Yankees, Marlins Had Preliminary A-Rod Talks
THURSDAY: Marlins president David Samson told Joe Frisaro of MLB.com that there have been "no conversations between the Yankees and the Marlins.”
WEDNESDAY: Earlier today, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman shot down a report from Keith Olbermann which indicated that the club has talked with the Marlins about a possible trade involving Alex Rodriguez. However, Yankees president Randy Levine and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria have in fact had a casual conversation about relocating the embattled third baseman to Miami, a source tells Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
It should be noted that the conversation first began in a "joking" fashion according to the report, which would indicate that any talks between the two sides are in an embryonic stage. However, the source believes that the chat could develop into serious trade talks this winter. Loria reportedly said, "Alex is Mr. Miami, it would be great if he played here for us." The Yankees president then responded, "You can have him."
A second source with knowledge of A-Rod's thinking said Miami is likely the only place that he would accept a trade to. For his part, Levine refused to comment on the conversation with Loria in an interview with ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor and declined to speculate on Rodriguez's future with the Yanks beyond this year. Rodriguez is owed $114MM over the next five years, not including potential bonuses for home run milestones.
It would not be unprecedented for Yankees brass to conduct business with limited involvement from Cashman. Two years ago, the club brokered a substantial deal for reliever Rafael Soriano despite the GM's objections.
Quick Hits: Youkilis, Indians, Dodgers, A’s
The Cardinals took a 2-1 series lead over the Giants in the NLCS after a three-and-a-half hour rain delay brought the game to a halt in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Tigers will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to kick off Game 4 of their series due to the threat of storms headed towards Comerica Park. Here's tonight's look around baseball..
- Some see the Indians, with new manager Terry Francona in the fold, as a threat to sign Kevin Youkilis, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The White Sox are expected to decline the veteran's $13MM option for 2013 but would like to have him back in the clubhouse next season.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America looks at the best surprises to come from minor league free agents this season. At the top of the list are Gregor Blanco of the Giants and Miguel Gonzalez of the Orioles.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) doesn't think that the Dodgers should expect third baseman Luis Cruz to have a repeat of his success next season, but he also doesn't view Alex Rodriguez as a solution either, given his declining slugging percentage dating back to 2007. As Rodriguez continues to struggle in New York, some have speculated that the spend-happy Dodgers could have interest in him this offseason.
- Jane Lee of MLB.com previewed the Athletics heading into the 2013 season and notes that the return of Stephen Drew would create heavy competition around him at second and third base. Drew has a $10MM mutual option for next year.
Nationals Notes: Desmond, Morse, Moore, Jackson
Yesterday, Nationals manager Davey Johnson said that he wants to return to the club in 2013 and GM Mike Rizzo is eager for him to return as well. Johnson is likely to be back in Washington as it will just take ownership approval to get a new deal ironed out. Here's the latest out of Washington, courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson..
- The Nationals had preliminary talks about a contract extension with Ian Desmond earlier this season, a source told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ladson adds that it would not be a surprise to see the Nats and the shortstop start up talks again this winter. Recently, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post suggested that Desmond could be in line for a six-year, $45MM deal.
- A source indicated that opposing teams have expressed interest in Tyler Moore. The Nats may also look at trading Michael Morse. Both players are best suited for first base and their fit in Washington will hinge largely on what happens with LaRoche. As it stands now, both players figure to be involved in left field alongside Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth.
- The source told Ladson that there could be a possible domino effect if Adam LaRoche isn't re-signed this winter. Ryan Zimmerman could potentially be moved to first base while Anthony Rendon would be given a chance to start at third.
- The same source quantified the odds of Edwin Jackson returning to the Nats at 50/50 as it seems doubtful that Rizzo would give the pitcher a long-term deal.
- It's almost a given that John Lannan will be non-tendered this offseason, according to a baseball source. Lannan earned $5MM in 2012 and spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A.
Latest On Red Sox Managerial Search
The Red Sox have begun talks with the Blue Jays in an effort to work out compensation for manager John Farrell, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). General Manager Ben Cherington is set to meet with Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale tomorrow but there is currently nobody scheduled to interview after that.
Boston has long been linked to Farrell but the skipper said in an interview late last week that he is happy in Toronto and has yet to speak with Cherington & Co. regarding their vacancy. Meanwhile, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulous has said repeatedly that the club's policy precludes personnel from leaving for a lateral move. While Farrell is said to be at or near the top of the Red Sox's list, Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus and Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach have also been linked to the position.
Yankees Notes: Rodriguez, Cashman, Ibanez, Swisher
Here's a look at the latest on the Yankees as they look to stave off elimination in Detroit tonight..
- It wouldn't be surprising to see the Yankees shop Alex Rodriguez this offseason given his struggles, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes that there would be several hurdles for the club to clear first. Chief among them is Rodriguez's veto power and a friend of the veteran told Heyman that he will "never leave" New York. A report from earlier this evening indicated that Rodriguez would give Miami consideration if the opportunity arose according to a source familiar with his thinking.
- Prior to tonight's game, Rodriguez told reporters that he "loves" the Yankees organization, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- While Yankees president Randy Levine and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria have reportedly kicked around the idea of a deal involving Rodriguez, GM Brian Cashman made it clear that he has had no such discussion with the Marlins, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
- Raul Ibanez and Hiroki Kuroda are among those who have boosted their free agent stock with strong performances during the regular season and playoffs, Heyman writes. Meanwhile, a Jayson Werth-type deal for Nick Swisher can now be ruled out as the slugger has been unable to show that he can perform consistently in the postseason.
AL East Notes: Rays, Buck Showalter, Alex Rodriguez
It'll be interesting to see how the Rays look to improve this winter given their limited financial flexibility, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays, who were last in the majors in attendance, will save more than $22.5MM with Carlos Peña, B.J. Upton, Luke Scott, and Kyle Farnsworth off the books. However, built-in and projected arbitration increases will cost them around $50MM to keep 17 players. After opening the season with a higher-than-planned $64MM payroll, the club is expected to try and scale back the payroll this year, leaving them with limited room. Here's more out of the AL East..
- Yankees President Randy Levine appeared on ESPN 98.7 FM's Sunday Morning with Ian O'Connor (partial transcript courtesy of ESPNNewYork.com's Matt Ehalt) and did not commit to Alex Rodriguez remaining in pinstripes for the duration of his contract through the 2017 season. "That's like one of those questions: Where's the stock market going to be in 2017, who's going to be president on Nov. 15?" Levine said. "If I had crystal ball to predict all of that stuff, I'd be a lot smarter than I am. I'm not going to go there. That's stuff for people to speculate on your show and elsewhere, but it's irresponsible for me to do so."
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter says that he isn't ready to start thinking about a contract extension despite the fact that he enjoys being in Baltimore. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders aloud if the skipper has his eye on becoming a General Manager somewhere. Showalter was interested in running the O's front office before Dan Duquette was brought in as executive vice president.
- The Yankees should have passed on giving Alex Rodriguez a ten-year, $275MM contract following the 2007 season, opines Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News. Lupica notes that the Cardinals made a shrewd business decision by letting Albert Pujols sign a $200MM+ contract elsewhere last winter and now find themselves in the championship hunt.
- With Curtis Granderson struggling, the trade that sent Austin Jackson to Detroit for him no longer seems like a smart move, writes Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Last year it seemed like both the Tigers and the Yanks came out as winners in that trade, but Madden believes that the W now goes squarely in the Tigers' column.
- The Orioles will likely be forced to make a decision between Nate McLouth and Nolan Reimold as to which ballplayer will be called upon to man left field next season, writes MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski. While Reimold got off to a strong start to the season before succumbing to injury, McLouth proved to be a valuable asset for Baltimore towards the end of the year and playoffs.
Edward Creech and Daniel Seco contributed to this post.
Twins Notes: Rotation, Bullpen, Molitor
Twins General Manager Terry Ryan ran down some of the biggest issues facing the club in an interview this morning on 1500 ESPN, and Phil Mackey has the goods.
- Ryan said that the club will target the "affordable" free agent starting pitching, but also acknowledged that he will look at the bigger names on the open market as well. "We've got to have interest in those types of guys. Whether the years and dollars equate to what we're trying to do is another story," said the GM. Zack Greinke and Ryan Dempster will be out there along with Jake Peavy and Dan Haren if their options are declined. Mackey later tweeted that he didn't think the Twins would go after that caliber of pitcher but would instead pursue the Joe Blanton-type guys.
- The GM would also like to bolster the bullpen this winter and said that he will look at every avenue to improve the club's pitching. Mackey notes that the Twins could trade from their surpluses at first base and in the outfield with Justin Morneau, Chris Parmelee, Denard Span, Ben Revere, Josh Willingham, and Ryan Doumit in the mix for playing time.
- While Paul Molitor has made his interest in a coaching job known, Ryan reiterated that the Hall of Famer isn't a good fit for the team right now. Triple-A staffers Bobby Cuellar, Tom Brunansky, and Gene Glynn look to be the leading candidates to fill the coaching vacancies.
- Ryan said the Twins have looked at how the Nationals handled Stephen Strasburg in determining their approach with Kyle Gibson, the club's top pitching prospect. "I think we'll probably ease it in as we go into April and May, then hopefully we'll have him available for how we want to use him in June, July and August," Ryan said. "I certainly don't want to hurt Gibson, so we've got to monitor him closely." Gibson, who appeared in 13 minor league games this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last November, made his Arizona Fall League debut Thursday with five shutout innings, eight strikeout, and no walks.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Managerial Notes: Giambi, Rockies, Red Sox
Late last week, the Rockies started the search for their next manager in earnest when they interviewed bench coach Tom Runnells. They're also set to interview Triple-A manager Stu Cole, but a third in-house name may join the mix. Here's more on that and other managerial notes..
- Jason Giambi remains a candidate for the Rockies' managerial vacancy until he's ruled out, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. It's possible that the slugger will interview this week as the club determines whether to stay in-house or look outside for their next skipper. Last week, a source close to Giambi indicated that he would retire if given the opportunity to manage the Rockies.
- Meanwhile, the Red Sox are giving consideration to another managerial candidate who comes without previous experience. Brad Ausmus doesn't have the resume of other available names but is considered to be a good stress-reliever with a competitive edge, similar to Terry Francona, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The former catcher's only dugout experience came this summer as the manager of Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifying round.
- One Rockies player told Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post that he is concerned that candidates will be put off by the lack of control they would have in Colorado. "We are essentially being managed by the front office now," said the player. "I'm really wondering what kind of manager — I'm talking about a good manager — would come in here and accept this."
Cafardo On Shields, Ortiz, Ross, Rodriguez
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe offers up a few ideas to help bolster the Red Sox. Cafardo suggests that the Red Sox need a pure middle-of-the-order hitter and writes that Joe Mauer of the Twins would fit the bill nicely. While the Twins might not be in a rush to deal him, Boston might be willing to put together an attractive offer to get a hitter of his caliber that can split time between first base and catcher. If they can't make Mauer the big get of this winter, Cafardo also suggests names like Nick Swisher, Mike Napoli, and even Josh Hamilton. Of course, the Red Sox may pass on some of the bigger names and price tags out there to avoid locking themselves into more unfavorable contracts. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Rays pitcher James Shields has a $9MM option for this year and will likely be unaffordable for the club after that. It seems likely that Tampa Bay will finally bite the bullet and trade pitching to get the offense that they need. One National League GM suggested that the Rangers would be a good partner as they could offer Elvis Andrus and someone else for Shields. Some baseball officials also haven’t ruled out the Rays moving David Price to fill a couple of positions.
- Word is that David Ortiz might accept a two-year deal from the Red Sox for $26-28MM if they offer it. If Boston won't go to two years, Ortiz may roll the dice and see what the Orioles, Yankees, Blue Jays, or Rangers offer.
- The Red Sox are trying to work out a multiyear deal with Cody Ross, but he'll have a strong market if he chooses to wait. The Braves could potentially be major players for Ross as they offered him a two-year deal last year. Ross wouldn’t mind a Western team either and the Giants may have interest if they move on from Melky Cabrera.
- Cafardo believes that the Dodgers would be willing to take on Alex Rodriguez as the Yankees would gladly eat some of his contract. The Dodgers also appear unlikely to re-sign Shane Victorino and will save some money by doing that.
- Talk is strong that Joe Torre would consider managing again and the 72-year-old has always had an affinity for Boston.
Quick Hits: Showalter, Angels, Cardinals, Ludwick
Sunday night linkage..
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter is signed through next season, and he told Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com that he has interest in remaining with the team beyond then. Team owner Peter Angelos told Dubroff that he is interested in keeping Showalter around long-term as well.
- Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News wrote about Yankees' ace CC Sabathia, the rare big money free agent pitcher who is living up to his contract. Sabathia threw a complete game in the team's ALDS Game Five win over the Orioles yesterday.
- In an interview with Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, commissioner Bud Selig said that Angels owner Arte Moreno has never mentioned the idea of moving on from Angels Stadium when he can opt out in 2016. The Halos were able to fuel their winter spending spree behind a brand-new television contract and could conceivably look for a new revenue boost in the form of a new ballpark.
- Despite the Orioles' surprising success this season, executive vice president Dan Duquette told reporters that he doesn't expect to chase top-tier free agents this winter, writes Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com. Duquette declined to talk about individual contract situations like Mark Reynolds and his $11MM option but praised his second-half play and overall toughness.
- Today's news on Sean Burnett requiring surgery could be of interest to the Cardinals as they will be in the market for a left-handed reliever this winter, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Burnett has a $3.5MM mutual option with the Nationals for 2013 but he is likely to decline it given the going rate for lefty bullpen arms.
- The Cardinals will be without Jaime Garcia for at least the early portion of the 2013 season as the left-hander is set for shoulder surgery, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. General Manager John Mozeliak confirmed that he expects Garcia to have an "exploratory" procedure but wouldn't comment on what it might mean for his availability.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News writes that the Reds might not be able to match the best offers that come in for Ryan Ludwick, but the club may be able to come close enough to make the outfielder want to give them a discount out of loyalty. Ludwick and the Reds have a $5MM mutual option for 2013 but he is expected to decline it.
- The Red Sox will need much more out of their underachieving rotation in 2013 if they expect to turn things around, opines John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.