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Cafardo On Greinke, Arroyo, Hall, Rays, Ortiz

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In today's column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo examines the possibility of a Zack Greinke trade, noting that the Red Sox should at least inquire, given Allard Baird's history with the Royals and Greinke. Here are some of Cafardo's other notes:

  • One AL GM on Greinke vs. Cliff Lee: "There may not be anyone better than Lee right now, but how long is that going to last? …. If you’re looking to build around someone, you would roll the dice with Greinke and hope that what he showed this season is an off year and not a sign of things to come. You’d have to do due diligence, but the upside with Greinke is pretty good."
  • The Reds are attempting to work out an extension with Bronson Arroyo that would keep him in Cincinnati for a few years and slightly reduce his 2011 salary ($13MM). That way, the team could have some flexibility to add free agents this winter, and would lock up one of its best arms to a long-term contract.
  • Bill Hall will look to find a full-time job at one position this offseason, but "people around Hall" are suggesting the all-purpose utility role he played in Boston might be better suited for him.
  • The Rays are expected to field trade offers for B.J. Upton, Jason Bartlett, and maybe James Shields.
  • David Ortiz and the Red Sox have had some contract discussions, but there's no resolution yet on either an extension or Ortiz's 2011 option. Boston will have until three days after the World Series ends to decide on the $12.5MM option, last month, we heard the Sox were prepared to exercise it.

Poll: Who Will Win The World Series?

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Although it briefly appeared as if we may have been heading for a Phillies/Yankees rematch, this year's World Series will feature some new faces. The Giants are aiming to win their first championship in San Francisco, while the Rangers are playing in the Series for the first time in franchise history. No matter which team wins, two things appear certain: one side's fanbase will be devastated, and Bengie Molina will end up with a World Series ring.

When we asked you for your ALCS and NLCS picks, votes were nearly evenly split. Let's see if there's a consensus choice for this year's champion.

Who will win the World Series?

Click here to vote and click here to view the results.

Blue Jays To Hire John Farrell

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The Blue Jays haven't officially announced that John Farrell will be the team's next manager, but John Henry confirms to Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo that Farrell will be leaving Boston for Toronto. The Red Sox owner told the Boston Globe in an e-mail that "the Jays are getting a great baseball man and a great person."

Reports on Friday indicated that Farrell had been offered the managerial job by the Jays and was expected to accept. Now, Henry suggests that it's a done deal: "He will be an effective, excellent manager. I expect him to manage in MLB for as long as he wants to…. He will be missed."

The Blue Jays' managerial search, following Cito Gaston's retirement, was an exhaustive process that began with a list of about 200 candidates and was eventually whittled down to four finalists. From there, it became clear that Farrell, Boston's pitching coach, was the frontrunner. He will take over a club that finished 85-77, good for fourth in the American League East. According to Abraham and Cafardo, the Jays are expected to introduce Farrell in Toronto tomorrow.

Sosnick On Bruce, Willingham, Nolasco, Dunn

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Agent Matt Sosnick appeared on the Diamond Hoggers' Baseball Show today, and spoke at length about how he became involved in baseball, his experiences in the sport, and a few of his clients. Here are the highlights from the discussion, which you can listen to here:

  • Jay Bruce is open to signing a long-term contract with the Reds. "If the Reds felt the same way," Sosnick said. "We'd be open to doing something that was five or six years."
  • Sosnick acknowledged that locking up Joey Votto would likely be a higher priority for the club, but cited deals signed by Justin Upton and Troy Tulowitzki as potential starting points for a Bruce extension.
  • As we heard earlier today, Josh Willingham is interested in signing an extension with the Nationals. Sosnick feels that if Willingham were hitting the open market this winter, the 31-year-old could land a multi-year deal worth $10MM annually.
  • According to Sosnick, when the Giants made a push for Willingham, the Nats asked for either Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner in return.
  • Regarding a possible Ricky Nolasco extension, Sosnick says he and the Marlins agreed on the years, but were off by "about 20%" on salary. The two sides will resume extension talks in November or December, working on a one-year deal in the meantime.
  • Adam Dunn is not a Sosnick client, but the agent predicts that Dunn will receive about $40MM for three years this offseason.

Five FA Pitchers Who Could Benefit From The NL

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While the relative strength of the National League compared to the American League is debatable, it's hard to deny that the Senior Circuit is more appealing to pitchers. Replacing the pitcher in the lineup with a designated hitter makes AL lineups more potent, as this year's offensive statistics showed – five of baseball's top six run-scoring teams in 2010 play in the Junior Circuit.

The difference may be negligible for certain players, but each year there are usually a few pitchers who switch leagues and immediately see their numbers rise or fall accordingly. After being dealt from the Indians to the Cardinals this season, for instance, Jake Westbrook posted a 3.48 ERA and 6.6 K/9, compared to his Cleveland marks of 4.65 and 5.1.

So although there's no guarantee that starting pitchers will enjoy more success playing in the National League, here are five potential free agents who may benefit from signing with an NL club:

  • Javier Vazquez: Of all the pitchers who switched to the American League last offseason, Vazquez suffered perhaps the most drastic setback. After finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2009, the 34-year-old pitched so poorly this season that he lost his spot in the Yankees' starting rotation. Even taking into account his first two up-and-down years with the Expos, Vazquez's career NL numbers (4.02 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9) are better across the board than his AL totals (4.65, 7.9, 2.7). Vazquez won't be back in the Bronx, and his best shot at decreasing his 2010 longball rate (1.8 HR/9) and returning to form might come in the NL.
  • Kevin Millwood: We heard earlier this year that Millwood could seek a pitcher-friendly environment for 2011, after years of pitching in Baltimore and Texas. The move makes sense for the right-hander; he still has some value as a veteran innings eater, but could potentially be much more than that in a park like Petco in San Diego. We don't know what kind of contract the 35-year-old will be seeking, so it's possible he could be too expensive for a team like the Padres. For what it's worth though, San Diego was thought to have interest in Milwood in August.
  • Jeremy Bonderman: One of the youngest arms on the open market, Bonderman could be an interesting fourth or fifth starter for a team willing to take a flier on him. Though his 4.89 career ERA is uninspiring, he's a former first-round pick and will turn 28 next week. His career peripherals suggest that he still has potential, and he strikes me as the type of pitcher who would benefit from the tutelage of a pitching coach like the Cardinals' Dave Duncan. The Cards may re-sign Jake Westbrook or look elsewhere for starting pitching, but St. Louis isn't the only possible landing spot for the long-time Tiger, who could benefit from a change of scenery.
  • Bruce Chen: The 33-year-old journeyman has experienced an unusual major league career, playing for six National League teams before arriving in Boston in 2003. Since then, he has played for four different American League clubs. Chen's career numbers are relatively similar in both leagues, but coming off a successful season in Kansas City, perhaps a return to the NL could be in the cards. While the left-hander has lost some velocity on his fastball since he last played in the Senior Circuit, he's gotten by relying more on flyball outs and less on strikeouts. For a team in a pitcher's park, Chen could be a worthwhile back-of-the-rotation addition.
  • Rich Harden: Although a healthy season would help Harden's stock more than changing leagues would, moving to the National League certainly wouldn't hurt. While the right-hander excelled in Oakland when he was healthy, his second stint in the AL wasn't as impressive; his 5.58 ERA for the Rangers this year was by far a career-worst. Still, like Bonderman, Harden is relatively young, turning just 29 next month. He also had stretches of dominance in his time with the Cubs in 2008 and 2009, striking out 11 batters per nine innings and posting a 3.31 ERA in 212 innings over the two years. Again, health is the big concern with Harden, but an NL team may feel more comfortable taking the risk than an AL one would.

Manager Roundup: Blue Jays, Brewers, Pirates

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A few managerial openings have been filled since baseball's regular season ended, but there are still a handful of clubs looking for skippers. Here's the latest on some of the searches, with any new updates added to the top of the page throughout the evening:

Blue Jays

We know that DeMarlo Hale, John Farrell, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Brian Butterfield are considered finalists for the Blue Jays job. MLB Network's Peter Gammons spoke to multiple GMs who believe that it's only a matter of time until Toronto hires Farrell (Twitter link). Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press (via Twitter) is also hearing that Farrell could be the Jays' man, though nothing is certain yet.

Butterfield could be a leading candidate to become the Orioles' third base coach if he's not hired by the Jays, writes MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.

Brewers

The Brewers have interviewed eight candidates so far, and will cut the list of contenders down to four, GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Reports have suggested the team has interviewed Tim Wallach, Ron Roenicke, Pat Listach, Joey Cora, and Bob Melvin, whom Haudricourt thinks is the frontrunner (Twitter link). According to the club's GM, however, "some of the names (reported) are right and some aren't right."

The Brewers will conduct second interviews with the four finalists, and they expect the process to last another week to ten days.

Pirates

The Pirates haven't interviewed any managerial candidates in a week and GM Neal Huntington tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's considering additional interviews. Biertempfel suggests the Pirates may be waiting to interview Yankees coach Tony Pena.

Meanwhile, John Gibbons has removed himself from the Pirates' search, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Buster Olney heard earlier today that the former Blue Jays manager was a serious candidate for the job.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Multiple Japanese Teams Interested In Kawakami

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A Japanese team has shown a "strong interest" in acquiring Kenshin Kawakami from the Braves, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Bowman writes that a Japanese reporter indicated that the Yomiuri Giants and Nippon Ham Fighters are interested in Kawakami. But there may be an even more attractive Japanese suitor making a play for the Atlanta right-hander.

Kawakami is entering the final season of a three-year, $23MM deal he signed with the Braves prior to the 2009 campaign. The unknown Japanese club interested in Kawakami is reportedly willing to pay Atlanta approximately $3MM of the righty's $6.67MM salary for 2011.

The 35-year-old played for the Chunichi Dragons prior to signing with the Braves. In two big league seasons, he has appeared in 50 games for Atlanta, recording a 4.32 ERA over 243.2 innings. While his ERA ballooned to 5.15 this season, his peripherals (6.1 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9) were nearly identical to his 2009 numbers.

Olney On Greinke, De La Rosa, Alderson, Blue Jays

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Yesterday, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the Royals would listen to offers for Zack Greinke. Today, Olney's blog entry (Insider required) focuses on which teams make sense as potential suitors for the Kansas City ace. According to Olney, there are at least ten teams who have a need for Greinke and would have the prospects necessary to acquire him. Here are a few other rumors from Olney, via Twitter:

  • Negotiations are moving slowly between Jorge de la Rosa and the Rockies. The team would like to re-sign the left-hander before he hits free agency, but it won't be cheap. As Troy Renck of the Denver Post points out (via Twitter), Ted Lilly's three-year deal with the Dodgers should directly influence de la Rosa's contract negotiations.
  • The Mets will meet this week for a second time with Sandy Alderson, who is regarded as the frontrunner for the team's GM opening. For what it's worth, we can add Tony La Russa to the list of people who think Alderson would be a great choice for the Mets, as Dan Martin of the New York Post writes.
  • The Blue Jays are interviewing a wide range of candidates for their managerial position, but may end up promoting an internal option: Brian Butterfield.

Cafardo’s Latest: Stairs, Pierzynski, Inge, Berkman

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Let's round up the highlights from Nick Cafardo's Sunday column for the Boston Globe….

  • One AL executive tells Cafardo that he's never seen so many candidates interviewed for managerial openings: "It’s amazing to me that you wouldn’t know within, say, two or three candidates who you want. But I guess in some cases the GM’s job is also on the line if he picks the wrong guy."
  • Matt Stairs would like to play for at least one more season. While he says he'd like to return to Boston, he concedes that he'd probably play "anywhere."
  • An NL scout was positive about A.J. Pierzynski, suggesting that he'll be one of the most attractive catching options on the free agent market, behind Victor Martinez and John Buck. "With A.J., you know he’s not going to throw people out," said the scout. "But there’s nothing wrong with his receiving and he can still hit. I know the fire he has can rub people the wrong way, but I think that’s great for a team."
  • Brandon Inge has a good chance of landing a starting role this winter, given the lack of free agent third base options after Adrian Beltre. However, Cafardo wonders if Inge could eventually become a Bill Hall-esque utility player, given his ability to play a few different positions.
  • Possible bullpen targets for the Red Sox include Joaquin Benoit, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, and Brian Fuentes.
  • A market appears to be developing for Lance Berkman. Teams like the Rockies, Orioles, Mets, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks could have interest.
  • Carlos Delgado underwent another hip procedure two and a half weeks ago, but is rehabbing the hip and feels like he'll be able to play in 2011.

Davidoff On Alderson, Valentine, Takahashi

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In his latest piece for Newsday, Ken Davidoff notes that Bud Selig's job as commissioner occasionally involves making recommendations for teams searching for general managers. Selig recommended Jack Zduriencik when the Mariners were looking for a GM two years ago, and, more recently, gave Fred Wilpon a list of suggestions for the Mets. Given the "close ties" between Selig and Wilpon, the commissioner's backing of Sandy Alderson could carry significant weight. Here are the other items of interest from Davidoff's article:

  • Although he has interviewed for multiple managerial positions, Bobby Valentine may end up back at ESPN next year rather than in a major league dugout. The Mets are still a possibility for Valentine, but if Alderson becomes the GM, he figures to make a cheaper, lower-profile hire.
  • Potential free agent Hisanori Takahashi is open to remaining a reliever, meaning he won't necessarily seek out a situation where he has a chance to start.
  • The last report we heard on Takahashi suggested that he'd prefer to remain a Met. However, Davidoff indicates the Yankees, Phillies, and Dodgers also "intrigue" the Japanese lefty.

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