Cubs Release So Taguchi
According to MLB.com's transactions log, the Cubs have released outfielder So Taguchi. The 39-year-old Taguchi spent most of the 2009 season with Triple-A Iowa, hitting .248/.347/.333 in 304 plate appearances. He got into six games for the Cubbies in September, picking up three hits in 12 trips to the plate.
As the first Japanese-born player to win the World Series with two different teams, Taguchi will one day be the answer to a trivia question. He was on the 2006 Cardinals, and last year's Phillies.
Brewers, Reds Complete David Weathers Trade
The Reds have received an undisclosed amount of cash from the Brewers to the complete August's David Weathers trade, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. When the deal was made, it was reported that Cincinnati could choose from a pool of young players, or opt for cash. They obviously did the latter.
The 39-year-old Weathers had a 4.88 ERA in 24 IP for Milwaukee after the trade. The Brewers hold a $3.7MM option for 2010, but could instead pay Weathers a $400K buyout.
Dodgers Decline Option On Will Ohman
The offseason hasn't even started yet for the Dodgers, but they've already made their first personnel move. According to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, the team has declined a $2.2MM option for lefty reliever Will Ohman, instead paying him a $200K buyout. Ohman was one of the last free agents to sign last offseason, landing with LA at the end of Spring Training.
Ohman posted a 5.84 ERA in 12.1 IP for the Dodgers, and lefties tattooed him for a .296/.406/.889 batting line. His season ended in late May when he was placed on the disabled list with soreness in the acromioclavicular joint in his shoulder, and he later strained the flexor tendon in his elbow while rehabbing. Ohman had surgery on the shoulder joint in late September and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Discussion: What’s Next For The Rockies?
Colorado's season ended in heartbreaking fashion last night, when the normally reliable Huston Street lost his second game in as many days for the first time in his career. Now the front office will focus on trying to improve a team that went 72-38 after July 3rd this season.
The club has several young players (like Ian Stewart, Dexter Fowler, and Carlos Gonzalez) estabishing themselves in the bigs, but they also have a couple players coming up on free agency, including Jason Giambi, Jose Contreras, and Jason Marquis. The team also holds a $4MM option for catcher Yorvit Torrealba and a $5.4MM option for setup man Rafael Betancourt for 2010, although the biggest free agent is GM Dan O'Dowd.
So what do MLBTR's readers think is the next step for the Rockies? Should they non-tender Garrett Atkins, trade Brad Hawpe? What else?
Odds & Ends: Tigers, Clark, Duncan, Beltran
Wait, what do you mean "there are no baseball games tonight?!?"
- James Schmehl of MLive.com says that during the Tigers' annual season-ending meeting, GM Dave Dombrowski acknowledged "that payroll limitations this offseason will prevent the Tigers from keeping every free agent." Detroit's double play combo of Placido Polanco and Adam Everett will be free agents, as will their setup man-closer tandem of Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Braves scouting director Roy Clark "told the Braves on Tuesday that he's leaving the organization to become an assistant general manager with the Nationals." Clark will have a similar role with the Nats, overseeing player development and the scouting department. He had been Atlanta's scouting director since 2000, drafting such players as Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar, and Jason Heyward.
- Cardinals' pitching coach Dave Duncan said he's going to wait and see what manager Tony La Russa does before making a decision about his future, according to FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi.
- In a mailbag at MLB.com, Marty Noble says the Mets are "boxed in" when it comes to Carlos Beltran because not many clubs can assume the $37MM he's owed the next two years, not to mention concerns about his physical condition.
Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Baldelli, Papelbon
Boston's season may have ended prematurely, but that just means the New England hot stove fires up sooner. Here's some notes from Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe and Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal:
- To no one's surprise, Jason Bay indicated that he'll dip his toe in the free agent waters, saying he'd be doing himself "a disservice" if he didn't look around.
- Alex Gonzalez's $6MM club option "might be a little rich for the Sox," so the two sides are likely to sit down and find a more palatable number. Nick Green could also come back, though it would strictly be a depth signing.
- Unless Boston attempts to rekindle talks with the Mariners about Felix Hernandez, their 2010 rotation looks fairly settled.
- As Benjamin notes, Boston's farm system doesn't offer much at the upper levels of the minors, so instead the team is "faced with re-signing their players, checking out a less-than-stellar free agent market, or going the trade route."
- Rocco Baldelli's future with the club is up in the air, as GM Theo Epstein said they'll "sit down and talk about what the fit looks like next year –– if there is one."
- In a radio appearance this morning, ESPN's Steve Phillips said he expects Boston to dangle Jonathan Papelbon, perhaps for an impact bat, according to WEEI's Alex Speier. The free agent market for closers isn't great, and at least Papelbon offers two years of club control. Those will be two expensive years, though.
Odds & Ends: Padres, Burrell, Upton, Jays
Here's a few links to help you relax before starting the grind tomorrow…
- Dan Hayes of The North County Times says that whoever takes over as GM of the Padres will inherit a favorable situation because the "40-man roster is loaded with affordable, controllable talent" and the team "should have a little spending flexibility this offseason." Plus it's San Diego, which is awesome.
- Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says that unless the Rays find someone willing to take on the $9MM left on Pat Burrell's contract, he'll be back next year. He also notes that Tampa would need to be "overwhelmed" to trade B.J. Upton, as you could imagine.
- The Blue Jays will hire Nationals scouting director Dana Brown as a special assistant to new GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to Bob Elliot of The Toronto Sun. The Nats will interview Braves director of scouting Roy Clark on Monday according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, potentially filling Brown's now vacant position.
Week In Review: 10/4/09 – 10/10/09
The season ended for most of the teams in the league one week ago today, and since then two more clubs have been eliminated in the Division Series. By this time next week, just four teams will be left standing. Here's what happened over the last couple of days…
- Milwaukee kicked off the week with a few relatively unsurprising moves. First, they announced that manager Ken Macha will be returning in 2010. Next, they re-signed closer Trevor Hoffman to a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2011. Hoffman will earn $8MM next season.
- Some clubs have already filled us in on what issues they'd like to address this offseason. The Phillies would like to upgrade their backup infielder, while Nationals GM Mike Rizzo wants to add an assistant GM and a farm director before anything else. The Mets said they will be players for top free agents, and the Brewers, plagued by a NL worst 5.37 starter's ERA in 2009, hope to add two arms to their rotation, possibly using prospect Mat Gamel as trade bait. The Rays, on the other hand, are unlikely to bring in a closer this winter, instead opting for several relievers that can handle high-leverage spots.
- A few players had their options for 2010 exercised. Brian Moehler and the Astros each picked up their part of the righty's mutual option, while the White Sox picked up the options on reliever Matt Thornton and starter Freddy Garcia.
- Plenty of other players also became free agents this week. The Marlins released Scott Proctor and Dave Davidson, the Padres released Cliff Floyd, Shawn Hill, and Cha Seung Baek, and DeWayne Wise declared free agency,
- The Mets and Red Sox officially completed the Billy Wagner deal, with the Amazin's receiving prospects Chris Carter and Eddie Lora in return. The Jon Garland trade was completed this week as well, with the Diamondbacks getting infielder Tony Abreu from the Dodgers. One trade that was not completed this week was a potential Milton Bradley deal, although the Cubs were pushing Tampa Bay to get one done quickly. Chicago might not even trade him anyway.
- Bobby Abreu said that he wants to remain with the Angels next year, ditto Orlando Cabrera and the Twins. We also learned that Rick Porcello dropped agent Scott Boras in favor of Alan Hendricks.
- Here are the latest projected Elias rankings, courtesy of Eddie Bajek. You can also check out MLBTR's list of non-tender candidates.
Discussion: What’s Next For The Red Sox?
We discussed what the Cardinals may do this offseason following their season ending loss yesterday, and now that the Angels have swept the Red Sox out of October, let's talk about what could be in store for Boston this winter.
The team has a few impending free agents, most notably outfielders Jason Bay and Rocco Baldelli. Billy Wagner will also hit the open market since the Sox have agreed not to exercise his $8MM option. Josh Beckett's $12.1MM option for 2010 has already vested, and you would think Victor Martinez's $7.7MM option is a no-brainer pickup. The team still has decide what to do with the options they hold for Jason Varitek, Alex Gonzalez, and Takashi Saito, though Varitek also has a player option that could keep him in, well, red socks next year regardless of what the club decides to do.
Boston should be prepared for Jonathan Papelbon, Casey Kotchman, Manny Delcarmen, and Ramon Ramirez to receive raises via arbitration, then of course there's Tim Wakefield's perpetual $4MM club option. The Red Sox posted the third best run differential in baseball this year at +136, but let's hear from the readers; what should the Sox do this winter to improve their team?
Discussion: What’s Next For St. Louis?
When Jonathan Broxton struck out Rick Ankiel to end Game Three of the NLDS tonight, the Cardinals officially went into offseason mode, turning their eyes towards 2010. The team has several impending free agents, including Ankiel, Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, Troy Glaus, Khalil Greene, Jason LaRue, Joel Pineiro, John Smoltz, and Todd Wellemeyer, while Ryan Ludwick and Skip Shumaker figure to get considerable raises through arbitration. Holliday projects to be a Type-A free agent, DeRosa and Pineiro come in as Type-B's.
St. Louis has an excellent core in place with Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Colby Rasmus, and, of course, Albert Pujols, so the pieces are there. After finishing seventh in the NL with 730 runs scored and third with 640 runs allowed this year, what do you think the Cardinals need to do this winter to improve their team for next season?