The Orioles’ GM Search: Watson, White
The Orioles have already interviewed Diamondbacks senior vice president Jerry Dipoto and Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays for their vacant General Manager job. Who else will be considered for the post?
- The Orioles have received permission from the Dodgers to interview De Jon Watson for their GM position, an industry source tells Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Watson serves as the Dodgers' assistant GM and player development director and recently spoke to Ben Nicholson-Smith about possibly becoming a GM.
- Watson's interview should take place early next week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, Connolly tweets.
- There were doubts whether Los Angeles would grant the Orioles permission to speak to Watson, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Yesterday, the Marlins officially denied the club permission to interview Dan Jennings.
- Meanwhile, the O's have yet to ask permission to speak with Dodgers assistant GM Logan White, says Connolly (via Twitter). That conversation could still take place as the Orioles are expected to talk to a few more people before they conclude their search. White was profiled in our GM Candidate series earlier this month.
Theo Epstein Rumors: Friday
The Cubs and Red Sox have been working toward compensation for Theo Epstein for days without resolution. The Padres are heavily implicated as well, since it appears likely that GM Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod will join Epstein in Chicago with Josh Byrnes becoming San Diego's new GM. Though today's World Series off-day would be an ideal time to announce an agreement, we'll have to wait if there's nothing for the sides to announce. We'll keep track of the latest rumors right here with the most recent rumors up top:
- Commissioner Bud Selig has not yet interceded in the talks between the Cubs and Red Sox, tweets Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe.
- The Red Sox and Cubs are working hard to complete a deal and there appears to be some progress, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter links). There's lots of optimism that the sides will complete a deal.
- It's "doubtful" that the sides will resolve the deal today, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
Pirates To Decline Options On Snyder, Doumit
General manager Neal Huntington said that the Pirates intend to decline club options for Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder after the conclusion of the World Series, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. As Tim Dierkes wrote on Wednesday, both moves were expected.
Doumit's option would have paid him $7.25MM in 2012 and $8.25MM in 2013. The 30-year-old has strugged to stay healthy in recent years, playing 75 games in 2009, 124 games in 2010, and 77 games this past season.
The Pirates acquired Snyder in a five-player deal last July. The catcher's 2012 option would have paid him $6.75MM but he'll instead collect a $750K buyout. Snyder saw action in just 34 games this season but has a career slash line of .271/.376/.396.
AL East Notes: Ortiz, Orioles, Hellickson
Until the Red Sox and Cubs agree to compensation for Theo Epstein’s departure, Boston’s GM situation will dominate headlines out of the American League East. Here’s the latest news from the division, starting with an update on the Red Sox…
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com previews the market for David Ortiz and concludes that he won't have an overwhelming number of suitors this offseason. Speier suggests the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Angels and Mariners are possible fits for the slugger, though some of those teams won't have strong interest. I can see the Orioles getting involved, depending on who their next GM is.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com previews the Orioles' 2012 bullpen and points out that there's a lot of uncertainty at this point. Jim Johnson could move to the rotation, Willie Eyre and Jo-Jo Reyes could be non-tendered and the Orioles are likely to add relievers from outside of the organization.
- Congratulations to Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson, who is Baseball America's 2011 Major League Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a 2.95 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over the course of 189 innings in his first full season.
Lewis, Woodward, Wise Elect Free Agency
The Blue Jays announced that left-hander Rommie Lewis, infielder Chris Woodward and outfielder Dewayne Wise have elected free agency (Twitter link). The Blue Jays also announced that they claimed right-hander Jesse Chavez from the Royals.
Lewis, 29, appeared in six games for the Blue Jays, but spent most of the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 6.60 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. Woodward spent time with the Blue Jays in April and September. In between his big league stints, the 35-year-old veteran played 108 games at Las Vegas, posting a .296/.353/.474 line. Wise appeared in 20 games for the Blue Jays after they claimed him off of waivers at the end of August. He hit .202/.231/.303 as an extra outfielder for the Jays and Marlins.
Blue Jays Claim Jesse Chavez
The Blue Jays announced that they claimed right-hander Jesse Chavez off of waivers from the Royals (Twitter link). The Royals designated Chavez for assignment ten days ago when they claimed Aaron Laffey off of waivers.
The Royals acquired Chavez from the Braves in the summer 2010 trade that sent Kyle Farnsworth and Rick Ankiel to Atlanta. The right-hander had two stints with this year's Royals team, but spent most of the season at Triple-A Omaha, where he posted a 3.75 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings of relief work. He provided the Pirates with a solid season of relief in 2009 and hasn't been able to replicate that success at the Major League level since.
Heyman On Friedman, Darvish, Yankees
With the general manager carousel moving at full speed and free agency approaching quickly, there are plenty of rumors in Major League Baseball. Jon Heyman weighed in today at SI.com; here are some highlights:
- Heyman’s sources doubt the Angels would waste Andrew Friedman’s time if they weren’t prepared to offer him a job. However, someone close to Friedman doubts he would leave the Rays. Friedman tops the Angels’ long list of GM candidates.
- One general manager expects C.J. Wilson to sign a deal worth $75MM over five years.
- Yu Darvish is undecided about making the jump to MLB, but he’ll be in line for lots of money if he does make the leap. One general manager suggested Darvish would cost about $100MM between his contract and his posting fee and another GM agrees that he’ll cost “big bucks.”
- The Yankees and GM Brian Cashman are making progress in their discussions about a new contract.
- Free agent starter Freddy Garcia is popular with the Yankees’ front office and could return in 2012. The right-hander barely qualifies as a Type B free agent, according to our rankings.
Mets Outright Pascucci, Thayer, Alvarez
The Mets removed infielder Val Pascucci and right-handers Dale Thayer and Manny Alvarez from their 40-man roster, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The team's 40-man roster now includes 36 players (plus five others on the 60-day disabled list).
Pascucci, 32, appeared in the Major Leagues for the first time since 2004 this year after spending most of the season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a .264/.375/.476 line with 21 home runs. Thayer, 30, also spent most of the season at Triple-A Buffalo. 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. Alvarez, 25, has never appeared in the Major Leagues. The reliever has a 4.05 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in six minor leagues seasons, but appeared in just nine games in 2011.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Epstein, Hoyer, Youkilis
Five years ago today, Anthony Reyes and the Cardinals beat Justin Verlander and the Tigers in Game One of the World Series. It was the first time in history that two rookies started Game One of the Fall Classic. Reyes allowed just two runs on four hits in eight innings, helping St. Louis to their first World Championship since 1982.
Here are this week's links, as the Cardinals try to win their second title in six seasons…
- Bleed Cubbie Blue provides Theo Epstein with a guide to the Cubs and their fans.
- The Best Sox Blog believes Epstein's departure is a good thing for the Red Sox.
- Gaslamp Ball says Jed Hoyer's defection to the Cubs makes the Padres look indecisive and cheap.
- MLB Reports interviewed Rockies' prospect Christian Friedrich.
- Lasorda's Lair explains why the Dodgers are better off after the McCourts' divorce settlement.
- Camden Depot tried to translate Yu Darvish's performance in Japan to MLB.
- Rankings Professor listed the top five landing spots for Prince Fielder.
- DRays Bay wonders if Josh Willingham is a fit for the Rays.
- BoSox Injection believes the Red Sox should trade Kevin Youkilis.
- South Side Sox looks at how the Chris Young trade led to series of bad decisions for the White Sox.
- Bay City Ball explains why the Giants should keep Jonathan Sanchez around for another year.
- Crashburn Alley says the Phillies should use a budget-conscious bullpen next year.
- Jays Journal wonders if David Ortiz is a realistic free agent option for the Blue Jays.
- Rant Sports Yankees makes a case for the Yankees letting CC Sabathia walk.
- Royals Authority projects the Royals' 2012 payroll.
- Wahoo's On First tries to temper expectations for Lonnie Chisenhall.
- Twin Cities Baseball sets the limit on a new contract for Michael Cuddyer.
- Puckett's Pond says the future of the Twins depends on the health of their top hitters.
- Replacement Level Baseball listed some potential valuable minor league free agents.
- Call to the Pen posted their American League and National League Players of the Year.
- Blog Red Machine discussed the art of the shutdown inning.
- Through The Fence Baseball wrote about second base becoming an offensive position.
- Baseball Reality Tour compiled a list of the top five hitters of the last 30 years.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. One email per week, please.
Latest On Angels’ GM Search: Evans, Hahn
The Angels' top choice for their general manager opening is Andrew Friedman of the Rays. Owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino dined with Friedman this week, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll leave the Rays. Here are the latest updates on the Angels' GM search, with the most recent updates up top:
- Dan Evans and Rick Hahn have emerged as strong candidates for the job, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Hahn, the assistant GM of the White Sox, placed second on MLBTR's list of GM candidates. Evans, a longtime assistant GM for the White Sox himself, was the Dodgers' GM in 2002-03.
- Kim Ng of MLB, Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer of the Yankees, Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks, Thad Levine of the Rangers and Tory Hernandez of the Angels are also candidates for the job.