Tuesday night links, as Scott Baker makes his first start for the Twins in nearly three weeks….
- Jim Hendry will officially interview Ryne Sandberg for the Cubs' manager job, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago. According to Levine's sources, the club also plans to talk to Pat Listach, Bob Melvin, and Bob Brenly.
- A "reliable source" told Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that the D'Backs are set to offer Kevin Towers their GM job. Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona says no job offer has been made yet, though the team met with Towers again today (Twitter link).
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly reports (via Twitter) that the Phillies have signed Franklyn Zavala, a 16-year-old Dominican pitcher, for a $330K bonus.
- Understandably, Joe Torre's comments about the possibility of managing the Mets didn't sit well with current manager Jerry Manuel, as Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger writes. Torre apologized for his comments, telling Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that he's "closing the door on managing the Mets – and probably everybody else" (Twitter links).
- Astros manager Brad Mills avoided the question of whether Carlos Lee would play more first base in 2011, says MLB.com's Pete Kerzel. Alyson Footer, the team's director of social media, notes in a pair of tweets that first base is Lee's strongest position and she'd like to see him there next year.
- Pat Gillick won't rule out taking another general manager job if the right situation arises, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Craig Counsell tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) that he'll be back in 2011, either for the Brewers or another club.
Seriously, Carlos Lee is not Carlos Lee anmore…He is stealing money from the Astros J.D. Martinez is a top prospect and is closer to succeeding at the ML level than Carlos Lee is now.
Astros were dumb enough to give him that contract…
But Ed Wade is smarter than Poppula and should release Lee. Now.
still might drive nearly 100 runs on a bad astros team.
He won’t. And his .291 OBP isn’t helping his team out either.
While you’re right about Lee stealing money, you’re way off on your analysis of J.D. Martinez. Martinez is probably 2 years away from being a major league ready hitter, at the minimum, and has been dealing with knee problems of a chronic nature throughout much of his young life, which calls into question his long-term prospects as a prospect.
Footer is dead right about Lee being Houston’s best option at 1B for 2010, though I am pretty certain that Mills and the Astros’ front office don’t like being grilled about what the team’s director of social media tweets about next year’s roster. The ship has sailed regarding Lee’s exorbitant salary – the team’s stuck with him until at least the end of 2011, and he’ll be less likely to cripple the team defense at 1B relative to what he would in LF. The smart money’s also on Lee hitting more like the 2009 model than the 2010 model in 2011.
You could be right..
Seriously, is the demand for Torre still there? Or is the media just doing their usual blowing a story out of proportion?
I honestly think he was joking and clearly some people just took it the wrong way.
Kevin Towers is a great hire for AZ (if he ends up there). First order of buisness, trade that bum Reynolds. .204 BA/201 strikouts.
What do the Astros do with Wallace then?
They will send him to Oklahoma City where hopefully he will learn to how to hit an inside fastball. His MLB K rates are off the charts for that very reason.
Would Carlos Lee be welcome back with the White Sox? He could be the DH next season if Houston eats some money.
White Sox already have a lot committed next year, Houston would have to eat a lot of salary.
How come Eric Wedge’s name isn’t being bandied about in these managerial rumors? If the Pirates do the right thing and ax John Russell at the end of the season, Wedge should definitely be on the short list of candidates for the job.
It has been. The Cubs interviewed him a few weeks ago.