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Odds & Ends: Greinke, Marlins, McGwire, Daniels

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As Cliff Lee continues his domination of the Yankees, here's some news from around baseball…

Bradley Open To Wedge’s Hiring

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One of the questions surrounding the Mariners' hire of Eric Wedge as their new manager was how (or if) Wedge could co-exist with Milton Bradley.  Larry Stone of the Seattle Times recaps their checkered history, stemming from a 2004 situation when Wedge pulled Bradley from a spring training game, Bradley got upset, and then was dealt to Los Angeles a few days later.

Wedge made it clear to Seattle management that he had moved past the incident, however, and it appears that Bradley also wants to move on.  Stone heard from a Mariners official who revealed two texts sent by Bradley praising the club's hire: "Whatever took place was six or seven years ago and I'm over it" and "[Wedge] was a disciplinarian and I felt our team lacked discipline last year. Hopefully, he instills some of that.''

As Stone pointed out in his original post, however, Bradley doesn't appear to have much of a choice.  His options are to either make up with Wedge and play out the season, or else get released.  Bradley would still get the $12MM he's owed for 2011, but the Mariners are committed to paying him anyway and Bradley would be burning bridges with yet another franchise.  Stone notes that Bradley is all-but-untradeable unless the M's agree to pay most of the contract or deal Bradley for another bad contract, a la their original Carlos Silva swap.

Stone brings up Pittsburgh as one potential trade partner for the Mariners, though surely one that would require the Mariners to cover Bradley's contract.  Neal Huntington is a long-time supporter of Bradley and might be one of the few GMs willing to add Bradley to the roster.  Bradley's injury history makes him a bad fit for the NL, however, since he wouldn't be able to handle playing the outfield.  A player with Bradley's baggage is also not the kind of veteran influence that the Pirates would want to bring to their young clubhouse.

Astros Notes: Crawford, Offseason Needs, Payroll

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The Rangers might be in the heat of the ALCS, but let's not forget about the Lone Star State's other pro baseball team.  Here are a few pieces of Astros news from the team's senior director of digital media, Alyson Footer…

  • While Carl Crawford is a Houston native and a childhood friend of Astros outfielder Michael Bourn, Footer says the odds are "slim to none" of the Astros pursuing the free agent this winter.  Crawford would absorb a quarter of Houston's payroll, and would cost the rebuilding team a draft pick (though not its 11th-overall first-round pick, which is protected).
  • The team may consider changes at second base and shortstop.  Jeff Keppinger is a safe bet to start at second next year, but neither Tommy Manzella or Angel Sanchez are settled at short.  Footer says the Astros will be looking for a utility infielder.
  • Other needs are a fifth starter and a left-handed hitting platoon partner for Jason Michaels in left field.
  • Footer says the payroll will be "somewhat lower than the $93 million it was when the season started, and higher than the $50-some million it was when the season ended."  According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Houston has a bit more than $41MM committed to next year's payroll, but that's not counting arbitration raises for Bourn, Hunter Pence or Wandy Rodriguez, among others.  Given that Houston finally seems to be committed to a youth movement, it's hard to see next year's payroll topping $80MM at the most.

Discussion: Jimmy Rollins’ Next Contract

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Much has been written about what the Yankees will do with Derek Jeter’s pending free agency and how much the Yankee captain will earn even though he’s coming off a down year and may not be able to continue for much longer at the shortstop position.  The catch, however, is that nobody expects Jeter to play anywhere but in New York and even if the Yankees overpay him, they can afford it for a franchise icon.

This scenario could replay itself in the 2011-12 offseason, though with more dramatic consequences.  Jimmy Rollins will be a free agent after 2011 and while Rollins is almost as beloved in Philadelphia as Jeter is in the Big Apple, Rollins’ sharper decline may give the Phillies a tough choice to make next winter.

Rollins is coming off an injury-plagued 2010 campaign that saw him only hit .243/.320/.374 in 394 plate appearances.  While this season could be explained by his calf and hamstring problems, Rollins wasn’t much more effective in 2009 (.250/.296/.423) when he led the majors with 725 PAs.  Perhaps as a vote of confidence, the Phils picked up Rollins’ $8.5MM option for 2011 following that disappointing 2009 season, but the club have to be having second thoughts about that move given how Rollins played this season.  One bright side: Rollins had a 12.3 UZR/150 rating in 2010, the second-best mark of his career.

Back in April, in the wake of Ryan Howard’s massive extension, MLBTR’s Luke Adams looked at how Rollins’ future in Philadelphia might be impacted by Howard’s deal.  Adams concluded that the Phillies would probably extend Rollins, but “If Rollins does receive a multi-year, big-money extension though, the Phillies’ financial flexibility will take yet another hit.”  MLBTR’s Howard Megdal agreed, painting a rather dire picture of Philadelphia’s payroll in 2012 and beyond.

Looking at the situation now, Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge’s contracts almost surely be off the books after 2011; Ibanez is a free agent, Lidge has a $1.5MM buyout option.  Jayson Werth is at best a 50-50 proposition to be re-signed, since the Phillies have Domonic Brown waiting in the wings. 

Added to the equation, however, is Roy Oswalt’s $16MM team option for 2012.  Though Oswalt will turn 35 in 2012, the right-hander has showed no signs of slowing down.  Given the choice between having Oswalt or a 33-year-old shortstop with a sub-.700 OPS, I think both the Phillies and their fans would prefer to see Oswalt back in the fold over Rollins if a choice had to be made.  Philadelphia isn’t a small market by any means, but they certainly don’t have a Yankee-esque payroll that allows them to throw big money at everyone.

That said, Rollins’ decline in production could actually increase his chances of retiring as a Phillie if it lowers his asking price.  Rather than a big-money contract, Rollins and the team could agree to an incentive-filled deal that stretches over three seasons and pays him around $9MM a year in guaranteed money.  It gives the Phillies some flexibility, Rollins the chance to still earn extra cash if he reaches his incentives and both sides a PR win — the club for doing right by a Phillie hero and Rollins for not seeking an unrealistically big contract if he continues to decline.  

Is $9MM a season still too much for a shortstop that had a lower OPS than Ian Desmond, Marco Scutaro or (by 16 points) even Derek Jeter this season?  Probably, but as Yankees fans can tell you, there’s something to be said for overpaying a home-grown, World Series-winning star.  

Reds Likely To Decline Orlando Cabrera’s Option

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"All indications are that" Cincinnati will decline its end of the $4MM mutual option on Orlando Cabrera for 2011, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.  The move isn't exactly a surprise (over 80 percent of MLBTR readers polled last week thought Cabrera's option would be declined), but the Reds are interested in re-signing Cabrera at a lower price.  Earlier this week, Reds GM Jocketty told WKRC Local 12 Sports Director Brad Johansen that Cabrera's option is "probably more than we want to exercise, we'll try to find a happy medium..if not, [Paul] Janish would be our SS." (Twitter link)

Cabrera could be amenable to staying since it appears as though he'd be given at least a share of the starting shortstop job and his lackluster 2010 season — a .263/.303/.354 slash line in 537 plate appearances — will make it hard to find a larger offer or regular playing time elsewhere.  If the Reds pass on the option, they owe Cabrera a $1MM buyout.

Jocketty also told Sheldon that the club also has interest in Ramon Hernandez and Jonny Gomes.  Hernandez is a free agent, while Cincinnati has a $1.75MM team option on Gomes.  MLBTR's Luke Adams recently examined Hernandez's value on the free agent market, while MLBTR's Steve Adams did the same with Gomes yesterday.

Blue Jays Notes: Alomar Jr. Wallach, Marcum, Crawford

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It was on this day in 1992 that the Blue Jays won their first World Series game, a 5-4 result over Atlanta in Game 2 of the 1992 World Series.  Here are a few notes about the Jays and their quest to find a manager that can get them back to the postseason…

  • Sandy Alomar Jr. is going to have his third interview with the Blue Jays and is "among [the] finalists" for Toronto's managerial job, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, though Rosenthal isn't sure how many names are on the Jays' list of finalists.  Alomar Jr. is one of the least experienced of the many names on Toronto's list, with just the past season as Cleveland's first base coach and two years as a Mets minor league catching instructor on his coaching resume.  Rosenthal also notes that Boston bench coach DeMarlo Hale "is in [the] mix," which ties into yesterday's item about Hale being asked back for a second interview.
  • Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com has more details on why Dodgers coach Tim Wallach didn't interview for the Toronto job.  It appears as though Wallach will be the L.A. third base coach in 2011 unless he's hired as the new Milwaukee manager.  The Globe And Mail's Robert Macleod also looks at the situation and thinks that the Dodgers want to keep Wallach in the fold in case Don Mattingly struggles as the club's manager.
  • In a mailbag for MLB.com, Jordan Bastian thinks Toronto will discuss a contract extension with right-hander Shaun Marcum this winter.  Since Marcum still has two years of arbitration left, however, Bastian notes that "keeping him under control as an arbitration-eligible player could increase his value on the trade market." 
  • From that same mailbag, Bastian doubts the Jays will make a play for Carl Crawford.  While the Jays have said that they can afford high-priced free agents, Bastian thinks the club won't do so until it gets to "the stage where it sits a piece or two away from World Series contention."

Marlins Re-Sign Donnie Murphy

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Florida has re-signed infielder Donnie Murphy, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The contract is a split major league/minor league deal and Murphy will be invited to Florida's major league spring training camp.

Murphy, a fifth-round pick of the Royals in the 2002 amateur draft, has a career .659 OPS in 411 plate appearances with Kansas City, Oakland and Florida.  He appeared in 29 games with the Marlins last year before undergoing wrist surgery in September.  Murphy can play third, short and second, so he'll give the Fish some infield depth if he can make the team in the spring.

Free Agent Market For Left Fielders

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Left field is traditionally a power position, yet Pat Burrell is the only free agent who hit 20 home runs in 2010.  The Rays, Tigers, Angels, Braves, Reds, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, and Giants may be looking for help at the position.  Let's break down the free agents.

The Big Name

Carl Crawford's name will be all over this website for the next several months.  Here's our stock watch post on him.  Crawford is so good that teams I did not name above, such as the Red Sox and Yankees, are expected to at least kick the tires.

Solid Regulars

Burrell put himself back into the "solid regular" conversation by hitting .266/.364/.509 with 18 home runs in 341 plate appearances after signing with the Giants.  There could be one other left field 20 home run bat available if the Twins choose Jason Kubel's $350K buyout over his $5.25MM club option, but I think they'll pick up the option.

Aside from Crawford, Jonny Gomes and Scott Podsednik were the only other free agents to log at least 1,000 innings in left field this year.  Gomes, who has a $1.75MM club option with a $200K buyout, is a decent source of power.  Podsednik's game is all about speed; he has the ability to void the Dodgers' $2MM option. 

Looking For DH Jobs

Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon tallied fewer than 600 left field innings between them, and both figure to seek designated hitter work in 2011.

Useful Bench Bats

Andruw Jones, Bill Hall, Marcus Thames, Austin Kearns, and Corey Patterson all played 100+ innings in left this year and had their moments.  Thames and Jones were particularly useful offensively.  Willie Harris, Jeremy Hermida, Randy Winn, and Reed Johnson will also be vying for utility roles.

Non-Tender Candidates

Scott Hairston, Matt Diaz, Melky Cabrera, Conor Jackson, and Ryan Langerhans are among the left fielders who may be non-tendered on December 2nd.  Laynce Nix and Lastings Milledge are candidates as well, but were useful enough to be tendered contracts for 2011.  Hairston, Diaz, and Cabrera were quality players in 2009, but they'll have to earn their playing time.

Summary

For teams that don't have $100MM for Crawford, the free agent market for left fielders is weak.  Burrell, Gomes, and Podsednik may find regular left field work, while Manny and Damon may still dabble at the position.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Reds, Nationals, Cardinals

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Links for Monday, as impending free agent lefties Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte prepare to duel in New York…

Mets To Interview Dana Brown For GM Opening

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The Mets received permission from the Blue Jays to interview special assistant Dana Brown for their GM opening, reports ESPN's Adam Rubin.  Rubin says Brown, the first minority candidate, will meet with the Mets Wednesday.  Brown, 43, joined the Jays a year ago after serving as the Nationals' scouting director.  Brown made that jump as a stepping stone to a GM job, he told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post.

Rubin notes that Sandy Alderson, the reported favorite, will have a second meeting the following day, but it's just the completion of his first-round interview.  Second-round interviews should take place next week, according to Rubin.

The Mets were recently denied the chance to talk to Tigers assistant GM Al Avila.  So far they've interviewed Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Logan White, and Alderson.

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