Nationals Notes: DeRosa, Burnett
The Nationals finished the regular season at the top of the heap, but last night their impressive season ended at the hands of the Cardinals. There’s always next year for the Nats, though one veteran says that he may decide to call it a career. Here’s the latest out of Washington..
- Mark DeRosa was left pondering his future after last night’s game, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. The 37-year-old believes that he has been hampered by injury in recent years and is capable of doing more, but isn’t sure if another opportunity will come along this winter. Then again, the veteran noted that he wasn’t expecting a phone call last year either before the Nats signed him to a one-year deal in December.
- Reliever Sean Burnett seems likely to turn down his end of the $3.5MM mutual option he has for the 2013 season, but he would ultimately like to return to the Nats, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Burnett will undergo surgery next week to take care of a bone spur issue, according to a person familiar with his injury.
- Earlier today, we learned that Edwin Jackson would like to stay with Washington as he gets ready to hit the open market. Adam LaRoche also reiterated his desire to stay put but disclosed that contract talks have yet to really advance.
Quick Hits: A’s, Gomes, White Sox, Cubs, Dodgers
Earlier today, A's skipper Bob Melvin suggested that the club is ready to discuss a new contract with Jonny Gomes. The interest seems to be mutual, as Gomes re-iterated that he wants to be back in Oakland next season, writes Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com. "Would I like to? Absolutely," Gomes said. "I don't know, I mean this season has been magical for me, it has been a dream come true. When you've been kicked in the teeth as much as I have in the offseason you realize nothing is a guarantee." Here's more from around baseball..
- Dayan Viciedo will see his four-year, $10MM deal expire at the end of the year, but the White Sox outfielder says that he is not focused on his next contract, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Viciedo has 1.123 years of major league service to his credit and won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2014 season.
- In his latest mailbag, several readers ask Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune why the Cubs can't build for the future while also looking to win in 2013. Sullivan writes that the main answer is a lack of pitching, which is a problem that can't be remedied overnight.
- The Dodgers announced earlier today that hitting coach Dave Hansen will not return in 2013. However, Hansen has been offered another position in the club, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Rockies officially kicked off their managerial search yesterday by meeting with bench coach Tom Runnells, writes Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. Stu Cole, manager of Triple-A Colorado Springs, is the club's other internal candidate in the search.
East Notes: Showalter, Orioles, LaRoche, Yankees
The Orioles' season came to a close tonight as the Yankees took Game 5 behind an impressive complete game outing from C.C. Sabathia. Despite the disappointing exit coupled with heartbreak of Game 3, it was a remarkable season for a team that was never expected to win 93 games and qualify for the postseason. More out of Baltimore and other items from the Eastern divisions..
- Orioles managing partner Peter Angelos said that the club has yet to discuss a contract extension with Buck Showalter, but he sounds ready to have those talks if the manager does, writes Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com. Showalter is under contract with the O's through the 2013 season.
- The Nationals opened talks with Adam LaRoche on a multi-year deal at some point during the season to keep him from free agency, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. However, nothing is close at this time. LaRoche has a $10MM for 2013 but has made it clear that he would like to stay put in Washington.
- The Yankees are looking for the right investor to buy out some of their partners in the highly-profitable YES Network, according to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times. Current partners like Goldman Sachs and Providence Equity usually sell their investments in companies rather quickly, but have held on because of the station's incredible success.
Giants More Open To Re-Signing Melky Cabrera
Following his 50-game suspension for a performance-enhancing drug and word of an alleged cover-up attempt, the odds of the Giants re-signing Melky Cabrera this offseason seemed unlikely. However, there is now more openness within the Giants organization to retain the outfielder, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.
Many people within the club's front office view Cabrera as a talented two-way player coming into his prime, despite concerns that his strong 2012 campaign was the product of PEDs. It also helps that Cabrera should now be a relative bargain on the free agent market, a significant selling point for a team that will be looking to maximize its payroll room this winter. Baggarly also writes that the Giants were pleased with his decision to take action and have himself removed from contention for the batting title.
The Giants made the formal move of re-instating Cabrera on to the 40-man roster, though he will not be used at any point during the postseason. The Giants' only other option would have been to release the slugger as he was coming off of the disabled list, but that would have also meant forfeiting their exclusive negotiating period after the World Series.
Reds Notes: Baker, Rolen, Jocketty
Earlier today, we learned that Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty was set to meet with manager Dusty Baker to offer him a short-term contract. For his part, the 63-year-old has said that he is definitely looking to continue his managerial career. Here's more on Baker and other news out of Cincy..
- Jocketty wouldn't confirm whether he offered the veteran skipper a contract when they met, but he seems confident that there will be some news on that front on Monday or Tuesday, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The GM added that the contracts of the team's coaches will be addressed after Baker's situation is taken care of, but he also said yesterday that they are all expected to return.
- Meanwhile, Jocketty has also heard the reports of Scott Rolen planning to retire, but he isn't so sure that will be the case, Fay writes. “He hasn’t told us that,” Jocketty said. “I’ve talked to him. I don’t think he knows what he wants to do.” If Rolen wants to continue playing, the GM said that the Reds would be interested in having him back in some capacity.
- A baseball source familiar with the Baker situation told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that the forecast was "optimistic" that Baker and his staff would be back.
Quick Hits: Sanchez, Leyland, Felix, Blue Jays
With Terry Francona now off the market, it wouldn't make a sense for the Tigers to let Jim Leyland go at the end of the year, opines Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press. Yesterday, Leyland confirmed that he wants to continue managing in 2013, but the veteran skipper's contract will expire at the end of the year. Here's more from around baseball..
- If the Tigers re-sign Anibal Sanchez, they'll have to move another one of their starting pitchers, opines Jason Beck of MLB.com. Beyond the simple numbers issue, the Tigers will be facing a payroll crunch if they choose to keep Sanchez with the same rotation in place. Justin Verlander will earn $20MM next season, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will head to arbitration for the second time, and Doug Fister is first-time arb eligible. In theory, Detroit could part with one of the four and plug Drew Smyly in their place.
- Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach is set to interview with the Red Sox for their managerial vacancy next week, tweets Ken Gurnick of the Los Angeles Times.
- Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik wouldn't discuss whether he has had contract extension talks with ace Felix Hernandez, but reiterated that both sides are hoping that he will stay put in Seattle for the long-term, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com. Hernandez has two years and $40.5MM left on the five-year, $78MM deal he inked in 2010.
- Omar Vizquel opined earlier this year that the Blue Jays were in desperate need of veteran leadership, but Jose Bautista says that he doesn't agree with that assessment, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com. "I really don't understand why everybody is making — in my eyes — a big deal out of that subject," Bautista said. "It's not something that needs to be addressed in our clubhouse."
- Despite talk of the Phillies looking to improve with minor moves this winter, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News wouldn't rule out Ruben Amaro making a major splash by signing the likes of B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn.
East Notes: Braves, Red Sox, Wallach, Orioles
News and notes out of the Eastern divisions..
- Braves General Manager Frank Wren knows that the club may have some financial flexibility this winter, but he would prefer not to put all of his eggs in one basket, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman. "We're going to be looking for premium players," Wren said. "I don't think there is any doubt about that. But there [are] a couple things we're always mindful of. We're putting a team together. We're not trying to put a player on this team. That's overriding philosophy — to put a team together. If we think we can add two players that give us more than one player, then we're going to do that."
- The Red Sox have been granted permission to interview Tim Wallach by the Dodgers, a source tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Earlier today we learned that Boston reached out to the third base coach to gauge his interest in their managerial vacancy. We can safely assume that Wallach is interested.
- As Ben Cherington & Co. work to revamp the Red Sox after a 93-loss season, the club will look to quantify what extent injuries played in their disappointing campaign, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. MacPherson notes that Boston was just 7.5 games behind the Orioles for the second wild card spot at the time of their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers. With Andrew Bailey, Carl Crawford, and Jacoby Ellsbury healthy for the first-half of the year, that differential likely would have been much closer and may have led to Cherington declining to blow up the team.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) notes that the Orioles were the only club to offer right-hander Miguel Gonzalez a minor league deal in early March. The inexpensive, low-risk signing worked out well for the O's as he is tonight's starter against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Minor Moves: Slaten, Ohlendorf, Conrad
We'll keep track of today's minor moves in this post..
- Pirates left-hander Doug Slaten, Padres right-hander Ross Ohlendorf, and Rays third baseman Brooks Conrad are free agents after recent outright assignments, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). Slaten appeared in ten major league games for Pittsburgh while posting a 2.11 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 40 relief appearances in Triple-A. Ohlendorf had a 7.77 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 24 walks in nine starts and four relief appearances for the Padres over the summer. Conrad saw time in 49 games for the Rays and Brewers in 2012.
Managerial Notes: Leyland, Rockies, Indians, Red Sox
Earlier today, we ran down the latest managerial news including word that Rangers skipper Ron Washington's job is safe despite the club's disappointing finish. Here's the latest on vacancies from around the major leagues..
- While the Tigers and manager Jim Leyland will address his contract situation at the end of the year, the skipper confirmed today that he wants to continue managing, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com.
- Rockies senior vice president Bill Geivett told Jim Bowden (via Twitter) on MLB Network Radio that both bench coach Tom Runnells and Triple-A manager Stu Cole are internal candidates for their managerial job.
- As of now, former Astros skipper Brad Mills is not joining the Indians staff under Terry Francona, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Mills served as Francona's bench coach while with the Red Sox.
- Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington declined to comment when asked if he has requested permission to interview candidates from other clubs, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Of course, there has been wide speculation that the Red Sox are interested in Blue Jays manager John Farrell.
- Mike Lowell told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he would want to know the "ins and outs" of an organization before taking on the role of manager. Yesterday, Lowell told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he's not looking to become a big league manager at this point in time despite being linked to the Marlins job.
This Date In Transactions History: Chris Carpenter
On this date in 2002, the Blue Jays released their Opening Day starter, right-hander Chris Carpenter. The 27-year-old was removed from the 40-man roster after a trying season in which he went just 73 1/3 innings before being shut down to undergo shoulder surgery. He posted a 5.28 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in his final year in Toronto, but the former first-round pick had a stronger season in 2001 finishing with a 4.09 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 powered by a solid first-half of the year. The Blue Jays did offer Carpenter an incentive-laden minor league deal to stay on board, but the hurler instead decided to try his luck on the open market.
The Cardinals, of course, would be the team to roll the dice on 6'6" right-hander. Carpenter was signed to a deal with a club option for 2004 with the hope that he would be ready to return by the mid-season in 2003. The club bought out his '04 season for $200K rather pay the him the $2MM he would have made, but the two sides were able to negotiate a new deal later on that winter. The Cardinals were grateful that they did, as Carpenter returned in 2004 to register a 3.46 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 across 28 starts to help the Cards win the National League pennant. That was a sign of great things to come as he would edge Dontrelle Willis for the Cy Young Award in 2005 and delivered an almost equally strong campaign in '06.
In his time with St. Louis, Carpenter's legacy has been one marked by quality pitching and frustrating injuries, but the resilient pitcher has always found a way to bounce back from his extended absences. A torn labrum delayed his Cardinals debut, but he certainly managed to make it worth the wait. Four years later, Tommy John surgery limited him to four starts across two seasons. Tomorrow afternoon, Carpenter will take the mound against the Nationals in Game 3 of the NLDS despite undergoing surgery to repair his thoracic outlet syndrome which was supposed to sideline him all season long. Despite his battles through multiple injuries, it's safe to say that the Blue Jays' decision ten years ago is one that they would like to have back.