Mets Rumors: Sheffield, Marquis
The latest on the Mets' offseason plans from a pair of New York Post writers…
- Gary Sheffield tells Kevin Kernan that he will play at least one more season. Sheffield would consider returning to the Mets, but he's not ruling out other clubs. Kernan lists the Astros, Rangers, Rays and Marlins as possible fits.
- I find it hard to imagine the Rays making a play for him. Still, Sheffield, who turns 41 in November, has managed an .822 OPS in 309 plate appearances, so he can still hit.
- Jeff Francoeur tells Mike Puma that his friend Jason Marquis would "love to come" to New York and pitch for the Mets. Francoeur raves about Marquis, who will hit free agency after the season.
Olney On Bradley, Jays, Wood
ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Rangers probably wouldn't welcome Milton Bradley back. Here's the latest on the now-suspended outfielder, along with the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Olney says the Cubs will likely have to eat a huge portion of Bradley's contract to move him, perhaps as much as $18-19MM. The Cubs owe the 31-year-old $21MM over the next two years.
- The Padres may be looking for a corner outfielder this offseason, so they could have interest in Bradley.
- Olney says baseball people presume Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi will be fired. (What do you think?) If the Jays cut ties with their GM, Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken could be a candidate to replace him.
- Clubs expect the Indians to consider moving Kerry Wood this offseason. Cleveland is rebuilding, so they'd presumably be happy to unload his $10.5MM salary.
D’Backs Rumors: Snyder, Webb
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the latest on the D'Backs' offseason plans…
- Chris Snyder will undergo back surgery tomorrow and the operation figures to hurt the catcher's trade value. The D'Backs have relied on Miguel Montero this year, so they don't need Snyder as much as they expected to when they signed him to a $14.25MM deal last offseason. The contract and Snyder's .200/.333/.352 line would likely have prevented the club from trading the 28-year-old even if he wasn't having surgery tomorrow.
- The D'Backs tend to avoid incentive-based contracts, but they may consider one if they approach Brandon Webb about restructuring his current deal. When Tim interviewed Josh Byrnes earlier in the year, the D'Backs GM said he prefers to avoid bonuses because he likes having a stable payroll and wants to avoid clubhouse distractions.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Bradley, Free Agents
Some links for Tuesday morning…
- Be here at 2pm CST for today's chat.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff thinks Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson are among the free agents the Mets should avoid after the season.
- Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times says Jim Hendry's decision to sign Milton Bradley was inexcusable. The signing didn't work out, but Bradley did lead the AL in OPS last year.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the MLB Players Association may file a grievance in response to the Cubs' suspension of Bradley. The volatile outfielder doesn't know if the Cubs will pay him over the course of his suspension.
- Be sure to check out our list of 2011 free agents. These players are on track to hit free agency after next season. Joe Mauer and Derek Jeter are among the bigger names to appear on the list.
- And here's our list of players who will hit free agency after this season. You can find both lists at the right side of the site and we'll keep them updated at all times.
Manager Rumors: Astros, Indians, Mets, Cards
The latest on some possible managerial changes…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle wonders if the Astros could pick former MLB manager Jim Fregosi to lead the club next season. Dave Clark, Manny Acta, Tim Bogar, Jeff Bagwell and Brad Ausmus could also be candidates to manage.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Indians appear to be pressuring GM Mark Shapiro to fire manager Eric Wedge.
- Edes says O's manager Dave Trembley and Nats interim manager Jim Riggleman have limited job security.
- It's not likely that the Mets will fire Jerry Manuel and replace him with former manager Bobby Valentine. Edes' sources say it's not impossible, though.
- Edes says Braves manager Bobby Cox will likely return next season, but suggests there's tension between Cox and Braves GM Frank Wren.
- Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail says it's not enough for the Blue Jays to fire GM J.P. Ricciardi. If the Jays are going to clean house, Blair says they should fire manager Cito Gaston, too.
- Cards manager Tony La Russa tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn't want to think about his next contract yet. The longtime skipper is a free agent after the season.
Rosenthal On Pavano, A’s, Jays, Astros
As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out, closers Brian Fuentes and Ryan Franklin seem just as shaky as Brad Lidge these days. Rosenthal also covers some hot-stove themed issues. Here are the highlights:
- Carl Pavano, who will earn close to $4MM this year if enough incentives kick in, could sign a one-year deal worth $5-7MM this offseason, according to an MLB executive.
- Cliff Pennington's emergence suggests there's very little chance the A's bring shortstop Orlando Cabrera back after the season.
- Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays wanted pitcher-shortstop Casey Kelly more than any of the prospects the Red Sox apparently offered for Roy Halladay.
- Rosenthal hears that the Astros are likely to hire an experienced manager to permanently replace Cecil Cooper. Former Astro Jeff Bagwell would be a tempting choice, and he would probably consider the job if the Astros were interested, but the team appears more likely to pursue skippers with significant MLB experience.
- The Indians have lost 17 of their last 20 games under Eric Wedge, who will not likely be out of work for long if he gets fired.
Odds & Ends: Mateo, Sano, Crow, Ethier
Some more links for the afternoon or, if you're on the East Coast, the early evening…
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. hears that a vision issue could affect the status of the contract Wagner Mateo signed with the Cardinals earlier in the summer. If Mateo has a degenerative eye condition, the Cards may look to reclaim some of the $3.1MM they awarded the 16-year-old. Mateo's agent says it's a non-issue.
- Miguel Angel Sano doesn't appear to be near a deal with any club, but Arangure Jr. hears that the shortstop seeks $3.2MM.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law believes Aaron Crow's long holdout will hurt the pitcher more than it helped him. The Royals completed their deal with Crow just yesterday.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer knows it's painful for the A's to see Andre Ethier's 30-homer season in LA, but he reminds his readers that Milton Bradley helped the A's win a division title after Billy Beane traded Ethier to acquire Bradley before the 2006 season.
Rosenthal On Junior, Twins, Cardinals
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears the Mariners will not reject Ken Griffey Jr. if he decides to return next season. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- Junior will decide whether he wants to return for another season after this one ends.
- GM Jack Zduriencik says the Mariners will wait to hear from Griffey before proceeding with the rest of their offseason plans.
- One source tells Rosenthal that the team would bring Griffey back if the 13-time All-Star wants to return. A second source suggests Griffey may be willing to take on a reduced role for a reduced salary.
- Rosenthal suggests the Twins will need to add a veteran starter this offseason. He mentions Randy Wolf as a possible target for the club.
- Orlando Cabrera and Joe Crede are free agents, so the team will likely have to re-structure the left side of its infield.
- Rosenthal wonders how Cardinals pitchers will fare if highly-regarded pitching coach Dave Duncan moves on next year.
Olney On Nationals, Hardy, Mets
ESPN.com's Buster Olney compares two of the game's best pitchers, Felix Hernandez and Zack Greinke, before providing us with some rumors:
- Olney hears the Nationals will consider former MLB manager Buck Showalter when they select the team's permanent field manager.
- J.J. Hardy will likely see lots of time at shortstop before the season ends. Olney guesses that the Brewers are trying to raise his trade value going into the offseason.
- One GM tells Olney that the Mets have a few elite players, some unmoveable ones and not much minor league depth. This means the team may have to spend heavily to compete.
- Here's Tim's take on the Mets and here's Jon Heyman's.
Iwamura Wants To Return To Tampa Bay
Earlier in the week we heard speculation that the Rays could decline Akinori Iwamura's $4.25MM option for 2010. The Rays need the money and, because of Jason Bartlett, Reid Brignac and Ben Zobrist, they don't need the middle infield depth. But, according to Mark Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, Iwamura wants to return.
"I love this team," he said through his interpreter, "and I love the Tampa area."
The 30-year-old second baseman has a .294/.356/.388 line this year, right in line with his career averages. Iwamura, who says his knee is at full strength, has been a league-average fielder in the majors, according to UZR/150. Iwamura's numbers don't stand out from this year's free agent second basemen, but he may find himself competing for jobs with them in spite of his love for Tampa.