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Poll: Which Team Will Win The World Series?

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It's taken years of trades, signings and draft picks for the 2010 playoff teams to get this far. A month from now, one of them will make baseball history and win it all. The Rays or Rangers could win that elusive first World Championship; the Yankees could win yet another one; the Braves could send Bobby Cox to retirement in style. At this point it's nearly impossible to predict who will win it all, but let's not let that stop us from trying.

Who will win the 2010 World Series?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

GM/Manager Notes: Mets, Samuel, Gibbons

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With several GM and manager positions opening up at the end of the season, teams have begun identifying potential candidates.  Let's take a look at who is generating interest..

  • The Marlins will not allow the Mets to interview Jennings, a source tells MLB.com's Anthony Dicomo.
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter) hears that Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings is still in the running for the Mets GM job.  Earlier today it was reported that the Mets had asked for permission to talk to Jennings and fellow Marlins execs Larry Beinfest and Mike Hill but are likely to be denied.  However, Crasnick tweets that Jennings does not need Florida's permission to interview with several clubs and the Mets are on his list.
  • Juan Samuel is getting plenty of attention from teams, writes Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.  The former O's interim skipper will "likely interview" for the vacancies in Pittsburgh and Seattle.  After Baltimore fired manager Dave Trembley, Samuel led the squad to a 17-34 mark.  Samuel could also interview in Toronto as he is close with several members of the Blue Jays organization, including Cito Gaston.
  • Speaking of the Blue Jays, former Toronto manager John Gibbons could wind up in Seattle.  Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun tweets that the Mariners have asked for and received permission to interview him from the Royals where he is presently the bench coach.  The 48-year-old had an even .500 record with Toronto, leading them to a 305-305 record from 2004 through 2008.

What They Were Saying: AL East GMs

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The American League East has its share of well-established general managers, but these executives were once fresh-faced up and comers. Andy MacPhail, Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein, Andrew Friedman and Alex Anthopoulos are now at different stages in their careers, but they were all relatively young when they took over teams for the first time. Here's how those five GMs were described at the time of their first GM gigs:

Alex Anthopoulos 

“Two hours into the conversation and Alex Anthopoulos has barely taken a breath. He is that excited, that engaging, that much the chatterbox, that wide-eyed, that ready to take on the world and Blue Jays baseball.” – Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun, October 8th, 2009

Andrew Friedman

Friedman is “the cherubic-faced 29-year-old general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays … scanning his BlackBerry for trade offers and checking pitch counts.” –  Landon Thomas Jr., The New York Times, April 2, 2006

Theo Epstein

“The trappings of power mean little to him; what happens on the field is what counts. This is a young man in a hurry, and the fans are sure to be right at his heels.” – Bella English, The Boston Globe, December 5th, 2002

Brian Cashman

“Cashman, the new general manager of the Yankees, an affable 30-year-old with thinning brown hair and glasses, is accustomed to the dreary 18-hour days and to George Steinbrenner's yelping. Cashman, a strong negotiator and savvy administrator who admitted that evaluating talent is not his strength, confronts a position that Joe Torre calls the most arduous in baseball.” – Jack Curry, The New York Times, Feburary 4th, 1998

Andy MacPhail

MacPhail is “the son of former American League president and current president of the Player Relations Committee Lee MacPhail.” – United Press International, July 19, 1985

Olney On Werth, Damon, Marlins

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The playoffs are about to start, but that doesn't mean the rumors ever stop. Here are your latest hot stove notes from ESPN.com’s Buster Olney.

  • Jayson Werth may benefit from the anticipated bidding frenzy for Carl Crawford. Teams that miss out on Crawford could go hard after Werth, who’s well-positioned for a big payday no matter what happens with Crawford.
  • Some evaluators don’t think Johnny Damon can play full time in the outfield. Olney suggests Oakland or Kansas City could have interest in Damon as a fourth outfielder and part-time DH.
  • People in MLB front offices believe that the Marlins aren’t developing quite as much talent as they once did. One talent evaluator suggests the Marlins may have to lock up their current players to remain competitive. Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco are both extension candidates, but the Marlins aren’t close to signing either of them.

Angels Owner Prepared To Spend

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Angels owner Arte Moreno says he plans to spend aggressively to send his team back to the postseason. Moreno told Bill Plaschke of the LA Times that he dislikes losing and will do everything he can to improve the Angels.

"We know where our weaknesses are, we know where we are thin, we know where we have to go to market," Moreno said. "It's going to cost money, but our fans need to know what we're committed to winning."

Moreno said he hopes to sign an outfielder who creates runs. Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, who are both free agents this winter, are potential targets for the Angels. Both will likely be expensive, but Moreno said he’s prepared to complement homegrown players like Jered Weaver with free agents.

"Championship teams develop their players like we have, we know that," Moreno said. "But sometimes when the prospects aren't there, you have to bridge that area, and I'm willing to do that."

GM Tony Reagins may pursue relievers, third basemen and outfielders this offseason as the Angels look to return to their winning ways. The team finished below .500 (80-82) for the first time since 2003 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. It has been apparent for weeks that the Angels will be able to spend and it now seems like Reagins will have the flexibility to bid on whichever free agents fit the Angels' needs best.

2011 MLB Draft Order

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We've updated our reverse standings to sort out teams that had the same record in 2010.  The team with the worse record in '09 gets the better pick in '11 in those cases.  So, click here to see the 2011 draft order for the first round.  Because of compensation picks for the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Brewers within the top 15, the Tigers have the first unprotected pick at #19.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Theriot, Padres, Reds, Harper

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Some links on the eve of playoff baseball..

  • The Dodgers have asked Rick Honeycutt to return next season but the pitching coach is weighing his options, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner takes a look at potential second base candidates for the M's in 2011.  Ryan Theriot, who was less-than-stellar for the Cubs and Dodgers this season, is among the players listed.
  • Jerry Hairston Jr. told Jim Bowden of XM Radio (via Twitter) that he wants to return to the Padres in 2011.
  • The Reds could be in position to contend for years to come if they keep their key pieces, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • While the O's projected rotation for 2011 is young, GM Andy MacPhail hasn't ruled out the possibility of bringing a veteran aboard to fill the place of pending free agent Kevin Millwood.
  • The Nats probably won't have Bryce Harper play in the Arizona Fall League this year, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • You can expect a busy winter in San Diego, writes Bill Center of the Union-Tribune.
  • Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln and GM Jack Zduriencik sent a letter to fans promising better times ahead.  Larry Stone of The Seattle Times notes that Josh Lueke was omitted from a list of the system's "hard-throwing pitchers".
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) believes that the Mets should hire Logan White as their next GM.
  • The Pirates have interviewed Eric Wedge for their vacant managerial opening, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives his thoughts on John Russell's tenure as Pirates skipper.

Poll: Will The Jays Re-Sign Buck?

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This season, John Buck was afforded a fresh start in Toronto and churned out his best offensive season to date.  The 30-year-old catcher hit .281/.314/.489 with 20 homers in 118 games.  After being non-tendered by the Royals in 2009, Buck made his first All-Star team in 2010.  All in all, a solid year for a guy making $2MM on a one year deal.

However, with J.P Arencibia waiting in the wings, some have wondered if there's room for Buck on the Blue Jays in 2011.  Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos said that while he will explore bringing back Buck, the veteran backstop has earned a long-term contract and a starting job.  The question is: Will Buck get that opportunity in Toronto?  Arencibia had a stellar year in Triple-A, posting a slash line of .301/.359/.626 with 32 homers in 104 games.  With numbers like those, one has to wonder if the 24-year-old's learning curve will be steep enough to justify retaining a player who is six years his senior.

Will the Blue Jays re-sign Buck?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Wright Hopes To Stay With Mets

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Earlier this week, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon caused a bit of a stir when he said that he "couldn't imagine" dealing David Wright, but would be willing to listen if the new GM proposed an idea.  Even though front office changes in Queens could result in a major roster shakeup, the third baseman told Dan Martin of the New York Post that he wants to remain with the Mets.

"Of course I'd love to stay with the team that I grew up rooting for and who drafted and developed me, but as of right now that's not in my control…I hope I remain with the team and I'm part of the solution that gets this thing turned around," Wright told the newspaper in an e-mail.

Wright, who turns 28 in December, is under contract through 2012 with a club option for 2013.  He's slated to earn $14MM in 2011, $15MM in 2012, and $16MM in the club option year which could also be bought out for $1MM.

The five-time All-Star turned in a .283/.354/.503 line with 29 homers in 670 plate appearances this season.

Type A and B Free Agents

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Based on Eddie Bajek's reverse-engineered Elias rankings, 83 free agents will be ranked Type A or B for the 2010-11 offseason.  Right now there are 33 Type A and 50 Type B free agents.  The list is below.  The deadline for teams to offer arbitration to their own free agents is November 23rd.  Prior to that date this list will shrink quite a bit, as certain players have options that will obviously be exercised, others will sign extensions, and Wagner and Lowell will retire.  If recent history is any indication, 23-24 free agents will ultimately be offered arbitration.  Keep in mind that unless a player is offered arbitration and turns it down to sign a Major League deal with another club, there is no draft pick compensation.

Type A

Albert Pujols – 96.667
Jayson Werth – 92.000
Rafael Soriano – 91.771
Derek Jeter – 91.304
Mariano Rivera – 88.609
Victor Martinez – 87.054
Cliff Lee – 86.932
Matt Thornton – 86.094
Carl Crawford – 84.615
Billy Wagner – 83.650
Adrian Beltre – 82.313
A.J. Pierzynski – 80.804
Andy Pettitte – 80.682
Vladimir Guerrero – 80.000
Ted Lilly – 79.950
Jason Kubel – 79.744
Bronson Arroyo – 79.538
Matt Guerrier – 79.483
Paul Konerko – 78.095
Magglio Ordonez – 77.436
Miguel Tejada – 76.720
Manny Ramirez – 76.154
Scott Downs – 76.069
Carl Pavano – 75.000
Ramon Hernandez – 74.517
Mark Ellis – 74.405
Dan Wheeler – 74.218
Jorge de la Rosa – 74.092
Jason Frasor – 73.446
Grant Balfour – 72.727
Frank Francisco – 72.584
Arthur Rhodes – 72.076
Takashi Saito – 69.749

Type B

David Ortiz – 75.000
Johnny Damon – 74.359
Derrek Lee – 74.167
Adam Dunn – 74.167
Hideki Matsui – 73.333
Javier Vazquez – 71.875
Jon Garland – 71.452
Brad Hawpe – 71.026
Bengie Molina – 72.321
Scott Podsednik – 70.588
Orlando Hudson – 70.238
Brandon Inge – 68.707
Jon Rauch – 68.541
Koji Uehara – 67.733
John Buck – 67.411
Felipe Lopez – 66.964
Brian Fuentes – 66.906
Pedro Feliciano – 66.733
Joaquin Benoit – 66.727
Kevin Gregg – 66.673
Orlando Cabrera – 66.667
Lance Berkman – 66.667
Octavio Dotel – 66.442
Juan Uribe – 65.608
Miguel Olivo – 65.251
Carlos Pena – 64.762
Jason Varitek – 64.732
David Eckstein – 64.732
Mike Lowell – 64.626
Jhonny Peralta – 63.946
Yorvit Torrealba – 63.707
Trevor Hoffman – 63.043
Kerry Wood – 62.666
Aramis Ramirez – 62.637
Jose Reyes – 62.434
Randy Choate – 62.379
J.J. Putz – 61.876
Adam LaRoche – 61.667
Omar Infante – 61.607
Alex Gonzalez – 61.376
Jesse Crain – 60.690
Gerald Laird – 60.045
Aubrey Huff – 60.000
Rod Barajas – 59.459
Hisanori Takahashi – 58.650
Aaron Heilman – 58.512
Chad Durbin – 58.359
Kevin Millwood – 58.049
Kevin Correia – 57.261
Chad Qualls – 56.126

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