Odds & Ends: Dipoto, Figueroa, Papelbon, Greinke
Links for Friday, before all eyes turn to Clayton Richard and Matt Cain…
- The D'Backs will likely bring interim manager Kirk Gibson back in 2011, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The D'Backs are close to an agreement with Jerry Dipoto that would keep the exec in Arizona as director of scouting and player development, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that he can see Nelson Figueroa being the team's fifth starter in 2011. The 36-year-old goes to arbitration this winter, assuming the Astros offer a contract.
- Jonathan Papelbon would like to set the market for closer contracts when he hits free agency after next season, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Papelbon has his doubters after a tough season, but he says he's looking forward to a dominant 2011 campaign.
- Some MLB executives are convinced that the Royals will dangle Zack Greinke as trade bait this winter, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reminds us of some of Omar Minaya's best and worst moves, since it looks like the Mets may soon replace their GM.
- Free agent pitching prospect Barret Loux will start accepting offers today, according to Kendall Rogers of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Heyman On Pena, Reyes, Blue Jays
Three American League GMs told Jon Heyman of SI.com that they believe their team's stars deserve to win the MVP. Miguel Cabrera, Josh Hamilton and Robinson Cano all have strong cases for the award, but if Heyman had asked Theo Epstein or Alex Anthopoulos, there's a good chance he would have heard Adrian Beltre or Jose Bautista mentioned, too. Here are Heyman's latest rumors:
- The Rays hope to re-sign Carlos Pena this offseason, though it looks like Carl Crawford and Rafael Soriano will sign elsewhere. Crawford recently told Yahoo’s Jeff Passan that he’s open to signing anywhere and indicated that he realizes he isn’t likely to return to Tampa Bay.
- Jose Reyes would like to sign long-term in New York. It looks like he’ll be negotiating his deal with a new general manager; Heyman reported earlier today that Omar Minaya will not be the Mets GM for long.
- Speaking of GMs, Heyman adds Blue Jays exec Tony LaCava to his list of potential GM candidates. Heyman reports that the Blue Jays have about 14-15 managerial candidates, including Bob Melvin, Don Baylor, Yankees coach Rob Thomson and Brian Butterfield.
Two Wins Would Leave Tigers’ Top 2011 Pick Exposed
If the Tigers sweep their double-header against the Orioles today, their first round pick in the 2011 draft won't be protected. In fact, if the Tigers win any two of their four remaining games, they'll have 82 wins, more than the A's, Dodgers, Angels or Marlins could possibly end up with. As our reverse standings page shows, those clubs are now 78-81, so none of them will finish better than 81-81.
Teams in the lower half of the standings have protected first round picks in the following year's draft, but teams in the top half of the standings do not. If the Tigers win two more games and sign a Type A free agent who turned down arbitration, they would lose their top pick in the 2011 draft. Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and Adrian Beltre are among the projected Type A free agents who may end up on the Tigers' offseason shopping list.
Last year, the Tigers lost their first rounder to the Astros for signing Jose Valverde, but they still ended up drafting highly-regarded players including Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin and Drew Smyly. Amateur scouting director David Chadd may have another challenge ahead if GM Dave Dombrowski signs a Type A free agent or two.
The Phillies, Rays, Yankees, Twins, Giants, Braves, Rangers, Reds, Padres, Red Sox, White Sox, Rockies, Blue Jays and Cardinals will also have exposed first round picks this offseason, so the Tigers would be in good company.
Minaya, Manuel Will Not Lead Mets In 2011
GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel will not return to the Mets organization in those roles next year, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. As expected, the Mets will decline Manuel's 2011 option and fire or re-assign Minaya, who is under contract through 2012.
Manuel, now in his third season as Mets manager, has managed the team to a 202-212 record. The Mets are 77-82 this year, headed for a second consecutive fourth place finish.
Minaya replaced Jim Duquette in 2004, soon after he resigned as the GM of the Montreal Expos. As Mets GM, Minaya signed Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Francisco Rodriguez to contracts that are now holding the team back. However, the GM locked David Wright and Jose Reyes up to affordable extensions, acquired Johan Santana and, more recently, found R.A. Dickey on the scrap heap.
The New York Post reported that the Mets could have difficulty attracting top executives, but the team should have plenty of options to choose from. Heyman reports that the Mets may be considering White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn, former D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes and longtime A's GM Sandy Alderson. Here's a look at several other candidates to replace Minaya.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Broxton, Zambrano, Pujols
On this date 15 years ago, the Yankees and Rockies became the first Wild Card teams in baseball history. Both were eliminated in the League Championship Series however, with the Mariners and Braves doing the honors. Nine Wild Card teams have reached the World Series since, with the Marlins (1997 & 2003), Angels (2002), and Red Sox (2004) taking home championships.
A few days before the 2010 postseason begins, let's look around the baseball blogosphere…
- 1 Blue Jays Way interviewed Mel Queen, Toronto's senior adviser of Player Development.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness tries to find a taker for Jonathan Broxton.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors attempts to determine if a Carlos Zambrano trade would be worth it for the Cubs.
- Royals Review wonders if Gregor Blanco is part of Kansas City's future.
- Red Sox Beacon looks at what Boston must do to fix its bullpen.
- Beyond The Box Score breaks down the performance of the Yankees' four $20MM a year players.
- The Sports Banter places odds on whether or not four clubs could acquire Albert Pujols.
- Cubs Pack tries to figure out who will hit leadoff on Chicago's north side next season.
- The Southpaw examines Jose Bautista's MVP case.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here
Potential Destinations For Mark Reynolds
Mark Reynolds can hit the ball out of the park, but he's a leading reason why the D'Backs are striking out so much. No MLB team has ever whiffed more times than the 2010 D'Backs and Reynolds, who leads the National League in Ks for the third consecutive season, is the main culprit. He's tied for fifth in the league with 32 homers, but that .198/.321/.434 line looks thin.
The simplest way for GM Kevin Towers to reduce Arizona's 2011 strikeout total would be to trade Reynolds. The third baseman is under contract for two more years and will earn $13MM or more before his deal expires. Reynolds has been a below average defender for the past four seasons (according to UZR) and he doesn't have much experience at any position but third base.
It would have been considerably easier to trade Reynolds a year ago, when he was coming off a 44 homer season and a more respectable batting average. If the D'Backs shop him this winter, they may have to wait for some of the teams in search of a third baseman to determine where they fit in the Adrian Beltre sweepstakes.
For example, it's hard to imagine the Red Sox and Angels trading for Reynolds before Beltre signs. The White Sox could also have interest, but Chicago has Dayan Viciedo and Mark Teahen, so a Reynolds acquisition seems unlikely. Toronto may non-tender Edwin Encarnacion, but the Blue Jays already have their share of all-or-nothing hitters, so Reynolds doesn't seem like a fit.
The Tigers (16th in MLB in homers) and Padres (22nd) could use power and could create room at third for Reynolds. The A's rank 29th in baseball in homers, will be looking for power this offseason and may non-tender Kevin Kouzmanoff, so they may be the best fit of all. Arizona thought about offering Reynolds to Oakland before Towers took over, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the sides spark up talks.
Rockies Interested In Martinez, Jackson
Rockies manager Jim Tracy told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that the Rockies want to add an “impact bat” this offseason. According to Renck, Colorado has interest in Conor Jackson and will target Victor Martinez if the Red Sox don’t lock him up.
Jackson, a non-tender candidate, can play first base or left field; Martinez can catch and play first. The Rockies appear to want a right-handed complement to Todd Helton and Martinez, a switch hitter, would satisfy that requirement. But Colorado has Chris Iannetta under contract and a mutual option for Miguel Olivo's services, so the team isn't desperate for catching help.
Adding an outfielder is a priority for the Rockies, according to Renck. Seth Smith isn’t conisdered an everyday player because of his late summer struggles, so the Rockies will consider free agent outfielders and trades.
The Rockies already have two electrifying hitters: Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, but Tulo told Renck that he’d like to see some of the organization’s young players improve so the Rockies can reach the postseason in 2011.
Beltre’s Player Option Doubles
Adrian Beltre has now batted 640 times this season, so the value of his 2011 player option doubled from $5MM to $10MM. But the third baseman will probably have the chance to earn considerably more than $10MM as a free agent this offseason, so the value of his player option doesn't matter a whole lot.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me,” Beltre told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. “It’s a testament that I was able to stay healthy, and be in the lineup almost every day. But that’s it.”
Beltre, 31, already has 28 homers and a American League-best 49 doubles. He has combined his strong defensive play with a .321/.365/.553 batting line and seems primed for another big free agent payday. The Mariners signed Beltre to a five-year $64MM deal after the 2004 season.