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Draft Bonuses Last Major Issue In CBA Talks

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The last major issue remaining in discussions about a new collective bargaining agreement is signing bonuses for amateur draft picks, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press (link via the Miami Herald). Representatives for MLB and the MLB Players Association met yesterday in New York to discuss the upcoming CBA.

Commissioner Bud Selig wants to cap amateur signing bonuses with a slotting system. However, the players’ union opposes the idea of limiting draft bonuses for amateurs. Discussions about draft bonuses are tied to other parts of the agreement, according to Blum — not surprising given the nature of multi-variable negotiations. 

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wrote last week that Selig is unlikely to fight hard for slotting since doing so would risk extending the negotiations. Selig repeated later in the week that slotting is “really critical" for him.

Yankees Aim To Sign Sabathia Before Opt-Out Date

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9:07pm: The Yankees are "close to completing" a new offer for Sabathia, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times.

9:36am: If the World Series ends tonight, Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia could opt out of his contract as early as tomorrow.  The Yankees, however, hope to quickly take Sabathia off the market by signing him before he opts out, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.

Yankees' brass is currently meeting in Tampa.  King says they are "believed to be OK with a five or six-year deal for an obvious raise over his $23MM a year," but they don't want to go to seven or eight years.  If they propose something like six years and $150MM, that might be enough to prevent Sabathia from exploring the open market.  I think it's possible he could find something like seven years at a $24MM salary on the open market, but there's no guarantee.  Now, if the Yankees won't guarantee a sixth year, I think C.C. is going to have to explore the market.  Guaranteeing a sixth year from the start would give the Yankees a good chance of keeping Sabathia off the market, in my opinion. 

In a poll of almost 8,000 MLBTR readers earlier this month, opinions were divided on the expected total of Sabathia's new deal.  18% of those polled predicted a contract in the $121-130MM range, while 14% saw a deal exceeding $170MM.  For MLBTR's full archive of Sabathia rumors, click here.  Click here for a look at all the available starting pitchers on the free agent market.

Front Office Notes: Tigers, Epstein, Red Sox, Padres

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Here are some notes from front offices around MLB, as the Angels continue interviewing candidates for their GM job…

  • Tigers assistant GM Al Avila told MLB.com's Jason Beck that he's happy to stay in Detroit, where the Tigers have a good thing going under president and GM Dave Dombrowski. The Tigers denied the Orioles and Angels permission to interview Avila this offseason and have made similar denials in the past. For more on Avila’s development as an executive, check out my piece about him from August.
  • Andy MacPhail was a two-time World Series winner when he went from the Twins to the Cubs in 1994. He told Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com that he sees similarities between himself and current Cubs president Theo Epstein, but says it’s now a "different kettle of fish" because fans  generally have higher expectations.
  • Epstein promised not to raid Boston's front office to staff his baseball operations department in Chicago, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
  • Earlier tonight, the Cubs and Padres confirmed that San Diego GM Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod will leave the Padres to accept positions with Epstein in Chicago. Meanwhile, Josh Byrnes is becoming the Padres' new GM.  
  • The Padres will acquire compensation for Hoyer and Byrnes after this December's Rule 5 Draft, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter).

AL East Notes: Ortiz, Chavez, Shoppach

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The Orioles are searching for a new GM and the four other AL East teams have begun preparations for the coming offseason. The latest links from the division:

Hoyer, McLeod To Join Cubs; Byrnes Now Padres GM

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Theo Epstein's first deal as the Cubs' president of baseball operations may be one of the most significant moves of his tenure in Chicago. The Cubs and Padres have confirmed that San Diego GM Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod will leave the Padres to accept positions with Epstein. 

Once the World Series ends, the Cubs will introduce Hoyer as their executive VP and general manager and McLeod as their senior VP of scouting and player development. The Cubs will send the Padres a player to be named later as compensation for the two executives.

Meanwhile, Josh Byrnes will be introduced as San Diego's executive vice president and general manager next Monday, according to the Padres. Byrnes, formerly the Padres' senior VP of baseball operations, worked under current Padres CEO Jeff Moorad in Arizona, so he already knows his boss well. Byrnes was Arizona's GM from 2005-10, leading the Diamondbacks to a division title in 2007 before losing his job last July. MLBTR's Transaction Tracker offers a look back at his moves as the club's GM.

The NL West has featured some noteworthy personnel changes in the past year and a half. A.J. Hinch, the former D'Backs manager who was fired along with Byrnes last July, is now San Diego's assistant GM, so Hinch and Byrnes, two former D'Backs, now run the Padres while a longtime Padres executive, Kevin Towers, runs the D'Backs.

Byrnes worked with Epstein and Hoyer in Boston before leaving for Arizona. Before Hoyer obtained the San Diego job, he worked for Epstein as Boston's assistant GM from 2006-09. McLeod was Boston's scouting director from 2005-09.

Manager Notes: Red Sox, Sandberg, Mariners

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The Nationals are expected to announce that Davey Johnson will return to the dugout in 2012 soon after the World Series ends. Here are more notes on MLB’s managers…

  • Peter Gammons of MLB Network said on WEEI that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington thinks outside the box and mentioned Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux as managerial possibilities for Boston. Sveum, a 12-year MLB veteran, managed the Brewers on an interim basis in 2008 and Maddux is the Rangers' pitching coach. Justin Doubleday has more details at WEEI.com.
  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said on ESPN 1000's The Waddle & Silvy Show that he's going to speak with manager Mike Quade in the coming days. Talk about bringing a certain Hall of Famer in to replace Quade is premature, according to Epstein. "Ryne Sandberg obviously was a great Cub, great player, great guy by all accounts, but he's a Philadelphia Phillie,” Epstein said. “He's a Triple-A manager. It would be just so premature for us to talk about that."
  • Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times explains that Epstein and Sandberg have been avoiding questions about whether Sandberg could manage for the Cubs.
  • The Mariners announced that their entire coaching staff will return in 2012. “I feel we made progress this season,” manager Eric Wedge said in a statement, “and this group was a big part of it."

Dodgers Bankruptcy Trial Delayed

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5:01pm: MLB is in talks with McCourt to try to make him sell the team, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).  Bill Shaikin of the LA Times confirms that McCourt and MLB discussed a settlement yesterday (Twitter link).

12:52pm: Settlement talks are expected to take place before the new trial date, reports Shaikin.

10:59am: The Dodgers bankruptcy trial has been delayed, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.  The trial initially had been scheduled for October 31st through November 4th, but for unknown reasons it has been moved to November 29th through December 2nd.  Baseball's Winter Meetings take place from December 5-8, so as Shaikin notes, there's no way current owner Frank McCourt could be replaced that quickly after the trial even if MLB succeeds in ousting him.  Shaikin explains the focus of the bankruptcy hearing: "Can McCourt sell the Dodgers' television rights, over the objections of Fox Sports and Major League Baseball, and can the commissioner get the judge to order the Dodgers sold?"  

My Dodgers Offseason Outlook was published on Tuesday, check it out.

AL Central Notes: Cabrera, Jimenez, Sizemore

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On this date in 2005, the White Sox won their first World Series since 1917, completing a sweep of the Astros behind a strong outing from Freddy Garcia. Here's the latest news from the AL Central…

  • Royals GM Dayton Moore told Dick Kaegel of MLB.com that he expects to work out a one-year deal with Melky Cabrera instead of exploring a multiyear extension with the center fielder. Cabrera, who will be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, posted a .305/.339/.470 line with 18 homers, 20 stolen bases and 201 hits in 2011. MLBTR projects a 2012 salary of $4.4MM for the 27-year-old.
  • Rany Jazayerli explores the starting pitching trade market from the perspective of the Royals and lists A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Wandy Rodriguez and Ted Lilly as arms Moore could pursue. These possible targets have substantial contracts to go along with experience and some ability.
  • MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian points out that Justin Verlander rebounded from a disappointing 2008 season to become one of baseball’s best pitchers and wonders if Indians right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez could experience a similar renaissance in 2012. 
  • Bastian also points out that Matt LaPorta doesn’t have a guaranteed job heading into Spring Training and notes that acquiring Mike Napoli would be tremendously difficult for the Indians.
  • The Indians have talked to Joe Urbon, Grady Sizemore's agent, about re-negotiating the center fielder's $9MM option into a multiyear deal for similar money, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It doesn’t look like the sides will re-structure Sizemore’s contract, however.

Minor Moves: Dale Thayer

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Here’s where we’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves…

  • Right-hander Dale Thayer elected free agency, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Mets removed the 30-year-old from their 40-man roster last Friday. Thayer spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 2.66 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 71 innings over the course of 54 relief appearances. Though he's probably not more than an 11th or 12th pitcher on a Major League staff, his minor league numbers suggest he may have value as a depth signing on a minor league deal.

Angels GM News: Levine, Evans, Eppler, Oppenheimer

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The latest on the Angels' GM opening…

  • The Angels are expected to obtain permission from the Rangers to interview assistant GM Thad Levine once the World Series ends, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. 
  • Former Dodgers GM Dan Evans will interview for the job Thursday or Friday, according to DiGiovanna (on Twitter).
  • DiGiovanna points out that Rays executive VP of baseball operations hasn't pulled himself out of the running for the job.
  • Yankees draft guru Damon Oppenheimer will not be called back for a second interview, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but director of professional scouting Billy Eppler will speak to the Angels again.
  • Kim Ng will interview for the position today, tweets Heyman.
  • Omar Minaya, Andrew Friedman, Jerry Dipoto, and Rick Hahn still appear to be under consideration, while Thad Levine and Dan Evans could also interview.

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