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Archives for October 2010

Blue Jays Rumors: Manager Search, Buck

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The Blue Jays are searching for the successor to Cito Gaston, and they're not rushing the process. An unnamed source points out to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Blue Jays "want to get it right" (Twitter link). Here are the details on the team's search for a new manager, plus other notes:

  • Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun has a summary of the Jays’ search: the team has already interviewed Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor, Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale, former manager Bob Melvin, Padres coach Rick Renteria, Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke, Yankees third base coach Rob Thomson, former manager Bobby Valentine and former Indians manager Eric Wedge plus internal candidates Brian Butterfield, Sal Fasano, Nick Leyva and Luis Rivera. The club has yet to interview White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle, Nationals third base coach Pat Listach, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, Juan Samuel, Ryne Sandberg, and former Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. That's a whole lot of candidates to consider.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he's expecting clubs to ask about Hurdle, though no team has formally requested permission to interview the former Rockies manager just yet.
  • The Blue Jays will consider bringing John Buck back next year and the catcher says he would love to return, but as MLB.com's Jordan Bastian shows, J.P. Arencibia's presence may mean that Buck's best offers come from other teams. 

What They Were Saying: NL Central GMs

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Remember when Ed Wade was part of a new generation of GMs? It's OK if you don't since we dug up the details on Wade and the rest of his NL Central counterparts. Here's how they were perceived when they got their first GM jobs:

Doug Melvin

“When the Rangers signed Melvin to a three-year contract, they made a commitment to pitching and defense. They need it. In 1994, the Rangers finished 13th in pitching and 14th in fielding in the American League. Poor performances in those areas played a large role in their 52-62 record. Melvin said he wants a team built around pitching and defense.” – Jean-Jacques Taylor, The Dallas Morning News, October 11th, 1994

Walt Jocketty

“Walt Jocketty and his brother played baseball in the backyard when they were growing up and pretended they were St. Louis pitchers Lindy and Von McDaniel, who are brothers.

Jocketty appreciates the Cardinals' tradition. And finally he has become a general manager after interviewing for that position with Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Colorado in the past and Texas recently, only to have that job filled by Doug Melvin.” – Larry Harnly, The State Journal-Register, October 18th, 1994

Ed Wade

“Wade, bespectacled, conservatively dressed, his sandy hair precisely parted, was an efficient and loyal administrator who shouldered the contract and deadline matters his boss disliked.

But Tuesday, this 41-year-old native of Pennsylvania's coal regions who has a journalism degree from Temple moved out of [former GM Lee] Thomas' shadows. Wade was named the Phillies' acting general manager after Thomas was fired, and immediately there were questions about his readiness. Wade is the latest example of a powerful trend in the sport, one that has seen businesslike administrators replacing gritty baseball veterans as GMs.” Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 9th, 1997

Jim Hendry

“The time has come for Cubs president/general manager Andy MacPhail to delegate full authority to Jim Hendry, whose onerous title of vice president of player personnel is too cumbersome and corporate for someone as earthy and unpretentious as Hendry. GM sounds just right for him.” – Mike Kiley, The Chicago Sun-Times, June 14th, 2002 

Neal Huntington

“Neal Huntington, a former Cleveland Indians assistant general manager who was moved to a mostly scouting role two years ago, was hired Tuesday as the Pittsburgh Pirates' general manager. The 37-year-old Huntington replaces Dave Littlefield, who was fired earlier this month after failing to produce a winning season since being hired in July 2001. The Pirates are finishing up a 15th consecutive losing season, one short of the major league record, and their fifth with 90 or more losses since 2000.” – Alan Robinson, The Associated Press, September 25th, 2007 

John Mozeliak

“John Mozeliak has a Clark Kent look about him, so naturally Cardinals fans are wondering if he'll have the necessary muscle to reshape the franchise and give it a push forward, into the future. In his introductory press conference after being named the Cardinals' general manager, Mozeliak spoke calmly and in somewhat measured tones, so it was easy to miss some of the punch that went into what he said.” – Bernie Miklasz, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 1st, 2007

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Nationals, Rasmus

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On this date back in 1988, a hobbling Kirk Gibson pinch hit for reliever Alejandro Pena with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers down by one to the Athletics in Game One of the World Series. Dennis Eckersley, who finished second in the Cy Young voting that year, recorded two quick outs before walking the light hitting Mike Davis (.196/.260/.270 that year) in front of Gibson. You all know what happened next. Gibson battled Eck for six pitches before the Oakland reliever finally hung a slider, a pitch that resulted in one of the most famous home runs in World Series history.

Injuries limited Gibson to just that one plate appearance in the Fall Classic, which the Dodgers went on to win four games to one. Joe Posnanski ranked Jack Buck's and Vin Scully's call of the play the fifth greatest in sports history. These links might not be all-time greats, but they're still the best from the past week of the internet…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Royals Acquire Pucetas, Complete Guillen Trade

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The Royals acquired right-hander Kevin Pucetas as the player to be named to complete the Jose Guillen trade, the team announced. The Royals added the 25-year-old to their 40-man roster. Pucetas, a 17th round pick in 2006, has made three minor league All-Star teams, appeared in the Futures Game and finished first or second in ERA three times in his pro career.

Despite his early-career honors, Pucetas is no top prospect. He has struggled in two seasons at Triple-A and had yet to succeed in the upper minors. This year, he posted a 5.69 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 26 starts at Triple-A Fresno. The silver lining for the Royals? As MLBTR’s Howard Megdal showed earlier this month, the return for Guillen has usually been better than expected.

Rangers Rumors: Daniels, Hicks, A-Rod

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As the Rangers prepare to face off against the Yankees, GM Jon Daniels faces speculation that he'd be interested in running the team he grew up rooting for: the New York Mets. But as Newsday's Ken Davidoff reports, Daniels remains focused on his team's playoff run and the Mets haven't asked to speak to anyone in the Rangers organization. Here's the latest on Daniels and the Rangers:

  • Davidoff says "even if the Mets don't look at [Daniels] personally, they should at least look at the Rangers and try to emulate them." 
  • Daniels told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that the Rangers' success comes from a simple approach. "Our plan isn't rocket science," the GM said. "We're not the first team that said, 'Hey, let's build from within.' We've had success to this point because our evaluators are good. Our scouts are good. Our development people are good."
  • Daniels wouldn't have the chance to opt out of his Rangers contract if Tom Hicks hadn't sold the team. Now on the outside looking in, Hicks tells Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork that he regrets signing Alex Rodriguez to a ten-year $252MM deal.

Poll: Who Will Win The ALCS?

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The Yankees, winners of 40 American League pennants, take on the Rangers, a team trying to win its first, in the ALCS tonight. The storylines are compelling: Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira return to Texas and Cliff Lee takes on the team that nearly acquired him a few months ago and figures to bid aggressively on him this winter.

But those stories are secondary to the right to represent the Junior Circuit in the World Series, so it's time to make some predictions…

Who will win the ALCS?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Manager Roundup: Jays, Pirates, Mariners, Cubs, Marlins

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The managerial rumors don't take a break, even if the playoff schedule does. Here are yesterday's rumors and here are today's rumblings, with the latest updates at the top of the page:

Blue Jays

Rays bench coach Dave Martinez will interview for the Jays' opening, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The Blue Jays have interest in a third Red Sox coach. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun hears that John Farrell is in the mix for the Jays job, along with DeMarlo Hale and Tim Bogar (Twitter link). Lauber heard that Farrell hadn't interviewed for a managerial job yet, but perhaps he has an interview coming up.

Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays will interview Farrell if they haven't already. The Blue Jays will also interview Padres first base coach Rick Renteria, but another NL West coach will not interview for the position. The Dodgers didn't allow the Jays to speak with Tim Wallach, though he was allowed to interview with the Brewers, according to Rosenthal.

Pirates

Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Pirates should be looking to land Bobby Valentine. According to Sherman, Valentine would be the perfect choice for Pittsburgh, since, in addition to being a great evaluator of talent, he could make the Pirates relevant. The team doesn't appear to be considering him though.

The Pirates interviewed former Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca for their managerial vacancy today, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.

Mariners

Bobby Valentine’s interview with the Mariners went well, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Mariners’ other candidates also fared well and Valentine isn’t necessarily the favorite. As Rosenthal reminds us, Cecil Cooper, Eric Wedge, John Gibbons, Lloyd McClendon and Daren Brown are also options for Seattle.

Brewers

The Brewers have asked the White Sox for permission to interview Joey Cora, but Cora hasn't heard from Milwaukee yet, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Bob Melvin remains the favorite to manage in Milwaukee, according to Levine.

Cubs

The Cubs have continued interest in Yankees manager Joe Girardi, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Several insiders tell Wittenmyer that they expect an announcement before the World Series begins, unless Girardi becomes a serious candidate. Rival teams have not asked the Cubs for formal permission to interview Mike Quade or Ryne Sandberg, according to the Sun-Times. As we heard yesterday, Quade has become the favorite for the Cubs job.

Meanwhile, Chris De Luca of the Sun-Times calls Eric Wedge a "bland tactician" and says Sandberg is the man for the job. The Hall of Fame second baseman tells De Luca that he is more qualified to manage in the majors than he was the last time the Cubs considered him.

Marlins

Red Sox coach DeMarlo Hale, a candidate for the Blue Jays and Mariners, may also be a candidate to manage the Marlins, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. 

Bobby Valentine turned down an offer to manage the Marlins, according to Sunil Joshi and Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Dave George of the Palm Beach Post says "some other Type-A scrapper still could be the ticket, someone whose ego is a match for Hanley Ramirez and whose confidence allows room to tell everyone in the organization, including the owner, to back off."

Edwin Rodriguez, who managed the Marlins to a 46-46 record after taking over midway through the season, told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he'd accept a one-year deal to have a shot at managing the team for an entire season.

Odds & Ends: Lee, Astros, Hermida, Rockies

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As Cliff Lee prepares to face the Yankees in the ALCS, he's trying not to think about his impending free agency, according to T.R. Sullivan and Bill Ladson. Still, Lee hinted to the MLB.com writers that winning the World Series with the Rangers this year would make it that much harder to leave Texas. Here are a few other links from around the league, as we count down the final 24 hours until the ALCS gets underway….

Red Sox Re-Sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia

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6:21pm: Saltalamacchia's 2011 deal is a split contract that will earn him $750K in the majors or $250K in the minors, tweets Sean McAdam of Comcast SportsNet.

6:03pm: The Red Sox have agreed to terms with Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for 2011, according to a team release. With the agreement, the two sides will avoid salary arbitration, which the 25-year-old would have been eligible for this winter for the first time.

Boston acquired Saltalamacchia from the Rangers at this year's trade deadline, in exchange for three players and cash. The backstop made just 25 plate appearances in ten games for the Red Sox following the deal. However, as Ken Rosenthal indicated on the day of the trade, the Sox had scouted the former sandwich-round pick extensively and felt that he'd benefit from a change of scenery and was worth a gamble.

Non-Tender Candidate: Todd Coffey

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Coming into the 2010 season, the back of the Brewers' bullpen appeared to be one of the most reliable areas of the team's pitching staff. Trevor Hoffman, LaTroy Hawkins, and Todd Coffey were all coming off strong 2009 campaigns, and looked poised to hold down the late innings in Milwaukee. All three right-handers struggled this year though, with Hoffman losing the closer's job and Hawkins missing most of the season due to shoulder trouble.

Hawkins is under contract for 2011 and Hoffman's time in Milwaukee is likely over, but the team will face a decision on Coffey in the coming weeks. The 30-year-old will be arbitration-eligible for the final time and, in spite of his underwhelming performance, probably has a slight raise coming on this year's $2.025MM salary.

Prior to the 2010 season, Coffey had been one of the team's best relievers, posting a 2.67 ERA over 91 innings since the 2008 waiver claim that sent him from Cincinnati to Milwaukee. This year, however, in 62.1 IP, Coffey's ERA ballooned to 4.76. Of course, his numbers weren't all bad; his walk and home run rates were only slightly above his career averages, and he recorded a career-best strikeout rate (8.1 K/9). Whether or not the Brewers decide to tender him a contract this year will depend on if they believe those peripheral stats suggest a bounceback 2011 season is in the cards.

The Brewers' bullpen pitched 518 innings, third-most in the National League, and ranked just 12th in the NL in ERA (4.48). It figures to be an area the team will focus on improving this winter, but before they look to the free agent market, the Brewers will need to make a decision on Coffey. Will the righty be non-tendered this offseason? Click here to weigh in, and click here to view the results.

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