Moorad Comments On Kevin Towers Firing
Kevin Towers, the longest-tenured general manager in baseball, was let go by the Padres last night. He was at the helm for 498 of Trevor Hoffman's saves and 740 of Tony Gwynn's hits, but the team went 1,107-1,160 under his watch. There is still one more year left on his contract, which Cot's says makes him "one of the top five or six highest-paid GMs."
Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union Tribune spoke to team CEO Jeff Moorad about the situation, who was very complimentary of Towers, as you'd expect.
“The organization is indebted to Kevin for not only the 14 years he served as general manager, but for the fact that the club is well-positioned to go forward into the future,” Moorad told the Union-Tribune in an exclusive interview before Friday night's game at Petco Park. “I think we need to build a better baseball operations department, better skilled at the areas we're committed to going forward.
“I admire (Towers') skills very much and respect his relationships that exist around the game. But I think over the next period of time, our focus is on more of a strategic approach to drafting and development that has a chance to compete in the division year-in and year-out.”
Although he did not mention specific candidates, Moorad said his search for a replacement has not been internal and indicated that it could take weeks, rather than days. Sullivan lists Diamondbacks VP Jerry DiPoto and the "semi-retired" Pat Gillick as possible replacements.
Zaun Hopes To Return To Rays In 2010
With Dioner Navarro struggling immensely, Tampa Bay hoped to improve its catching situation down the stretch by acquiring Gregg Zaun from Baltimore. Zaun held up his end of the bargain, hitting .286/.323/.495 for the Rays, but the team has faltered, going just 23-29 since the trade.
Regardless of the club's late season struggles, Zaun said he hopes to return to Tampa in 2010, and maybe even beyond, according to Joe Smith of The St. Petersburg Times.
"I'm very interested. I know this team is going to be a competitive group of guys," Zaun, 38, said. "I love the coaching staff. Home is here. I don't see any reason why, if the terms are agreeable, that I would want to go anywhere else."
"Tampa is at the top of my list right now," Zaun said. "I'd love to come back."
The team holds a $2MM option for Zaun next year, but a clause in his contract gives him the right to void that option and forfeit the $500K buyout if he was traded before November 1st of this year, which he obviously was. That doesn't seem like it'll be an issue, though.
A 15-year big league veteran, Zaun has hit .252/.347/.414 in over 1,300 plate appearances over the last three years.
Odds & Ends: Byrd, Livan, Marlins
A couple of links to help you start off your Saturday night…
- Rangers' manager Ron Washington wants to see the team bring back Marlon Byrd next year, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Bryd has said he wants to return to the team next year, but Sullivan says it's uncertain if Texas will be able to re-sign him, presumably because of their uncertain financial situation.
- According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, Livan Hernandez "believes he has six years left in his baseball career and wants those years to be with the Nationals." Livan's been a below league average pitcher for four years now, but if he can stick around for another six years, more power to him.
- Marlins' closer Leo Nunez figures to stick around next year, even though he'll earn a hefty raise in arbitration says Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. The bigger question might be what to do with ex-closer Matt Lindstrom, who will also be arbitration eligible for the first time. Lindstrom has a 5.79 ERA and has battled injuries this season.
Could Garcia Return To White Sox In 2010?
After missing most of the last two-and-a-half years due to injury, Freddy Garcia has emerged as arguably Chicago's most reliable starter down the stretch. He's put up a 3.29 ERA in his last six starts, and opponents are hitting just .234/.283/.355 off the guy that was once traded for Randy Johnson. Garcia has already expressed a desire to return to the White Sox next year according to MLB.com's Jesse Temple, and the team holds a $1MM option for his services next year.
The front of Chicago's rotation is pretty well set with Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd, so Garcia would give the team a cheap and experienced option in the five-spot. Plus there's the old adage of "you can never have too much pitching." What do you guys think, picking up the option seems like a no-brainer, right?
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Pujols, Upton, Astros, Bradley
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's see what he has for us…
- Albert Pujols is in no rush to sign a contract extension. A source "with knowledge of his thinking" tells Rosenthal that the chances of Pujols agreeing to an extension this winter are "slim and none."
- The reason is that Pujols wants to assess the Cardinals' long-term outlook before deciding on his future. Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Tony LaRussa are all unsigned beyond this season.
- Tampa Bay figures to explore the market for B.J. Upton this offseason. The Rays would be selling low, but they have needs behind the plate and in the bullpen, and it's possible a team could offer a package that would satisfy those needs. If they don't get an offer to their liking, Tampa will simply hold onto him.
- The Astros managing job might be Jim Fregosi's to lose, but don't be surprised if Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar "gains momentum." Even though he's relatively inexperienced, Bogar is a former 'Stro who also managed in their minor league system, as well as in Cleveland's. Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio, and Jeff Bagwell all think highly of him.
- Teams have already called the Cubs about Milton Bradley. The Giants, Padres, Rangers, Rays, and Mets are among the clubs with possible interest. The Cubs are confident they can deal Bradley without paying the overwhelming majority of the $21MM still owed to him over the next two years. They could either trade Bradley's bad contract for another bad contract, or use the old sliding scale of "the more money we pay, the better the players we get in return."
Hawkins Willing To Return To Astros
Ever since being acquired just before the 2008 trade deadline, LaTroy Hawkins hasn't just been one of the most effective relievers in the Astros' bullpen, he's been one of the most effective relievers in baseball period. His 1.77 ERA in 81.1 IP since the trade is second only to Jeremy Affeldt's 1.74 mark among pitchers with at least as many innings pitched.
According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Hawkins would like to return to Houston next year, but doesn't seem to be in a rush to get anything done.
"I'll just sit and wait," he said. "I'm not in a hurry, and they're probably not in a hurry, either. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be four hours away from here in Prosper, Texas. Chilling."
Hawkins re-signed with Houston last offseason for $3.5MM with another $600K in performance bonuses. Any chance he gets a multi-year deal this offseason, maybe something similar to Affeldt's two year, $8MM contract?
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers
They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…
- David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
- With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.
Diamondbacks Seeking Veteran Reliever
The Diamondbacks could have two potential holes to fill in their rotation depending on what happens with Doug Davis and Brandon Webb after the season, but GM Josh Byrnes also wants to add a veteran reliever according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
"We've had our share of adversity this year, and in the bullpen it's not going to be a smooth ride for six months," Byrnes said. "We'd like to have people who can sort of understand that a bad game is going to happen but not let it happen too often and set an example that way."
Arizona's pen was supposed to be anchored by Chad Qualls, Scott Schoeneweis, Tony Pena and Jon Rauch, but Rauch and Pena were traded, Qualls battled injury, and Schoeneweis dealt with the unfortunate passing of his wife. The foursome combined for a 4.46 ERA in 163.1 IP for the D-Backs this season.
Looking the list of available free agents this offseason, could Bobby Howry or Octavio Dotel make sense? Maybe a Brandon Lyon reunion?
Pirates Will Tender Contracts To Key Arbitration Eligible Players
According to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pirates plan on tendering contracts to their three key arbitration eligible players: closer Matt Capps, shortstop Ronny Cedeno, and starter Zach Duke. Jeff Karstens may also qualify as a Super Two.
Capps earned $2.3MM this season, the second year of the two year, $3.05MM contract he signed last April. With three more years of arbitration ahead of him, Capps may have been a non-tender candidate after posting a 5.68 ERA and sky-high homerun rate (1.7 HR/9 IP) in 2009.
"I don't see a situation in which we non-tender Capps unless we get completely unrealistic financial demands," [GM Neal] Huntington said. "From the standpoint of our belief in his ability, that's absolutely there."
Duke and Cedeno, on the other hand, earned $2.2MM and $822K this season, respectively. Duke was an All Star for the first time in 2009, although Cedeno hasn't hit much after coming over in the Jack Wilson deal. The team could approach Duke about a long-term extension, similar to the three year, $14.5MM deal they gave Paul Maholm earlier this year.
Discussion: Phillies’ Closer Situation
Unless you've just started following baseball, as in today, you know that Phillies closer Brad Lidge isn't just in the middle of a bad year, but a historically bad year. His 7.48 ERA is the highest in history for a pitcher with 30+ saves, eclipsing Shawn Chacon's 7.11 mark back in 2004. Depending on who you ask, Lidge either still is or no longer is the Phillies closer, and with the playoffs less than two weeks away, the team has a pretty significant decision to make.
The once mighty Lidge has blown a Major League worst 11 saves on the year, and his peripherals have all declined precipitously across the board. With $24.5MM left on his contract over the next two years, the defending World Champs have to hope he's just experiencing a hangover year following a deep run into the postseason. Luckily, they have a top notch setup man in Ryan Madson to fall back on.
Barring a miraculous rebound in the postseason, the Phillies will start the 2010 season with a major question mark at the back of the bullpen. Do you think the Phightin's should look into adding another end game reliever this offseason? The free agent pool features plenty of relievers with closer experience, but will Philly pony up for another top notch closer?