Farrell Out Of Cleveland Search, Valentine A Candidate
After publicly stating that he is committed to the Red Sox, John Farrell has followed through and removed his name from consideration to be the Indians' next skipper, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. This comes on the heels of a Ken Rosenthal report that Cleveland was moving on as though Farrell would not be a candidate – but would have likely considered him again if he declared his interest in the job.
If Farrell and Cleveland had come to an agreement, they would have had to negotiate with Boston for a way out of the clause barring him from managing in 2010.
Now that they have scratched their reported early favorite off the list, the Indians must move ahead with their search. Rosenthal says the Tribe plans to conduct 8-10 phone interviews before whittling their way down to 3-5 finalists by the third week of October. Olney says that Torey Lovullo – manager of Cleveland's AAA affiliate – is among the in-house options that might be considered. Both Rosenthal and Olney identify Bobby Valentine as a contender.
In a separate report, Olney says that Valentine is already talking to the Marlins about a position. Although Valentine recently signed on with ESPN as an analyst, it is believed that his contract contains an escape clause that would allow him to accept an MLB managerial job. The charismatic skipper spent the last six years managing the Pacific League's Chiba Lotte Marines, where he had the support of the fans, but not the cash-strapped organization. The Mets reached the NLCS in 1999, the World Series in 2000 and went 536-467 (.534) in six seasons and change under Bobby V.
Would Valentine be your pick to manage the underachieving Indians? Who else should the Indians interview for the job?
Brewers Owner Acknowledges Fielder Could Be Dealt
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio believes that Prince Fielder is at his maximum trade-market value right now, writes Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Fielder is due to receive $10.5MM on the back end of a two-year $18MM agreement and is hitting .297/.406/.596 with 43 HRs. With that level of production and a reasonable contract, Fielder could fetch an awful lot – especially from AL squads that could put him at DH.
While Attanasio says that he doesn't like thinking about the Brewers sans Fielder, he also acknowledged that one player's strong performance doesn't automatically translate into wins.
At the same time, the Brewers clearly hit a string of bad luck as they lost Rickie Weeks in May and saw their pitching flounder with a team ERA of 4.75 – the fourth worst in the majors. It's logical to think that the Brewers will see a marked improvement from their club if they stand pat, stay healthy and get better performances out of J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart.
Is it in Milwaukee's best interest to dangle Fielder this winter? Or would they instead be better off keeping the 25-year-old and looking to improve by other means? Should they consider signing him to a long-term deal? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.
Odds & Ends: Gillick, Moronta, Halladay, Rays
Here are some choice links to kick off the afternoon…
- Former Phillies and Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick is not interested in a return to Toronto, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. However, the 72-year-old would not rule out handling baseball operations for another team down the road.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that Eladio Moronta – one of the toolsiest players in Latin America – is now eligible to be signed, five months after being suspended for lying about his age.
- Manager Cito Gaston doesn't see the Blue Jays holding on to Roy Halladay if the team doesn't make other improvements, writes Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun.
- Russell Branyan could return to the Mariners in 2010, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune. Branyan was raking before the all-star break, posting .280/.382/.573 with 22 HRs before being bogged down in the second half by a back injury that cost him the month of September.
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times asked and answered questions regarding what the offseason might hold for the Tampa Bay Rays. Amongst other things, Topkin says there is no way that the Rays will trade Carl Crawford, nor will they decline to pick up his $10MM option for 2010. Crawford is still a great value at that price as Fangraphs values his 2009 performance to be much higher than that.
- Joe Maddon doesn't expect to make any changes to his coaching staff, writes Marc Lancaster of The Tampa Tribune. Maddon says he'll meet with his coaches at season's end, as they are all up for renewal.
- If Dusty Baker has his way, pitching coach Dick Pole and hitting coach Brook Jacoby will return in 2010, says John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Under Pole's instruction, the Reds have seen their team ERA improve from 4.55 a year ago to 4.19 in 2009.
- Brewers infielder Craig Counsell recently turned 39-years-old but still intends to play in 2010 according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Heyman On Matsui, Bradley, Dye, Chapman
Hideki Matsui is in the final year of a four-year, $52MM extension he signed with the Yankees following the 2005 campaign. At the age of 35, Matsui turned in one of his best seasons in the majors, posting .280/.373/.521 and 28 HRs. However, it doesn't appear that Hideki Matsui is a capable fielder at this stage of his career after all the injuries he has been through. Having not taken the field once all season, Matsui is strictly an American League player. As Tim Dierkes pointed out last week, if Matsui looks to sign elsewhere, he will find himself vying for 8 or less DH openings with 11 or so others.
SI.com's Jon Heyman touches on that situation and much more in today's offering. Here's a look at some of his rumors:
- Those close to Matsui say his first choice is to stay with the Yanks. However, the Yankees may have to let him walk as the DH spot will be needed for Jorge Posada and others.
- Heyman mentions Ken Rosenthal's report that John Farrell will not be able to take a managerial job in 2010 because of a clause in his contract with the BoSox. Heyman then adds, "Sometimes those clauses can be negotiated away."
- The Padres are one of the "rare" teams that have a level of interest in Milton Bradley. Sources indicate that it is a "long shot" that he will wind up in Texas.
- Heyman addresses some of the lesser-heralded free agents in the upcoming class and estimates how much they will receive in their new deals. Here are his guesses: Mark DeRosa, $24MM over three years; Nick Johnson, $16MM over two years; Adam LaRoche, $25MM over three years; Joel Pineiro, $15MM over two years.
- The White Sox will not pick up Jermaine Dye's $12MM option in all likelihood. This should come as no surprise considering the 35-year-old's dismal second half. Since August 1st, Dye has registered an OPS of .576.
- One GM told Heyman that he holds Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish in higher regard than highly-touted Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
Discussion: Huston Street
This winter marks the last time that Colorado closer Huston Street will be eligible for arbitration. In today's Denver Post, Troy E. Renck implores the Rockies to skip the arbitration session and lock the 26-year-old up in a multi-year agreement. Back in January, the Rockies avoided going to arbitration with Street by inking him to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM.
Renck feels that Street is in line to make at least $7MM in 2010. Using the negotiations that Colorado had with closer Brian Fuentes nearly a year ago as a reference point, he sees Dan O'Dowd offering a deal which pays approximately $8MM a year. Renck then wonders aloud if $25MM over three seasons will be enough to avoid arbitration this time around.
If $25MM over three years turns out to be the absolute best offer Street can pull out of the Rockies, one has to think that he will likely go to arbitration in order to test the waters of free agency after the season. In 2009, Street posted an ERA of 2.73, his best since his rookie campaign in Oakland. Paired with a career-best 5.67 K/BB ratio and 10.3 K/9, Street is erasing memories of his slightly underwhelming 2008.
Using Fuentes as a reference point makes perfect sense, especially when considering that he too had a gaudy ERA and strikeout rate in 2008 (2.73, 11.8 K/9). However, it is obviously important to note the gap in age between the two: Fuentes was 32, Street just turned 26.
How high would you go to keep Huston Street for multiple seasons? 30MM over three? Higher? Let's hear your thoughts.
Odds & Ends: Holliday, White Sox, Pirates
Good morning everybody! Let's check out some links…
- Matt Holliday has meshed beautifully with the Cardinals since being acquired in July, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
- Ozzie Guillen says that Matt Thornton has "good enough equipment" to step into the closer role, but wants to learn more about his mental makeup as the season winds down, writes Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. Thornton may asked to be the White Sox' fireman in 2010 if the team trades Bobby Jenks, who is entering his second year of arbitration.
- If the Giants don't pick up his 2010 option, Freddy Sanchez doesn't anticipate coming back to the Pirates, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- More from Dejan Kovacevic as he says that the Pirates could be calling Matt Capps their closer for 2010 in an effort to boost his trade value. Capps has an ERA of 5.91 in 53.1 innings of work this year.
- There are indications that the Mets will keep pitching coach Dan Warthen and batting coach Howard Johnson on board, writes Marty Noble of MLB.com. There has been no such indication for third-base coach Razor Shines.
Rangers Notes: Byrd, Holland, Feliz
It's hard to gauge what the Texas Rangers will look to do this offseason. There are reports that they are interested in acquiring outfielder Milton Bradley from the Cubs, who would likely eat a large chunk of the $21MM owed to him over the next two years of his contract. At the same time, they may not have the cash necessary to retain Marlon Byrd, who has posted .283/.328/.483 with a career-high 20 HRs. Buster Olney and the Baseball Prospectus staff break down the season that was for the Rangers and what they can expect going forward. An ESPN Insider subscription is required to read the article, but here are the nuts and bolts of it:
- Signing John Lackey, widely regarded as this offseason's top free agent starter, would certainly bolster their rotation. However, Buster Olney says that GM Jon Daniels could be handcuffed financially by the impending change in ownership.
- Olney also theorizes that Daniels may not be able to roll the dice on the problematic Bradley, for fear of a public relations backlash under a new regime.
- The ownership situation is murkier than most, as anywhere between four and six groups are in contention to purchase the club. One group is led by team president Nolan Ryan, whose involvement is largely considered productive.
- The aforementioned Byrd earned $3MM in 2009, the final year of his contract. Re-signing him might require a two or three-year commitment at triple the price.
- Christina Kahrl of Baseball Prospectus says that the Rangers have a good amount of pitching talent, but feels that they must live up to their potential. Rookies Derek Holland (ERAs of 5.77 in August and 10.20 in September) and Neftali Feliz have run out of gas down the stretch, but have shown tons of upside. If the Rangers feel confident in Matt Harrison and oft-injured Brandon McCarthy, they might not have to spend on a high-priced arm this winter to complement Kevin Millwood.
Cubs Not Looking To Retain Rich Harden?
The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan writes that the Cubs have no plans to bring back Rich Harden, as alluded to by manager Lou Piniella. Prior to losing the final road game of the season to the San Francisco, Piniella ran down the 2010 rotation.
"You look at our starting pitching here for next year," Piniella said. "You've got (Carlos) Zambrano, you've got (Ryan) Dempster, you've got (Randy) Wells, you've got (Ted) Lilly, you've got (Tom) Gorzelanny, and you've got (Jeff) Samardzija…And if this kid keeps improving, he'll be right in the mix. So we've got six nice arms."
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Piniella characterized the starting five as being "pretty settled." Wittenmyer feels that Gorzelanny has a leg up on Samardzija and Sean Marshall for the fifth slot.
Zambrano, despite his personal frustration, could once again be an elite pitcher. The 28-year-old ace is discouraged by his depressed win total, but still managed to post a 3.69 ERA with 8.0 K/9 – a marked improvement over his 6.2 K/9 in 2008. Lilly has had what you could call a career year at the age of 33, recording all-time bests with a 3.02 ERA and 4.21 K/BB ratio. Dempster's HR, BB and SO rates are in the neighborhood of where they were last year, when he garnered national attention. Wells put up a strong 3.18 ERA on the way to becoming the first Cubs rookie to notch 10 wins since Kerry Wood.
Are the Cubs in good enough shape to let Harden sign elsewhere without having to sift through the lackluster available starting pitchers? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Indians, Dye, Cubs
Let's take a look at the wire…
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times talked to Angels scouting director Eddie Bane about his level of interest in Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman. Bane once again stated that he is intrigued by the 21-year-old lefty, but must see him face live batting before considering making an offer.
- A clause in Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell's contract prevents him from accepting an outside managerial position until after the 2010 season, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Farrell, who served as Cleveland's farm director before joining the BoSox, was expected to be a candidate to manage the Indians if Eric Wedge is not brought back.
- More from Ken Rosenthal as he reports that the Brewers are "seemingly on the verge" of retaining Ken Macha and are considering hiring pitching coach Rick Peterson. Macha and Peterson were on the Oakland staff together from 1999-2003. Peterson served under Macha in 2003, his first year as the A's skipper.
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports that Ozzie Guillen hopes "it's not the end" for him and Jermaine Dye, as 2010 marks a mutual option year. Dye wants to return but the White Sox are unlikely to pick up the 35-year-old's $12MM option.
- Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that Lou Piniella doesn't expect the Cubs roster to change too much. "Last year we had about 10 changes here," Piniella said. "If we have half that, that's a nice number. Some changes [last year] were out of necessity. I see us being selective in what we do."
- Toronto's Jose Bautista is improving his stock heading into arbitration, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes in his blog that Brian Sabean denied telling season-ticket holders that he would "undoubtedly" look to pick up Freddy Sanchez's option, but said that the Giants want to hang on to him.
Juan Uribe Lobbying To Stay With Giants
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Juan Uribe, who has pieced together a strong year for the Giants, wants to stay on board in 2010. The 30-year-old's numbers have exploded in the last month as he has been brought into the everyday lineup, hitting his way to an OPS of 1.091.
Uribe proved to be a great value as he inked a $1MM minor league deal with the Giants in late January. Fangraphs estimates his worth in 2009 to be $12.8MM. The Dominican Republic native has recorded his best slash line since his rookie year, posting .298/.336/.507 in 116 games. Brian Sabean believes that Uribe can produce at a similar level with a more regular workload.
With the Giants holding an $8MM option on 31-year-old second baseman Freddy Sanchez, they could conceivably let Sanchez walk and put Uribe in his place. In 110 games this year at the position, Sanchez posted a UZR/150 of 5.8 compared to Uribe's 11.1 over 38 games. Offensively, Sanchez has posted an OPS to top Uribe's 2009 mark just once.
As the Giants, would you extend a multi-year offer to Uribe, or would you let another team allow him to cash in?