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Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Halladay, Yankees

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Let's take a look around the web after the thrilling conclusion of game #163:

  • Vicente Padilla and Ronnie Belliard – acquired (separately) by the Dodgers in August – will start ahead of Chad Billingsley and Orlando Hudson in the postseason, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
  • MLB.com's David Ely writes that the Dodgers are in the position they are today in large part because of GM Ned Colletti.  The Dodgers agree as they are likely to ink Colletti a new deal soon.
  • David Waldstein of the New York Times reports that the Mets will "look into" Roy Halladay if the Blue Jays make him available this winter.  However, the article notes that it is unlikely that the Mets have the cash flow to make such a deal or the prospects necessary to entice Toronto.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman deserves credit for the moves he has made, writes Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Giambi, Kikuchi

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Some links to check out as we await the crowning of the 2009 AL Central Champions:

  • Major League Baseball announced today that the transfer of the Chicago Cubs to Tom Ricketts was unanimously approved.  Ricketts will assume day-to-day control of the club when the deal is finalized, which should take place before the end of the month.
  • Jack Curry of the New York Times reports via Twitter that Jason Giambi "raved about the Rockies and said he wants to play in 2010." 
  • Decision time is drawing near for Japanese high school pitcher Yusei Kikuchi and NPB Tracker took a glance at what lies ahead for the hard-throwing lefty.  The 18-year-old is deciding between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and is believed to have more than 20 clubs interested in his services.  Kikuchi originally planned to speak with only a select few MLB teams, but has now resolved that he will talk to all interested suitors.  
  • More from NPB Tracker as Ryota Igarashi – reliever for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows – eyes a move to MLB.  Igarashi is keeping mum on the subject for now as his team is in the playoff hunt.
  • ESPN's Keith Law chatted about new Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos on the radio today and Drunk Jays Fans has a transcript of the interview as well as a link to the audio.
  • Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times offered up his take on how the internet has changed the way baseball is covered.
  • From the Fish Bytes blog comes the news that the Marlins did not extend contract offers to pitching coach Mark Wiley and first-base coach Andy Fox.  Both men were offered positions elsewhere in the organization.  The rest of the coaching staff will be retained.
  • Dick Kaegel of MLB.com brings us similar news out of Kansas City.  Everyone on the Royals staff will return to their current roles, except for bullpen coach John Mizerock and first-base coach Rusty Kuntz.  Mizerock has been let go whereas Kuntz will become a special assistant to GM Dayton Moore.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Indians, Draft Order

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Let's take a look around the web on this Sunday evening:

  • Cubs manager Lou Piniella says that Ryne Sandberg will be "in the mix" to succeed him as Cubs skipper, according to Andrew Simon of MLB.com.  Sandberg is the manager of Chicago's Double-A affiliate and could get consideration as soon as 2011 if Piniella does not ink a new deal.
  • Speaking of the Cubs, the Associated Press reports that hitting coach Von Joshua will not return to the team next year but has been invited to fill a similar role for the Triple-A affiliate.  Sullivan identifies Sandberg as a possible replacement for Joshua, although GM Jim Hendry declined to name names.
  • Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Indians general manager Mark Shapiro wants to appoint the club's next manager by the end of the World Series.  Hoynes says that while Cleveland's list of candidates includes some people who are already in-house, Eric Wedge's replacement will likely come from outside of the organization.
  • Via twitter, ESPN's Keith Law runs down the 2010 MLB Draft order.  Law also notes that spots 9-11 could change.
  • Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron, who is a free agent this offseason, suffered a minor concussion when he hit his head diving for a ball in the sixth inning of the season finale, writes Adam McCalvy of Brew Beat.  Cameron says that he has had several concussions during the course of his career but assured reporters that he'll "be fine."

Odds & Ends: Church, Macha, Farrell

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Some more reading for the last Friday night of the 2009 regular season….

  • Mark Bowman of MLB.com wonders if Ryan Church has played his last game for the Braves. Bowman thinks, because of Church's back injuries, the Braves may not want to pay for a salary bump through arbitration.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin has not yet met with Ken Macha to discuss his future in Milwaukee, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It looks as if Macha will be back in the Brewers' dugout in 2010, but Melvin probably won't make it official until after Sunday's finale.
  • Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell attempts to dispel rumors that he'll be the next manager in Cleveland, via Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks at the AL Rookie of the Year race and concludes that the candidate he'd most like to have for the next few seasons is Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter) is surprised the Orioles picked up Dave Trembley's 2010 option.
  • If Bobby Jenks is back in Chicago in 2010, White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper expects a better season out of the closer, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
  • Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal writes that the Indians are still feeling the "punch to the gut" of losing Victor Martinez.
  • T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com notes that it's not certain whether Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will be back in Texas in 2010.

Padres To Fire Kevin Towers

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The San Diego Padres will part ways with general manager Kevin Towers, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter). Brock tweets that, while no official announcement has been made yet, the Padres will let the longest-tenured GM in the majors go.

The ownership transition in San Diego, from John Moores to Jeff Moorad, likely spelled the end for Towers. ESPN.com's Rob Neyer speculated earlier today that Moorad wanted to bring in "his own guy" for the position.

Towers has been San Diego's GM since 1995, and saw the team win four division titles during the stint. The Padres made one World Series during Towers' tenure, losing to the Yankees in 1998.

It remains to be seen if Towers is the only casualty in San Diego, or if more of the staff will follow him out of town.

Discussion: Placido Polanco

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When ESPN.com's Buster Olney polled six major league executives about this year's crop of Type A free agents, the panel was split evenly on whether the Detroit Tigers would offer Placido Polanco arbitration.

One exec suggested the Polanco was valuable enough to the Tigers that they wouldn't mind paying $6MM or $7MM to keep him around (Polanco has made $4.6MM in each of the last four seasons). Another thought that, having already committed $18MM to Magglio Ordonez, Detroit would have to "bite the bullet some place," and second base looks like as good a spot to do it as any.

After a slow start, Polanco has hit .322/.359/.420 since the All-Star break, and it looks like he'll just barely qualify as a Type A free agent. Olney points out that the second baseman, who turns 34 next week, is one player whose market value would take a huge hit if the Tigers offered arbitration.

Tonight's discussion question, then: What's Detroit's best move? Is Polanco valuable enough to keep on board for 2010? Or can the Tigers get similar production elsewhere at a lesser cost (either through a trade or from this year's free agent pool)?

Reds Rumors: Janish, Volquez, Bruce

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It has been an eventful day for the Reds, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, and not just because they let go of pitching coach Dick Pole. Other Cincinnati notes from Sheldon:

  • When asked if Paul Janish will be the Reds' starting shortstop in 2010, manager Dusty Baker said that he had yet to "come up with a definitive decision." GM Walt Jocketty indicated that surrounding Janish with more dangerous bats would help justify keeping his glove in the lineup. The 26-year-old shortstop has a +17.8 UZR/150 in 2009, but has hit just .215/.297/.308 in over 250 plate appearances.
  • Edinson Volquez is pleased with his progress recovering from Tommy John surgery. Cincinnati expects him back around the All-Star break next season.
  • Jay Bruce no longer plans to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He has been on a tear since coming off the disabled list on September 14, hitting .316/.422/.684, though he says the hot streak isn't a major factor in his decision. He should be healthy and ready to produce a stronger campaign in 2010.

Odds & Ends: Padres, Jays, Giants

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A few links to start the evening….

  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes the Padres would be making an epic mistake if they let GM Kevin Towers go. The odds of Towers being retained look "very slim," according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).
  • Earlier today we discussed reports of tension in the Blue Jays' clubhouse between players and manager Cito Gaston. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com relays reaction quotes on his Twitter from those involved. Vernon Wells says it's never been this bad in Toronto in the past.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com opines that Buster Posey's only weakness is his game-calling, which could only be fixed by gaining major-league experience with the Giants' staff. He suggests San Francisco save the money they could spend on Bengie Molina and hand the catching reins to Posey in 2010.
  • As Tom Verducci of SI.com points out, the game now has a dominant group of young pitchers such as Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw.
  • Houston owner Drayton McLane tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rumors of the Astros being for sale are "absolutely untrue."

Discussion: Felix Hernandez

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There are few young pitchers in the majors today more talented than Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, and the Mariners know it. There has been talk that the team intends to make a strong effort this offseason to sign Hernandez to an extension, but they did listen to trade offers for the right-hander in July. The M's have Hernandez under team control until 2011, when he becomes eligible for free agency for the first time.

The 23-year-old is a Cy Young candidate this season, posting a 2.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 224.1 IP, while striking out nearly a batter per inning. Considering his age, his production to date, and his affordable contract (at least for two more years), it's hard to think of many players whose trade value will be higher this winter.

This brings us to tonight's discussion question: should the Mariners be shopping Felix after the season? They're set to finish in just third place in the AL West this year, but they've made strides after winning only 61 games in 2008. The Angels potentially could lose some of their main contributors (John Lackey, Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu, Vladimir Guerrero) via free agency, and the Rangers' ownership uncertainty raises questions about their financial flexibility for 2010. Next season could be a prime opportunity for the Mariners to make a playoff run, rather than to deal their best player for rebuilding pieces.

On the other hand, without a couple of new bats in 2010, the Mariners' offense, which this season ranks dead last in the American League in OBP and SLG, won't give Felix and the rest of the staff the support they need to contend. Plus, the haul Seattle could demand in exchange for Hernandez would be massive.

So what should the Mariners' next move be? How much do they offer Hernandez to stay in Seattle? And if he turns down their best offer, do they open the floodgates for trade proposals?

Odds & Ends: Griffey, Harden, Guzman

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Let's have a look at a few evening links….

  • John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune notes that the uncertainty regarding Ken Griffey Jr.'s future with the Mariners could make for an uncomfortable PR situation, given Griffey's popularity in Seattle. We've already heard that Griffey would be open to returning and that the Mariners would not reject the idea. McGrath rightly points out though that it would be a mistake to bring the 39-year-old back as the same middle-of-the-order DH he was this year, since he has hit just .214/.323/.395. If the Mariners do retain Griffey, McGrath says it has to be a pinch hitter and part-time player.
  • After earlier reports that the Cubs might not be interested in retaining Rich Harden, we get a follow-up from Keith Law at ESPN.com wondering what type of deal Harden might get. Law compares Harden to Brad Penny, suggesting that, like Penny, the Cubs righty may not be able to secure a multi-year deal because of health concerns.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com blogs that Cristian Guzman is still unsure about playing second base for the Nationals in 2010. GM Mike Rizzo and interim manager Jim Riggleman requested the move, feeling that Guzman "no longer has the range to play shortstop."
  • The White Sox should consider keeping Jermaine Dye, according to Matt Meyers of ESPN.com. Although he acknowledges that the outfielder's declining slugging percentage and subpar fielding make for a scary combination, Meyers contends that Dye is a better fit in Chicago than anywhere else, since he could replace the departed Jim Thome as the team's full-time DH. Dye would like to return and Ozzie wants him back too, but the Sox aren't about to pick up the $12MM option just because it's the best fit for Dye.
  • Corey Brock at MLB.com talks to San Diego Padres' GM Kevin Towers about the focus on speed for the Padres. Towers believes there is such a thing as a "PETCO Park player," and that athleticism is a crucial characteristic for playing in the spacious ballpark. Given this approach, it'll be interesting to see who the Padres might target from this offseason's free agent pool.
  • Baseball America's Ben Badler tweets that the Pittsburgh Pirates' win this afternoon once again clinched the No. 1 pick for the Washington Nationals in next June's draft. The Pirates and Baltimore Orioles are still in the mix for No. 2.

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