, Moorad said that the team's 2010 payroll will "begin with a 4." I'm guessing they won't be baseball's first $400MM team.
- ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Bobby Valentine "is in communication with the Florida Marlins about a possible position with that team." Current manager Fredi Gonzalez signed a two-year extension in Spring Training, keeping him in Marlins' pinstripes until 2011, so this one is a bit of a headscratcher.
Rangers’ Rumors: Pudge, Andruw, Vizquel
The Rangers fell just short in their pursuit of the franchise's first playoff berth since 1999 this season, but with oodles of young talent the future certainly looks bright. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan brings us some news on three of the more veteran members of the ballclub in Arlington…
- GM Jon Daniels has told catcher Ivan Rodriguez that the team has interest in bringing him back next year. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden on board, Pudge knows he'd play a reduced role, and would be okay playing once or twice a week while mentoring the kids.
- Club officials have made it clear to Andruw Jones that he's not expected to be back in 2010. Jones, who has been playing some first base lately, said he expects to keep playing for someone, but admits his days as a centerfielder are probably over. Seems like just yesterday that this guy was hitting homers in the World Series and running down everything from gap to gap, doesn't it?
- Omar Vizquel may no longer be a starting shortstop, but he still has value as a utility infielder and the team is interested in bringing him back. The 42-year old said he would be interested in returning, but wants to see what other opportunities are out there for him.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Towers, Marlins
A few links on the second to last day of the regular season…
- Even though they'll finish with the worst record in baseball, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo indicated that it's not a lock the team will draft Bryce Harper first overall next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Says Rizzo: "I haven't seen him yet. He certainly hasn't separated himself like [pitcher] Stephen Strasburg did last year."
- CBSSports.com reports that Kevin Towers said he wasn't given a specific reason for his termination, but KT did say that he's "been around long enough to know why."
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says that Florida's final 2009 payroll was just under $35.6MM. Hanley Ramirez ($5.5MM) and Dan Uggla ($5.35MM) were the only Marlins to make more than $3.5MM this year.
- Matthew Carruth at FanGraphs weighs in with his opinion of the Towers and J.P. Ricciardi firings.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Indians Manager, Johnson, Padres GM, Crawford, Mauer
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up this afternoon, so let's see what he's got for us…
- The Indians plan to conduct 8-10 phone interviews for their managerial vacancy, then bring in 3-5 finalists by the third week of October, presumably for formal interviews. Bobby Valentine will be "on the short list," and will almost certainly get an interview. Buck Showalter will not be a candidate.
- Cleveland is proceeding with the search as if Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell will not be a candidate, however that could change quickly if Farrell expresses interest in the job. At that point, the three parties involved would need to discuss a way around the clause in the Farrell's contract that prohibits him from seeking a managerial job elsewhere.
- Signing Josh Johnson long-term is the Marlins' top priority this offseason. In order to get a deal done, Florida will need to "exceed significantly" the four year, $38MM deal the Royals gave Zack Greinke, who was at a similar service time level last offseason.
- If a deal doesn't get done, Johnson will almost certainly not sign an extension next offseason, when he'd be just one year away from free agency. At that point, the Fish would need to trade him.
- Who will replace Kevin Towers as Padres GM? Paul DePodesta, a special assistant to Towers and former GM of the Dodgers, is not interested in the job. Pat Gillick doesn't figure to be a candidate either.
- The leading candidate might be Diamondbacks' exec Jerry DiPoto, but the Padres would need approval from the commissioner's office to get him. CEO Jeff Moorad left the D-Backs just last December, and the league frowns upon executives raiding their former teams for front office talent.
- However, DiPoto has already interviewed for openings with the Nationals and Mariners, so it would be difficult for the D-Backs to make much of a fuss.
- Carl Crawford is "well intentioned" when he says he wants to sign a long-term extension with Tampa Bay. The problem is that the team probably won't offer him enough to keep him from becoming a free agent at the end of 2010.
- The bigger question is Joe Mauer, who can also hit free agency next winter. Mauer told The NY Times earlier this week that he is not interested in becoming the highest paid player in the game, even though he probably deserves to be. He is represented by Ron Shapiro, the same agent that kept Cal Ripken Jr. in Baltimore and Kirby Puckett in Minnesota. Shapiro clearly understands the value of a player staying with one team his entire career.
- Shapiro, father of Indians GM Mark Shapiro, would be "sticking it to his son" a bit by keeping Mauer in the AL Central. That's my phrase, not Rosenthal's.
Cardinals Rumors: Smoltz, Holliday, DeRo, Pujols
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sat down for an interview last week with Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt III. Multiple topics were discussed, including a few major hot stove items. Let's dive in…
- The Cardinals have seen a revenue loss of "several million dollars" this season, despite fantastic attendance numbers. DeWitt called the loss "a meaningful number," but said the club will still try to maintain a high payroll in future seasons.
- DeWitt isn't sure what John Smoltz's plans are for 2010. The 42-year-old right-hander has spoken glowingly about his time in St. Louis, but could opt to retire.
- DeWitt and Co. plan to make a "very strong long-term offer" to Matt Holliday before he hits the open market this winter. The Cardinals are optimistic about being able to lock him up. "He strikes me as someone who's not looking for the last dollar," DeWitt told Strauss. "He's looking to be highly compensated but in a place where he can live, raise a family and be in a very competitive baseball environment."
- Mark DeRosa is "the type of player" the Cardinals would like to keep "if possible." If not, David Freese could open the 2010 season as St. Louis' starting third baseman.
- DeWitt believes this winter is "the ideal time to ensure Albert [Pujols] finishes his career as a Cardinal," even though the slugger still has two years remaining on his current deal.
It should be an intriguing, if not busy, offseason in St. Louis. Beyond the players listed above, the Cardinals also face free agency with right-hander Joel Pineiro, backup catcher Jason LaRue, third baseman Troy Glaus, outfielder Rick Ankiel and right-hander Todd Wellemeyer. It's probably safe to assume that Pineiro, Glaus and Wellemeyer won't be back. Ankiel might also be on his way out.