Reds Extend Walt Jocketty Through 2014
The Reds announced that they have agreed to a three-year contract extension with GM Walt Jocketty that will keep him in place through 2014 (Twitter link). Reds owner Bob Castellini promised last week that he would bring the longtime GM back.
The Reds currently have a 76-80 record (though they have scored more runs than they've allowed) and sit in third place in the NL Central. They won the division with a 91-71 record last year and made their first trip to the postseason since 1995. They lost in the Division Series, but only after re-establishing their relevance in the division and boosting attendance by over 3,000 per game.
MLBTR's Transaction Tracker provides complete documentation of Jocketty's moves with Cincinnati. This is Jocketty's third full season with the Reds (this was the last year on his previous contract), but he has been a big league GM since 1994. Click here to see what they were saying when the Cardinals first hired him 17 years ago.
Mariners Notes: Thieben, Montero, Adams
The Mariners endured their 13th walk-off loss of the season at the hands of the Twins yesterday, setting a franchise record. Seattle which is tied with the Angels for the most walk-off losses in baseball this season, visits the Rangers tonight…
- The Mariners are expected to sign Daniel Thieben, an 18-year-old right-hander who's the youngest member of Germany's World Cup roster, according to John Manuel of Baseball America. The deal will likely become official in early November, when international scouting director Bob Engle visits Germany. Thieben's best pitch is a curveball and his fastball sits in the mid or upper-80s.
- Brian Cashman's comments about Carl Crawford made headlines today and his candor extended to the near-trade that would have sent Jesus Montero and others to the Mariners for Cliff Lee last summer. The GM told Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com that Montero "would've been by far the best player moved" in any of the three deals involving Lee.
- Cashman told Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that he had Lee until the Mariners decided they didn't like the medicals on second baseman David Adams and moved on to the Rangers, who were offering Justin Smoak.
Quick Hits: Crisp, Patton, Yankees, Indians
On this date in 1983, Steve Carlton of the Phillies won the 300th game of his career. The Phillies don't have any 300 game winners on their staff at this point, but it won't be surprising if one or two of their pitchers join Carlton in Cooperstown one day. Here are some links for Friday…
- Coco Crisp told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that he's looking for a winning team, a location he likes and a good "financial situation" when he decides where to sign this offseason (link via the Boston Herald). The 31-year-old California native says he enjoys playing in Oakland and believes the A's have a chance to win in 2012.
- The Orioles placed Troy Patton on the restricted list yesterday, according to MLB.com's Transactions Page. The left-hander left the team for a court-appointed orientation class that's related to his offseason DUI arrest, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He should re-join the team in Detroit today.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Bob Klapisch of the Record that he's "comfortable but not expectant" of a new contract after the season, when his current deal with the Yankees expires. Klapisch says Cashman has earned another contract.
- Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made the case for bringing Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona to the Indians next year. Though there are arguments in favor of each player, it's not easy to get excited about "the prospect of continued uncertainty."
Dodgers Notes: Barajas, Kuroda, Rivera
Clayton Kershaw leads the league in ERA, strikeouts and wins. Matt Kemp leads the league in RBI and isn't far off in home runs (second) and batting average (third). We can debate the value of the traditional Triple Crown stats, but there's no denying that the Dodgers have serious contenders for the NL Cy Young and MVP. The latest links from Los Angeles…
- Earlier in the season, the Dodgers' decision to non-tender Russell Martin and sign Rod Barajas seemed like a mistake, but as Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times shows, the two backstops have comparable offensive numbers. Martin maintains a 35 point edge in OBP, but Barajas has the superior OPS+ (96 vs. 91). Barajas, a free agent after the season, told Hernandez that he hopes to return to Los Angeles next year.
- Hiroki Kuroda will obtain $175K for having pitched 190 innings and if he completes four more innings to reach the 200 inning plateau, he'll obtain $200K more, according to Hernandez.
- Juan Rivera has hit well since the Dodgers acquired him from the Blue Jays and manager Don Mattingly says he should be a consideration in 2012, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Rivera would like to re-sign with the Dodgers and his skipper likes his versatility and power, so the sides figure to discuss a deal after the season.
Tim Lincecum Prefers Short-Term Deals
They call Tim Lincecum the Freak for his unusual delivery, but the nickname may also apply when it comes to contract talks. While most players are eager to sign their first long-term deal, the Giants’ two-time Cy Young winner told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he feels most comfortable on one or two-year contracts.
"It's just easier for me mentally not to have to put that kind of pressure on yourself," he said. "Not that you don't want to succeed, but when you're signed to a long-term deal, it's like saying, 'I'm going to live up to every expectation.' That's why I like going year to year, so I can improve on it and not sit on what I've done."
Lincecum still has two years of arbitration eligibility after this season and he says he’d be open to a two-year deal similar to the one that bought out his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility. He says he likes the two-year, $23MM contract he signed before the 2010 season, since it allowed him to move gradually through the arbitration process. But if the Giants make an aggressive long-term offer, the Beverly Hills Sports Council client will listen.
"It all depends on how they come after me," he told Schulman. "If it's aggressive, obviously I want to take that into consideration and talk about it with my agent and see what he thinks is good. I haven't dismissed anything."
Lincecum says he isn’t sure how he’ll feel in three or five years and added that he isn’t worried about the Giants’ offense, which currently ranks last in the National League in runs scored.
When MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes previewed Lincecum’s arbitration case in May, the agents he surveyed suggested a 2012 salary in the $19-22MM range would be fair assuming a “normal season.” The 27-year-old right-hander has a 2.59 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 212 innings and though he won’t win the Cy Young Award he has set himself up for $20MM-plus in 2012 and even more in 2013. In other words, Lincecum gets as much guaranteed money going year to year as many pitchers obtain on multiyear deals in free agency.
Cardinals Extend Lance Berkman
8:00pm: Berkman's extension includes a full no-trade clause, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
10:43am: Headed for a potentially turbulent winter, the Cardinals made the rest of their offseason that much simpler today, agreeing to a one-year, $12MM extension with Lance Berkman. The sides had been discussing a possible deal this month, though talks had appeared to lose momentum.
The Cardinals have announced the deal (Twitter link) and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch added (on Twitter) the value of the deal and that no money is deferred. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested on Tuesday that a $12MM deal would be a fair compromise.
Berkman, 35, has enjoyed a resurgent season in St. Louis, hitting 31 homers and posting a .300/.412/.555 line through 558 plate appearances. The switch-hitter has played first base and both corner outfield positions for the Cardinals this year. He leads the league with an OPS+ of 169 and has added 4.6 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.
The Cardinals, who are gaining ground in the National League Wild Card race, also extended Chris Carpenter this month. They have signed five players to extensions during the month of September since GM John Mozeliak took over. Only one other MLB team has extended a player during the final month of the regular season in that time (Tim Byrdak of the Mets signed an extension this month).
Albert Pujols, Edwin Jackson and Rafael Furcal are among the Cardinals who will file for free agency after the season. Moye Sports Associates represents Berkman, as our Agency Database shows.
Marlins Place Leo Nunez On Restricted List
7:52pm: Two sources familiar with Nunez's immigration status say the righty has been playing under an assumed name, reports Steven Wine of the Associated Press.
The Marlins have been aware of this for months, according to Wine's report. One of the sources says Nunez's real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo, and he's actually 29 years old, not 28.
1:14pm: The Marlins placed closer Leo Nunez on the restricted list for undisclosed reasons, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Agent Andy Mota declined to comment on his client, who was headed to the Dominican Republic.
Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel hears that Nunez isn't being disciplined for inappropriate behavior. He was placed on the list to return to the Dominican Republic and handle a personal matter.
Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster. Teams do not always pay players on the restricted list, so Nunez could be at risk of losing some of his $3.65MM salary depending on the circumstances of the move and whether the MLBPA objects on his behalf.
Nunez will be arbitration eligible for the fourth time this coming offseason and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes projects a $5.8MM salary for the right-hander in 2012, assuming the Marlins tender him a contract. Back in July, Rodriguez reported that the Marlins intended to keep Nunez in 2012.
Nunez, 28, has a 4.06 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 36 saves in 64 1/3 innings this year. Keep track of the latest fantasy-related reliever updates at CloserNews.com and on Twitter.
Ramirez Intends To Seek Reinstatement & Return
Manny Ramirez intends to play Major League Baseball again, so he will seek reinstatement from MLB, according to ESPN.com. Ramirez says he's prepared to serve the 100-game suspension he received this year for violating MLB’s drug policy for a second time.
“If any team wants to sign me, I would play,” Ramirez told Enrique Rojas. “If no one does, I would look to play in Japan or any other place. I was not prepared for retirement."
Rob Manfred, MLB's executive VP of labor relations, confirmed to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that Ramirez will not be able to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He's on the inactive list and would require commissioner Bud Selig's approval to play.
Ramirez, who appeared in five games for the Rays this year, posted a .312/.411/.585 line and 555 home runs in 19 MLB seasons. The 12-time All-Star has told agent Scott Boras of his intent to return to the Major Leagues.
Astros To Select First Overall In 2012
The Astros are on the clock. The Twins won today, ending their 11-game losing streak and assuring Houston of the top pick in the 2012 draft. As our Reverse Standings page shows, there's no way that the Twins will finish with a worse record than the Astros this year.
The Astros will finish with at least 102 losses (even if they don't lose again) and the Twins reached the 60-win plateau with today's win, which means they won't exceed 102 losses. Because the Astros finished with a worse record (73-78) than the Twins (91-60) a year ago, Houston would win a tiebreaker and select first overall in 2012 should both clubs happen to finish 60-102 this year.
Houston has selected first overall twice before, though both selections came long before they hired current scouting director Bobby Heck. Houston selected Floyd Bannister first overall in 1976 and selected Phil Nevin with the top choice in 1992, five picks ahead of Derek Jeter.
Boston’s Starting Pitching Options
Boston’s late-season slide isn’t so shocking when you consider that Red Sox pitchers have allowed 6.5 runs per game this month. With just six regular season games remaining, Boston’s lead has diminished to 2.5 games over the Angels and Rays. Baseball Prospectus still gives the Red Sox a 91.5% chance of advancing, but there’s zero doubt that Red Sox fans and front office members are unsettled by the team’s play.
The Red Sox made multiple inquiries about Chris Capuano, though it doesn’t appear that they’ll reach a deal with the Mets. Capuano would be ineligible for Boston’s postseason roster, but GM Theo Epstein and his front office are focused on the immediate future: three games in Yankee Stadium against the AL East Champions followed by three games at Camden Yards against the Orioles.
Jon Lester is set to pitch tomorrow, with 45-year-old knuckleballer Tim Wakefield scheduled to take the ball Saturday and John Lackey and his 6.49 ERA set to wrap the series up Sunday. Clearly, there’s room for improvement. Ideally, the Red Sox would have been able to turn to Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka, who are injured, or Rich Harden, whose medicals scared Boston away, or a more productive version of Lackey. But those options aren’t there, so the Red Sox are looking at alternatives.
If they move on from Capuano to other potentially available starters, they aren’t likely to encounter many pleasing options. Pitchers like Bruce Chen and Rodrigo Lopez aren’t clear upgrades and if the Red Sox considered Kevin Millwood a viable starter in the AL East, they would have held onto him earlier in the season.
They could ask Padres GM and longtime Red Sox executive Jed Hoyer about Aaron Harang, who has put together a nice season in San Diego (3.82 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9). No Yankee regular other than Russell Martin has had much exposure to Harang, and five of the team’s regulars (Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Derek Jeter, Brett Gardner, Jorge Posada) have never faced him in a regular season game, so the Red Sox would have the element of surprise on their side. But even if they were comfortable bringing a fly ball pitcher into Yankee Stadium, the third most homer-friendly ballpark in baseball, they’d have to convince the Padres to part with Harang. The sides have a mutual option for 2012 and Harang projects as a Type B free agent in the offseason, so he still has value to San Diego.
There’s Javier Vazquez, the Marlins right-hander who has been pitching at the top of his game for the past half-season (1.93 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 1.4 BB/9 in the last three months). In theory, the Red Sox could bring him in to start in place of Lackey on three days’ rest Sunday. It would be a significant upgrade, but Vazquez has a no-trade clause and appears ready to announce his retirement, so it seems unlikely that he’d agree to uproot himself. Plus, it's not as if Vazquez has had much success in Yankee Stadium.
In other words, the odds may be on Boston’s side, but the trade market isn’t. It appears that their chances of reaching the postseason depend entirely on the players they currently have.