Stark On Astros, Damon, Jimenez, Rockies
There's now almost no chance that MLB will expand the playoffs by next year, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. It's far from a lock that the postseason will expand under baseball's upcoming collective bargaining agreement, despite heavy rumblings about expanded playoffs. The union views postseason changes as part of a series of related possible changes, which is why we won't necessarily see more playoff teams by 2012, according to Stark. Here are the rest of his rumors…
- Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has told commissioner Bud Selig privately that he wants to keep the Astros in the NL Central. However, MLB might look to move Houston to the AL West to even out baseball's divisions.
- Johnny Damon cleared waivers and can now be dealt to any team, according to Stark. Rival teams say Damon didn't draw heavy trade interest last month.
- Stark hears that the MRI the Indians took of Ubaldo Jimenez came back "remarkably clean."
- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who has often been mentioned as a possible successor to Selig, isn't lobbying to become the next commissioner, according to a longtime associate. "If he did it, he'd do it out of loyalty to the game. But I wouldn't say he has a burning passion to do it."
- The Rockies are saying they'd like to swap Ian Stewart for another player who could use a change of scenery. However, other clubs recognize that Stewart is a non-tender candidate, so his trade value is not high.
- The Rockies could take a flyer on J.C. Romero, according to Stark.
- One NL scout says Dontrelle Willis looks as good as he has in three or four years.
Dodgers Sign First Rounder Chris Reed
1:42pm: Reed obtains a $1.589MM bonus, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). That appears to be slightly over slot.
1:28pm: Dodgers assistant GM Logan White officially announced the signing.
7:23am: The Dodgers have agreed to terms with 16th overall pick Chris Reed, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Terms of the deal are not known for Reed, a Scott Boras client. The commissioner's office recommended a bonus of $1.512MM for the 16th overall selection last year, according to Baseball America.
The 6'5" left-hander posted a 1.80 ERA in 45 innings of relief as a junior at Stanford last year. However, the Dodgers see him as a starter in the Major Leagues, Cassavell reports. Be sure to track every top pick's status with MLBTR's list.
Cardinals Release Ron Mahay
The Cardinals have released left-handed reliever Ron Mahay, according to their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds (on Twitter). The Cardinals signed Mahay and Blaine Boyer to minor league deals in July, but didn't call Mahay up to the Major Leagues. After signing southpaw Arthur Rhodes, St. Louis' need for left-handed relief diminished and they could afford to let Mahay go.
The Dodgers signed Mahay in February and released him the next month. By the middle of May he had already signed with Arizona and been released a second time. Mahay has a 3.83 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in parts of 14 Major League seasons. Through 23 1/3 minor league innings this year, he has a 5.01 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
MLBTR’s GM Candidates
It’s too early to predict with complete accuracy which franchises will be looking for new general managers in the coming months, but it’s fair to assume that an opening or two will emerge, maybe more. In anticipation of these openings MLBTR has surveyed dozens of baseball people about candidates for general manager jobs. Over the course of the past six weeks, Tim Dierkes and I have heard from a diverse collection of voices, including GMs, agents, scouting directors, scouts, former GMs and, we expect, future GMs.
It's now time to present the resulting list of 20 GM candidates, plus honorable mentions. The list is by no means comprehensive; we acknowledge in advance that the list of qualified GM candidates extends beyond the 28 names below. We have limited the list to those who obtained three votes or more from their peers within the game and we are focusing on the candidates who have yet to accept a permanent GM job. Many former GMs like Josh Byrnes and Paul DePodesta received votes, but we are presenting those who haven't had a full-time gig.
Here is MLBTR’s inaugural list of the top 20 GM candidates in MLB:
- Jerry Dipoto, Senior VP, Scouting & Player Development, Diamondbacks
- Rick Hahn, VP, AGM, White Sox
- Thad Levine, AGM, Rangers
- Ben Cherington, Senior VP, AGM, Red Sox
- David Forst, AGM, Athletics
- Tony LaCava, VP Baseball Operations and AGM, Blue Jays
- Mike Chernoff, AGM, Indians
- Bryan Minniti, AGM, Nationals
- A.J. Preller, Senior Director, Player Personnel, Rangers
- Kim Ng, MLB
- DeJon Watson, AGM, Player Development, Dodgers
- Al Avila, VP, AGM, Tigers
- Damon Oppenheimer, Scouting Director, Yankees
- Mike Radcliff, Vice President of Player Personnel, Twins
- Bill Geivett, Sr. VP Scouting & Player Development, AGM, Rockies
- John Ricco, VP, AGM, Mets
- Jeff Kingston, AGM, Mariners
- Logan White, AGM, Amateur & International Scouting, Dodgers
- Peter Woodfork, MLB
- Matt Klentak, Director of Baseball Operations, Orioles
Honorable mentions in alphabetical order: Matt Arnold, Director, Pro Scouting (Rays), Jeff Bridich, Senior Director of Baseball Operations (Rockies), John Coppolella, Director of Baseball Administration (Braves), Dan Jennings, VP Player Personnel & AGM (Marlins), Jason McLeod, VP, AGM (Padres), J.J. Picollo, AGM, Scouting & Player Development (Royals), Shiraz Rehman, Director of Player Personnel (Diamondbacks) and Josh Stein, Director of Baseball Operations (Padres).
Indians Designate Austin Kearns For Assignment
The Indians announced that they have designated outfielder Austin Kearns for assignment to create active roster space for Shin-Soo Choo, who has been activated from the disabled list. Choo had been on the DL since June 25th after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured thumb.
Kearns signed a one-year, $1.3MM deal with the Indians last offseason and produced a .200/.302/.287 line with two homers in 174 plate appearances. He played both corner outfield positions for the Tribe, but saw his slash line drop significantly; he posted a .263/.351/.395 line for the Indians and Yankees in 2010.
Draft Notes: Meo, Braves, Blue Jays
The latest draft signings, with the deadline for deals just four days away…
- Lou Nero of Octagon Sports reports that second rounder Anthony Meo has signed with the D'Backs (Twitter link). Meo obtained an above-slot bonus of $625K, according to Callis, who notes that MLB's recommended bonus was 580K (Twitter link).
- The Marlins have signed second rounder Adam Conley, a left-handed pitcher out of Washington State, for $625K, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (via Twitter).
- The Athletics have signed third rounder B.A. Vollmuth, a third baseman out of Southern Miss, for $304.2K, according to Callis (via Twitter).
- The Royals have signed fifth rounder Patrick Leonard, a high school outfielder from Texas, for $600K, writes Callis. It's the highest bonus awarded to a player outside the first four rounds this year, according to Callis. The MLB commissioner's office slot recommendation for that selection, No. 156 overall, is $161K.
- The Cubs have signed seventh-rounder Trevor Gretzky, a high school first baseman out of California, for $375K, according to Callis (on Twitter). Trevor is the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky and was a San Diego State recruit.
- The Yankees have officially signed 25th round pick Adam Smith for $157.5K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The third baseman will be converted into a right-handed pitcher.
- The Braves signed 14th round pick Navery Moore for $400K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Vanderbilt right-hander can throw 92-96 mph and has now obtained the second-highest known bonus after the second round so far this year.
- The Blue Jays signed 17th rounder Brady Dragmire, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter).
Quick Hits: Tigers, Phillies, Soriano
Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin is starting to look like one of the top acquisitions of last offseason. He has a .279/.332/.408 line with seven homers and 29 stolen bases after today's game. Here are today's ilnks…
- Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press suggests the Tigers should be relying on younger players rather than the likes of Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says it's Justin Verlander's Cy Young Award to lose, though C.C. Sabathia and Jered Weaver can’t be ruled out yet.
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News explains that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel could use a second left-hander out of the bullpen, not that the need is that pressing.
- Mets third baseman David Wright isn't available, but the Rockies do like him, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
- Alfonso Soriano told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he thinks there's a 50-50 chance he returns to Chicago next year. The Cubs still owe him $54MM through 2014, so they'd have to eat a lot of money in any trade.
Dave Bush Elects Free Agency
Dave Bush has opted out of his minor league deal with the Cubs to become a free agent, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (on Twitter).
The Cubs signed Bush last month after Texas designated him for assignment and released him. The 31-year-old posted a 5.79 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings for the Rangers as a middle reliever and spot starter this year.
Though Bush pitched primarily out of the bullpen for the Rangers, he returned to the rotation for the Iowa Cubs. In 22 Triple-A innings, Bush posted a 6.14 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 before opting out of his contract.
AL East Notes: Roberts, Lester, Nova
Curtis Granderson added to his MVP-caliber season with home run number 32 today and he now has a .276/.367/.584 line. He'll receive MVP consideration after the season, along with division rivals including Jose Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ben Zobrist. Here's the latest on the AL East…
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun asks a hypothetical question of Orioles fans: would you trade Brian Roberts for Adam Dunn? The deal, by the way, has not been been discussed by either side as far as Connolly has heard.
- Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com says Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw are two of the only pitchers he'd trade straight up for Red Sox starter Jon Lester, considering the left-hander's age (27) and contract status (under team control through 2014).
- The Yankees thought about returning Ivan Nova to the minors last week, but GM Brian Cashman ultimately decided that the right-hander gives the Yankees a better chance to win than any alternative, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
Diamondbacks Claim Tommy Manzella
The Diamondbacks claimed Tommy Manzella off of irrevocable waivers from the Astros, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter). The Astros had designated the infielder for assignment yesterday.
The Diamondbacks restore some of the shortstop depth they lost when Stephen Drew hit the disabled list with a season-ending ankle injury last month. Manzella has a .230/.319/.360 line in 417 plate appearances at Triple-A this year. He had a .225/.267/.264 line in 282 plate appearances with Houston last year, but hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since.