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Multiple Teams Preparing Push For Rasmus

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Despite John Mozeliak's insistence that Colby Rasmus will not be traded, multiple teams could make a push for the outfielder this winter, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In a chat with fans, Strauss indicated that the Braves, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in prying Rasmus away from the Cardinals.

A report earlier this season suggested that a rift between Rasmus and manager Tony La Russa led to the 24-year-old requesting a trade. With La Russa mulling a return to St. Louis for 2011, rival teams are presumably hoping the Cardinals will reconsider their stance on keeping Rasmus. Even if they don't intend to move their former first-round pick, the Cards "will have ample opportunity to turn down trade offers on Rasmus in upcoming weeks and months," according to Strauss.

A month ago, when MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at possible trade partners for the Cardinals and Rasmus, his list included the Braves and Jays, among other clubs.

Discussion: Ryan Ludwick

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Earlier today, Padres GM Jed Hoyer all but guaranteed that Ryan Ludwick would return to the Padres next season, as MLB.com's Corey Brock tweeted. Given the Padres' lack of middle-of-the-order pop around Adrian Gonzalez, bringing back Ludwick appears to be the right call. However, it's not the team's only option.

Ludwick, 32, earned $5.45MM in 2010 and will enter his final year of arbitration eligibility. While his overall numbers (.251/.325/.418, 17 HR) were slightly disappointing, he should still be a line for a small bump in salary, making him one of the highest-paid Padres heading into next season. While $6MM+ will be well-spent on stars like Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, Ludwick's stock isn't quite as high. After coming over from St. Louis, the outfielder hit just .211/.301/.330 in 239 plate appearances as a Padre. The sample size is small and the change in home park has to be taken into account, but San Diego will clearly be expecting improvement from Ludwick if he's on next year's roster.

Hoyer has said he's open at least to listening on trade offers for Gonzalez and Bell, but there are a few factors working against dealing Ludwick. Not only could Ludwick's second-half struggles scare away interested teams, but the 32-year-old means more to the Padres than he would to most other clubs. Given San Diego's pitcher's park and limited payroll, they'll have trouble bringing any big free agent bats to town; plus, the club's outfield and lineup would become even thinner if non-tender candidate Scott Hairston isn't retained.

As Brock notes in a separate tweet, the Padres acquired Ludwick from St. Louis this summer in part because the outfielder had an additional year of team control. So it seems San Diego's best plan of action is bringing back Ludwick and hoping that he helps the team contend for the postseason in 2011. If things aren't going well by next year's trade deadline, the club could consider cutting their losses by moving the former Cardinal at that point. What do you think? Is retaining Ludwick the right move for the Padres?

Odds & Ends: Ludwick, Lee, D’Backs, Mets, Red Sox

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Links for Wednesday night, as we congratulate Roy Halladay for throwing baseball's first postseason no-hitter in over 50 years….

  • In a radio appearance, Jed Hoyer "essentially guarantees" that Ryan Ludwick will be a Padre next season, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. Ludwick will be owed an arbitration raise on this year's $5.45MM salary.
  • The Rangers are aware that Cliff Lee's outing earlier today may have driven up his offseason price tag, writes Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. "That's a good problem to have," according to GM Jon Daniels.
  • Kevin Towers has made his first major front office shake-up, firing D'Backs scouting director Tom Allison, as Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports reports. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic confirms the move and adds a few details.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman suggests (via Twitter) that Terry Ryan may not be interested in the Mets' GM position. For his part, Ryan had no comment when Newsday's Ken Davidoff (Twitter link) asked him about the possibility.
  • New England Sports Ventures' purchase of the Liverpool Football Club will not adversely affect the group's investment in the Red Sox, according to WEEI's Alex Speier.
  • The Blue Jays will interview Rick Renteria for their managerial opening, tweets Corey Brock. Assuming Renteria isn't hired by another club as its manager, he'll be the Padres' bench coach next season (Twitter link).

Pirates Notes: Payroll, Manager, Alvarez

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Pirates president Frank Coonelly stopped by MLB.com today for his monthly chat with fans. With the Pirates' season over, the questions focused on the team's upcoming winter. Here are the highlights from the chat:

  • The Pirates' have the capacity to "meaningfully increase" their payroll for next season, after spending $44MM on their 2010 roster.
  • Coonelly shot down rumors suggesting that Andy Van Slyke has interviewed for the Pirates' managerial opening. The club has only interviewed Eric Wedge so far, and is still in the process of compiling a full list of candidates.
  • Coonelly didn't rule out some of Pittsburgh's coaches being retained by the new manager, but noted that the on-field staff has been given the freedom to explore other opportunities.
  • Despite Pedro Alvarez's occasional struggles at third base (he posted a -8.0 UZR/150 this season), the team has no plans to move him across the diamond to first base.
  • While Coonelly praised the organization's minor league starting pitching, he conceded that many of their young arms may not be ready to contribute at the major league level next year. As such, starting pitching will be targeted through free agency or trades.
  • The Pirates will use free agency to supplement their core talent; Coonelly says the team intends to "aggressively pursue" players who can fill needs.

Rangers Claim Ryan Tucker, DFA Rich Harden

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The Rangers have claimed Ryan Tucker off waivers from the Marlins, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter). To make room on their roster for Tucker, Texas designated Rich Harden for assignment, tweets MLB Network Radio Executive Producer Brent S. Gambill.

Tucker, 23, was selected 34th overall by the Marlins in the supplemental round of the 2005 draft. Though Baseball America ranked him as Florida's sixth-best prospect prior to the season, the right-hander struggled in 32 minor league appearances this year, posting a 5.72 ERA over 67.2 innings. Tucker enjoyed his best season in 2008, when he was named the Marlins' minor league pitcher of the year and made 13 appearances for the big league club.

Harden, meanwhile, signed a one-year contract last winter which includes an $11MM mutual option for 2011. Considering the righty didn't even pitch well enough this year to crack the Rangers' ALDS roster, the team figures to have to pay the $1MM buyout.

Managerial Notes: Mariners, Valentine, Porter

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Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik is on the lookout for a new manager and, like many teams, the Mariners are likely to conduct much of their search in the coming month. Here is the latest on the Mariners and other clubs around the league:

  • Former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons confirmed to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that the Mariners asked permission to interview him for their managerial vacancy. The Toronto Sun first reported the Mariners' interest in Gibbons yesterday.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that Ted Simmons is high on Seattle's wish list. Simmons has just about everything the Mariners are looking for, including connections with Zduriencik. Interestingly enough, Simmons signed Elmer Dessens and Jose Guillen when he was the Pirates GM in the early 1990s.
  • Joey Cora is another possibility for the Mariners, according to Heyman.
  • Baker hears that Bobby Valentine is still in the mix for the Mariners job.
  • Valentine, Jim Fregosi, Tony Pena and Bo Porter are candidates for the Marlins job according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. 
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes that Porter is a candidate to manage the Pirates (Twitter link).

Cardinals Exercise Pujols’ 2011 Option

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The Cardinals officially announced their decision to exercise Albert Pujols’ 2011 option, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As anticipated, they chose to pay the first baseman $16MM instead of buying him out for $5MM.

The perennial MVP candidate led the National League in homers (42) for a second consecutive season in 2010. He also batted .312/.414/.596 and played in all but three of his team's games. Since arriving in the major leagues a decade ago, Pujols has played in 143 games or more every season without ever batting less than .312, posting an OBP below .394 or posting a slugging average below .561.

After 2011, the $100MM deal Pujols signed in 2004 will expire and he's scheduled to hit the open market. The Cardinals may look to extend the first baseman this winter and, if they do reach an agreement, they could re-negotiate his 2011 salary. If not, Pujols will likely be a bargain once again.

Padres Claim Jarrett Hoffpauir

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The Padres claimed Jarrett Hoffpauir off of waivers from the Blue Jays, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). To create roster space for their new acquisition, the Padres designated catcher Chris Stewart for assignment.

Hoffpauir, 27, hasn't done much in 53 big league plate appearances, but he has succeeded in the minor leagues. He batted .295/.376/.494 in Triple-A this year, belting 16 homers. Las Vegas is a hitter-friendly environment, but Hoffpauir posted similar numbers in the Cardinals system a year ago when he batted .291/.357/.486.

Hoffpauir has spent most of his minor league career at second base, but he has played third and short, too. The 2004 sixth rounder provides the Padres with organizational depth and the promise of some offense.

GM Jed Hoyer has already made a number of low-risk additions in his first year leading the Padres. He added Jody Gerut, Nick Green, Wily Mo Pena, Josh Barfield, Mark Worrell and Chris Denorfia on minor league deals and claimed Radhames Liz off of waivers.

Pujols, Furcal Have Ten And Five Rights

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Albert Pujols and Rafael Furcal both saw their limited no-trade clauses become full no-trade clauses this week. The players now have ten and five rights, since they have spent ten or more seasons in the big leagues, including at least five with their current teams.

The Cardinals, who wouldn't have reason to trade Pujols even if they were able to do so without his permission, will soon exercise their $16MM option for the first baseman. That will keep Pujols in St. Louis through 2011, but the Cardinals could look to sign him to a long-term deal this winter.

Furcal is under contract through 2011 at $12MM. He'll automatically earn the same amount in 2012 if he makes 600 plate appearances next year, but the Dodgers could pick up the 2012 option even if Furcal doesn't reach 600 plate appearances.

Furcal, Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki all picked up ten and five rights as the season ended. Jimmy Rollins, A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle joined the club earlier in the season.

Odds & Ends: Ortiz, Brewers, Rasmus

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Links for Wednesday, as the playoffs finally begin…

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