It was not easy for Braves president John Schuerholz to dismiss GM Frank Wren, writes MLB.com’s Tracy Ringolsby. Due to a combination of loyalty and good initial hiring decisions, Schuerholz has rarely decided to part ways with top members of his front office. But in this case, the longtime Atlanta executive said that change was necessary, albeit difficult. “It took time for me to get to the point of doing what I did,” said Schuerholz, who also indicated that failures in free agency may not have been the primary source of Wren’s undoing. “It’s not just about success of the club at the Major League level,” he explained, referring to the “life blood” of the club’s scouting and player development. “You have to be cognizant that the strengths of your organization are as strong as they need to be. it is why I used the words ’cumulative effect’ [during the announcement Monday].”
- Meanwhile, newly-extended Mets GM Sandy Alderson had a variety of interesting comments today, and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com provides a transcript. Emphasizing that he does not believe the club needs “a giant leap” to contend, Alderson said he expects the team to be active in free agency while remaining cognizant that the open market is, as he described it, a “crapshoot.” After COO Jeff Wilpon indicated that his GM will have payroll flexibility (as Rubin reports on Twitter), Alderson said that he does not know whether the team will see a spike in payroll. He did note that he does not “feel that we will necessarily be constrained by the payroll next year.” With the team needing to improve by approximately ten to twelve wins, according to Alderson, it is looking to add production in any way possible rather than “get[ting] too bogged down in too much specificity now.” That opportunistic approach may take some time to play out, he suggested: “We’re going to explore all of the options and see where it takes us. It may take us a while during the course of the offseason to fully explore what those options are.”
- The Blue Jays will retain manager John Gibbons for next year barring some unforeseen change in circumstances, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Though recent comments from GM Alex Anthopoulos led some to believe that Gibbons could be in some trouble heading into the offseason, Heyman says that the team is planning for 2015 without any intention of finding a new skipper.
- While the Yankees have not played up to expectations after a winter of big spending, the club’s mid-season acquisitions could not have gone much better, writes Dave Cameron of Fangraphs. With the exception of Stephen Drew, all of the veterans added with the hope of a turnaround did just that. contributing far more value in their short stints in New York than they had with their former clubs.
- As the Red Sox continue to tinker with one of the game’s most fascinating talent mixes, those calling for a trade of cornerstone second baseman Dustin Pedroia may need something of a reality check, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. For starters, Pedroia’s deal contains a full no-trade clause, Bradford notes. And when Pedroia’s glove and veteran role are weighed in the balance, says Bradford, the idea of trading him makes little practical sense.
Trade Pedroia? Really? If you were to list the one asset on a team that you would not trade, Pedroia would be the one for the Sox. Yes he’s had a bad year at the plate but his glove, leadership skills, and attitude on the field far make up for any regression in his bat.
Bad year? League average offense from an elite defensive second baseman now constitutes a bad season? A 4-win year now constitutes a bad season? He’s fine.
You’re right, I should restate that as “bad year at the plate for Pedroia.”
I completely agree that Pedroia is fine. In fact, I’m a little angry with the the Boston sportswriters who are trying to claim his contract is bad because he didn’t have a good year at the plate. Pedroia has a tenacity that I’ve seen matched only by a handful of players in the years I’ve been watching baseball.
If I were Bautista, I’d invite Ted Lilly to come visit the clubhouse to scare Gibbons away. What were they thinking bringing that guy back?
Wow. Looking at Boston’s Cot’s page it’s crazy the Red Sox have only 3 contracts greater than $10 million going into next year. Buccholz has 2 option years. They are primed to spend. It will be interesting how they are going to bring in FA’s without giving out long contracts.
Pedroia is signed thru 2019. Quick, get that man an adderoll exemption. Just kidding, but seriously, was Pedroia battling injuries? If not it looks like the Red Sox are in for 5 years of decline.
2016 is a long ways away though. they have more than $100MM locked up for next year.
He’s been having problems with his wrist for two years now, which is preventing him from turning on the ball and hitting for power. He can still slap the ball and get on base, but unless they can find an answer for the recurring injury, his days of hitting 15-20 home runs are over. Thing is, he’s still so good defensively, and still an above-average hitter for a second baseman, that the contract is a bargain anyway. Trading him is a stupid idea. They can, and will, find somewhere to put Mookie Betts.
Must be a Boston thing, haven’t heard of anyone saying the Sox should trade Pedroia til I read this article.
Pedroia has come back to earth a little bit over the last couple years and I do wonder how his body and game are going to age over the next seven years. That along with the progression of Betts over the last couple years has made me think about the possibility of trading Pedroia even though he has the no trade clause. However he still has great value and Pedroia is one of those players whose work ethic and attitude can be great for teammates and young players. Trading him would send a terrible message to other players and would be a black mark on the organization. Particularly after he signed that extremely team friendly contract. It also not lost on anyone how important he has been to the team since 2007.
It would be a great stretch for Betts to ever be as good as Pedroia.
There are players that are worth more to their particular teams than they could ever be worth to other teams. Pedroia is one of those players. His marketability alone makes the Red Sox millions. Every Red Sox fan in love with Mookie Betts, needs to get over it. He’s playing outfield. They’ll move Victorino and put him in right. There’s no reason to trade the face of the franchise to free up a spot.
Not even to mention that he gave the Sox a significant discount to stay there. No way would he waive his NTC. He still is a really good player, Even if Mookie is great it is a leap that he even comes close to being as good as pedroia.
Offensively Mookie is on the way up and it would be fantastic if Pedroia can ever hit the same way he did two or three years ago. Granted Mookie is a small sample size but he’s raked at every level. I can see the inclination, but there are just some guys you don’t put out to pasture like that. You let them make the call when it’s time to hang it up and you let them finish their career with the club that drafted them.
You are very correct..Pedroia is to the Red Sox what Jeter is (and soon was) to the Yankees. Overpaid? Of course, but the intangibles are priceless.
That’s the thing, he’s not overpaid. Even with the injury this year he’d a 4.3 fWar player. At 12.5 million he’s a bargain. He’s not a superb hitter, he’s an average hitter, but he’s still worth what he is paid.
I don’t see how Boston trades Pedroia. Without even looking at the intangibles, he’s a top talent, when healthy. But second. with that contract and his age, it’s hard to see how Boston could get value for him that would equal both his production and his esthetics to the clubhouse and the fans. He would have to alienate himself, perhaps like Nomar did, to start the discussions. But, if this discussion had the smallest basis in fact, you would look to the Boston-based writers, working off hints from the FO, to start the undertow of grumbling. I don’t think Bradford’s piece is that at all.
I’ve never heard anyone mention trading Pedroia until I saw this post…
Wait a minute….Alderson said just two weeks ago that spending this winter was “prohibited”, but now they have “payroll flexibility” and he expects them to be active in free agency? I have my reservations about this because this has been the same story the last few years. I still see guys like Murphy, Niese, Gee, Colon, and such getting moved sooner than later. While it is true that they don’t necessarily need to make a “giant leap” at this point to sneak into contention next season, a move like say, acquiring Yasmani Tomas this winter (8 years/$70 million?) would be a step in the right direction, seeing that they need an impact bat in that OF.
Pedroia is the Red Sox
I hope the Mets spend money. They have a soild 5 man rotation if Harvey comes back to at least 75 percent. Harvey, De Grom, Wheeler, Nise, Colon. Even if they sign Cuddyer, Cabrera that would be fine.
Please not Cuddyer lol
Why trade pedroia
I think they had better uses for the money than signing Pedroia through 2021. After a couple of years when his batting drops below league-average, I suspect that others also will be wondering why he was signed for that long.