Cafardo On Red Sox, Cabrera, Okajima, Quentin
Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington will focus on trying to fix his team’s pitching from top to bottom this offseason, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Since drafting Jon Lester in 2002, the only major league starting pitchers the Red Sox have developed are Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, and Justin Masterson. And while they had good luck with relievers Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard, Craig Hansen and Michael Bowden didn't work out as well. When it comes to grooming their pitchers of the future, Cafardo suggests that the Red Sox should reach out to Rick Peterson to help steer the ship. Here's more from today's column..
- If Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera doesn't have any additional fallout relating to his 50-game suspension, GMs that were asked said they would look at him as a one-year contract possibility. However, one GM noted that “If there’s competition for him, someone will go multiyear.”
- Former Red Sox left-hander Hideki Okajima is in Japan and trying to work his way back to the majors. Okajima is pitching extremely well in Japan, where many thought he wanted to stay, but he wants another shot at the majors and may get it.
- Carlos Quentin's contract is very reasonable for the small-market Padres, but they could still be open to moving him this offseason. Quentin inked a three-year, $27MM extension with the club in July that includes a $10MM mutual option for 2016.
- One veteran talent evaluator thinks many teams missed the boat on acquiring Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano. While he’s not the centerpiece of any lineup he would be a good left field option for a team seeking a righthanded middle-of-the-order bat.
- The Cubs will likely make a push for Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan, bullpen coach Gary Tuck, and possibly even bench coach Tim Bogar. However, Bogar might prefer to stay in Boston.
Rosenthal On Clemens, Indians, Pagan
Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count (video link) from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Roger Clemens says that he has no plans of making a big league return this season, but a lot of people with the Astros remain skeptical. If The Rocket plans on coming back, however, he'll have to do it soon. Houston begins a seven-game homestand against two non-contenders in the Cubs and Phillies on Monday. They'll be hosting the Pirates and Cardinals in their other homestand and they could not pitch him against those teams without compromising the integrity of the pennant race.
- Indians officials are leaning towards retaining manager Manny Acta as they know that a new manager won't make all that much of a difference. They also don't have to worry about placating their fans as they already rank 28th in MLB in home attendance. Of course, a poor finish to the season could change their minds about Acta.
- Giants centerfielder Angel Pagan will be coveted by several teams this offseason and his value to the Giants has only increased since the suspension of Melky Cabrera. Pagan is also similar offensively, from a statistical standpoint, to fellow free agent centerfielder Michael Bourn. Bourn is obviously a stronger base stealer, a year-and-a-half younger, and offers a longer track record. However, Pagan could be a decent alternative to the Braves star.
Rockies Notes: Francis, Tracy, Scutaro
On Thursday, Troy Renck of the Denver Post opined that there are still no winners in the trade that brought Alex White and Drew Pomeranz to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez. White and Pomeranz have yet to break through with the Rockies while Jimenez has a 5.44 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in the last year-plus for Cleveland. Here's a look at Renck's latest on the Rockies, with all links going to Twitter..
- Left-hander Jeff Francis is expected to return to the Rockies next season after his contract is through, Renck tweets. The 31-year-old owns a 5.38 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 19 starts this season.
- Renck writes that Jim Tracy still being under contract for one more season could weigh into the club's decision on whether to retain him. The Rockies have struggled this season but have pitched better since Tracy was asked to install their new pitching program.
- The Rockies couldn't have gotten more than they did for Marco Scutaro back in July, sources told Renck. Colorado wanted out from under the money owed to the veteran and netted minor league second baseman Charlie Culberson in return.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Guthrie, D’Backs, Brewers
The Yankees are faced with a number of issues in the short-term and long-term, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Among their long-term issues is the fact that their position player average age is 32.7 years. One scout is also concerned that Robinson Cano hasn't looked like himself lately which is an unfortunate development for the Yanks as they appear to be intent on locking him up for the long-term. Here's more from around baseball.
- Royals General Manager Dayton Moore says that the club will "probably" wait until after the season to explore contract talks with pending free agent Jeremy Guthrie, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. Moore recently said that he will be focusing on the rotation this offseason, which includes trying to re-sign Guthrie. The 33-year-old is earning $8.5MM this season.
- One has to imagine that Diamondbacks pitchers Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson regret not signing lucrative extensions when they had the chance prior to this season, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. It's not known how much Arizona was offering to each pitcher, but Piecoro estimates that for Kennedy it was something close to $30MM and around $15MM for Hudson.
- A source tells Ben Badler of Baseball America that the Brewers are not planning to renew the contract of Fernando Arango, who has been one of the team's top scouts in Latin America since 2003. The club is looking for more production out of their Latin American department as they continue to work with a low-to-mid-range budget.
NL East Notes: Strasburg, Nationals, Marlins, Beinfest
Here's a look at items on the Nationals and Marlins..
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post looks at the insurance policies that teams take out on players in light of Stephen Strasburg's impending shutdown. Agent Scott Boras says that the insurance policy for Strasburg’s contract could be voided if he pitches against medical advice and injured himself and representatives from specialty insurance companies supported that claim.
- Marlins president Larry Beinfest told 790 The Ticket that he understands that he could lose his job this winter given the club's struggles, writes Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. Some have speculated that Beinfest could lose his job or be reassigned to a new position by owner Jeffrey Loria. Beinfest is under contact through 2015.
- There has been a great deal of talk surrounding the Nationals' decision to shut Strasburg down for the year, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link) doesn't expect the move to impede the club this season. However, Morosi adds that he still doesn't agree with the plan.
- Nationals skipper Davey Johnson says that this year's bench is among the best he had ever managed, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. Included in that group is the recently-extended Chad Tracy and outfielder Roger Bernadina, who was the subject of trade rumors prior to the start of the season.
Padres, Denorfia Agree To Extension
The Padres have agreed to a contract extension with outfielder Chris Denorfia that will keep him in San Diego through 2014, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Pro Star Management client will earn $2MM in 2013 and $2.25 in '14, Brock tweets.
“We are excited to extend Chris to a two-year contract through 2014,” said General Manager Josh Byrnes. “He has proven to be a valuable and versatile player for us over the last three seasons, and his style of play is infectious.”
Denorfia's deal will cover his final year of arbitration eligibility as well as his first free agent season. The 32-year-old has a .279/.340/.419 slash line across three seasons with the Padres. Denorfia has experience at all three outfield positions but has primarily played the corners since 2011.
This season, Denorfia is earning $1.165MM after avoiding arbitration with the Padres in December. Byrnes reportedly received a good amount of trade interest in the outfielder prior to this year's deadline but opted to hold on to him.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Valaika, Smith
We'll keep track of tonight's outright assignments here..
- The Reds have outrighted infielder Chris Valaika and right-hander Jordan Smith to Triple-A Louisville, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com (via Twitter). Valaika, 27, has a .223/.268/.347 batting line in 85 games for Louisville this year. Smith, 26, appeared in 51 Triple-A games this season and posted a 4.76 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
MLB Considering Changes To Roster Expansion
Commissioner Bud Selig's special committee for on-field issues has talking about late-season roster expansion at length and there is increasing momentum to change the rules by next season, multiple industry sources have told Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. The current plan would still allow teams to expand rosters in the final month of the season but would require clubs to designate which players are eligible before each game.
The most popular scenario being discussed is to expand September rosters to 30, with each club's 25-man roster on August 31 being locked in throughout September. Locking in the rosters at the end of August would prevent teams from de-activating the starters not pitching in a particular game in order to load up with four additional minor leaguers.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez and Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly have both spoken out in favor of changes to the September roster rules. Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who is a member of Selig's committee, said that tweaking the rules would make sense "for a number of reasons".
Giants Designate Eric Hacker For Assignment
The Giants have designated Eric Hacker for assignment, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The right-hander saw just nine innings of work for the Giants this season, including one six inning start in April.
Hacker spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Fresno, posting a 4.01 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 25 starts and one relief appearance. The 29-year-old has a 4.76 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in five Triple-A campaigns.
Padres DFA Ohlendorf, Rodriguez
The Padres announced that they have designated pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and catcher Eddy Rodriguez for assignment. The moves will allow the club to recall right-hander Brad Boxberger and infielder/outfielder Andy Parrino from Triple-A.
San Diego signed Ohlendorf to a major league deal in early June. The 30-year-old made nine starts and four relief appearances for the Padres this year, posting a 7.77 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 24 walks across 48.2 innings. Ohlendorf was then optioned to Triple-A Tucson on August 18th.
Rodriguez, 26, appeared in two big league games for the Padres in early August. The catcher split time between Advanced-A and Triple-A and hit .217/.264/.373 with 14 homers in 101 games.
The Red Sox inked Ohlendorf to a minor league deal back in February but he chose to opt out of the deal on June 2nd. In his 13 combined 2012 Triple-A starts, Ohlendorf posted a 4.52 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.