Manager Rumors: Astros, Indians, Mets, Cards
The latest on some possible managerial changes…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle wonders if the Astros could pick former MLB manager Jim Fregosi to lead the club next season. Dave Clark, Manny Acta, Tim Bogar, Jeff Bagwell and Brad Ausmus could also be candidates to manage.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Indians appear to be pressuring GM Mark Shapiro to fire manager Eric Wedge.
- Edes says O's manager Dave Trembley and Nats interim manager Jim Riggleman have limited job security.
- It's not likely that the Mets will fire Jerry Manuel and replace him with former manager Bobby Valentine. Edes' sources say it's not impossible, though.
- Edes says Braves manager Bobby Cox will likely return next season, but suggests there's tension between Cox and Braves GM Frank Wren.
- Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail says it's not enough for the Blue Jays to fire GM J.P. Ricciardi. If the Jays are going to clean house, Blair says they should fire manager Cito Gaston, too.
- Cards manager Tony La Russa tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn't want to think about his next contract yet. The longtime skipper is a free agent after the season.
Rosenthal On Pavano, A’s, Jays, Astros
As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out, closers Brian Fuentes and Ryan Franklin seem just as shaky as Brad Lidge these days. Rosenthal also covers some hot-stove themed issues. Here are the highlights:
- Carl Pavano, who will earn close to $4MM this year if enough incentives kick in, could sign a one-year deal worth $5-7MM this offseason, according to an MLB executive.
- Cliff Pennington's emergence suggests there's very little chance the A's bring shortstop Orlando Cabrera back after the season.
- Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays wanted pitcher-shortstop Casey Kelly more than any of the prospects the Red Sox apparently offered for Roy Halladay.
- Rosenthal hears that the Astros are likely to hire an experienced manager to permanently replace Cecil Cooper. Former Astro Jeff Bagwell would be a tempting choice, and he would probably consider the job if the Astros were interested, but the team appears more likely to pursue skippers with significant MLB experience.
- The Indians have lost 17 of their last 20 games under Eric Wedge, who will not likely be out of work for long if he gets fired.
2011 MLB Free Agents
2011 MLB free agents – MLBTR's up-to-date list of available players is below. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.
Updated 9-13-11
Catchers
Bengie Molina (36) – Type A, not offered arb
First basemen
Garrett Atkins (31)
Troy Glaus (34)
Fernando Tatis (36)
Second basemen
Alfredo Amezaga (33)
Luis Castillo (35)
David Eckstein (36) – Type B, not offered arb
Cristian Guzman (33)
Shortstops
Bobby Crosby (31)
Adam Everett (34)
Cristian Guzman (33)
Miguel Tejada (37)
Third basemen
Joe Crede (33)
Wes Helms (35)
Melvin Mora (39)
Miguel Tejada (37)
Left fielders
Ryan Church (32)
Jack Cust (32)
Austin Kearns (31)
Center fielders
Aaron Rowand (33)
Mike Cameron (38)
Right fielders
Brett Carroll (28)
Ryan Church (32)
Jose Guillen (35)
Austin Kearns (31)
Gary Matthews Jr. (36)
Designated hitters
Hank Blalock (30)
Jack Cust (32)
Jose Guillen (35)
Starting pitchers
Jeremy Bonderman (28)
Dave Bush (31)
Justin Duchscherer (33)
Pedro Martinez (39)
Brian Moehler (39)
Ben Sheets (32)
Carlos Silva (32)
Jarrod Washburn (36)
Closers
None
Right-handed relievers
Danys Baez (33)
Brian Bruney (29)
Manny Delcarmen (29)
Kelvim Escobar (34)
Ryan Franklin (38)
Chad Gaudin (28)
Jensen Lewis (27)
Mike Lincoln (36)
Chris Ray (29)
Tyler Walker (35)
Jeff Weaver (34)
Left-handed relievers
Ron Mahay (40)
Bobby Seay (33)
Scott Schoeneweis (37)
Brian Tallet (33)
Kevin Millwood’s 2010 Option Vests
Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood retired Jack Cust as part of a Mark Ellis double play tonight, marking his 180th inning of the season. The milestone caused his $12MM option for 2010 to vest. Announcer Josh Lewin termed the force play "The $12 Million Out." Millwood's recent skipped start had people wondering if the Rangers were trying to prevent the option from vesting, but team execs rejected the notion. He was simply working through mechanical issues.
Millwood, 35 in December, had a 3.94 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 175.6 innings heading into tonight's start. The Rangers negotiated his five-year, $60MM contract with Scott Boras after the pitcher's stellar '05 season.
Odds & Ends: Felix, Marte, Closers
Another handful of links before the night is out….
- Keith Law of ESPN.com is skeptical about Boston's chances of acquiring Felix Hernandez from the Mariners. Law concedes that the Red Sox could offer Clay Buchholz as the centerpiece, but doesn't think they have the necessary major-league ready hitting prospects to complete a deal.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Andy Marte will meet with Indians GM Mark Shapiro to figure out if Marte has a future in Cleveland. Long considered a top prospect, Marte has yet to enjoy much success at the major league level, and is starting to run out of options.
- Erik Manning at FanGraphs takes a look at the major bullpen signings of last offseason and how they've played out. Underwhelming performances from Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes, along with the emergence of low-priced or homegrown arms like David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey may make some teams think twice before investing heavily in a free agent closer this year.
- Daniel Hudson made the first start of his career tonight for the White Sox, allowing just one earned run in five innings against the Twins. Nonetheless, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald expects that given Chicago's rotation depth and the 22-year-old's power arm, Hudson will assume a bullpen role for the Sox in 2010.
Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Villalona, Johnson
A few Monday evening links….
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs argues Joe Torre is making the Dodgers worse by giving Ronnie Belliard playing time at the expense of Orlando Hudson. Belliard is outperforming Hudson lately, and keeping Hudson on the bench is saving the Dodgers some money, but Cameron thinks that playing Belliard at second base in October would hurt the team's World Series chances.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports that Giants prospect Angel Villalona has pleaded innocent to the charge of murder. Still, Baggarly says it's anyone's guess whether Villalona will ever play baseball again.
- After some recent speculation that the Marlins might attempt to move Josh Johnson, imaginations are already running wild. Roch Kubatko at the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network wonders what kind of prospects it could take to get Johnson to Baltimore.
Discussion: J.P. Ricciardi
Over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal speculated that Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi might be the only general manager in immediate jeopardy of losing his job. Ricciardi has been under scrutiny for much of the season, particularly at the trade deadline, when he made the biggest non-trade of the year, keeping Roy Halladay in Toronto.
The argument for letting Ricciardi finish his contract, which runs through 2010: The Jays have been one of the teams hit hardest by economic woes, cutting payroll from $97MM in 2008 to $80MM this season. They're playing in the toughest division in baseball, and still finished with at least 83 wins in each of the last three seasons, prior to a disappointing 2009. Plus, a handful of Ricciardi draft picks like Aaron Hill and Adam Lind have turned into rising stars.
The flip side? Toronto has yet to make a playoff visit during Ricciardi's tenure. They've seen the cash-strapped Rays leapfrog them, and now the young and talented Orioles are threatening to do the same. Ricciardi has made a habit of P.R. blunders, most memorably suggesting without prompting that Adam Dunn lacked a passion for baseball. And some of the contracts he has handed out, such as $126MM to Vernon Wells and $47MM to B.J. Ryan, are among the worst in the game.
Following the Jays' collapse this season and Ricciardi's inability to deal Halladay after very public sweepstakes, J.P.'s days in Toronto may be numbered. Tonight's discussion question has two sides: If it were your decision, do you let Ricciardi stick around for another year, or does he need to go as soon as possible? Conversely, if you're J.P. and you're given a reprieve, what moves do you make this offseason to save your job?
Thomas Diamond Designated For Assignment
According to an MLB.com press release, the Chicago Cubs have designated right-hander Thomas Diamond for assignment.
The Cubs claimed Diamond, a 2004 first round pick, off waivers from Texas earlier this month, after he compiled a 4.20 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A. He did not make an appearance for Chicago, who designated him for assignment to make room on the active roster for outfielder Tyler Colvin.
White Sox Rumors: Jenks, Podsednik, Linebrink
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune has a new mailbag up, in which he answers some questions about potential offseason moves for the White Sox. A few highlights….
- Gonzales expects the Sox to hang on to John Danks, whose quality innings still come at an affordable price. He can, however, envision them shopping closer Bobby Jenks, perhaps in search of a leadoff hitter.
- Given Scott Podsednik's consistent production this season and the struggling economy, Gonzales thinks there's at least a decent chance the 33-year-old outfielder will be back in Chicago in 2010.
- He sees the Sox keeping Gordon Beckham at third base, where they expect his power to eventually develop enough for a corner infielder.
- If the White Sox want to make a play for Bobby Abreu this offseason, they'll have to be willing to pay more than the $5MM he earned this year.
- Gonzales doesn't anticipate there being any market for Scott Linebrink, meaning the Sox will have to hold on to him and hope that he bounces back next spring.
Odds & Ends: Webb, Griffey, Hoffman
Links for Monday…
- The NCAA is cracking down on the adviser/agent distinction for future draftees, presumably in response to the Andy Oliver ruling. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has the story.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic suggests parameters for a new Brandon Webb contract.
- Ken Griffey Jr. still isn't talking about 2010, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin shares Trevor Hoffman's interest in a 2010 contract, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus says Cubs GM Jim Hendry is "blatantly pandering to the disgruntled fan base" with the Milton Bradley suspension.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses the possibility of the Braves re-signing Adam LaRoche.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wonders if Robinson Tejeda's recent performance is for real.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington is not pleased to have so many players declining to play winter ball, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- We'll be keeping a close eye on Kevin Millwood's start tonight in Oakland. His $12MM option for 2010 vests if he records 13 outs.