Non-Tender Candidate: Ryan Church
For the second consecutive season, Ryan Church has played well enough to appear in 100 games, but poorly enough to become a non-tender candidate. Last year, the Braves non-tendered Church instead of offering him anything close to his 2009 salary of $2.8MM and he faces similar uncertainty heading into the 2010-11 offseason.
The Pirates signed Church for $1.5MM and saw him hit just .182/.240/.312 before they traded him to Arizona in July. The 31-year-old has hit well for the D'Backs, as his .279/.354/.535 line shows, but his 48 plate appearances in the desert haven't earned him any guarantees for 2011.
Church has played all three outfield positions this year, and though he hasn't logged a significant number of innings in 2010, we can say that he is versatile and has posted slightly above average UZRs for seven consecutive seasons. His batting average on balls in play is 60 points below his career mark, but he is hitting fewer liners and more fly balls than usual, so this isn't purely a case of bad luck.
Despite his good at bats in Arizona and his versatility in the outfield, Church won't necessarily see a contract offer from the D'Backs. It won't be hard to find fourth outfielders for $1-2MM through free agency, so it seems unlikely that the D'Backs will offer Church a contract for a comparable amount of money after a mostly disappointing season. Let's see what you think. Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Lilly, D’Backs, Crawford
On this date in 1990, the Dodgers signed Miguel Cairo as an amateur free agent. These days, Cairo's playing all around the diamond for the Reds, as they approach their first playoff berth since 1995. Here are today's links…
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly has “veto authority, but he most definitely does not do any of the day-to-day GM work,” according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported earlier in the day that some baseball people see Coonelly as the team’s de facto GM.
- Ted Lilly and the Dodgers have an understanding that they'll talk about a new deal after the season, when Lilly hits free agency, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- The D'Backs appear to want a GM whose forte is scouting and player development, according to Olney (on Twitter).
- Houston native Carl Crawford told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he likes Houston and has nothing against the Astros. Crawford, who hits free agency this winter, says his friends see him playing for a winner. Despite their strong second half, the Astros are five games below .500.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that the Blue Jays are being "incredibly open-minded" as they search for their next field manager.
Top Execs Could Shy Away From Mets GM Job
The Mets may have trouble convincing baseball’s top executives to take over as the team’s next general manager, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets will fire or re-assign GM Omar Minaya after the season, according to Sherman, but that’s the easy part. Sherman reports that chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has a reputation in baseball circles as a tone deaf, credit-seeking, second-guessing micro-manager who isn’t accountable or self aware.
That reputation won’t make the Mets’ search for a new GM any easier, but they’re prepared to spend, even though they owe Minaya millions after 2010. Former Padres GM Kevin Towers will likely take the Diamondbacks GM job if the money is right and former D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes is hesitant to work for the Wilpons, according to Sherman.
Former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker likes working for the Rays, but those close to him say he would consider the right GM job. Those are far from the only qualified candidates to run a team, but it appears that the Mets will have to fight the perception that Wilpon is a difficult boss as they hunt for their next GM.
Rosenthal On Beltran, Pirates, Pujols, Braves
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 2011 Mets from Francisco Rodriguez to Omar Minaya to Jerry Manuel. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Minaya or his replacement, “would be wise to explore trades for [Jose] Reyes and [David] Wright” this offseason. Here are the rest of the rumors:
- Carlos Beltran, a player who could become a trade chip this winter, told Rosenthal that he would like to remain on the Mets.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly is the team's “de facto GM”, according to some rival executives.
- Not surprisingly, the Cardinals’ top offseason priority will be extending Albert Pujols, who will hit the open market after 2011 unless the Cards lock him up. It took Joe Mauer and the Twins a while to work out their $184MM extension, so we could be in for a winter’s worth of Pujols rumors.
- As Rosenthal points out, the Braves could use a big bat to play left field and they'll likely be on the lookout for one this offseason.
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Free Agent Stock Watch: Melvin Mora
There's a limit to how much 38-year-old utility men can earn, and Melvin Mora is doing everything within his power to push that limit as he heads for another round of free agency. He's hitting well and playing all over the place as the Rockies make their annual charge towards the postseason. Here's the outlook for Mora this winter:
The Pros
- Mora is batting .286/.363/.404 this year, a significant improvement from the 2009 line he posted in Baltimore (.260/.321/.358).
- The Rockies called on Mora to be their everyday third baseman when Ian Stewart hit the DL on August 26th and Mora has responded by posting an .873 OPS since then, proving that he can still play every day if necessary.
- He has played first, second, third and left field this year.
- He won't cost a draft pick, since he doesn't project to be a ranked free agent.
The Cons
- Mora turns 39 before the season starts, so his chances of winning another Silver Slugger or clubbing 27 homers in a season again are slim. He's a role player at this point in his career.
- His batting average on balls in play is the highest it has been in five years, despite a career-low line drive rate. Those numbers suggest Mora has benefitted from some good luck on balls in play.
The Verdict
Mora is not getting a multi-year deal this winter, barring a major surprise, but he has likely earned himself a raise from his current $1.275MM salary. It seems like Mora's in line for another one-year deal this winter, but he could earn $2-3MM this time around.
Heyman On Valentine, Macha, Mariners
MLB executives told Jon Heyman of SI.com that they’d be happy to ignore Felix Hernandez’s relatively low win total and hand him the Cy Young Award because of how well he has pitched this year. Here are the managerial rumblings that Heyman’s hearing:
- Bobby Valentine would likely be a candidate to manage in the Bronx if Joe Girardi moves on after the season. That seems unlikely, however.
- Ken Macha won’t likely return to manage the Brewers next year, but bench coach Willie Randolph doesn’t appear to be the favorite to replace Macha. Bob Melvin could be a candidate, as Heyman suggested last week.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is on "shaky ground” according to people around baseball. Zduriencik admitted to Heyman that he should have looked into Josh Lueke’s background more carefully before acquiring him from the Rangers.
Odds & Ends: Rangers, Pirates, Cotts, Marlins
Links for Friday, before Dan Haren celebrates his 30th birthday by taking on one of baseball's most potent offenses…
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan lists ten decisions that have been critical to the Rangers' success this season.
- The Pirates have released lefty Neal Cotts according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America and this week's edition of minor league transaction.
- Padres' first base coach Rick Renteria is on the Marlins radar with regards to their managerial opening, says MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. He adds that Yankees bench coach Tony Pena is a candidate as well.
- Chipper Jones told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that it would be hard to stop playing before his body prevents him from doing so, partly because “you can make absurd amounts of money” as a baseball player.
- Former Orioles manager Dave Trembley told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that he’d like to coach in the major leagues next year (Twitter link).
- The Pirates' minor league success has been a major positive this year, but Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette questions how the Pirates also allowed for "near-total destruction of the major-league product." The team is 50 games below .500 with the worst record in baseball.
- Carl Crawford told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that his impending free agency hasn't been hard to handle, since the Rays are winning. Click here for Bradford's analysis of how Crawford would fit in Fenway.
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald breaks down Boston's options behind the plate for 2011, from free agents Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek to new acquisition Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
- John Dewan of the Fielding Bible explained to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Adam Dunn's poor defense wouldn't necessarily prevent the Nationals from building a better defensive team.
Torre To Step Down; Mattingly To Take Over
8:35pm: Hernandez tweets that Mattingly's contract to manage the team is for three years. He also had a signed contract before the season that guaranteed him the job if Torre stepped down, according to a second Hernandez tweet.
1:53pm: Joe Torre will announce today that he's stepping down as Dodgers manager after the season, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. He will be replaced by hitting coach Don Mattingly, who will manage in the Arizona Fall League, but does not yet have professional experience as a manager. Yahoo's Tim Brown also reported the news.
Torre, 70, could consider offers for other managerial openings or retire after a Hall of Fame-caliber career. Torre has a 2318-1990 record over the course of 29 seasons as a big league manager and led his teams to the postseason 14 consecutive times from 1996-2009. One of Hernandez's sources says Torre could keep working in the Dodgers organization.
Dodgers Triple A manager Tim Wallach, who had been considered a possible candidate for the opening, could now become an option for other clubs.
Indians Claim Chad Huffman
The Indians claimed Chad Huffman off of waivers from the Yankees and optioned him to Triple A, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Yankees, who claimed Huffman from the Padres in April, designated him for assignment earlier in the week.
Huffman, a 25-year-old outfielder, struggled through 21 plate appearances for the Yankees back in June and July, but hit 274/.353/.410 at Triple A this year. It was the first time in his five-year minor league career that he posted an OPS under .800. The 2006 second-rounder made the Pacific Coast League All-Star team a year ago and won the league's Home Run Derby.