Manager Rumors: Jays, Sandberg, Mariners, Orioles
The Cubs made the day's big move, signing Mike Quade to a two-year deal, but there's lots of chatter about another candidate for the Cubs job and other teams around the league. Here are the details:
- Sal Fasano, Dave Martinez, Luis Rivera and Rob Thomson have all been informed that they're no longer candidates for the Toronto manager's job, tweets Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press. Don Baylor is also out of the running and is "not pleased about it," according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link).
- Ryne Sandberg, a finalist for the Cubs job, may leave the organization, a source tells Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link).
- Sandberg told ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago that he would like to manage elsewhere, though he was disappointed not to get the Cubs job.
- Daren Brown, who managed the Mariners after Don Wakamatsu's dismissal, will either manage at Triple-A or be on the major league staff next year, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
- Wedge said he's looking forward to working with Milton Bradley again, according to Stone (on Twitter). "I don’t hold any grudges," Wedge said. Bradley said yesterday that he's open to Wedge's hiring.
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter will meet with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and owner Peter Angelos to discuss the team's offseason approach, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- Earlier today, Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the Mets "love" Joe Girardi and noted that the Yankees skipper lost some leverage when Quade got the Cubs job (Twitter links).
Braves Release Saito, Drop Boscan
In addition to their release of Melky Cabrera earlier today, the Braves have also released reliever Takashi Saito and dropped catcher J.C. Boscan from the 40-man roster, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Though Saito still has a year of arbitration eligibility left, the one-year deal he signed with Atlanta last winter stipulated that he be granted free agency at its conclusion. Most Japanese veterans have similar clauses in their contracts allowing them to pursue free agency rather than go through the arbirtration process. His official release is a procedural move that was widely expected — MLBTR's Tim Dierkes even examined Saito's stock on the free agent market last week.
Boscan began his pro career in 1997 at age 17. After 14 years in the Atlanta, Milwaukee and Cincinnati systems, Boscan finally made his major league debut this season, walking and scoring a run in his only plate appearance. O'Brien points out that the Braves could re-sign Boscan to a minor league deal.
Brewers Sign Mike Rivera
Mike Rivera bounced between three organizations this year, but he appeared in just seven big league games and didn't collect a single hit. After unsuccessful stints with the Yankees, Dodgers and Marlins organizations, the catcher is returning to the team he knows best. The Brewers recently signed Rivera, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
The 34-year-old posted a .756 OPS in Milwaukee from 2006-09 as the Brewers' backup catcher. Rivera went hitless in 17 plate appearances for the Marlins this year, but the Brewers are no doubt hoping to see him hit well enough to provide insurance for Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras.
Yankees Rumors: Lee, Burnett, Pettitte, Girardi
Between Cliff Lee's dominance and A.J. Burnett's struggles, the Yankees have lots to worry about when it comes to the pitching matchups in the ALCS. But the Yanks have lots of off-field questions about the two Darek Braunecker clients as well. Here are the details on Lee and Burnett:
- Rangers owner Nolan Ryan told reporters, including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he expects the Yankees to bid on Lee this winter. When asked how much Lee will command on the open market, Ryan pointed to the Yankees. "I need to go next door and ask them," he said. "I think he's got their attention."
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post calls Burnett "the poison pill that is going to keep on giving for a while." The unpredictable right-hander has three years and nearly $50MM remaining on his contract.
- Yankees officials tell Sherman that Andy Pettitte has not told the organization he's retiring, but Sherman wonders if the left-hander intends to call it quits after the season.
- Joe Girardi won't be managing the Cubs and Jon Heyman of SI.com can't see him managing the Mets either (Twitter link). People in the Mets organization "love" Girardi, but Heyman finds it hard to imagine the skipper leaving the Yankees for the Mets.
Tankersley, Others Hit Free Agency
Taylor Tankersley and a number of others with big league experience recently hit free agency, as Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports. Joining the left-hander on the open market are Bobby Scales (Cubs), Justin Lehr (Reds), Paul Phillips (Rockies), Juan Rincon (Rockies), Hector Luna (Marlins), Anderson Hernandez (Astros), Adam Stern (Brewers), Denny Bautista (Giants), Brandon Medders (Giants), Willie Eyre (Rangers) and Sean Henn (Blue Jays).
Tankersley, the Marlins' first round pick in the 2004 draft, succeeded early in his career, but has since struggled. Still just 27, Tankersley brings a career 8.8 K/9 to the free agent market and could become a lefty specialist. He missed all of 2009 with a stress fracture in his elbow, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a team like the Diamondbacks take a flier on the former prospect.
Bautista, who turns 28 this weekend, is another interesting arm. He posted a 3.74 ERA with the Giants this year and struck out (11.8 K/9) and walked (7.2 BB/9) tons of batters in 33.2 innings. The right-hander has always walked lots of hitters, but his mid-90s fastball and ability to induce strikeouts may tempt teams looking to buy low on live arms.
Mets, K-Rod Resolve Grievance
The Mets and Francisco Rodriguez resolved the closer's grievance with the team, according to statements from the Mets and the Players Association. Rodriguez decided not to challenge the Mets’ decision to withhold his 2010 salary after he injured himself in a non-baseball-related incident this August. He says he looks forward to remaining with the Mets and apologized to the team’s owners, players and fans.
The Mets agreed not to attempt to convert Rodriguez’s contract to a non-guaranteed deal and will remove him from the disqualified list. The team lost its closer to a season-ending thumb ligament operation, but ultimately saved $3.1MM.
Nationals Sign Mike Rizzo To Five-Year Extension
The Nationals signed GM Mike Rizzo to a five-year extension and promoted him to executive vice president of baseball operations and GM, according to the team. Rizzo, who turns 50 later this year, has been Washington's GM since August 2009 and has acted as GM since March of last year.
The Diamondbacks drafted Brandon Webb, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew and others when Rizzo was the team’s scouting director. Rizzo has continued drafting aggressively with the Nationals, selecting Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) with recent first overall picks. The Nationals have also drafted Drew Storen, Jordan Zimmermann and Danny Espinosa under Rizzo.
Rizzo has signed Yunesky Maya, Joel Peralta, Miguel Batista and Matt Capps to deals that paid dividends for the Nationals. Maya climbed to the major leagues this year, Peralta and Batista pitched well and Capps made the All-Star team before Washington traded him to Minnesota for catching prospect Wilson Ramos.
Rizzo, who says he intends to improve Washington’s pitching this offseason, committed millions to Jason Marquis and Chien-Ming Wang last offseason, but neither pitcher has contributed meaningfully so far.
Reds Rumors: Hernandez, Rhodes, Bruce
We heard yesterday that the Reds are likely to decline their half of the $4MM mutual option on Orlando Cabrera for 2011 and that the club has interest in retaining Jonny Gomes and Ramon Hernandez. Here’s more news on the 2010 NL Central Champs from John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
- Devin Mesoraco’s progress could impact the offers the Reds make to Hernandez. Mesoraco, a 22-year-old catcher, had an excellent season at the plate this year. The 2007 first rounder hit .302/.377/.587 at three minor league stops with 26 total homers. He’s now playing in the Arizona Fall League and figures to need more minor league seasoning given his lack of experience in the upper minors.
- The Reds have talked to Arthur Rhodes’ agent about bringing the lefty back in 2011. Rhodes told Fay he’d like to return and talks will resume next week, so there’s a chance the sides work something out before Rhodes hits the open market.
- The Reds expect Jay Bruce to qualify as a Super Two, but they haven’t heard official word yet. Bruce would likely earn a few million if he’s arbitration eligible this year and that commitment would likely affect the Reds’ ability to spend on other players.
- MLBTR's Tim Dierkes heard in June that the Super Two cutoff will be earlier than usual this year and that Bruce will be the Super Two with the fewest days of service time. With just two years and 125 days of service time, Bruce will have less big league experience than any Super Two in recent years.
Braves Release Melky Cabrera
The Braves released Melky Cabrera, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Cabrera, who joined the Braves in last winter's Javier Vazquez trade, was a non-tender candidate after a disappointing season in Atlanta. The 26-year-old hit just .255/.317/.354 in 509 plate appearances this year, so the Braves decided not to tender him a contract worth anything close to his 2010 salary of $3.1MM.
Cabrera can play all three outfield positions and was useful at the plate for the 2009 World Champion Yankees, so he figures to draw interest as a fourth outfielder. Whichever club signs Cabrera will have him under team control through 2012.
The Braves expected more from Cabrera, but they did obtain Arodys Vizcaino in the Vazquez deal. The 19-year-old right-hander was pitching well in the minors before a torn elbow ligament forced him out of action for most of the second half.
Cubs Hire Mike Quade
The Cubs signed manager Mike Quade to a two-year deal with a club option for 2013, according to the team. Quade, 53, became Chicago’s interim manager on August 23rd after Lou Piniella retired. He was the team’s third base coach from 2007-10 after managing the Triple-A Iowa Cubs for four seasons.
Iowa’s most recent manager, Ryne Sandberg, was also a finalist for the major league managerial job. Mariners manager Eric Wedge interviewed for the position and the Cubs also appeared interested in Yankees manager Joe Girardi, whose contract expires after the season.
Quade led the Cubs to a 24-13 record down the stretch, though he had never before managed in the major leagues. He has managed for 17 years in the minors, though, and got his first managerial gig 25 years ago.