Odds & Ends: Gammons, Braves, Hurdle, Marlins
As we hope for Wilson and Cain rather than clouds and rain in San Francisco tonight, here are a few news items…
- In an appearance on WEEI's The Big Show this afternoon, Peter Gammons predicted that Cliff Lee will re-sign with Texas and Victor Martinez will sign a four- or five-year contract with Detroit since "I don't think anyone else is going to give him four or five years." Gammons also reiterated that the Red Sox have a big interest in Carl Crawford this winter. WEEI's Kirk Minihane has a partial transcript here.
- The Braves have signed Beau Torbert to a minor league contract, according to the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, Torbert's American Association team. Torbert, a 17th-round pick of the Astros in 2004, was Baseball America's Independent Player Of The Year for 2010.
- The Pirates haven't interviewed a managerial candidate in two weeks, but FOXSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby believes the Bucs are waiting to speak to Clint Hurdle, who is "a serious consideration" for the job. Pittsburgh has to wait until the World Series is over to interview Hurdle, the former Rockies manager and current Rangers hitting coach.
- The Marlins hope to settle on a manager by next week, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Edwin Rodriguez is "still in the mix" according to Davidoff, which coincides with news earlier this week that the Fish were "leaning toward" keeping their current manager.
- Pedro Martinez is "looking for motivation to come back," tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN. Martinez is training with the Dominican League's Licey Tigers, whose pitching coach is Pedro's brother (and former major league pitcher) Ramon.
- Andy MacPhail tells MASN.com's Steve Melewski that the Orioles aren't likely to re-sign any of their pending free agents before the deadline.
- Tom Gage of the Detroit News implies that Jim Thome could be the Tigers' backup plan if the team fails to sign any bigger-name free agents.
- We had heard that John Gibbons wasn't a managerial candidate in New York, but Jack Curry of the YES Network reports that the Mets have already contacted other teams for infomation about the Royals bench coach. Curry says the Mets haven't contacted Gibbons himself, but will probably do so once Sandy Alderson officially takes over as GM. (All Twitter links)
- Hoping your team can unload a bad contract this winter, or at least trade one for another team's problem? ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin has a rundown of each team's most unwieldly financial commitments.
Manager & Coach Notes: Valentine, Riggleman, D’Backs
While some teams continue looking for their new manager, other clubs are settling their 2011 coaching staffs. Here's a collection of news items about both searches…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com (Twitter link) "keeps hearing" that Bobby Valentine is one of the finalists to be the next Brewers manager, though Rosenthal wonders if Valentine would take the job and if Milwaukee could afford him. We heard yesterday that the Brewers had narrowed their search to four men, two of whom were Joey Cora and Bob Melvin and one of whom was suspected to be Ron Roenicke. Valentine could be the mystery fourth man.
- Jim Riggleman will manage the Nationals next season, according to a team press release. The move was widely expected given Washington's 10-win improvement (from 59 wins to 69) in Riggleman's first full season as the team's skipper. The Nats could have fired Riggleman and paid him a $100K buyout, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, rather than be on the hook for his full 2011 salary. The team also has an option on Riggleman for 2012.
- Arizona announced the hirings of Alan Trammell the new bench coach and Charles Nagy as the new pitching coach in a team press release. The D'Backs also confirmed the hirings of Don Baylor and Eric Young as the hitting and first base coaches, respectively.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune tweets that with Trammell leaving the Cubs for the Diamondbacks, there is a "door open" for Pat Listach to become his friend Mike Quade's bench coach in Chicago. We heard today from ESPNChicago.com that Ryne Sandberg (a top contender for the Cubs' managerial job) wouldn't be staying with the Cubs as Quade's bench coach.
- It sounds like something of a stock "never say never" answer, but Ozzie Guillen sounded open to the possibility of hiring Sandberg as the White Sox bench coach should Joey Cora become Milwaukee's manager. Guillen made the remarks on WSCR-AM 670's "Mully & Hanley Show," and the news was reported by the Chicago Tribune.
- Former Rockies manager and current Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers didn't consider him to be a candidate for their managerial opening. (Twitter link)
- Fredi Gonzalez will bring back his old Marlins bench coach Carlos Tosca for the same job in Atlanta, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Also, former Florida hitting coach Jim Presley is "a finalist" to take over as the Braves' hitting coach.
- Presley could also end up as Baltimore's hitting coach, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com (Twitter link). In other Oriole-related Rosenthal tweets, Billy Ripken and Mike Bordick are being considered for coaching jobs on Buck Showalter's staff, and Mark Connor and Rick Adair are the "leading candidates" to be, respectively, Baltimore's next pitching and bullpen coaches.
Heyman On Girardi, Nunez, Alderson, Beltre
Cliff Lee and Cody Ross lead Jon Heyman’s list of players who have stepped up this postseason. Lee’s performance will only help his free agent stock and Heyman guesses the bidding for the left-hander will start at $120MM and go up from there. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors, which you can find in full at SI.com:
- The Yankees plan to bring Joe Girardi back and give him a raise. Team executives like Girardi, whose contract expires after the season.
- The Braves have expressed interest in Eduardo Nunez, a shortstop prospect in the Yankees system.
- Sandy Alderson, a candidate for the Mets GM job, is team owner Fred Wilpon's first choice. Heyman and Joel Sherman reported earlier in the week that Alderson is the favorite for the position.
- The Rangers like Adrian Beltre, but don’t have room for him since they have Michael Young at third base.
Multiple Japanese Teams Interested In Kawakami
A Japanese team has shown a "strong interest" in acquiring Kenshin Kawakami from the Braves, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Bowman writes that a Japanese reporter indicated that the Yomiuri Giants and Nippon Ham Fighters are interested in Kawakami. But there may be an even more attractive Japanese suitor making a play for the Atlanta right-hander.
Kawakami is entering the final season of a three-year, $23MM deal he signed with the Braves prior to the 2009 campaign. The unknown Japanese club interested in Kawakami is reportedly willing to pay Atlanta approximately $3MM of the righty's $6.67MM salary for 2011.
The 35-year-old played for the Chunichi Dragons prior to signing with the Braves. In two big league seasons, he has appeared in 50 games for Atlanta, recording a 4.32 ERA over 243.2 innings. While his ERA ballooned to 5.15 this season, his peripherals (6.1 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9) were nearly identical to his 2009 numbers.
Braves Release Saito, Drop Boscan
In addition to their release of Melky Cabrera earlier today, the Braves have also released reliever Takashi Saito and dropped catcher J.C. Boscan from the 40-man roster, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Though Saito still has a year of arbitration eligibility left, the one-year deal he signed with Atlanta last winter stipulated that he be granted free agency at its conclusion. Most Japanese veterans have similar clauses in their contracts allowing them to pursue free agency rather than go through the arbirtration process. His official release is a procedural move that was widely expected — MLBTR's Tim Dierkes even examined Saito's stock on the free agent market last week.
Boscan began his pro career in 1997 at age 17. After 14 years in the Atlanta, Milwaukee and Cincinnati systems, Boscan finally made his major league debut this season, walking and scoring a run in his only plate appearance. O'Brien points out that the Braves could re-sign Boscan to a minor league deal.
Braves Release Melky Cabrera
The Braves released Melky Cabrera, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Cabrera, who joined the Braves in last winter's Javier Vazquez trade, was a non-tender candidate after a disappointing season in Atlanta. The 26-year-old hit just .255/.317/.354 in 509 plate appearances this year, so the Braves decided not to tender him a contract worth anything close to his 2010 salary of $3.1MM.
Cabrera can play all three outfield positions and was useful at the plate for the 2009 World Champion Yankees, so he figures to draw interest as a fourth outfielder. Whichever club signs Cabrera will have him under team control through 2012.
The Braves expected more from Cabrera, but they did obtain Arodys Vizcaino in the Vazquez deal. The 19-year-old right-hander was pitching well in the minors before a torn elbow ligament forced him out of action for most of the second half.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Derrek Lee
With his roster losing player after player due to injury, Braves GM Frank Wren swung a deal with the Cubs that brought two-time All Star Derrek Lee to Atlanta in August. Lee was just a rental player however; he's scheduled to hit the free agent market this winter as the five-year, $65MM extension he signed with Chicago in 2006 ends. Let's examine his stock…
The Good
- After a subpar performance with the Cubs this season, Lee rebounded to hit .287/.384/.465 in 151 plate appearances with the Braves. Perhaps being on a contender reinvigorated him.
- Even as age saps his power, he remains a strong on-base threat, drawing at least 71 walks in each of the last four seasons.
- Lee has a reputation as being a tremendous defensive first baseman, and the advanced metrics back it up: his +12.5 UZR over the last three seasons is one of the best marks in the game at the position.
- Lee fell just short of qualifying as a Type-A free agent, so a team will not have to forfeit a high draft pick to sign him (assuming Atlanta offers him arbitration and he declines).
- At 35-years-old, a long-term commitment will not be required.
The Bad
- Lee played through a torn ligament in his thumb at the end of the season according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, and recently underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the damage and the next step. He also battled back and neck issues during the past two seasons, though neither landed him on the disabled list.
- As I said before, age is beginning to steal some of his pop. Looking at isolated power, which measures extra-base power by removing singles from slugging percentage (it's just SLG-AVG), 2010 was Lee's worst power season (.168 ISO) ever, minimum 300 plate appearances. For comparison's sake, the MLB average for first basemen was .146 ISO this season, so he's still above average in that regard. But for how long?
- Always known as a lefty masher, Lee dipped to just .257/.356/.421 against southpaws this year, his worst output against pitchers of the opposite hand since 2006.
The Verdict
Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko highlight the free agent first base crop, but Lee is about as good of a stopgap option as you'll find. He's a solid all-around player despite declining some in recent years, and his track record is both better and longer than other free agents like Lyle Overbay and Carlos Pena. Teams looking to solidify the first base position for a year or two while they wait for a prospect (or just want to avoid a long commitment) figure to show the most interest. That includes clubs like the Mariners, Orioles, Nationals (assuming Dunn leaves), Rangers, Rays, and maybe even the Cubs again.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Nationals, Rasmus
On this date back in 1988, a hobbling Kirk Gibson pinch hit for reliever Alejandro Pena with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers down by one to the Athletics in Game One of the World Series. Dennis Eckersley, who finished second in the Cy Young voting that year, recorded two quick outs before walking the light hitting Mike Davis (.196/.260/.270 that year) in front of Gibson. You all know what happened next. Gibson battled Eck for six pitches before the Oakland reliever finally hung a slider, a pitch that resulted in one of the most famous home runs in World Series history.
Injuries limited Gibson to just that one plate appearance in the Fall Classic, which the Dodgers went on to win four games to one. Joe Posnanski ranked Jack Buck's and Vin Scully's call of the play the fifth greatest in sports history. These links might not be all-time greats, but they're still the best from the past week of the internet…
- DRays Bay interviewed a young third baseman by the name of Evan Longoria.
- SPANdemonium interviewed Shawon Dunston … Jr.
- Sabernomics said goodbye and thank you to Bobby Cox.
- Meanwhile, Capitol Avenue Club thinks the Fredi Gonzalez hire is a huge mistake.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness offers up their offseason plan for the Dodgers (part one, part two).
- Fan Speak does the same, except for the Nationals (part one, part two).
- Lookout Landing summarizes the candidates for the Mariners managerial job.
- The Process Report takes on Joe Maddon's gut check.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors examines Colby Rasmus' trade value.
- Red Sox Beacon re-lives a decade of awful Boston shortstops.
- Baseball Analysts found that Long Beach State produced the most big leaguers in 2010, led by Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki.
- The 5th Starter digs deep in the Blue Jays' finances.
- Bleacher GM took a look at umpire bias.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Braves Prefer To Keep Arms, Hope To Add Bat
The Bobby Cox era is over and the Braves are preparing for their first season under Fredi Gonzalez. GM Frank Wren says Gonzalez is "perfect" for the team, but the precise composition of next year's roster has yet to be determined.
Some, myself included, have speculated that the Braves could deal a starting pitcher away to address other needs, but Wren told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he'll be reluctant to trade pitching depth. Kenshin Kawakami and Derek Lowe would be potential trade chips if the Braves decided to change their stance and Jeff Schultz of the Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves would deal Jair Jurrjens.
The Braves would like to add a right-handed hitting bat to the outfield this offseason. While Wren didn't rule out free agents Jayson Werth (bats right) or Carl Crawford (bats left), he noted that both are likely to be expensive. Wren also noted that the Braves are considering many candidates as they search for a new hitting coach (all links from Twitter).
Fredi Gonzalez Named Braves Manager
The Braves held a farewell press conference on Wednesday for Bobby Cox and they didn't waste much time in naming his successor. Atlanta named Fredi Gonzalez as their new manager in a press conference earlier today. The former Marlins skipper has been given a contract that runs through 2013 with a club option for 2014.
Gonzalez, a former third base coach for the Braves, managed the Marlins from 2007 until earlier this season. He led the club to a 276-279 record during his time in Florida, and since his firing has been widely considered the logical successor for Cox in Atlanta. Cox publicly criticized Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria following Gonzalez's dismissal, saying that Florida "lost a good one" in Gonzalez.
Ken Rodriguez of FOX 5 Sports first reported that the Braves reached agreement with Gonzalez to become the team's next manager while MLB.com's Mark Bowman was first to learn that he would be formally introduced following Cox's farewell address. Contract details were first reported by Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.