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Archives for October 2012

Quick Hits: Pirates, Francona, Tracy, Phillies

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonders if the Pirates will take a step forward in 2013.  Biertempfel notes that the Bucs find themselves with the same holes to fill as they did a year ago at catcher, first base, shortstop, right field, in the bullpen, and in the starting rotation. 
  • The hiring of Terry Francona as manager gives the Indians credibility heading into next season, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link).  Rosenthal believes that Francona was looking for a front office that he could really trust after his uncomfortable exit from Boston.
  • Unless Jim Tracy believes that the Rockies are capable of reaching the playoffs next season, the veteran skipper should opt to part ways with the club, writes Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post.  Kiszla suggests that Tracy should find a way to leave without forfeiting his $1.4MM salary, but it has been widely reported that he simply as a handshake agreement for 2013.
  • Free agent options such as Josh Willingham and Yoenis Cespedes would have been a worthwhile investments for the Phillies last winter, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  While there were missed opportunities for the club, Brookover is quick to note that injuries took their toll on the team in 2012 .

AL East Notes: Jones, Red Sox, LaRoche, Blue Jays

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Yesterday, the Yankees informed Andruw Jones that he will not be on the ALDS roster against the Orioles.  Jones says that he understands the move and won't consider retirement as a result, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post.  “I’m going to be playing,” said the 35-year-old. “I don’t know where, but I’m not done playing.”  Jones will be a free agent this winter as his one-year, $2MM deal expires.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Red Sox have plenty of money to work with this winter thanks to their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers, but there isn't much for them to spend it on, notes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.  Tomase could see Boston targeting Adam LaRoche and Mike Napoli, but the Red Sox would be wary of a substantial long-term commitment to the latter.
  • If the Red Sox can't pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald suggests that they could instead target Toronto's first base coach Torey Lovullo. 
  • The Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston came and went without a bang, writes Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.  Despite Dice-K's less-than-impressive pitching with the Red Sox, Buckley hopes that the club continues to put a strong emphasis on international scouting.

Cafardo On Johnson, Soriano, Hernandez, Hamilton

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there are some General Managers who have a few regrets regarding last winter.  Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wishes he had done more for the rotation.  Angels GM Jerry Dipoto probably would have liked to boost the bullpen more during the team's spending frenzy which netted Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.  Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was asked to assess his own mistakes and said, “How long is this article? Just kidding. We all have regrets. When you make the amount of decisions we do, you make mistakes. So this year [Jeremy] Guthrie was acquired to give us innings, but Coors [Field] got him and that hurt us. We had such a lack of experience everywhere else. There was no margin for error, and I screwed up.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson will be trade bait, despite talk to the contrary.  Miami could get a ton from teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Rangers, Twins, and Dodgers.  On the whole, the Marlins look like they're ready to clean house again.
  • Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano would make a lot of sense for the Rays as a DH, especially since the Cubs would pick up the bulk of his final two years under contract.  Soriano could also help the Blue Jays, Orioles, or Indians.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that he expects Shin-Shoo Choo to be back with Cleveland next season as he enters his walk year, but he will also listen to offers for the 30-year-old.  Choo could make sense for Boston as they face a similar situation with Jacoby Ellsbury.  Cafardo suggests a deal involving a pitcher like Justin Masterson.
  • Teams have offered the moon for Felix Hernandez in the past but there’s no chance that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is going to trade him now.  King Felix is under contract through 2014 and the M's have the money to keep him beyond that.  For his part, Hernandez is well-paid and loves playing in Seattle.
  • Josh Hamilton says that he won't take a discount to stay with the Rangers, but that's where he's likely to land as it's hard to read the market for him.  The Tigers, Nationals, Pirates, Phillies, Angels, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles shouldn't be ruled out.  The Yankees and Red Sox also can't be crossed off the list but neither market is a strong fit for Hamilton.
  • Jake Peavy would appear to be a target for the Red Sox once his $22MM option is declined by the White Sox.  The 31-year-old could also end up staying put in Chicago or returning to the NL.
  • Former catcher Brad Ausmus, currently serving as a special assistant to the GM in San Diego, said that he would have interest in the Red Sox managerial vacancy.  As of Friday, however, he has yet to be contacted.  Ausmus turned down a chance to be interviewed for the Astros job earlier this fall.
  • The Red Sox are pursuing John Farrell, but Ryne Sandberg could be on their list, even though he was just named as the Phillies' third base coach and is likely being groomed for Charlie Manuel's job.  Cherington tried to get Sandberg to take Boston's Triple- A job a couple of years ago.
  • While some have accused Bobby Valentine of ignoring advanced scouting reporters, Cafardo says that he saw the manager reading them every time he visited his office.

Quick Hits: Phillies, Alomar, Red Sox, White Sox

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Here are some links from around the league as the League Division Series round of the postseason opens…

  • “Center field is something we have to address. That will be one of our priorities," said Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Salisbury looked at some free agent and trade options who could fit the team's needs.
  • The Indians hired Terry Francona earlier today, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter) that interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. has been offered a spot on the team's coaching staff.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter) that had the Indians not hired Francona, he would have not taken the Tigers' manager job had they fired Jim Leyland after the season.
  • The Red Sox have not yet begun their search for a new manager after firing Bobby Valentine on Thursday, a source insists to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams confirmed to CSNChicago.com that the team's entire coaching staff will return next season.

Rangers Notes: Adams, Ogando, Hamilton

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Earlier today, we learned that Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton will give the club a chance to match any offer and categorized his chances of returning at 50/50.  Here's more on the Rangers as their offseason gets underway…

  • Reliever Mike Adams, who is a free agent this winter, would like to return to the Rangers, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Adams will certainly test the open market though, saying, "I'm going to take advantage of it. It's strictly business."  The right-hander earned $4.4MM in 2012 and posted a 3.27 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and BB/9 2.9.
  • Meanwhile, Adams will meet with a specialist on Thursday regarding his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and says he expects to have surgery, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest.
  • The Rangers have rotation holes to fill, but they may be able to turn to an in-house solution as Alexi Ogando says that he wants to be a starting pitcher in 2013, Wilson tweets.
  • Allowing Hamilton to walk may seem like an easy call in the wake of his late-season struggles, but it's anything but, writes Richard Justice for MLB.com.

Royals Rumors: Payroll, Sanchez, Lohse, Trades

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Royals owner David Glass recently said that the team is "committed to improving (their) starting pitching" while also indicating a willingness to operate at a financial loss to be competitive. Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star has the latest on the team…

  • “Our market is what it is,” said GM Dayton Moore. “We’re not going to have a payroll of $100MM. We know that going into it. We embrace who we are … We’ve got to stay consistent with our approach. We’re not going get crazy and go nuts in free agency.”
  • There are indications that the Royals have Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse at the top of their free agent target list. Bringing Zack Greinke back for a second tour of duty is unlikely.
  • The team's list of secondary pitching targets is believed to include Ryan Dempster, Hiroki Kuroda, Shaun Marcum, Carlos Villanueva, and Carlos Zambrano. They will also monitor pitchers who could have club options declined, like Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.
  • “Absolutely … I think any pitcher would be fortunate to pitch here," said right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, an impending free agent the team would like to retain. They are unwilling to go beyond a two-year deal, however.
  • Moore acknowledged that there is a chance of working out a new contract with Guthrie during the exclusive negotiating window prior to free agency.
  • “I wouldn’t say anybody is untouchable,” said Moore with regards to potential trade talks. “You go into any discussion with an open mind. That being said, there are certain positions on the diamond that are very difficult to replace …  You don’t want to compromise in one area just to get strong in another area.”
  • Dutton estimates that the Royals could have $20-23MM to spend this winter while keeping the current roster intact.

Braves Notes: Bourn, Hudson, McCann

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The latest out of Atlanta, courtesy of David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution..

  • Braves General Manager Frank Wren said that he approached Michael Bourn and agent Scott Boras in Spring Training about starting contract talks and Boras said he would wait until after the season, tweets O'Brien.
  • No surprise here, but Wren said that the club would like to re-sign the outfielder this winter (Twitter link).  The GM added that he would have to see how the market shapes up for Bourn, who figures to be a hot commodity.
  • Pitcher Tim Hudson said that he would like to finish his career in Atlanta, even though he knows that's not a given, O'Brien tweets.  The Braves hold a $9MM team option on the 37-year-old for 2013 and are expected to exercise it.
  • Wren says that the team will target premium players but don't plan to "go outrageous" with any one player in particular.  Instead, the Braves are more likely to go for two high-salaried players than one player with an enormous price tag (Twitter links).
  • Catcher Brian McCann told reporters that he believes he'll need shoulder surgery and could miss between 2-5 months of action, according to O'Brien (via Twitter).  Meanwhile, Wren says that unless an MRI shows something worse than the initial diagnosis, McCann won't require surgery (Twitter link).
  • The Braves have asked all of their coaches back for '13 and they are all expected to return, according to O'Brien (via Twitter).

Managerial Links: Tracy, Guillen, Lowell, Francona

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The regular season ended two days ago, and we've already had one manager — Bobby Valentine — get fired.  Rumors surrounding the job security of other big league skippers continue to circulate, so we'll round them up here throughout the day with the latest up top…

  • The Rockies will not have a decision on Jim Tracy's future until Monday, report Troy Renck of The Denver Post (Twitter links). The parties will remain in contact, and the big issue is finding a comfort level in all aspects moving forward.
  • Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is in "real jeopardy of losing his job," reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Owner Jeff Loria is always able to change course.
  • “No, I haven’t been contacted," said Mike Lowell when asked if he had been contacted by theMarlins about their manager's position during a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show (audio here). “It would be a very interesting scenario, but I don’t know if this is the time in my life right now.”
  • During an ESPN broadcast last night, Terry Francona said that his only two options right now are to manage the Indians or return to the network for another season according to Nick Camino of WTAM 1100 (on Twitter). Francona interviewed for the Cleveland opening this week.

Mets Could Sign Wright & Dickey Before World Series

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GM Sandy Alderson recently said that the Mets will make every effort to retain both David Wright and R.A. Dickey beyond next season, and today Mike Puma of The New York Post reports that new deals could happen quickly. His source says it's "conceivable" that both players could have new contract extensions in place, at least in principle, before the World Series.

Alderson has acknowledged that he's had "informal conversations" with Sam and Seth Levinson, Wright's representatives, however Puma hears that the GM has yet to reach out to Dickey's agent Bo McKinnis. While Wright will likely seek a long-term contract in excess of $100MM, a veteran agent told Puma that Dickey is "probably looking at Oliver Perez dollars for sure." That would be three years and $36MM.

The Mets hold club options for the 29-year-old Wright ($16MM) and 37-year-old Dickey ($5MM), though both players can become free agents after 2013. Both options can be torn up or simply guaranteed and blended into new contracts. Alderson has referred to  Wright and Dickey as core pieces of the club has they move forward and continue to rebuild.

Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency

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A total of 28 players — all with big league time under their belts — recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages…

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