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Reds To Increase Payroll Slightly

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Don't expect a major offseason spending spree from the reigning NL Central champs, but the Reds are boosting payroll for the 2011 season. Cincinnati opened the 2010 season with a $76MM payroll and GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon to expect the team to spend more next year.

"It's going to increase a little bit," Jocketty said.

The Reds are expected to pick up the options for Jonny Gomes ($1.75MM) and Bronson Arroyo ($11MM), but they're expected to decline their half of the $4MM option for Orlando Cabrera. The club also has interest in re-signing Ramon Hernandez and Arthur Rhodes and will see key players such as Jay Bruce and Joey Votto head to arbitration.

Carl Crawford would fit on the Reds, who could use a leadoff hitter, but it appears that they'll stick with Gomes and within their budget.

Yankees Send Two To Indians, Complete Wood Deal

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The Yankees sent righty Andrew Shive and infielder Matt Cusick to Cleveland to complete the Kerry Wood trade, according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). Wood, who pitched two scoreless innings last night, has provided manager Joe Girardi with a stable bridge to Mariano Rivera since the Yankees acquired him July 31st.

Not only did Wood post a 0.69 ERA with 10.7 K/9 in 24 regular season appearances, he has been outstanding in the playoffs. Wood has allowed one run in six playoff games and has struck out seven. If there's one blemish on the righty's Yankee record, it's that he allowed 18 walks in 26 regular season innings.

Shive, who turns 25 next month, has not yet pitched above A-ball. He posted a 4.56 ERA with more walks than strikeouts between two levels this year after missing the entire 2009 campaign. Cusick, 24, hit .243/.318/.342 in the upper minors this year. He has split his time between second and third base since the Astros selected him in the tenth round of the 2007 draft. The Indians don't acquire much in the way of prospects, but they did save money in the deal.

Potential Relievers For The Diamondbacks

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As soon as he took over as D'Backs GM, Kevin Towers vowed to improve the Arizona bullpen. The team's relievers posted a 5.74 ERA last year, so Towers has a challenge ahead. The D'Backs play in Chase Field, a park so hitter-friendly the organization is considering ways to help pitchers. In particular, Chase Field is homer-friendly and has consistently been among the best launching pads in the game.

Towers will be looking for relievers this winter and he may be inclined to pick up pitchers who keep the ball on the ground. Here are some options the D'Backs may consider:

  • Jamey Wright – The 35-year-old strikes out just 4.3 batters per nine innings, but his 62% ground ball rate placed him eighth among major league relievers with at least 20 innings pitched. Wright will be available as a free agent.
  • Ronald Belisario – Belisario, who turns 28 in December, followed up his sensational rookie season (8.2 K/9, 2.04 ERA in 2009) with a disappointing year. He ran into personal problems and posted a 5.04 ERA. He still struck out twice as many batters as he walked and his 61% ground ball rate ranked tenth among big league relievers, so the D'Backs could have interest in trading for the promising righty.
  • Bobby Jenks – Jenks is a non-tender candidate, so he could become a free agent within six weeks. The D'Backs coud use an ace reliever and Jenks boasts a 58% ground ball rate.
  • Carlos Torres – A starter in the White Sox system, the right-hander just spent his third season at Triple-A. Torres, who turns 28 tomorrow, provides depth for the White Sox, but hasn't done much in two big league cameos. He limited opponents to 7.0 H/9 this year and posted a 48% ground ball rate. 
  • Chaz Roe – Roe, a 2005 first rounder, posted a 5.98 ERA at Triple-A and allowed 210 hits in 158 innings. The 24-year-old struggled as a starter, but the D'Backs could try to pry him away from the Rockies and hope that his 49% ground ball rate (14th in the PCL) translates to success in their 'pen.

Poll: Baseball’s Model Franchise

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Rangers managing partner Chuck Greenberg told Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he considers the Red Sox, Angels and Phillies three of baseball's model franchises. The Rangers do a lot of things right themselves and the Twins, Rockies and Rays win consistently without the benefit of massive payrolls. We can't ignore the Cardinals and Braves, who always seem to contend or the defending World Champions. You could make a case for a number of teams and you can vote for all 30 of them in today's poll:

Which team is baseball's model franchise?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Butterfield, Hale, Farrell, Alomar Jr. Finalists For Jays

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THURSDAY, 7:50am: Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield is also a finalist for the job, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Butterfield has managed in the Yankees' minor league system, but never in the major leagues. He has been on Toronto's staff for nine years.

WEDNESDAY, 12:36pm: The Blue Jays’ exhaustive search for a new manager is nearing completion and the club appears to be choosing among three American League coaches who don’t have any managerial experience in the majors. Red Sox coaches DeMarlo Hale and John Farrell and Indians coach Sandy Alomar Jr. are finalists for the Blue Jays managerial opening, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com confirms the list of names and says they are the three finalists to replace Cito Gaston.

The Blue Jays are expected to decide among the candidates within the week, according to McAdam and Bradford. Hale managed in the Rangers system and coached with the Red Sox for five years and Farrell has been the Red Sox pitching coach for four years. Alomar has worked as a bullpen coach and is now Cleveland’s first base coach.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Wood, D’Backs, A’s

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Links for Wednesday, as the Yankees try to prolong their season…

  • Baseball sources tell Ken Gurnick of MLB.com that the Dodgers are likely to bring Trey Hillman aboard as their bench coach.
  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald wonders if Kerry Wood could have made a difference for the BoSox.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are expected to name Ray Montgomery their new scouting director.  Montgomery has spent the last eight years in the Brewers organization.
  • Bryce Harper will bat seventh in his Arizona Fall League debut tonight, according to the Nationals Baseball Media Relations department (via Twitter).
  • The A's have announced several staff changes via press release.  Gerald Perry has been welcomed back as hitting coach in place of Jim Skaalen.  Joel Skinner, a longtime member of the Indians coaching staff, will take over as bench coach.  Former bench coach Tye Waller will be reassigned as the first base coach.  Waller replaces Todd Steverson who has been offered a position in the A's farm system.
  • Mark McGwire is on the fence about returning as the Cards hitting coach, Tony La Russa told Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch.
  • Former Angels scouting director Eddie Bane will join the Tigers scouting department, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law (on Twitter).
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck introduces us to Tigers assistant GM Al Avila, the longtime Detroit exec who remains a GM candidate. The Tigers recently declined to let the Mets interview Avila. 
  • If you play fantasy baseball, head over to RotoAuthority, where Tim Dierkes examines the impact of Ted Lilly's new deal on the lefty's fantasy value.
  • It doesn't look like Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima will become available to MLB teams this year, according to reports passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (Twitter link).
  • Cubs GM Jim Hendry told MLB.com's Carrie Muskat that he will "absolutely" welcome Ryne Sandberg back to Chicago's minor league system if the Hall of Famer wants to continue working his way to the major leagues. Sandberg, a finalist for the Cubs major league job, was disappointed when the team hired Mike Quade.
  • Brewers managerial candidate Pat Listach was pleased with his interview, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Alderson Favorite For Mets GM Job

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Sandy Alderson is “more than just a frontrunner” to become the next Mets GM, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The former A’s GM impressed the Mets and will likely win the job if the next phase of the interview process goes well.

Jon Heyman of SI.com confirms that Alderson is the favorite and reports that the Mets seem unlikely to hire him in tandem with another executive. Logan White of the Dodgers, Josh Byrnes, Allard Baird of the Red Sox, Rick Hahn of the White Sox and Dana Brown of the Blue Jays are also candidates for the job.

Alderson was the A's GM for more than a decade and has since worked for the Padres and in the commissioner's office. He will meet at Citi Field with the Mets tomorrow. For more on the longtime executive, click here.

Rangers Prepare To Bid Aggressively On Lee

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The Rangers realize that it won't be easy or cheap to keep Cliff Lee in Texas, but they're prepared to spend big on the lefty once he hits free agency. Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg insists his club is not "going into it with a peashooter" and says he's prepared to bid against any other teams that covet Lee.

"We can't control what the Yankees or any other club chooses to offer," Greenberg told reporters, including Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. "We know that we're going to have to be aggressive financially. We're prepared to do that. But we've also got things to offer from a lifestyle standpoint."

Lee's Arkansas home isn't far from Arlington, and he recently told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he has enjoyed pitching for the Rangers. The feeling is mutual, especially now that Lee has dominated for three consecutive postseason starts. After Lee defeated the Yankees, Greenberg told Heyman he knows the left-hander is on the brink of a massive deal.

"He's going to make a tremendous amount of money," Greenberg said. "I hope he makes it with us." 

The longer the Rangers stay in the playoffs, the better their chances are of signing Lee, according to Greenberg. Interestingly enough, Heyman reports that the Rangers offered another lefty – Derek Holland – to the Mariners for Lee before they accepted a package based around Justin Smoak.

Details Emerge On Greinke’s No-Trade Clause

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The Royals will listen to offers for the 2009 Cy Young Award winner, but not every club has a realistic shot at acquiring him. Zack Greinke will be able to block trades to half of the teams in baseball between now and the 2011 trade deadline, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Kansas City Star recently reported that Greinke would be able to block deals to eight to ten teams, but FOX Sports is reporting that he’ll have even more leverage.

Greinke’s contract runs through 2012, but he loses the right to block trades after next year’s July 31st trade deadline, according to Morosi. The right-hander could block trades to 20 teams including the Yankees and Red Sox during the 2009-10 seasons. Small market teams including the Rays were on Greinke’s list of acceptable destinations from 2009-10 (it’s possible that the list has since changed). Potential suitors will face a $13.5MM salary in both 2011 and 2012 plus the Royals’ asking price in prospects. 

Free Agent Stock Watch: Kevin Correia

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Like the Padres, Kevin Correia started the season well but slumped down the stretch. There's no question that the 30-year-old's late-season struggles will limit his asking price this winter. Here's a closer look at the right-hander's free agent stock:

The Pros

  • Correia can strike hitters out (7.1 K/9 in 2010).
  • He stayed healthy all year.
  • Teams were showing interest in Correia not long ago; the Brewers and Rays asked about him last offseason. 
  • Despite the righty's 5.40 ERA, defense-independent pitching stats suggest he was unlucky. Nearly 15% of fly balls hit off of Correia left the yard, so homers inflated his ERA.
  • Correia has induced more grounders in the past two seasons (45% ground ball rate in '09, 49% ground ball rate in '10). This suggests he could pitch just as effectively in a considerably smaller park than Petco.
  • He's just a year removed from a season in which he posted a 3.91 ERA in 33 starts.

The Cons

  • He posted a 5.40 ERA last year, allowing more than a hit per inning. Lucky or not, those numbers are ugly.
  • Bud Black took note and removed the right-hander from the Padres' rotation in September. Correia had posted a 6.18 ERA between June and August. That's one long slump.
  • His walk rate jumped from 2.9 BB/9 to 4.0 BB/9 in 2010.

The Verdict 

It doesn't look great for Correia, though he shouldn't have trouble drawing interest. Teams like the Orioles and Brewers will be looking for back-of-the-rotation arms this offseason and Correia's ability to induce grounders would play well in homer-friendly places like Camden Yards and Miller Park. But other free agents (including former Brewer Dave Bush and former Oriole Kevin Millwood) will be vying for rotation spots and Correia doesn't have much leverage given his poor finish. A one-year deal worth $2MM or so seems like a reasonable target for the San Diego native, who may well end up with the Padres again.

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