In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looks at this season's Executive of the Year candidates. Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette returned from baseball after a ten-year absence to turn the club around and help give them the biggest improvement in all of baseball. In Oakland, A's GM Billy Beane has put the team in position to win with an exciting club powered by strong pitching. In the National League, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has made a strong case for the award as well for taking the 80-win Nats of 2011 and turning them into division champs. A's outfielder Josh Reddick doesn't get a vote, but he believes that the title should go to Beane. “He’s the best GM in baseball,” said Reddick. “And he has been for a long time. He gives people the opportunity to have their talents come out. The environment he creates is amazing.” Here's more from today's column..
- The prevailing thought is that the Blue Jays will demand a good player from the Red Sox in exchange for John Farrell, but those around Toronto believe it would be easier to get him now than it was last year. Farrell is no longer viewed as the key to the Blue Jays' future, but he would be a strong pickup for the Red Sox who like his familiarity with the club.
- If the Red Sox let Bobby Valentine go, his managerial career isn't necessarily finished. Marlins Jeffrey Loria nearly hired him before he opted to go with Ozzie Guillen to ring in the club's new ballpark. Bobby V could also be an option for the Reds where he is close with owner Bob Castellini and manager Dusty Baker is at the end of his deal.
- Justin Smoak struggled for the bulk of the season but has come on recently thanks to a change in his swing mechanics. Now, Cafardo writes, he's making it tough for the Mariners to decide if they want to keep him for the long haul or move him.
- If Terry Francona does wind up taking the Indians job, Cafardo believes that he would be frustrated after a while given their limited resources. The Tribe also lacks the ability to give Francona the big-time money that he could net from another team.
- Cafardo was surprised by the Astros' hiring of Bo Porter over Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, given their desire to model themselves after Tampa Bay.
Wait another year and Farrell is free.. think about that one Toronto…
The Globe and ownership group NYT is out of their collective minds to think many people are going to pay for that online news source.. Maybe get rid of a few of the horrible writers that they employ and it wouldn’t have been necessary.
Or y’know, the Jays will just sign him to a contract extension & the Sox will once again miss out on the guy they really seem to want.
good luck with that
Hey, I don’t mind him going to the Sox – I only want a fair return from a divisional rival. I’m not one of the crazies thinking Buccholz or anything ludicrious like that…but something nice & of value.
i meant good luck with the extension. i’m not interested in farrel as manager and i’m not convinced the jays are either
It’s interesting to see the manager carousel being fired up & the Blue Jays haven’t said a word.
If it really does come down to a trade with the Red Sox (and to be honest, I don’t really buy into this overwhelming sentiment that he’s the undisputed #1 choice), the
Blue Jays ought to make out reasonably well. Consider that for Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox
received 2 prospects in the Marlins Top 10 prospect list. They
got right handed pitcher Jhan Marinez & shortstop Osvaldo Martinez.
Marinez was the Marlins # 4 prospect & Martinez was the # 5
prospect according to Baseball America’s 2011 list.
Should be interesting.
Just because they were on a team’s top 10 prospect list doesn’t mean that the prospects were particularly good prospects— it depends on the strength of the farm system and the Marlins system is one of the weakest in baseball.
also Sickels didn’t even rank Marinez or Martinez in the White Sox’ top 20 prospects, and their farm system is not considered at all deep.
I’m aware that a number ranking doesn’t ensure quality. I’m saying that that example is the absolute floor of any ‘trade’. Boston would surely have to ante up more.
The Times sold their shares, no longer part of the ownership group
Thanks. I thought when they had the last employee/ownership contract haggling it was still with the NYT group.
good.
I’d love for the less quality aspects of media to go away.
Oh Boy!… How lucky am I? I still have Joel Sherman for free!!
HAHAHA! The Herald is still free also my friend. I guess they both realize nobody is going to pay for those rags regardless.
Way more people will come to your site if it’s free. I don’t see why people would pay for news when there is so many sources out there.
MLBTR is also :-) Linking to most any baseball related site and always on top of the hottest rumors and news out there.
Ahaha the Herald? They should pay ME and then maybe I’d read that garbage.
Oh the horror, the thought of losing Jonh Farrell for nothing is unbearable. LOL
I think the Astros are wise to model themselves after the Rays. But hiring Bo Porter shouldn’t surprise anyone. He is a key factor in the development of the Nats young talent and has his own great credentials coming with him. He’s also put in a season under one of the best, if underrated managers, in Davey Johnson.
As a Cub fan, I’d be happy to see Valentine managing the Reds.
Does John Lackey qualify as a “good player”?
Yes. In the sense that when he’s on the mound and you’re the batter, you think, ‘John Lackey’s pitching,-good!’
He would be a “good player” for the Red Sox to get rid of, that’s for sure
Martinez should be the next Sox Manager
I like him as an option. If he can follow the phiolosphy he learned from Maddon, with a team that can easily take on a 170-180M payroll, he could work wonders there. Now, I don’t expect the payroll to be that high anytime soon, but it could be interesting.
yes
Dan Duquette’s year has been the best, by far, especially since he’s just gotten started. His moves have been golden this year, and the team has outperformed, by a longshot, any reasonable expectation. Seems that’s the definition of exec of the year.
why does a new GM get credit for the overperformance of a roster he had very little to do with? rizzo and bean seem like much better candidates
Really a roster he had very little to do with? Except for: *McClouth, *Chen, *Hammel, *O’day, *Ayala, *Gonzalez, *Saunders, *Teagarden, *Thome, *Chavez, *Flaherty, *Ford, *Quintanilla, Betemit, Pearce, Hall, Pomeranz, Wolf, Wada, N. Johnson. So yes very little to do with 20 players on the current 40 man roster. Of which 13 are likely to be on the 25 man post-season roster. *Likely on Roster.
If the reds dont resign baker or he decides to retire the reds deserve better than bobby. No reason to bring the circus to town.
This Farrell to the Sox thing just wont go away. What could the Jays realistically get for Farrell?
If you ask some of the Jays fans here? The next Ted Williams.. Then some are in a fantasy world also..
I’m a Jays fan, but I can’t see them getting anything of real value. Yes, the Jays have some leverage (division rival/Valentine on way out/Boston REALLY seems to want Farrell – any other manager they hire would be a lame duck right away)…But realistically..?
It’s been such a bizarre year in Toronto, I could actually see it happening.
I’d love to see Francona in TO, but i can’t see that happening.
People keep throwing Bard’s name out there…?
Correction: the parenthetical bit should start “division rival/Valentine on way out/Boston sports columnists REALLY seem to want Farrell…”
they should ask for Chris Carpenter, just to see Henry’s head explode…
Not so sure the throw in, PTBNL guy in the Epstein swap doesn’t have more eventual upside than Carpenter in the long haul.. Aaron Kurcz. 3 years in pro ball, 22YO and has done very well so far, Already pitched a FS at AA ball Carpenter missed most of 2012 with elbow chips and really hurt his season and will be 27 next year.
But Toronto does need a good left handed bat in the middle of their order
Give the Jays Aviles for Farrell (with Iglesias and Ciriaco, he isn’t plyaing next year, anyways) and say “take it or leave it”. He’s a manager, not a player. You don’t break the bank for him.
That only works when Toronto is asking Boston to take Farrell off their hands
God, please no to Valentine to the Reds! They don’t need that mess. Not a Dusty fan either. How about Francona to the Reds?
Please. John Farrell was a solid pitching coach, but is not a good manager. Why would the Red Sox give up ANYTHING for Farrell. “Because he’s under contract.” OK, move along and find someone GOOD.
I’m guessing the reds had plans to make David bell dustys succeeder but not sure if that would be the best. If it were me I’d give Pete mackanin a shot. Stay away from the Boston rejects or any other recirculated manager for that matter.