Royals Notes: Sanchez, Chen, Myers, Cain
We’ve known for a while that the Royals’ offseason will revolve around their hunt for starting pitching. GM Dayton Moore made a major move today, obtaining Jonathan Sanchez for Melky Cabrera. Here are some notes on the trade, plus a look at what’s next for Kansas City:
- Royals GM Dayton Moore indicated to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that his top prospect position players will stay put this offseason (Twitter link).
- Moore told reporters he’d like to re-sign Bruce Chen, according to MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (on Twitter).
- The Royals are still looking for starting pitching after today’s trade, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). However, the Braves don't appear to be a fit any longer, since the Royals will rely on Lorenzo Cain in center field and are reluctant to part with Wil Myers.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explains that Sanchez's reliance on high pitches makes him a decent role player, rather than a "long term rotation savior."
First Jobs For MLB General Managers
As any Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Padres or Orioles fan will tell you, the last few months have featured more than their share of general manager turnover. This summer’s trade deadline doesn’t seem so long ago, yet six teams have replaced their GMs since then. MLB's ‘new’ GMs include two first-time general managers and two others who have been at it for decades.
Thanks to Baseball America's executive database, I’ve compiled a list designed to show when and where each team’s top executive got his first GM job (not including interim positions). I'm using the term 'GM' loosely; many of the executives below have different titles on their business cards. Apologies to Michael Hill and Jed Hoyer, the two GMs who report to their clubs’ respective presidents of baseball operations. They aren’t on this list below, but interim Twins GM Terry Ryan appears because of his previous experience running Minnesota's baseball operations department.
Here's the list of baseball's longest-tenured general managers, plus the teams with which they got their first GM jobs:
- Sandy Alderson, Athletics, 1983
- Dave Dombrowski, Expos, 1988
- Dan Duquette, Expos, 1991
- Doug Melvin, Rangers, 1994
- Terry Ryan, Twins, 1994
- Walt Jocketty, Cardinals, 1994
- Kevin Towers, Padres, 1995
- Brian Sabean, Giants, 1996
- Billy Beane, Athletics, 1997
- Brian Cashman, Yankees, 1998
- Ed Wade, Phillies, 1998
- Frank Wren, Orioles, 1998
- Dan O'Dowd, Rockies, 1999
- Kenny Williams, White Sox, 2000
- Larry Beinfest, Marlins, 2002
- Theo Epstein, Red Sox, 2002
- Jon Daniels, Rangers, 2005
- Andrew Friedman, Rays, 2005
- Ned Colletti, Dodgers, 2005
- Josh Byrnes, Diamondbacks, 2005
- Dayton Moore, Royals, 2006
- Neal Huntington, Pirates, 2007
- John Mozeliak, Cardinals, 2007
- Jack Zduriencik, Mariners, 2008
- Ruben Amaro, Jr., Phillies, 2008
- Mike Rizzo, Nationals, 2009
- Alex Anthopoulos, Blue Jays, 2009
- Chris Antonetti, Indians, 2010
- Ben Cherington, Red Sox, 2011
- Jerry Dipoto, Angels, 2011
Brian Sabean has spent the most time running his current team. He, Billy Beane, Brian Cashman, Dan O’Dowd and Kenny Williams are the five GMs to have held their current positions for at least a decade.
Heyman On Pagan, Braves, Pujols, Madson
Terry Ryan is officially the interim general manager of the Twins, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the longtime GM is recharged and may stay a while (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors from SI.com:
- The Mets have discussed Angel Pagan as a non-tender candidate, but they intend to offer him arbitration, according to Heyman (on Twitter). MLBTR projects a $4.7MM salary for the center fielder in 2012.
- Meanwhile, Chris Capuano is looking for a two-year deal, but the Mets prefer one-year bargains (Twitter link).
- The Braves are looking for a Zack Greinke-like return in a deal for Jair Jurrjens, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The Royals obtained Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress for Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt last offseason.
- Twins executive Mike Radcliff and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer weren’t that interested in the Orioles’ GM job, according to Heyman. The Orioles requested permission to interview them both, but the Twins denied the request and the Orioles hired Dan Duquette before setting anything up with Oppenheimer.
- It's believed that Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava got a raise to stay in Toronto, according to Heyman.
- It’s hard to tell Boston’s list of managerial candidates apart from the one the Cubs have, as Heyman explains.
- It doesn’t appear that the Cardinals will be able to boost their nine-year, $200MM offer to Albert Pujols by much.
- Ryan Madson is drawing lots of interest and the Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Rangers and Marlins are believed to be interested.
- C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt are drawing lots of interest, as expected.
- Heyman hears that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Prince Fielder or Pujols. The Marlins have also expressed early interest in Jose Reyes.
Nationals Interested In Tsuyoshi Wada
The Nationals have expressed interest in Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Wada, 30, is eligible for free agency and appears to be eyeing MLB.
Wada posted a 1.51 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in 2011. Washington has scouted Wada quite a bit, according to Ladson, and the Dodgers also appear to have scouted him.
Wada is a Dallas Braden type with "a 86-87 mph fastball, a good circle change, and a solid slider," according to Patrick Newman of FanGraphs. Newman has expressed doubts about Wada's ability to handle an MLB workload, but the Nationals have publicly expressed interest in durable starters.
Twins Notes: Ryan, Krivsky, Iwakuma
The Twins replaced general manager Bill Smith today, announcing that longtime GM Terry Ryan will run the team once again — at least for the interim. Here’s more on the Twins' front office, plus some hints about the composition of the 2012 roster:
- Ryan said he anticipates a payroll of roughly $100MM next year, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter links).
- Ryan confirmed that former Reds GM and Twins assistant GM Wayne Krivsky will join Minnesota’s front office, according to Bollinger.
- Hisashi Iwakuma, the Japanese right-hander who nearly signed with the Athletics last offseason, is on the Twins’ radar, according to Bollinger. Minnesota bid on the 30-year-old a year ago, but Oakland earned his rights through the posting system. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes placed Iwakuma 22nd on his list of top free agents, ahead of Kelly Johnson, Josh Willingham and many others. Tim’s predicted destination for Iwakuma: the Twins.
- Ryan said he won't make any changes to the team's coaching staff unless manager Ron Gardenhire wants to bring in different people, according to Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 (on Twitter).
- For a detailed look at the challenges the Twins face this winter, here's my offseason outlook piece.
Giants Notes: Cabrera, Crawford, Beltran, Sanchez
The Giants acquired Melky Cabrera from the Royals today, sending Jonathan Sanchez to Kansas City in the process. Here’s the latest on the team, starting with some comments GM Brian Sabean made on a conference call with reporters…
- Sabean said the Giants have never been close to trading Sanchez in the past, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- Though the Giants are comfortable with Cabrera in center field, Sabean didn’t say where he fits into the lineup or outfield, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (all Twitter links). It’s unclear how the move affects the future of Andres Torres, a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $2.5MM.
- Sabean said the Giants haven’t decided whether to pursue starting pitching.
- Baggarly hears that the Giants are strongly considering making Brandon Crawford their shortstop if they can improve their lineup at other positions. Though Crawford doesn’t project to do much at the plate, he’s considered a strong defender.
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that the Giants are shopping for bargains this winter (Twitter links). He doesn’t expect Sabean to pursue Jimmy Rollins or Jose Reyes and even Carlos Beltran may be a stretch for San Francisco.
- Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles suggests the Giants would have been better off trading Sanchez for a prospect. This would have kept Torres in center field and pushed the Giants to focus on other needs.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com hears that the Red Sox had some interest in Sanchez, though they weren't a match in the end.
Fielder, Pujols On Marlins’ Radar
South Florida's MLB team may have changed beyond recognition by the time the 2012 season begins and it has nothing to do with what they'll be wearing. As they prepare to move into a new stadium, the soon-to-be Miami Marlins are targeting baseball's top free agents. They've contacted Jose Reyes and, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, first basemen Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are also on their radar (all Twitter links).
However, it's not as simple as out-bidding the competition. The Marlins already have Gaby Sanchez stationed at first base and they'd like to move Logan Morrison out of left field, according to Crasnick. Plus, they're hoping to add left-handed starting pitching this offseason, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of SI.com reported earlier today that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Fielder or Pujols.
Manager Notes: Cardinals, Cubs, Red Sox
The Cardinals, Cubs and Red Sox are looking for new managers and there’s considerable overlap between the list of candidates in Chicago and Boston. Here’s the latest managerial news from around MLB…
- The Cubs will interview Dale Sveum on Monday and Mike Maddux in Wednesday, reports Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune and Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (Twitter links).
- Mike Matheny interviewed with the Cardinals today, according to Joe Strauss and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The former Cardinals catcher is now one of St. Louis' minor league instructors. The Cardinals didn't speak with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona today.
- Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum appears to be the frontrunner for Boston's managerial opening, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Cubs have also received permission to interview Sveum, Rosenthal reports.
- Though the Cubs and Red Sox are open minded about their candidates, Sveum and Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux appear to be favorites, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links).
- The Red Sox will interview Maddux Tuesday and Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. Wednesday, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune takes his readers inside the Cubs’ somewhat unconventional interview process. Candidates make simulated decisions from taped games after being presented with relevant information such as lineup cards, stats and bullpen usage reports.
Minor Moves: Tobin, Downs, Rangers, Timmons
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Rangers have outrighted Mason Tobin to Triple-A Round Rock, reports Drew Davison of The Star Telegram (all Twitter links). FOXSportsSouthwest.com's Anthony Andro says Texas offered the Rule 5 Draft Pick back to the Angels, but they declined. Tobin threw just 5 1/3 games for the Rangers before needing elbow surgery.
- The Tigers have signed Darin Downs to a minor league contract according to a tweet from Sosnicke Cobbe Sports. The 26-year-old lefty posted a 4.66 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 112 innings in the Marlins farm system in 2011.
- Pitchers Eric Hurley, Omar Beltre and Merkin Valdez and infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German elected free agency, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Rangers outrighted all five off of their roster earlier this week. Blanco posted a .605 OPS in 82 plate appearances as a utility player in 2011, but none of the others spent significant time in the Majors this past season.
- The A's announced that they signed infielder Wes Timmons to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The 33-year-old posted a .341/.420/.468 line in 401 plate appearances in the upper minors this past season.
- MLB granted free agency to 537 minor leaguers this week and Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the complete list.
Latest On Orioles’ GM Search
The Orioles are interviewing former Expos and Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette for their open GM position today. John Stockstill of the Orioles and Scott Proefrock of the Phillies are still being considered for the position, while De Jon Watson of the Dodgers withdrew his name yesterday. Here's the latest on Baltimore's search:
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun says (on Twitter) that Duquette is a serious candidate for the job. He has experience in the role and wants to get back into MLB.
- Allard Baird has decided to not interview for the job according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (Twitter links). Connolly says the O's have not yet asked permission to interview any additional candidates.
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli says the team had hoped to make their decision by Monday, but all the rejections will make it tough (Twitter link).
- The Twins denied the Orioles permission to interview VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff, citing internal reorganization and promotions, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.
- The Orioles requested and obtained permission to interview Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Orioles are still waiting to set up meetings with Oppenheimer and Red Sox executive Allard Baird, according to Kubatko (on Twitter).
- Andrew Friedman of the Rays and Rick Hahn of the White Sox declined the Orioles' interview requests, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Orioles will interview Baird, according to Ghiroli.