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Dioner Navarro Leaves Rays

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Before the playoffs began, it seemed unlikely that the Rays would need Dioner Navarro in 2011. The catcher’s chances of returning now appear even slimmer, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Navarro, who wasn’t on the postseason roster for the Division Series, told the Rays he was going home, even though the organization asked him to stay with the team and work out in case of an injury.

Navarro earned $2.1MM this year in his second season as an arbitration eligible player. He spent about a third of the year in the minors, partly because he hit just .194/.270/.258 and partly because of John Jaso’s emergence.

Jaso and Kelly Shoppach (already under contract for 2011) give the Rays two catchers, so they don’t need Navarro. The 26-year-old is just two seasons removed from an All-Star game selection, but he has shown little pop since. 

The Dodgers, Marlins, Reds, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox and Padres are among the teams that could be looking for catching depth this winter. At this point, Navarro is coming off of a second consecutive disappointing season and appears to be at odds with the Rays, so his trade value has dropped substantially. It appears likely that the Rays will instead non-tender Navarro this offseason.

Managerial Notes: Mariners, Valentine, Porter

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Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik is on the lookout for a new manager and, like many teams, the Mariners are likely to conduct much of their search in the coming month. Here is the latest on the Mariners and other clubs around the league:

  • Former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons confirmed to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that the Mariners asked permission to interview him for their managerial vacancy. The Toronto Sun first reported the Mariners' interest in Gibbons yesterday.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that Ted Simmons is high on Seattle's wish list. Simmons has just about everything the Mariners are looking for, including connections with Zduriencik. Interestingly enough, Simmons signed Elmer Dessens and Jose Guillen when he was the Pirates GM in the early 1990s.
  • Joey Cora is another possibility for the Mariners, according to Heyman.
  • Baker hears that Bobby Valentine is still in the mix for the Mariners job.
  • Valentine, Jim Fregosi, Tony Pena and Bo Porter are candidates for the Marlins job according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. 
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes that Porter is a candidate to manage the Pirates (Twitter link).

Cardinals Exercise Pujols’ 2011 Option

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The Cardinals officially announced their decision to exercise Albert Pujols’ 2011 option, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As anticipated, they chose to pay the first baseman $16MM instead of buying him out for $5MM.

The perennial MVP candidate led the National League in homers (42) for a second consecutive season in 2010. He also batted .312/.414/.596 and played in all but three of his team's games. Since arriving in the major leagues a decade ago, Pujols has played in 143 games or more every season without ever batting less than .312, posting an OBP below .394 or posting a slugging average below .561.

After 2011, the $100MM deal Pujols signed in 2004 will expire and he's scheduled to hit the open market. The Cardinals may look to extend the first baseman this winter and, if they do reach an agreement, they could re-negotiate his 2011 salary. If not, Pujols will likely be a bargain once again.

Padres Claim Jarrett Hoffpauir

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The Padres claimed Jarrett Hoffpauir off of waivers from the Blue Jays, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). To create roster space for their new acquisition, the Padres designated catcher Chris Stewart for assignment.

Hoffpauir, 27, hasn't done much in 53 big league plate appearances, but he has succeeded in the minor leagues. He batted .295/.376/.494 in Triple-A this year, belting 16 homers. Las Vegas is a hitter-friendly environment, but Hoffpauir posted similar numbers in the Cardinals system a year ago when he batted .291/.357/.486.

Hoffpauir has spent most of his minor league career at second base, but he has played third and short, too. The 2004 sixth rounder provides the Padres with organizational depth and the promise of some offense.

GM Jed Hoyer has already made a number of low-risk additions in his first year leading the Padres. He added Jody Gerut, Nick Green, Wily Mo Pena, Josh Barfield, Mark Worrell and Chris Denorfia on minor league deals and claimed Radhames Liz off of waivers.

Pujols, Furcal Have Ten And Five Rights

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Albert Pujols and Rafael Furcal both saw their limited no-trade clauses become full no-trade clauses this week. The players now have ten and five rights, since they have spent ten or more seasons in the big leagues, including at least five with their current teams.

The Cardinals, who wouldn't have reason to trade Pujols even if they were able to do so without his permission, will soon exercise their $16MM option for the first baseman. That will keep Pujols in St. Louis through 2011, but the Cardinals could look to sign him to a long-term deal this winter.

Furcal is under contract through 2011 at $12MM. He'll automatically earn the same amount in 2012 if he makes 600 plate appearances next year, but the Dodgers could pick up the 2012 option even if Furcal doesn't reach 600 plate appearances.

Furcal, Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki all picked up ten and five rights as the season ended. Jimmy Rollins, A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle joined the club earlier in the season.

Odds & Ends: Ortiz, Brewers, Rasmus

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Links for Wednesday, as the playoffs finally begin…

Poll: Which Team Will Win The World Series?

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It's taken years of trades, signings and draft picks for the 2010 playoff teams to get this far. A month from now, one of them will make baseball history and win it all. The Rays or Rangers could win that elusive first World Championship; the Yankees could win yet another one; the Braves could send Bobby Cox to retirement in style. At this point it's nearly impossible to predict who will win it all, but let's not let that stop us from trying.

Who will win the 2010 World Series?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

What They Were Saying: AL East GMs

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The American League East has its share of well-established general managers, but these executives were once fresh-faced up and comers. Andy MacPhail, Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein, Andrew Friedman and Alex Anthopoulos are now at different stages in their careers, but they were all relatively young when they took over teams for the first time. Here's how those five GMs were described at the time of their first GM gigs:

Alex Anthopoulos 

“Two hours into the conversation and Alex Anthopoulos has barely taken a breath. He is that excited, that engaging, that much the chatterbox, that wide-eyed, that ready to take on the world and Blue Jays baseball.” – Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun, October 8th, 2009

Andrew Friedman

Friedman is “the cherubic-faced 29-year-old general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays … scanning his BlackBerry for trade offers and checking pitch counts.” –  Landon Thomas Jr., The New York Times, April 2, 2006

Theo Epstein

“The trappings of power mean little to him; what happens on the field is what counts. This is a young man in a hurry, and the fans are sure to be right at his heels.” – Bella English, The Boston Globe, December 5th, 2002

Brian Cashman

“Cashman, the new general manager of the Yankees, an affable 30-year-old with thinning brown hair and glasses, is accustomed to the dreary 18-hour days and to George Steinbrenner's yelping. Cashman, a strong negotiator and savvy administrator who admitted that evaluating talent is not his strength, confronts a position that Joe Torre calls the most arduous in baseball.” – Jack Curry, The New York Times, Feburary 4th, 1998

Andy MacPhail

MacPhail is “the son of former American League president and current president of the Player Relations Committee Lee MacPhail.” – United Press International, July 19, 1985

Olney On Werth, Damon, Marlins

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The playoffs are about to start, but that doesn't mean the rumors ever stop. Here are your latest hot stove notes from ESPN.com’s Buster Olney.

  • Jayson Werth may benefit from the anticipated bidding frenzy for Carl Crawford. Teams that miss out on Crawford could go hard after Werth, who’s well-positioned for a big payday no matter what happens with Crawford.
  • Some evaluators don’t think Johnny Damon can play full time in the outfield. Olney suggests Oakland or Kansas City could have interest in Damon as a fourth outfielder and part-time DH.
  • People in MLB front offices believe that the Marlins aren’t developing quite as much talent as they once did. One talent evaluator suggests the Marlins may have to lock up their current players to remain competitive. Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco are both extension candidates, but the Marlins aren’t close to signing either of them.

Angels Owner Prepared To Spend

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Angels owner Arte Moreno says he plans to spend aggressively to send his team back to the postseason. Moreno told Bill Plaschke of the LA Times that he dislikes losing and will do everything he can to improve the Angels.

"We know where our weaknesses are, we know where we are thin, we know where we have to go to market," Moreno said. "It's going to cost money, but our fans need to know what we're committed to winning."

Moreno said he hopes to sign an outfielder who creates runs. Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, who are both free agents this winter, are potential targets for the Angels. Both will likely be expensive, but Moreno said he’s prepared to complement homegrown players like Jered Weaver with free agents.

"Championship teams develop their players like we have, we know that," Moreno said. "But sometimes when the prospects aren't there, you have to bridge that area, and I'm willing to do that."

GM Tony Reagins may pursue relievers, third basemen and outfielders this offseason as the Angels look to return to their winning ways. The team finished below .500 (80-82) for the first time since 2003 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. It has been apparent for weeks that the Angels will be able to spend and it now seems like Reagins will have the flexibility to bid on whichever free agents fit the Angels' needs best.

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