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Zambrano Spoke To Guillen About Joining Marlins

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Ozzie Guillen and Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano recently spoke on the phone and discussed the possibility of the hurler joining the Marlins, according to Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional (Spanish link).  Serrano spoke with Félix Luzón, a friend of Zambrano's who was present during the call.

Luzón says that nothing is official but a deal could be reached where the Cubs cut the 30-year-old loose and give him the $18MM that he is owed in deferred payments.  Cubs manager Mike Quade recently said that he would ideally like to have Zambrano back in 2012, but didn't sound optimistic about it happening.

Translation of the article was provided by Nick Collias.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Francona

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The Yankees and Rays are in the playoffs but the rest of the AL East is in offseason mode…

  • Under John Henry's ownership, the Red Sox have fired three managers and each move seemed to work out for the club, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  General Manager Theo Epstein says that he plans to use the same process as he did when hiring Terry Francona eight years ago.
  • The Orioles have lots of needs but finding a starter seems to be their top priority, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.  Kubatko asked manager Buck Showalter if the club might go against their grow-the-arms philosophy and sign a pricey free agent starter and the skipper left the door open to the possibility.
  • Speaking of Francona and the Orioles, don't expect the skipper to land in Baltimore, says Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  The O's will have a managerial spot open if Andy MacPhail leaves his position as president of baseball operations and Showalter moves up to that post.
  • After giving lucrative deals to John Lackey and Carl Crawford, the BoSox are committed to getting them to turn things around in 2012, writes Michael Vega of the Boston Globe.  Lackey signed a five-year, $82.5MM deal in 2010 while Crawford inked a seven-year, $142 million deal last December.

Pirates Notes: Huntington, Cole, Coaches

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The Pirates were unable to use their momentum to propel them into the playoffs this year but things are looking bright in Pittsburgh.  Here are a few items on the Bucs..

Quick Hits: Pettitte, Granderson, Alomar Jr.

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Some late-night linkage for your reading pleasure as the Phillies and Rangers celebrate victories, and the Yankees appear poised to join them …

  • Former Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte is enjoying retirement is highly unlikely to return to pitching, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "I feel the desire [to play] is gone," Pettitte said. "I am retired. I would never say never, but God would literally have to give me desire again… I’m really doing good. I just had a good peace about [retiring]."
  • Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has an in-depth look at the three-way trade between the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks following the 2009 season. There are some interesting insights within the piece regarding the relationships between the general managers, Brian Cashman, Dave Dombrowski and Josh Byrnes, and how they met face-to-face to complete the deal.
  • The White Sox will likely consider Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. for their managerial vacancy, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. We learned earlier today that Rays bench coach Dave Martinez is among the South Siders' primary targets.

AL West Notes: Angels, Beane, A’s Coaches

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A few items of note regarding AL West clubs, as the division's sole postseason representative, the Rangers, take on the Rays in Arlington.

  • Morale in the Angels' front office had waned under former GM Tony Reagins, who resigned Friday, sources tell Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, and the organization's direction seemed vague. Reagins may not have been ready for the job when he took over for former GM Bill Stoneman in 2007, Brown adds.
  • Elsewhere in Brown's piece, he reports that Stoneman, who has served as an advisor to the Angels since stepping down, will be part of the committee that searches for a new GM, but he will not return to the position, nor will Scioscia add that to his managerial duties. So, it seems certain the next GM will come from outside the organization.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com wonders whether A's GM Billy Beane could assume the GM role with the Angels. There'd be a lot to work through, as Beane is under contract through 2014 and wouldn't want to play second fiddle to Scioscia, but the Halos need another "significant voice," opines Rosenthal.
  • The Athletics will not bring back pitching coach Ron Romanick, hitting coach Gerald Perry and bench coach Joel Skinner in 2012, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser speculates the A's will ask permission to speak to Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young, who is under contract another year and might be a lame duck now that Terry Francona won't be back in Boston.

Central Notes: Fister, Pence, Cubs

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A few items of note regarding teams from MLB's Central divisions, as the Cards fall behind the Phils in Game 1 of the NLDS.

  • The Tigers preferred Doug Fister to Ubaldo Jimenez when they were shopping for a pitcher before the trade deadline, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Whether that's true, we'll probably never know, but Fister certainly pitched better for Detroit than Jimenez did for Cleveland after the deadline. The Mariners were originally hesitant to move Fister, according to Knobler, but Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski was persistent in pursuing the right-hander.
  • The Reds tried to acquire Hunter Pence from the Astros, according to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, and GM Walt Jocketty has said he thought he made a better offer to Houston than the one it eventually accepted from the Phillies. McCoy reports that the Astros wanted Devin Mesoraco and adds that lefty Aroldis Chapman was not available.
  • The Cubs remain in limbo while waiting to hire a new general manager, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, who notes that the fates of manager Mike Quade, his coaches, and several players are up in the air until someone takes the helm. The Cubs are unlikely to spend lavishly this offseason, according to Sullivan.

How The NL Playoff Starters Were Acquired

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Earlier this afternoon, we examined how the American League playoff teams assembled their postseason rotations. Now, let's hop over to the National League. Once again, in the event of series sweeps, postponements, or managerial changes of heart, this list could undergo some changes, but these are currently the probable starters for the NLDS.

Brewers

Yovani Gallardo: Selected in the 2004 draft (2nd round).
Zack Greinke: Acquired from the Royals in December 2010.
Shaun Marcum: Acquired from the Blue Jays in December 2010.
Randy Wolf: Signed for three years, $29.75MM in December 2009.

Last winter, the Brewers went all-in when they traded for Marcum and Greinke in the span of two weeks. So far, the decision has paid off, as the two former AL starters are lined up to pitch Games 2 and 3 of the Division Series against the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks

Ian Kennedy: Acquired from the Yankees in December 2009.
Daniel Hudson: Acquired from the White Sox in July 2010.
Josh Collmenter: Selected in the 2007 draft (15th round).
Joe Saunders: Acquired from the Angels in July 2010.

The D'Backs were practically in fire sale mode when they moved Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson last summer. Now, just one season later, two pitchers they acquired in those deals could start for the Snakes in the postseason. Interestingly, Arizona is the only NL playoff team whose rotation doesn't include a starter acquired from the Blue Jays.

Phillies

Roy Halladay: Acquired from the Blue Jays and extended for three years, $60MM in December 2009.
Cliff Lee: Signed for five years, $120MM in December 2010.
Cole Hamels: Selected in the 2002 draft (1st round, 17th overall).
Roy Oswalt: Acquired from Astros in July 2010.

The Phillies have made a handful of blockbuster moves over the last two years to ensure they have the starting pitching edge over the rest of the league heading into this postseason. But Hamels and fifth man Vance Worley (3.01 ERA in 131 2/3 IP) prove the Phils are skilled at developing their own starters too.

Cardinals

Kyle Lohse: Originally signed in March 2008. Extended for four years, $41MM in September 2008.
Chris Carpenter: Originally signed in December 2003. Extended for five years, $63MM in December 2006.
Jaime Garcia: Selected in the 2005 draft (22nd round).
Edwin Jackson: Acquired from the Blue Jays in July 2011.

When they traded Colby Rasmus for Jackson, Corey Patterson, and a pair of relievers this July, GM John Mozeliak and the Cardinals were widely panned, but it's hard to argue the move didn't help the team win the Wild Card race. Still, without Adam Wainwright, and unable to optimally line up their rotation, the Cards head into the NLDS as significant underdogs against the Phils' big four.

Red Sox, Francona, Epstein Links: Saturday

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The Red Sox and manager Terry Francona parted ways following Boston's September collapse yesterday, ending an eight-year run together. Soon after, we learned that White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper was pushing for Francona (after Ozzie Guillen's departure), and that the Red Sox will conduct a thorough search for their next skipper. Let's keep track of the latest regarding the Sox, Francona, and GM Theo Epstein right here throughout the day, with the latest up top…

  • Epstein is interested in becoming the Cubs GM, tweets Peter Gammons, and it remains to be seen whether Red Sox owner John Henry can perhaps convince Esptein to stay in Boston as co-CEO and promote assistant GM Ben Cherington. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently interviewed Cherington as part of MLBTR's GM Candidates series, so be sure to check that out to learn more about him. 
  • After speaking to a few people familiar with the Nationals' thinking, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post doesn't think the Nats will pursue Francona.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link) has spoken to many executives over the last two days who believe Epstein will be granted permission to interview for the Cubs' GM opening, and that he'll end up in Chicago. No one in the Red Sox organization has given a definitive "no" when discussing Epstein to the Cubs, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe notes.
  • The White Sox continue to focus on their original short list for managerial candidates, even with Francona now available, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle hears that the Red Sox have interest in Mariners manager Eric Wedge, but there is no indication that the Mariners would be willing to let him go (Twitter link).
  • Bobby Valentine has support in at least "one important corner" of the Red Sox front office according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter), and he will presumably be brought in for an interview.
  • In another tweet, Olney reminds us that Epstein is the x-factor because he may not be with the team next month as the Cubs GM job continues to loom.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier looked at everything we learned from the Francona situation and the fallout of Boston's collapse in a must-read piece for Red Sox fans.
  • The Boston Globe listed five potential candidates for the Sox's now vacant managerial job.

White Sox Targeting Dave Martinez For Manager

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The White Sox acquired one Martinez (Osvaldo) this week as compensation when the Marlins hired manager Ozzie Guillen. Now they're eyeing another one to replace Ozzie on the bench. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez is at the top of Chicago's managerial wish list.

The White Sox also like Yankees bench coach Tony Pena for the job, Rosenthal continues. However, Martinez is the team's number one choice at the moment. Martinez's Rays and Pena's Yankees are both still alive in the playoffs, so the Sox wouldn't be able to approach either coach yet.

Rosenthal hears from another source that Terry Francona's availability hasn't affected Chicago's search, and that the Sox remain focused on their original list of candidates. For more of today's rumors on Francona and the Red Sox, click here.

How The AL Playoff Starters Were Acquired

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As important as it is during the regular season, starting pitching becomes even more crucial in the postseason. Rotations are trimmed to three or four pitchers, and – particularly in a short series, when an ace can start twice in five games – the team with the starting pitching advantage is often the favorite.

Between unpredictable weather conditions and the possibility of three-game sweeps, there's no guarantee these are the 16 starters we'll see in the ALDS. However, at the moment, they're the guys penciled in to attempt to win at least one playoff game this week. So let's take a look at how the four American League postseason qualifiers assembled their October rotations.

Rays

Matt Moore: Selected in the 2007 draft (8th round).
James Shields: Selected in the 2000 draft (16th round).
David Price: Selected in the 2007 draft (1st round, 1st overall).
Jeremy Hellickson: Selected in the 2005 draft (4th round).

Not only are the Rays the only AL playoff team with four homegrown pitchers expected to start – no other club has more than two. Of the four Rays starters, only Price was a first round selection, a testament to the team's ability to make the most of its mid-round picks.

Rangers

C.J. Wilson: Selected in the 2001 draft (6th round).
Derek Holland: Selected in the 2006 draft (25th round).
Colby Lewis: Signed for two years, $5MM in January 2010.
Matt Harrison: Acquired from the Braves in July 2007.

The Rangers may have assembled the most unlikely rotation of the four AL contenders. As recently as 2009, Wilson was a setup man and Lewis was pitching in Japan. Meanwhile, Holland was a 25th-round pick and Harrison was often the forgotten man in the Mark Teixeira trade that also sent Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to Texas.

Yankees

C.C. Sabathia: Signed for seven years, $161MM in December 2008.
Ivan Nova: Signed as amateur free agent in 2004.
Freddy Garcia: Signed a minor league deal in January 2011.
A.J. Burnett: Signed for five years, $82.5MM in December 2008.

After last night's postponement, it appears the Yankees will have to scrap their plan for a three-man ALDS rotation, meaning that one December 2008 signing (Sabathia) may log significant innings in Game 3 only, while their other '08 signing (Burnett) could be pressed into a Game 4 start.

Tigers

Justin Verlander: Selected in the 2004 draft (1st round, 2nd overall).
Doug Fister: Acquired from the Mariners in July 2011.
Max Scherzer: Acquired from the Diamondbacks in December 2009.
Rick Porcello: Selected in the 2007 draft (1st overall, 27nd overall).

The Scherzer trade could have a tremendous impact on the 2011 postseason. All three teams involved in the deal qualified for the playoffs and will be relying heavily on players they acquired, including Curtis Granderson for the Yankees and Ian Kennedy for the D'Backs. As for the 2011 trade that most affects the postseason, the Tigers are hoping it's their July acquisition of Fister, who posted a 1.79 ERA after coming to Detroit.

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