NL West Notes: Rockies, Spilborghs, Winfree, Padres
Here's a look at a handful of items out of the National League West..
- There will be an agreement in place to prevent the raiding of the Padres' front office by the Cubs once the departures of Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod are official, a team source tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).
- Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart and outfielder Ryan Spilborghs would like to play winter ball after disappointing seasons, but they are on the fence because of their arbitration-eligible status, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. Both players are non-tender candidates and could wind up as free agents on December 12th.
- The Diamondbacks added infielder David Winfree to their major league roster, according to their official Twitter page. Arizona also did some roster shuffling yesterday when they outrighted Sean Burroughs, Alberto Castillo and Robby Hammock to Triple-A.
- With Jed Hoyer expected to join Theo Epstein in Chicago, Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres gives his impression of Hoyer as a GM. While some Padres fans are upset with Hoyer for leaving the club, Krasovic believes that the soon-to-be 38-year-old is simply seizing a rare opportunity.
- The Padres don't expect to lose scouting director Jaron Madison to the Cubs if Hoyer and Jason McLeod join the organization, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).
The Orioles’ GM Search: Watson, White
The Orioles have already interviewed Diamondbacks senior vice president Jerry Dipoto and Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays for their vacant General Manager job. Who else will be considered for the post?
- The Orioles have received permission from the Dodgers to interview De Jon Watson for their GM position, an industry source tells Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Watson serves as the Dodgers' assistant GM and player development director and recently spoke to Ben Nicholson-Smith about possibly becoming a GM.
- Watson's interview should take place early next week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, Connolly tweets.
- There were doubts whether Los Angeles would grant the Orioles permission to speak to Watson, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Yesterday, the Marlins officially denied the club permission to interview Dan Jennings.
- Meanwhile, the O's have yet to ask permission to speak with Dodgers assistant GM Logan White, says Connolly (via Twitter). That conversation could still take place as the Orioles are expected to talk to a few more people before they conclude their search. White was profiled in our GM Candidate series earlier this month.
Pirates To Decline Options On Snyder, Doumit
General manager Neal Huntington said that the Pirates intend to decline club options for Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder after the conclusion of the World Series, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. As Tim Dierkes wrote on Wednesday, both moves were expected.
Doumit's option would have paid him $7.25MM in 2012 and $8.25MM in 2013. The 30-year-old has strugged to stay healthy in recent years, playing 75 games in 2009, 124 games in 2010, and 77 games this past season.
The Pirates acquired Snyder in a five-player deal last July. The catcher's 2012 option would have paid him $6.75MM but he'll instead collect a $750K buyout. Snyder saw action in just 34 games this season but has a career slash line of .271/.376/.396.
Quick Hits: Reyes, Darvish, Montero, Yankees
Some links as we look forward to Game 6 of the NLCS tonight..
- The only way Jose Reyes will sign in the exclusivity period is if the Mets blow him away with an offer, and that isn't happening, writes Steve Popper of the Bergen Record.
- With his team's spot in the playoffs already locked up, Yu Darvish will skip his start on October 18th, according to the Kyodo News Agency (Japanese link). Orioles player development director John Stockstill traveled to Japan to watch Darvish pitch in this game. (Translation provided by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker)
- The Yankees will look for in-house fixes this winter, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman wonders aloud if the club might deal Jesus Montero for a starter and further open the DH slot, but a team official said that it wouldn't make sense to throw more dollars and add risk to the offense. Sherman added that he doesn't sense that the club has a strong affinity for free agent left-hander C.J. Wilson.
- Some of the Red Sox coaches have been granted permission to explore other opportunities while awaiting their fate, multiple sources tell Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Theo Epstein Compensation Links: Sunday
Yesterday it was reported that talks have grown "increasingly contentious" between the Red Sox and the Cubs as they try to figure out what Boston will receive for relinquishing the rights to Theo Epstein. The Red Sox are looking to get prospects in return for their former GM while the Cubs want to complete the deal with just cash. Here's the latest on the talks..
- A deal might not get done by Tuesday but the Red Sox think that the compensation talks with the Cubs will end before the World Series begins on Wednesday evening, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
- All signs point toward a resolution by Tuesday, the day after a potential NLCS Game 7 and the day before Game 1 of the World Series, writes Silverman. The asking price for Epstein could increase as it is believed that he is looking to bring some BoSox staffers with him to Chicago. As of yesterday, there were no plans in place for any other Red Sox personnel to join the Cubs.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Lackey, Buehrle, Epstein
Upon joining the Cubs, Theo Epstein will leave behind one contractual headache in John Lackey and acquire another one in Carlos Zambrano, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The difference between the two, as a National League scout pointed out, is that Zambrano could once again be a top-of-the-rotation hurler while some doubt if Lackey is even a No. 4 or 5 starter. The answer for both clubs could be a "garbage-for-garbage" deal that allows them to exchange one bad contract for another. Some prime candidates include Chone Figgins, Barry Zito, Vernon Wells, and Derek Lowe. Here more from Cafardo..
- While Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is an interesting free agent possibility for the Red Sox if they could get him on a two-year deal. The veteran could be their No. 5 starter or serve as a strong lefty in the bullpen.
- It's hard to tell if David Ortiz is serious about leaving the "drama" of Boston for the Yankees, but the veteran wouldn't be a fit in New York as they have no need for a DH.
- A.J. Hinch, the vice president of pro scouting for the Padres, could have interest from teams like the Red Sox, and possibly the Cubs with Epstein there. Las Vegas agrees, as oddsmaker Jimmy Shapiro placed Hinch as the odds-on favorite to get the Sox managerial job. Meanwhile, Josh Byrnes is currently a special assistant with San Diego and could depart for a bigger role with Epstein in Chicago.
- Mariners skipper Eric Wedge is a very interesting name that could be involved in the Red Sox’s managerial search. However, getting Wedge out of his deal in Seattle could be a problem as he has a good deal of personnel power there.
- Tony La Russa would be an interesting choice for Boston, but it appears he'll be staying in St. Louis or retiring. La Russa has always spoken fondly of the city, but it doesn’t appear at this stage of his career that he would want to deal with some of the issues in the BoSox organization.
- Brian Cashman's contract extension is nowhere near done. The Yankees GM’s deal expires at the end of the month, but neither side is feeling any pressure to get something completed.
- Meanwhile, Cashman's top two assistants, Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer, are being interviewed by the Angels for their GM job. Cashman told the paper that he feels both men are absolutely qualified to take the next step. Recently, our own Ben Nicholson-Smith spoke with Oppenheimer about the possibility of becoming a GM.
- Cafardo wonders if history will be kinder to Dan Duquette now that the Theo Epstein era is concluding in Boston. Duquette never won a championship as the Red Sox's GM but the 2004 team certainly had his fingerprints on it. Now working as a business consultant, the longtime MLB exec never got the chance to be a GM again, but hasn't ruled out doing so in the right situation.
Davidoff On Red Sox, CBA, Rangers, Darvish
In today's column, Ken Davidoff of Newsday tackles a number of topics including what's next for Boston. Here are some highlights..
- When the dust settles, the Red Sox are expected to name Ben Cherington as Theo Epstein's successor in Boston. While the club could take one step toward closing their credibility gap by hiring an experienced manager to complement their rookie GM, that's not likely to be the case. The Red Sox already view Cherington as having GM experience because of the work he has done with the organization. They'll more likely look to hire someone with a willingness to utilize statistical analysis and work with the rest of the baseball operations department.
- This year, MLB and the Players Association had hoped to announced their next collective-bargaining agreement during the World Series like they did in 2006. However, with the World Series just three days away, people in the loop aren't optimistic. The two sides are meeting virtually every day and the biggest rancor appears to be surrounding Bud Selig's desire for hard slotting in the amateur draft. It's hard to imagine that this will result in any kind of a work stoppage, but it does seem like they'll miss out on the great PR opportunity that they were able to capture five years ago.
- We don't see the Rangers and Angels as trading partners because there's too much anxiety over being burned. However, the Rangers used to admire Halos catcher Mike Napoli from a distance, and were able to trade for him immediately after the Blue Jays acquired him. Davidoff asked Daniels if he kept an eye on players in the divison whom he couldn't acquire by trade but could hope would get dealt to a different club so he could pounce. For Daniels, it's not that clear-cut, but he says that he checks in when someone he's interested in moves out of the AL West.
- Baseball officials are increasingly convinced that righthander Yu Darvish will be posted to the major leagues, and industry folks wonder how much will teams pay. The Red Sox paid more than $51MM five years ago to talk with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and that hasn't panned out for them. The expectation is that in light of Boston's disappointment with Matsuzaka, teams won't bid as much for Darvish.
Quick Hits: Sizemore, Carmona, Pujols, Wilson, Nova
Wednesday night linkage..
- The Indians plan to take their time in deciding whether to pick up the options on Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Sizemore, who underwent surgery on his right knee earlier this month, has a club option worth $9MM with a $500K buyout while Carmona's option is worth $7MM for next season.
- The Cardinals are hopeful that the good feelings from this postseason might carry over into the Albert Pujols negotiations this winter, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
- Even though the Marlins are expected to spend this offseason, Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) doesn't like their chances of landing Pujols or C.J. Wilson.
- If Yankees pitcher and former Rule 5 pick Ivan Nova can build off of an inspiring rookie season, he’ll be taking one of the rarest career paths in baseball history, writes Josh Goldman of Fangraphs.
Theo Epstein Signing With Cubs Reactions
This morning we learned that Theo Epstein agreed on a five-year deal worth more than $15MM with the Cubs. Here' s a look at some of the reactions and fallout from around baseball..
- Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal outlines some Cubs prospects that the Red Sox could receive as compensation for Epstein.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that the Cubs' signing of Epstein means that the NL Central is about to get even stronger, write Matthew Leach, Joe Frisaro, and Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- Would Yankees GM Brian Cashman be interested in the new Red Sox GM vacancy? It doesn't seem that way, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. "I have a job," said Cashman when asked about the possibility of leaving for Boston. Nothing official has been agreed upon yet, but Cashman is expected to sign a new deal with the Yankees in the near future.
- Epstein's new average salary of $3MM is unlikely to affect Cashman's next deal with the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Epstein's previous salary was roughly $2.5MM and Cashman will likely see a bump from his current $2.2MM average.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) heard that the Red Sox wanted to keep Epstein, but the GM made it clear that he would be leaving when his contract expired after 2012 . Epstein would have earned $3MM with a $4MM parachute payment at the year's end. That prompted the club to approve his discussions with the Cubs.
- Ben Cherington is expected to be the next GM of the Red Sox and Dan Duquette had nothing but kind things to say about the long-time exec, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- In an interview on WEEI's "Mut & Merloni" show this morning, Peter Gammons said that he's "sickened" by the criticism he has heard of former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, writes Justin Doubleday of WEEI.com. As for the matter of compensation, Gammons says that he could see the Red Sox receiving someone like 23-year-old center fielder Brett Jackson.
Phillies’ Manuel In Favor Of Third Base Upgrade
In two seasons with the Phillies, third baseman Placido Polanco has struggled to stay healthy and on the field. Despite being named an All-Star for the second time in his career in 2011, manager Charlie Manuel says that he would be in favor of an upgrade at the position, writes MLB.com's Nate Mink.
"If we need to upgrade and we can, we should do it," the skipper said on Wednesday.
Polanco is guaranteed $6.25MM next season, but Mink writes that it shouldn't handcuff the Phillies from exploring other options at third base. Manuel doesn't think that the Phillies need a power bat at the position, but durability will be a major focus for the club this offseason.
Polanco underwent surgery yesterday to repair two sports hernias, which could sideline him for the beginning of the 2012 season. The 36-year-old played in 132 games in 2010 and just 122 this past year.