Mets Relieve Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel Of Duties
The Mets relieved GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel of duties, according to a press release. Minaya is not a part of the organization at present, but would not rule out a return in a new role. Assistant GM John Ricco will fill in for Minaya in the interim. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon had this to say:
"We are extremely disappointed in this year’s results and the failures of the past four seasons. We need to hire a new General Manager with a fresh perspective who will transform this club into a winner that we want and our fans deserve. We appreciate all that Omar and Jerry have done for the Organization and thank them for their time and effort. Changes like these are never easy, especially when you are dealing with people you like and respect."
Minaya was hired by the Mets six years ago. He made big trades involving Mike Cameron, Carlos Delgado, John Maine, Angel Pagan, Oliver Perez, Xavier Nady, Heath Bell, Brian Bannister, Lastings Milledge, Johan Santana, and Jeff Francoeur. Minaya spent big bucks on Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Billy Wagner, Jason Bay, and Perez as free agents and also extended Santana, Jose Reyes, and David Wright. The Mets made one playoff appearance under Minaya, in 2006.
Astros Option Decisions: Blum, Michaels
MONDAY: Wade confirmed today via press release that Michaels' option will be exercised and Blum's will be declined.
SUNDAY: The Astros informed Geoff Blum they will not be exercising his $1.65MM option for 2011, the infielder explained to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros will instead pay a $150K buyout. They will exercise Jason Michaels' option for $900K, according to McTaggart's source.
Astros GM Ed Wade told McTaggart he's leaving the door open to re-signing Blum anyway. However, Blum's comments suggest he'll move on:
"I do know that I will not be here. I'll miss being here, trust me. I've had several conversations with people within the organization and my services are not going to be needed here."
Blum, 37, hit .267/.321/.356 in 218 plate appearances this year while playing all infield positions aside from catcher. He battled elbow and neck injuries.
Michaels, 34, convinced the Astros to retain him by hitting .254/.312/.470 in 202 PAs and playing all three outfield positions.
Pirates Fire John Russell
The Pirates fired manager John Russell today, according to a press release. GM Neal Huntington offered praise for Russell but added, "We decided that new leadership in the clubhouse would give us the best opportunity to move this major league team forward."
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote Sunday that Russell was expected to be fired as early as today. Russell was hired to manage the Pirates after the '07 season. His teams posted a 186-299 record.
Free Agent Innings Eaters
It's difficult to define an innings eater these days, as almost all pitchers miss significant time due to injury at some point. Still, let's take a shot in regard to the upcoming free agent class.
Regular Season Innings Leaders
1. Carl Pavano – 221
2. Bronson Arroyo – 215.6 (club option)
3. Cliff Lee – 212.3
4. Jake Westbrook – 202.6
t-5. Jon Garland – 200 (mutual option)
t-5. Rodrigo Lopez – 200
7. Hiroki Kuroda – 196.3
8. Ted Lilly – 193.6
9. Kevin Millwood – 190.6
10. Dave Bush – 174.3
Two years ago, who would have predicted Pavano would top this list? Only six free agents reached 200 innings, and Arroyo could be off the market if the Reds pick up his option. Pavano, Arroyo, and Lee will bolster their innings totals with playoff work. Arroyo, Lee, Garland, Javier Vazquez, and Doug Davis exceeded 200 regular season innings last year.
If you're looking for efficiency, Lee and Pavano lead all of MLB in fewest pitches per inning. Lilly and Arroyo fall within the top 20.
Arbitration Eligibles: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are next in our arbitration eligibles series…
- First time: Kyle Kendrick, Ben Francisco
- Second time: None
- Third time: Greg Dobbs
The Phillies have locked up their regulars in the name of cost certainty, leaving only three arbitration-eligible role players. Kendrick did enough as a back-end guy to be tendered a contract. Francisco will stay as well, as he's still a solid fourth outfielder. Dobbs will certainly be cut loose, as he was designated for assignment twice during the season.
Antonetti Officially Named Indians’ GM
The Indians officially completed the transition of Mark Shapiro to club president and Chris Antonetti to GM, according to a press release. The plan had been announced in February. Mike Chernoff was named assistant GM, among other front office promotions. Back in April, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince profiled Antonetti, a 35-year-old who had been in the organization for 12 years.
Rakuten Golden Eagles Post Hisashi Iwakuma
The Rakuten Golden Eagles have officially committed to posting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, relays NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman on Twitter from multiple Japanese media reports. Rakuten can file with the commissioner's office starting November 1st, after which point teams can bid for the exclusive right to negotiate with Iwakuma. Iwakuma will be represented by Don Nomura, who previously served as the agent for Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu, among others.
Iwakuma, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year. In August, Newman rated him as "the second best MLB pitching prospect currently active in NPB" in a FanGraphs article. He described Iwakuma as "a fairly standard fastball/slider/forkball righty."
Japanese pitchers coming to MLB have been all over the place in recent years, even focusing on the more expensive ones. Perhaps Iwakuma can emulate Hiroki Kuroda, who gave the Dodgers three years and 497 innings of 3.60 ball for $35.3MM. Unlike Iwakuma, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Kei Igawa, Kuroda did not require a posting fee. I would not expect an excessive posting fee for Iwakuma, since the winner will also have to negotiate his contract on top.
White Sox Notes: Pierzynski, Manny, Vizquel
Though they fell short of the playoffs, the White Sox won 88 games this year. Notes from yesterday:
- GM Kenny Williams told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune he seeks "balance from the left side" of the lineup. Williams said A.J. Pierzynski could provide that balance, or he could find someone on the trade or free agent market. Luke Scott, Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, Carl Crawford, Hideki Matsui, Adam LaRoche, and Bobby Abreu are a few of the available left-handed bats.
- Pierzynski told CSN Chicago that he wants to return, but he has to do what's best for him and his family and isn't going to come crawling back.
- Williams told MLB.com's Scott Merkin Manny Ramirez helped others in the lineup and brought life to the team, even if his .319 slugging percentage fell short of expectations.
- Manager Ozzie Guillen told Merkin he'd love to have Omar Vizquel back, suggesting the infielder could play another two years. The interest is known to be mutual.
Boras Well-Positioned For Offseason
Back in February, the Scott Boras Corporation was in the midst of a rough patch. They'd brokered some big deals, sure, but arguably failed clients Johnny Damon, Jarrod Washburn, and Felipe Lopez. Lopez went so far as to fire Boras that month. Since then, things have been looking up for the company. Consider:
- Kendry Morales switched to Boras in February. Morales made the switch with one season to go before arbitration, though his campaign was cut short by a May leg fracture. Still, it's a big addition.
- Boras added another young star that month in Shin-Soo Choo. Choo had another strong year and is heading to arbitration for the first time.
- Tommy Hanson joined the fold in July; he could be arbitration-eligible after the 2011 season depending on what happens with the Super Two concept. Top prospect Desmond Jennings also hired Boras.
- Alex Rodriguez jumped ship in September, though he's signed through 2017.
- Boras recently signed two clients coming off massive walk years: Jayson Werth and Rafael Soriano. Suddenly Boras has the second-best position player and best reliever this winter. He also has Adrian Beltre positioned for another big contract at the perfect time. Carlos Gonzalez broke out; he'll be arbitration-eligible after 2012.
- It's not all roses for Boras, though. He doesn't represent any top pitchers from the upcoming free agent class. And clients Prince Fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Pena, Manny Ramirez, Carlos Beltran, Jair Jurrjens all faced adversity this year. Click here for our full list of Boras clients.
Odds & Ends: Iwakuma, Ichiro, Red Sox, Barmes
Links for Sunday evening, with the regular season behind us and the playoff picture defined…
- Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times he's "confident we'll be able to add an important piece."
- As passed along by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman on Twitter, Sanspo reports that a posting announcement will come soon regarding Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. The righty, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year for Rakuten.
- Ichiro Suzuki's 10-and-5 rights kicked in today after the Mariners' game, tweets Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
- In his end-of-the-season press conference, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein indicated fixing the bullpen and retaining important free agents are his offseason priorities (WEEI's Alex Speier reporting). Epstein fielded all kinds of questions and was noncommittal in most cases, but the transcript is still worth a read.
- Clint Barmes would like to return to the Rockies if he can't find an everyday role elsewhere, he explained to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. We discussed Barmes' non-tender candidacy in August, and 79% of MLBTR readers predicted he'll be cut loose.
- The Dodgers officially announced Brad Ausmus' retirement with a press release. Ausmus revealed his decision to reporters in July.