Odds & Ends: Thome, Anthopoulos, 2010 Draft
Here's a few links to check out while the Cardinals try to stave off elimination…
- Prior to this evening's game, Jim Thome said he would "still love to come back" to the White Sox, according to Chris DeLuca of The Chicago Sun Times. ''I want to come back to the American League,'' said the 39-year-old Thome, who is making $13MM in the final season of the monster six-year, $85MM contract he signed with the Phillies prior to 2003.
- Ken Fidlin of The Calgary Sun writes that new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous "would do well to foster" what he calls the "Twins Way" in Toronto. He's referring to a "culture of professionalism and attention to detail."
- Forgive the self-promotion, but if you're looking for a way to keep track of where each team's draft picks go once free agency starts, make sure you check out our 2010 Draft Order Tracker at River Ave. Blues. I'll keep that baby updated all winter as signings are make official, so make sure you check back in often.
Abreu Wants To Remain With Angels
Perhaps the biggest benficiary of last year's depressed free agent market was the Angels, who received a .293/.390/.435 batting line and $11.8MM of production (according to FanGraphs) out of outfielder Bobby Abreu. It's a marriage made in halo heaven, and Abreu wants it to be a marriage that lasts beyond this season, according to Jill Painter of The LA Daily News.
"Of course I want to be back," [Abreu] said. "I have a good time over here. This organization, the team, the manager and the fans, too, they've treated me very well here. I think they really appreciate the job that I've been doing all year round.
"Of course I want to come back. I don't want to go nowhere else. I want to stay with the Angels."
Abreu earned just a $5MM base salary in 2009, although bonuses tied to plate appearances put another $1MM in his pockets. Despite his production, Abreu's .825 OPS was the second lowest full season mark of his career, and his defense was as bad as ever, checking in at –4.6 UZR/150 between left and right fields.
What kind of contract do you think Abreu, 36-years-old on Opening Day 2010, has coming to him this offseason? Would two-years and $18MM be too much, not enough, just right?
Odds & Ends: Rangers, Hawpe, Griffey, Matsui
Are you over that back-and-forth, edge of your seat Yankees-Twins game yet? If not, here's some links to calm you down…
- Jeff Wilson of The Dallas Morning News provides a quick breakdown of each of the three bidders that are considering purchasing the Rangers. He notes that there is still no timetable for a sale to be complete.
- Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post wonders about Brad Hawpe's future in Colorado after Jim Tracy used three lefthanded pinch hitters during Game Two of the NLDS, none of whom was Hawpe. With several younger, more athletic, and (perhaps most importantly) cheaper outfielders on the roster, Hawpe could be the odd man out.
- When asked if he wanted to play in 2010, Ken Griffey Jr. replied "Um, yeah," according to Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune. Junior also qualified that by saying he'll do what's best for his family and for the Mariners.
- Could Hideki Matsui stay in New York next year? Newsday's David Lennon thinks it may be possible, with the Mets instead of the Yankees. The one they call Godzilla has insisted he could play the outfield all season, yet the Yankees have only used him at DH because of his surgically repaired knees. Lennon notes that Matsui has also "told people he would consider trying first base," which would fit great for the team from Flushing.
Looking Ahead To The Nationals’ Offseason
Whenever a team loses 103 games and has been outscored by a total of 348 runs over the last two years, it’s going to take more than one offseason for their new GM to bring the franchise back to respectability. The Nationals made a great first step by drafting, and paying, superprospect Stephen Strasburg, who made his professional debut earlier this week.
In his latest column for The Washington Post, Chico Harlan outlines some of the items the Nats must address this offseason, with a little help from GM Mike Rizzo.
- Rizzo detailed some of the first steps his team will take this winter, which includes adding an assistant GM and a farm director to his front office. “That’s the first order of business,” Rizzo said.
- The team must also decide on a permanent manager. Interm mamanger Jim Riggleman is a candidate for the position, but Harlan says he won’t be the only one. Rizzo would prefer a manager with experience, but “acknowledged that getting permission to interview outside candidates whose teams are in the playoffs could slow the process.”
- Of the 30 pitchers the Nats used in 2009, only John Lannan remained with the team wire-to-wire. Regardless, they have some building blocks on the staff, with a surplus of back-end starters and a few reliable bullpen arms. The most notable of those bullpen arms would be 24-year old Tyler Clippard, who led all big league relievers with 60 strikeouts after the All Star break.
- Rizzo has said “that the Nationals can become contenders without detonating their roster.” Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, and Lannan represent a decent core, and you can add catcher Jesus Flores to that mix if he returns from shoulder surgery.
- The contracts of Dmitri Young and Austin Kearns expired after the season, freeing up $13MM from last year’s $60MM or so Opening Day payroll. Kearns is still owed a $1MM buyout.
- “I think it helps that we’re not locked into bad long-term contracts,” Rizzo said. “Certainly it helps. It gives you the opportunity to kind of look over the landscape and do what’s best in the long-term, big-view picture of what we’re trying to do, not only in 2010 and beyond.”
Odds & Ends: Padres GM, Valentine
Here's a few links that just couldn't wait until tomorrow…
- MLB.com's Corey Brock tweeted plenty of goodies about the Padres' search for a new GM tonight. First of all, CEO Jeff Moorad said that there are no internal candidates for the job, nor are there any candidates from the Diamondbacks organization. That would eliminate Paul DePodesta and Jerry DiPoto. Moorad also mentioned that he has already interviewed three candidates. Any guesses?
- Secondly, and definitely not more importantly, Moorad said that the team's 2010 payroll will "begin with a 4." I'm guessing they won't be baseball's first $400MM team.
- ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Bobby Valentine "is in communication with the Florida Marlins about a possible position with that team." Current manager Fredi Gonzalez signed a two-year extension in Spring Training, keeping him in Marlins' pinstripes until 2011, so this one is a bit of a headscratcher.
Rangers’ Rumors: Pudge, Andruw, Vizquel
The Rangers fell just short in their pursuit of the franchise's first playoff berth since 1999 this season, but with oodles of young talent the future certainly looks bright. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan brings us some news on three of the more veteran members of the ballclub in Arlington…
- GM Jon Daniels has told catcher Ivan Rodriguez that the team has interest in bringing him back next year. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden on board, Pudge knows he'd play a reduced role, and would be okay playing once or twice a week while mentoring the kids.
- Club officials have made it clear to Andruw Jones that he's not expected to be back in 2010. Jones, who has been playing some first base lately, said he expects to keep playing for someone, but admits his days as a centerfielder are probably over. Seems like just yesterday that this guy was hitting homers in the World Series and running down everything from gap to gap, doesn't it?
- Omar Vizquel may no longer be a starting shortstop, but he still has value as a utility infielder and the team is interested in bringing him back. The 42-year old said he would be interested in returning, but wants to see what other opportunities are out there for him.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Towers, Marlins
A few links on the second to last day of the regular season…
- Even though they'll finish with the worst record in baseball, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo indicated that it's not a lock the team will draft Bryce Harper first overall next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Says Rizzo: "I haven't seen him yet. He certainly hasn't separated himself like [pitcher] Stephen Strasburg did last year."
- CBSSports.com reports that Kevin Towers said he wasn't given a specific reason for his termination, but KT did say that he's "been around long enough to know why."
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says that Florida's final 2009 payroll was just under $35.6MM. Hanley Ramirez ($5.5MM) and Dan Uggla ($5.35MM) were the only Marlins to make more than $3.5MM this year.
- Matthew Carruth at FanGraphs weighs in with his opinion of the Towers and J.P. Ricciardi firings.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Indians Manager, Johnson, Padres GM, Crawford, Mauer
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up this afternoon, so let's see what he's got for us…
- The Indians plan to conduct 8-10 phone interviews for their managerial vacancy, then bring in 3-5 finalists by the third week of October, presumably for formal interviews. Bobby Valentine will be "on the short list," and will almost certainly get an interview. Buck Showalter will not be a candidate.
- Cleveland is proceeding with the search as if Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell will not be a candidate, however that could change quickly if Farrell expresses interest in the job. At that point, the three parties involved would need to discuss a way around the clause in the Farrell's contract that prohibits him from seeking a managerial job elsewhere.
- Signing Josh Johnson long-term is the Marlins' top priority this offseason. In order to get a deal done, Florida will need to "exceed significantly" the four year, $38MM deal the Royals gave Zack Greinke, who was at a similar service time level last offseason.
- If a deal doesn't get done, Johnson will almost certainly not sign an extension next offseason, when he'd be just one year away from free agency. At that point, the Fish would need to trade him.
- Who will replace Kevin Towers as Padres GM? Paul DePodesta, a special assistant to Towers and former GM of the Dodgers, is not interested in the job. Pat Gillick doesn't figure to be a candidate either.
- The leading candidate might be Diamondbacks' exec Jerry DiPoto, but the Padres would need approval from the commissioner's office to get him. CEO Jeff Moorad left the D-Backs just last December, and the league frowns upon executives raiding their former teams for front office talent.
- However, DiPoto has already interviewed for openings with the Nationals and Mariners, so it would be difficult for the D-Backs to make much of a fuss.
- Carl Crawford is "well intentioned" when he says he wants to sign a long-term extension with Tampa Bay. The problem is that the team probably won't offer him enough to keep him from becoming a free agent at the end of 2010.
- The bigger question is Joe Mauer, who can also hit free agency next winter. Mauer told The NY Times earlier this week that he is not interested in becoming the highest paid player in the game, even though he probably deserves to be. He is represented by Ron Shapiro, the same agent that kept Cal Ripken Jr. in Baltimore and Kirby Puckett in Minnesota. Shapiro clearly understands the value of a player staying with one team his entire career.
- Shapiro, father of Indians GM Mark Shapiro, would be "sticking it to his son" a bit by keeping Mauer in the AL Central. That's my phrase, not Rosenthal's.
Odds & Ends: Towers, Ricciardi, Jenks, Barajas
Some links on a surprisingly busy Saturday morning…
- Here's a link to this morning's post containing comments from Padres CEO Jeff Moorad about the firing of Kevin Towers. It was quickly buried by the news of J.P. Ricciardi being let go, so you may have missed it.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says that Towers "should be relieved to be out of an organization in which he constantly faced ownership interference, payroll reductions and other forms of nonsense."
- Stoeten at Drunk Jays Fans provides some fan reaction to the Ricciardi move. Moral of the story: it was a move that had to be made, but what took so long?
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin says that we could once again hear Bobby Jenks' name mentioned in trade rumors this offseason. The team has a capable replacement in Matt Thornton, and Jenks figures to get a raise on his $5.6MM salary through arbitration.
- Rod Barajas has interest in returning to Toronto next season, and indicated that he wasn't sure if the rift between players and manager Cito Gaston would influence his decision, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
Ricciardi Out As Blue Jays GM
According to MLB.com's Noah Coslov, J.P. Ricciardi is leaving his position as Blue Jays Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager effective immediately. SI.com's Jon Heyman adds that assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos has been promoted.
From TSN and a team press release:
"This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally as I have enjoyed J.P.'s friendship and his perspective on the game,” said Blue Jays acting President and CEO Paul Beeston in a statement. "J.P. has put an incredible amount of effort into improving the team and he has brought along a number of great young players. However, I feel that it is time for a change and accordingly we have decided to move on."
The TSN article mentions that Anthopoulos is taking over on an interm basis, however the press release does not confirm that. Brent Gambill, producer of Sirius XM Radio's MLB Home Plate, tweets that Anthopoulos will remain GM as long as Paul Beeston is the team president. Make sure you stay tuned for confirmation.
Ricciardi has been running the show in Toronto since the 2001 season, and only once has his team finished above third place in the brutal AL East. His most memorable (and regrettable) move may be the seven year, $126MM extension given to centerfielder Vernon Wells, who has hit just .266/.318/.428 since the ink dried.