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NL East Notes: Bell, Guillen, Phillies

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The Marlins spent approximately $95MM to field this year’s team, but they’re expected to lower payroll and spend $70-80MM next year. Here's the latest from their division, starting with one of the team's prominent free agent acquisitions…

  • Marlins right-hander Heath Bell criticized manager Ozzie Guillen in an interview on 560 WQAM in Miami this afternoon. Bell said on the Dan Sileo Show that "it's hard to respect a guy that doesn't tell you the truth or doesn't tell you face to face" (audio here & transcript via ESPN.com). Bell lost the closer's job earlier in the year and Steve Cishek is now closing for the Marlins. For all the latest closer-related fantasy updates, follow @closernews on Twitter.
  • The Phillies will be looking for help in the outfield and one or more veteran relievers this offseason, but there’s also a chance they’ll look to add a starting pitcher, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Phillies’ interest in adding starting pitching will presumably depend on a variety of factors, such as their trust in Kyle Kendrick.

Diamondbacks Notes: Johnson, Wheeler, Davidson

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Aaron Hill ranks fourth in the National League with 70 extra base hits this year. He's under contract for 2013, but there's uncertainty on the left side of Arizona's infield heading toward the offseason. Here's the latest…

  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers said he is pleased with what Chris Johnson has done since being acquired from Houston, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "He's hit for power,” Towers said. “He's got a nice arm over there and he's made most of the defensive plays.” Towers indicated that the Diamondbacks expect to tender Johnson a contract this offseason when the third baseman will be arbitration eligible.
  • The Diamondbacks will likely rely on internal options at third base in 2013. Ryan Wheeler and Matt Davidson are alternatives at the position, Towers said.
  • Shortstop is “probably more of a concern than third base" Towers said, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The free agent market doesn’t feature many everyday shortstops, so the Diamondbacks could address the position in an offseason trade.

Non-Tender Candidate: Phil Humber

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Five months ago it appeared that Phil Humber could be on the cusp of a breakout season. He had just pitched a perfect game in Seattle, striking out nine Mariners on day that his fastball sat in the 90-95 mph range. Since then Humber has allowed 72 earned runs, including 23 home runs, in 87 2/3 innings. There’s no guarantee the White Sox will tender him a contract this offseason when he’s arbitration eligible for the first time.

Phil Humber - White Sox (PW)

The White Sox selected Humber off waivers in January of 2011 and he responded with a solid season, pitching 163 innings with a 3.75 ERA and three times as many strikeouts as walks. The right-hander’s numbers have dropped off considerably in 2012. He has a 6.44 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 34.9% ground ball rate in 102 innings this year. Humber’s average fastball velocity is 90.5 mph and he has a swinging strike rate of 7.8%. He has been exceptionally homer-prone, allowing 23 home runs, or 2.0 per nine innings.

Humber started the year in Chicago’s rotation, spent a month on the disabled list with a strained elbow midseason, and lost his rotation spot in early August. He has been pitching out of the bullpen since, but Robin Ventura has used Humber sparingly in September, another indication that the White Sox don’t count him among the organization’s most dependable arms.

Humber, who turns 30 in December, could obtain a salary in the $2MM range if the White Sox tender him a contract this coming offseason. The perfect game wouldn't make a major difference in an arbitration hearing, but his 2011 season was a strong one, and he has more than 300 MLB innings. Perhaps last year’s success would be enough to create some trade interest in Humber, the third overall selection in 2004.

Still, the White Sox don’t appear to view Humber as a $2MM player. If they considered him an essential part of their pitching staff, they’d have asked him to pitch more than twice this month. It means a season that began with a perfect game could end with a non-tender.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Four Agents Join Excel Sports Management

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Four MLB agents are joining Excel Sports Management, the firm owned by baseball agent Casey Close and two others, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter link, subscription required). J.D. Smart, Jim Murray and Matt Laird from Hendricks Sports Management and David O’Hagan from CAA Sports are joining Excel Sports Management, Close confirmed to Mullen. 

It’s not clear if the agents are bringing their former clients with them. Smart has been representing Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

Derek Jeter, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon are among the players represented by Excel Sports Management, as MLBTR's Agency Database shows. NBA agent Jeff Schwartz golf agent Mark Steinberg and Close own the agency.

Players Who Chose Extensions Over Free Agency

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This year’s free agent class is strong in the outfield and unremarkable in most other areas. It didn’t have to be that way though. Until quite recently it appeared that the free agent class would include many more star players. Instead, some of those players signed extensions that will keep them in place for 2013 and beyond. 

MLBTR's Extension Tracker offers a look at some players who came close to hitting free agency before deciding to re-sign with their current teams. These players would have joined Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke in free agency this coming offseason if they hadn’t signed long-term deals earlier in 2012 (minimum $20MM): 

  • Cole Hamels, Phillies – The Phillies signed Hamels to a $144MM extension in July instead of letting him reach free agency. The left-hander would have been the top pitcher available following another tremendous season: a 3.05 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 203 1/3 innings.
  • Matt Cain, Giants – Cain signed for $112.5MM before the season began. It represented a record contract for right-handed pitchers, but Cain would have obtained more on the open market following yet another season with an ERA under 3.00 and 200-plus innings.
  • Andre Ethier, Dodgers – Ethier signed a five-year, $85MM contract in June, before it became fully apparent that the Dodgers are willing to spend aggressively under their new ownership group. Ethier has turned in a characteristically strong season: 19 homers and a .285/.350/.459 batting line.
  • Yadier Molina, Cardinals – Molina, who signed a five-year, $75MM contract in February, is an MVP candidate this year. He's hitting .319/.376/.503 with 20 homers and elite defense behind the plate. The Cardinals have reason to be thrilled with the early results of this contract.
  • Brandon Phillips, Reds – Phillips remains one of the game's top second basemen. If the 31-year-old hadn't signed a six-year, $72.5MM contract in April, he would've been a welcome addition to a free agent market that lacks star-caliber infielders.
  • Erick Aybar, Angels – This four-year, $35MM contract keeps the 28-year-old in Anaheim following a very good season (3.7 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference and 3.1 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs).
  • Howie Kendrick, Angels – Kendrick signed a four-year, $33.5MM contract in January and has gone on to put together a respectable season. He has a .279/.317/.388 batting line in 563 plate appearances and would likely have drawn lots of interest as a free agent.
  • Carlos Quentin, Padres – Quentin's three-year, $30MM contract keeps him off of the open market, where he would have generated interest after hitting .263/.373/.509 while playing half of his games at Petco Park.
  • Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays – Encarnacion obtained a three-year, $29MM contract from the Blue Jays midway through his breakout season. In the two-plus months since signing the deal, Encarnacion has added 17 home runs with more walks than strikeouts.

Marlins To Lower Payroll For 2013

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Considerable uncertainty surrounds Miami’s manager and front office with ten days remaining in the regular season, but one thing about the 2013 Marlins is clear: they’re lowering payroll. The Marlins will likely scale payroll back to the $70-80MM range after spending a franchise-record $95MM in 2012, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

The team lost money this season, Spencer writes. Miami moved into its new stadium after spending aggressively on free agents including Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell only to disappoint on the field (66-86 record so far). The Marlins have committed $67.5MM to next year's team, so their financial flexibility will be limited this coming offseason.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez created a stir by saying Jeffrey Loria, the owner of the Marlins and his former boss, is difficult to please, Spencer reports. “There’s not a manager dead or alive that Jeffrey thinks is good enough," Gonzalez said. "Not Connie Mack, not anyone.” Loria called the comments "classless" and characterized Gonzalez's work with the Marlins as a "colossal failure." Loria fired Gonzalez in June of 2010 after he managed the team for four years.

NL Central Notes: Astros, Ausmus, Reds

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Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the job of Pirates GM Neal Huntington isn't completely secure. Manager Clint Hurdle appears to have won over upper management, however. Here are some more notes from the NL Central as Chris Carpenter returns to action against the Cubs…

  • Brad Ausmus told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter) that he enjoyed meeting with the Astros but has withdrawn his name from consideration for their managerial job.  The former catcher may also be a candidate for the Marlins if they move on from Ozzie Guillen.
  • The Astros interviewed former MLB catcher Brad Ausmus for their managerial opening, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Ausmus, who played 18 seasons with the Astros, Padres, Tigers and Dodgers, is now a special assistant with the Padres.
  • Several National League executives have been predicting for weeks that Ausmus is the favorite for the job in Houston, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). Nick Cafardo reported yesterday that Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar are frontrunners for the position. Interim manager Tony DeFrancesco and Nationals third base coach Bo Porter are also candidates.
  • The Reds are a better team this year than they were in 2010, when they last appeared in the postseason, Rosenthal writes.

Mutual Interest For Angels, Torii Hunter

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Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos and Vernon Wells are all expected to remain with the Angels next year, so there’s not an obvious place for Torii Hunter on the 2013 team. But Hunter wants to return to Anaheim, where he has spent the last five seasons of his career. The 37-year-old repeated to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com that he wants to retire with the Angels.

"I want to stay," he said. "Everybody knows that.”

Hunter acknowledged that he has already “made good money” — nearly $117MM, according to Baseball-Reference — and said he just wants to win. He has told the front office as much, and it sounds as though there’s mutual interest in working out a new deal.

"His desire to be here is certainly shared,” general manager Jerry Dipoto told Gonzalez. “We'd love to have him. Now if that's the smartest thing for the Angels to do, we'll do it.”

Hunter has 15 home runs, 22 doubles and a .305/.358/.446 batting line in 537 plate appearances for the Angels this year. The nine-time Gold Glove winner has spent the entire season in right field.

Marlins Might Dismiss Ozzie Guillen

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Ozzie Guillen could lose his job after a disappointing debut season in Miami. The Marlins are thinking about firing Guillen and have contacted at least one potential replacement, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. 

The Marlins plan to fire president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and replace him with assistant GM and VP of player personnel Dan Jennings, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported yesterday. However, Rosenthal reports that Miami is more likely to dismiss Guillen than re-structure its front office. The Marlins haven’t made a definitive decision regarding Guillen, Rosenthal writes. Owner Jeffrey Loria will make the final call.

The Marlins would likely hire a low-priced alternative if they dismiss Guillen, according to Rosenthal. Former Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell has been discussed as a replacement, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reported yesterday. Nationals third base coach Bo Porter and Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus are alternate candidates, Rosenthal adds.

Brewers Acquire Yorvit Torrealba

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The Brewers have acquired catcher Yorvit Torrealba from the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the teams announced. Torrealba will be in uniform for Milwaukee tomorrow.

Torrealba appeared in ten games for the Blue Jays after they signed him to a minor league deal last month. J.P. Arencibia has since returned from the disabled list, lessening the Blue Jays' need for catching. Torrealba last appeared in a game on September 15th.

In 212 total plate appearances with the Rangers and Blue Jays this year Torrealba has a .233/.297/.339 batting line. The Brewers will pay the 34-year-old a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary until he hits free agency at the end of the season. He joins catchers Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado on Milwaukee's active roster.

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