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Beinfest Talks Offseason Plans

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Earlier today, Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest gave his end-of-season address in which he said that he never felt that his club was playoff-caliber this year.  Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald has the goods..

  • This winter, the Fish hope to improve their bullpen.  Beinfest hopes to strike a better balance between lefty and righty arms as he upgrades the quality and depth of the team's relievers.  Florida's 'pen turned in a 4.04 ERA this season, 18th in the majors.  The Marlins could certainly use someone like Rafael Soriano of the Rays but his expected salary demands will likely be too rich for their blood.
  • Meanwhile, Florida wants to name their next manager and solidify their coaching staff as soon as possible.  According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Beinfest told reporters that the club has a short list of about four or five managers.  The Marlins have not yet asked clubs for permission to speak to prospective candidates.  A few weeks ago we heard that Bobby Valentine was still in the mix though some reports say that doesn't seem to be the case.  The only coach who is certain to return is Randy St. Claire as he is under contract for 2011 and will return.
  • Beinfest told reporters that the club did not make the strides defensively that he had hoped they would.  The president of baseball operations wondered aloud if the team would have to make acquisitions to improve their fielding.

Odds & Ends: Gross, Cubs, Dunn, Ellis, Pujols

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Links for the final day of the 2010 regular season…

Cubs GM Says Zambrano Will Stay

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Cubs GM Jim Hendry says that Carlos Zambrano will remain with the club next season, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  Even though the hurler said earlier this year that he would waive his no-trade clause, Hendry says that he never anticipated dealing him.

"I've never assumed that he really wanted to go," the GM said Sunday. "He earned the contract that he got. I've always assumed that he will be pitching for the Cubs. I'm glad he's righted the ship and had a really good end."

Even if Zambrano doesn't change zip codes in 2011, several Cubs could as the club may look to trim payroll.  Hendry has yet to meet with owner Tom Ricketts about 2011's budget but the GM says that he expects it to be lower than this year.  The Cubs owned the highest payroll in the National League this season.

Tightening the belt could mean that the Cubs won't be able to land a major free agent such as Adam Dunn, which Zambrano suggested that they do earlier today.  Hendry refused to comment on Big Z's suggestion, citing tampering rules.

White Sox GM Frustrated With Jenks

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Comments made earlier today by White Sox GM Ken Williams make closer Bobby Jenks' return less likely, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com.  Jenks is eligible for arbitration but could find himself non-tendered this winter.

"That's something we have to evaluate strongly because I've been disappointed on a number of levels," the GM said. "And there are certain things that I'm not going to talk about right now." 

Jenks, 29, has missed significant time this year due to a series of injuries.  In 55 appearances, the closer turned in an ERA of 4.44 with 10.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.  While Williams acknowledged that Jenks has accomplished great things in Chicago, he seems to know that retaining him might not make financial sense.  The righty earned $7.5MM in 2010 and is likely to receive a raise in arbitration.

In a recent poll, 85% of MLBTR readers said that they expect the White Sox to non-tender Jenks this winter.

Diamondbacks To Retain Gibson

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The Diamondbacks are expected yo announce on Monday that they will retain manager Kirk Gibson with a two-year deal, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com.  Meanwhile, GM Kevin Towers says that there will be changes to the coaching staff.

Dipoto will also stay with the Diamondbacks in a newly created position, Vice President of scouting and player personnel.  However, Dipoto has been given permission to speak with other teams about a general manager's position.  The Mets, in particular, are said to be interested in him.

Steve Gilbert of MLB.com first reported that a deal with Gibson was "expected" to be announced on Monday (via Twitter).

Tigers Will Not Pursue Cliff Lee Or Other Top Starters

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The Tigers will not pursue free agent-to-be Cliff Lee or another top tier free agent starter this offseason, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. That does not mean they will only go after back-of-the-rotation starters, however.

Detroit already boasts a frontline starter in Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer has been outstanding (153.2 IP, 2.46 ERA, 9.25 K/9) after a brief demotion to the minors in May. Those two and Rick Porcello are the only guys guaranteed spots in the Tigers rotation next year, but reliever Phil Coke will reportedly transition to starting according to John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press. Other internal option include Armando Galarraga and Andy Oliver.

The free agent market offers plenty of help beyond Lee, with quality second tier options like Hiroki Kuroda, Jorge de la Rosa, and Ted Lilly. Aaron Harang, Jon Garland, and Bronson Arroyo might also be available depending on whether or not their options are exercised. 

Dickey May Be Open To Multi-Year Deal With Mets

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The Mets expressed a willingness to discuss a multi-year deal with R.A. Dickey early last month, and it appears that the knuckleballer may be open to the possibility as well according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. The idea would be to trade long-term security for a lower base salary, giving the team some financial flexibility going forward.

Dickey, 36 at the end of the month, was a revelation for the Mets this year. He made 26 starts (and one relief appearance) after being called up in May, and pitched to a 2.84 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Arbitration-eligible after the season, Dickey earned just $600K in the big leagues this season. It was the fourth season in a row that he had to settle for a minor league contract.

Within the same piece, Rubin notes that backup catcher Henry Blanco intends to play next season, and that Elmer Dessens will do the same only if he gets a guaranteed big league deal somewhere. The 38-year-old Blanco hit .215/.271/.300 in 144 plate appearances this year while Dessens posted a shiny 2.30 ERA despite unimpressive peripheral stats (3.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9) in 47 innings of relief.

Tigers Will Not Pick Up Magglio Ordonez’s Option, Have Talked With Inge About Multi-Year Deal

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GM Dave Dombrowski announced that the Tigers will not pick up Magglio Ordonez's $15MM club option for 2011, reports Tom Gage of The Detroit News. Dombrowski did say that the team remains open-minded about bringing Ordonez back, however.

Meanwhile, Dombrowski also said the team wants to bring third baseman Brandon Inge back, and confirmed that the two sides have discussed a multi-year deal. Jhonny Peralta is another player they'd like to bring back according to Gage. The Tigers did however inform Johnny Damon and Gerald Laird that they will not be re-signed, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (via Twitter). Dombrowski added that they "most likely" will choose not to pursue Jeremy Bonderman either.

Ordonez's option was likely to vest if not for a season ending-ankle injury in late-July. He hit .303/.378/.474 with more walks (40) than strikeouts (38) in 365 plate appearances before the injury, a nice rebound from a down 2009 campaign. Inge is in the final season of a four-year, $24MM deal, though his .247/.321/.392 batting line is the worst of any full season of his career. Thankfully his defense at the hot corner is strong, with a +10.3 UZR since 2008. A multi-year offer might be too good for Inge to pass up.

Peralta was acquired from the Indians at the trade deadline, and hit .254/.315/.399 in 238 plate appearances for Detroit. He played mostly shortstop after the trade, the most action he's gotten at the position since 2008. The Tigers hold a $7MM club option for his services next season, but they'll likely buy that out for $250K and attempt to negotiate a lower salary.

Damon hit .271/.355/.401 after signing a one-year, $8MM deal last offseason, while Laird mustered just a .218/.289/.313 batting line in his two seasons with Detroit. He's fantastic defensively though, having thrown out 72 of 189 potential base stealers (38.1%) during that time. The 27-year-old Bonderman stayed healthy for the first time since 2007 this year, though he posted a 5.53 ERA in 171 innings. He's just wrapping up a four-year, $38MM deal and will hit free agency for the first time.

O’Dowd: Re-Signing De La Rosa Is “A Priority”

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The Rockies made a valiant late season charge at a playoff spot, but they ultimately fell short and will miss the postseason for the second time in four years. We've already heard that GM Dan O'Dowd wants to acquire an impact bat this offseason, but he now tells Troy Renck of The Denver Post that re-signing Jorge de la Rosa is a priority.

"He is a priority. I don't know how to gauge that yet," O'Dowd said. "Adding a middle-of-the-rotation starter is a priority. And we would certainly like that to be Jorge."

De La Rosa missed close to three months with a torn flexor band on his left middle finger, but he was rock solid in the 20 starts he was able to make: 121.2 innings, 4.22 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9. Aside from a drop in strikeout rate (9.4 K/9 in 2009), the southpaw was able to repeat his 2009 breakout performance.

The Rockies tried to lock De La Rosa up last winter to a two-year, $8.75MM contract with an option for a third year, but he instead opted for a one-year deal that paid him $5.6MM in 2010 and allows him to hit the open market after the season. The 29-year-old could be in line for an annual salary of $7MM or more on a multi-year deal, so he likely made himself some extra money by passing on Colorado's offer. 

Tim looked at De La Rosa's free agent stock back in April, but more recently one unnamed GM cautioned that he could be "the next Oliver Perez."

Pirates Expected To Fire Russell, Keep Huntington

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After posting the worst record in baseball and an 18th consecutive losing season, the Pirates are expected to fire manager John Russell after today's game according to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. GM Neal Huntington is expected to remain. Both men are under contract through the 2011 season.

In three seasons under Huntington and Russell, the Pirates have gone 186-297. Their 57-104 record in 2010 is representative of how poorly they've played; Pittsburgh is dead last in the league in ERA (5.00), UZR (-63.9) and third-worst in OPS (.679). There is no word about the fate of Russell's coaching staff, but Kovacevic notes that most of them have contracts that expire after the season.

Huntington's plan has been clear since taking over: he wants to rebuild the team through the farm system. Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez, and Neil Walker have already broken in with the big league team, and at $30.6MM, the Pirates have spent more money on the draft since 2008 than any other club. They've also been aggressive in pursuing elite international free agents, most notably Miguel Sano.

Building from within takes time, especially when Huntington didn't inherit much talent to begin with. That said, 18 losing seasons is 18 losing seasons, and blame apparently fell on Russell's shoulders.

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