Cito Gaston Talks 2010 Starting Rotation
Manager Cito Gaston predicts that the Blue Jays will stick with a similar starting five next season, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Assuming they hang on to Roy Halladay, Gaston sees Shaun Marcum along with lefties Ricky Romero (Toronto's top pick in 2006) and Marc Rzepczynski as Doc's support in spots two through four.
The fifth slot is, of course, a long way from being ironed out, but 27-year-old David Purcey is an early candidate in the eyes of Gaston. General Manager J.P. Riccardi characterized Purcey as a guy who is "in the mix."
Gaston indicated that he does not think that starting pitching should be the team's main concern this offseason and should instead stand pat with what they have. Marcum, Romero and Rzepczynski have all posted solid numbers, with each recording a K/9 north of 7.
Would you focus on sprucing up the Blue Jays' rotation or improving on an offense that finished fourth in baseball's toughest division in OPS (.764)?
Odds & Ends: Astros, Mateo, Aurilia, Rays
Some more links on this Sunday afternoon…
- The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers writes that Tim Bogar and Manny Acta are early front-runners for the Astros managerial job. Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio could get called in for interviews by general manager Ed Wade.
- Joe Strauss gives us an overview of the dispute the Cardinals are having with recently signed Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo.
- Veteran Rich Aurilia doesn't expect to be a part of the Giants' plans in 2010 according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Mike Hargrove, who last managed the Seattle Mariners, could land a job this winter, says Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.
- Marc Topkin tells us, via Twitter, that Rays' manager Joe Maddon will talk with his coaching staff immediately after the season, but doesn't anticipate any changes. Tampa's playoff hopes plummeted when they dropped 14 of their first 16 games in September.
- Even at the age of 42, Omar Vizquel would still like to return for another season, according the AP. Can you think of any teams in need of the veterans services? Omar's only logged 189.2 innings at shortstop, but it's no surprise to see a tremendous 21.6 UZR/150.
- Dejan Kovacevic checks in with the latest and greatest from Pirates' GM Neal Huntington, who once again stresses that the Buccos will not be spending money just to spend money this offseason.
Peavy For Zambrano?
Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune says that there is some buzz regarding a Second City swap of Jake Peavy and Carlos Zambrano:
"Some baseball people believe the White Sox could have interest in the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, possibly even for the newly acquired Jake Peavy. It would be a way for two teams without much money to spend to shake things up, but wouldn't Peavy have more value than Zambrano at this point?"
Peavy, as you may remember, listed the Cubs as a team he was willing to be traded to when the Padres first looked to move him. Zambrano has solid numbers for the year, posting an ERA of 3.69 and 8 strikeouts per 9 innings.
With just two starts in black and white, people are already wondering if Peavy will be a part of the team's 2010 plans. Big Z has had a very strong September (2.81 ERA, 38 K's in 32 IP) but frustrations on the north side of Chicago have put every Cubbie under the gun.
Starting in 2010, the continuation of Peavy's contract will pay him $52MM over three years plus a club option. Zambrano will earn $53.75MM in the next three years with a vesting player option for 2013 worth $19.25MM.
Could an intra-city trade of this magnitude ever happen? Should either team pursue such a trade or is this simply a case of the grass being greener on the other end of the Windy City?
Fixing The Mets
The New York Post's Joel Sherman offered up some suggestions for shaking things up in the Mets clubhouse this offseason. He worries that Luis Castillo won't be able to replicate his strong 2009 and that Jeff Francoeur (.826 OPS with New York) may not be able to build on his solid second half. Unsurprisingly, his chief concern is the Mets starting rotation.
However, Sherman suggests that the Mets first address their other holes before looking at starting pitchers, considering the weak crop available this winter:
"Put out strong one-year offers with a 2011 option to a group at each position. Say Rod Barajas/Bengie Molina/Miguel Olivo at catcher; Nick Johnson/Russ Branyan/Adam LaRoche at first: and Bobby Abreu, Mark DeRosa and Jermaine Dye for left field. The first guy to take the offer in each group gets the contract."
The Mets were linked to Bobby Abreu for some time last offseason, so it would make sense for them to re-visit that idea again this year. Adam LaRoche looks like a completely different player in Atlanta, posting .354/.432/.618 with 12 HRs in 49 games. Abreu projects to be a Type A free agent whereas LaRoche should be a Type B.
Should the Mets address their pitching woes via free agency? As badly as they need to bolster spots two through five, there won't be a great deal of options available. Would you extend multi-year deals to the likes of Rich Harden or Joel Pineiro? Should the Mets pick up where they left off last year and consider Randy Wolf?
Discussion: Randy Wolf
In the midst of a renaissance year at the age of 33, it's hard to peg Randy Wolf's value heading into free agency. The left-handed starter has posted an ERA of 3.24 (4.25 xFIP) to go along with a 6.8 K/9 and a career best 2.3 BB/9. Detracting from his value of course, is his injury history. Wolf averaged just 94 innings per season between 2004 and 2007.
Even the Astros had a hard time ascertaining his value in a slumping economy last winter. Ed Wade offered Wolf a three-year deal worth $28.5MM before pulling it almost immediately.
Wolf proved to be one of the biggest bargains of the 2009 free agent class, signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers with a base value of $5MM. Even when factoring in the incentives that Wolf will earn for his 200+ innings, (bringing the total to $8MM) he is still a tremendous value as Fangraphs estimates his worth up to this point to be $14MM.
Jayson Stark sees Wolf as the second best starting pitcher in the 2010 free agent class. Stark also quotes one general manager as saying, "I don't think there's one pitcher in this entire group I'd invest a lot of money in. Not one."
Would you extend a major contract offer to Wolf considering his injury-riddled past? Could Wolf command a contract in the vicinity of $40MM over three years?
Odds & Ends: Lowe, Tracy, Brewers
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday thinks the Braves will shop Derek Lowe in the offseason. Lowe is owed $15MM per year through 2012.
- Despite seeing limited action this year, Chad Tracy will get the start at first base in Arizona's home finale tonight against the Padres, according to Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic. This is seen as a symbolic gesture as Arizona could pick up Tracy's $7MM option for 2010 but in all likelihood will buy out his remaining year for $1MM.
- The Associated Press reports that Ken Macha has discussed his status heading into next year with GM Doug Melvin. Macha is under contract through 2010 but a losing season has put his job in jeopardy.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince writes that Jose Veras, who will be arbitration eligible, might be on his way to earning a new contract with Cleveland. Veras has shined since being called up on September 1st, posting 12 Ks and allowing just one earned run in 9.2 IP.
Royals Not Interested In Bradley
Royals officials told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that the organization has no interest in acquiring troubled outfielder Milton Bradley from the Cubs. The Royals have been mentioned recently as a possible destination for Bradley as Jim Hendry tries to find a taker.
Dutton speculates that Bradley has been linked to the Boys in Blue in part because they agreed to trade reliever Leo Nunez to Oakland for his services in 2006. However, the deal collapsed when Bradley was bitten by the injury bug.
Despite being owed $21MM on a contract that takes him through 2011, the Cubs already have a handful of suitors. Bradley earned that deal last season with his play in Texas where he hit .321/.436/.563.
What other teams might be willing to take a risk on Bradley this winter?