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Pirates, Mets, Blue Jays Managerial Rumors

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The Blue Jays, Marlins, Pirates, Brewers and Mets are still looking for managers. Here's the latest, with more updates to come throughout the evening:

Pirates

Former Brewers skipper Ken Macha told Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (via Twitter) that he is no longer in the running for the Pirates job.

Mets

Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson, the two finalists for the Mets GM job, both submitted lists of four or five managerial candidates in their initial interviews, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Both lists included Mets Class A manager Wally Backman, according to sources.

Blue Jays

Update: DeMarlo Hale has been told he is no longer in the running for the job, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). That means it's down to John Farrell and Brian Butterfield.

Peter Gammons said on WEEI that the Blue Jays may decide on their next manager by tonight. Alex Anthopoulos leans toward DeMarlo Hale and assistant GM Tony LaCava and others lean toward John Farrell, according to Gammons.

Farrell, the Red Sox pitching coach, is the favorite to manage, but Hale, the Boston bench coach is still in the running. One person not being considered: Sandy Alomar Jr. The former catcher was one of four finalists for the job, but he won't be getting it, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). That leaves Farrell, Hale and Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield.

Examining Minnesota’s Bullpen

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It’s not easy to imagine a bullpen with more question marks than Minnesota’s. That's not to say the Twins don’t have quality relievers, it’s just hard to predict which ones will return in 2011. Kelly Thesier of MLB.com breaks down the team’s bullpen, which includes six free agents and a non-tender candidate.

Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Jon Rauch, Brian Fuentes, Ron Mahay and Randy Flores all hit free agency but they won’t all return. Thesier says the Twins are not likely to keep Mahay or Flores and seem most likely to target Crain and Guerrier.

Crain, who ranks as a Type B free agent, says he loves Minnesota but would like the chance to close. That won’t happen if he stays put, since Joe Nathan should return from Tommy John surgery next year. Matt Capps, who saved 42 games in 2010, figures to be next in line for saves.

The Nathan-Capps duo promises to be effective, but it will definitely be expensive. Nathan earns $11.25MM next year and Capps will get a raise from his $3.5MM salary through arbitration.

If the Twins lose certain pitchers after offering arbitration, they could gain picks in next year’s draft. Crain, Rauch and Fuentes rank as Type B free agents and could each bring the Twins a supplementary first round pick. Guerrier is a Type A free agent, so the Twins would get two top picks if he leaves after declining arbitration.

Clay Condrey, who didn’t pitch in 2010 due to elbow problems, is a non-tender candidate. Despite all the uncertainty in the 'pen, Bill Smith & Co. head into the offseason with a more stable rotation.

Byrnes, Alderson Finalists For Mets Job

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The Mets announced that they're bringing GM candidates Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson back for a final round of interviews, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Byrnes, the D'Backs GM from 2005 to 2010, and Alderson, the A's GM from 1983 to 1997, both have experience running big league teams.

Rick Hahn of the White Sox, Allard Baird of the Red Sox, Logan White of the Dodgers and Dana Brown of the Blue Jays also interviewed for the position. However, earlier in the week, it became apparent that Alderson is the favorite. Click here to read more about the man who drafted Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi and others.

Byrnes will meet with the Mets Monday, followed by Alderson on Tuesday, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. This means we can probably expect a decision by next week. As Heyman points out, the Mets must be confident Byrnes or Alderson will accept (Twitter links).

The Mets were seeking experienced GM candidates, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Three other executives the Mets interviewed, Logan White, Rick Hahn, and Dana Brown, lack previous GM experience.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Inge, Reynolds, Angels

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On this date in 1974, the Yankees and Giants swapped Bobby Bonds and Bobby Murcer in one of the many deals that had Bonds packing his bags. Now, the Yankees and Giants are preoccupied with something else entirely: trying to reach the World Series. Here are today's links…

Robinson Cano & Darren O’Day

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Robinson Cano and Darren O'Day don't have much in common. Cano, the son of a major leaguer, signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager and has developed into an All-Star and MVP candidate. You won't find O'Day on any MVP ballots and the side-arming right-hander has never been a top prospect. The Florida native wasn't even drafted and is far from a franchise player; two teams have already exposed him to waivers.

But the players do have something in common. Both were born 28 years ago today; Cano in San Pedro de Macoris and O'Day in Jacksonville. Their current clubs acquired them in different ways, but neither player joined his current organization with much fanfare. Cano signed a modest six-figure bonus in 2001, without the hype that surrounded international prospects like Michael Ynoa, Miguel Sano or Felix Heredia.

The Angels, who signed O'Day as a non-drafted free agent, lost him to the Mets in the 2008 Rule 5 draft. The Mets then exposed him to waivers and saw the Rangers claim him last April. It was easily one of the shrewdest claims of Jon Daniels' tenure as GM (the Alexi Ogando claim is another). O'Day has posted a 1.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 117.2 innings since joining the Rangers.

Neither move made headlines at the time, but both players are contributors as their respective teams try to advance to the World Series. Interestingly enough, Cano and O'Day have never faced each other. It seems unlikely that Ron Washington would bring the sidearmer in to face Cano, who bats left-handed, but as observers of the 2010 postseason will tell you, stranger things have happened. It'd be fitting if the two met for the first time tonight as they celebrate their 28th birthdays with the season at stake.

Heyman On Girardi, Nunez, Alderson, Beltre

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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.

John Farrell Favorite To Manage Blue Jays

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GM Alex Anthopoulos says he has yet to decide on the next manager of the Blue Jays, but John Farrell is emerging as the favorite to win the job. A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that it will be a surprise if the Blue Jays do not name Farrell manager within a week or so. The club was apparently impressed by the Red Sox pitching coach in his interviews. 

DeMarlo Hale, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Brian Butterfield are reportedly the others to make it this far in the Blue Jays’ exhaustive hunt for a successor to Cito Gaston. Morosi’s report comes a day after Peter Gammons heard that three GMs expect Farrell to get the job.  Alex Anthopoulos, the one GM whose opinion really matters, told Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that he is still deciding.

“No decision has yet been made,” Anthopoulos said. “I still have not made up my own mind on the candidates.”

Farrell, a former major league pitcher, was the director of player development for the Indians before becoming Boston’s pitching coach. The Blue Jays, Marlins, Pirates, Brewers and Mets are the five clubs that still have managerial openings.

Odds & Ends: Beimel, Angels, Mets, Peralta, Dunn

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On this date 27 years ago, the Padres signed Sandy Alomar Jr. as an amateur free agent. Now, the former catcher is one of four finalists for the Blue Jays managerial opening. Here are today's links, as the Phillies send the NLCS back to Philadelphia…

Josh Willingham Hopes For Extension

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Josh Willingham isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season and if it were up to him, he’d push that date back a couple years. Agent Matt Sosnick told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Willingham would like to sign a multi-year contract this offseason.

“If he had his druthers, he'd sign a deal that took him through this year and into the next couple years,” Sosnick said, adding that no discussions have taken place so far. 

Willingham, who earned $4.6MM this year, would be happy to accept a one-year deal. He’d get a raise through arbitration, so his 2011 salary could approach $7MM. Willingham missed the last six weeks of the season to undergo surgery on the meniscus in his left knee. He ranked 5th among MLB outfielders (min. 400 PAs) in on base percentage (.389) and tenth in OPS (.848). The 30-year-old can hit, but injuries have limited Willingham in each of the past few seasons. 

Though he didn’t play anywhere but left field in 2010, Willingham has experience in right field and at first base. Sosnick says his client’s flexible.

"He'd be open to doing anything he could for the team," Sosnick said. "They could use him out of the bullpen."

Tigers, Inge Agree To Two-Year Extension

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The longest tenured Tiger is staying in Detroit. The Tigers announced that they signed Brandon Inge to a two-year extension with a club option for 2013. Inge's deal is worth $11.5MM, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). The third baseman earns $5.5MM in 2011 and 2012 and will either earn $6MM or a $500K buyout in 2013. Inge's four-year $24MM deal expired after the season, and he soon began discussing a multi-year extension with the Tigers.

Inge, 33, batted .247/.321/.397 last year with 13 homers. As usual, the ten-year veteran showed some power, struck out frequently and hit for a low average. According to UZR, Inge also played above-average defense for the sixth consecutive season. Though he no longer contributes behind the plate or in the outfield, Inge gives the Tigers excellent defense at the hot corner.

Early in the season, I suggested the 2009 All-Star was headed for a $4-6MM guarantee, but Inge did considerably better than that. The extension gives Scott Boras one less potential destination for Adrian Beltre, the best player on this year's free agent third base market.

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