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AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Rays, Orioles

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The Orioles host the Red Sox and the Rays host the Yankees in the 162nd game of the regular season tonight. The Red Sox and Rays are hoping that they will have advanced as the American League Wild Card team within a few hours, but there's a chance they'll have a play-in game tomorrow to determine which team gets the final playoff spot. Here's some off-field news about the AL East as Boston tries to hold off the O's and the Rays try to come back against the Yanks…

  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell told MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm that improving the rotation would be his top offseason priority.
  • When Joel Sherman of the New York Post asked people in the know about Terry Francona's job security, he expected to hear that the skipper had nothing to worry about, but he heard otherwise. Some say the Red Sox manager hasn't stopped his players from getting out of shape and that he has made certain players feel over-privileged. Sherman also hears that Francona feels "bulletproof" after winning two World Series and has stopped attending to some of his job's minor responsibilities.
  • The Cubs have reached out to Andrew Friedman, the Rays executive VP of baseball operations, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). It's hard to imagine Friedman entertaining the idea of joining the Cubs with his club so close to the playoffs.
  • Orioles manager Buck Showalter told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that the club hasn't reached a "firm decision" about his role next year (Twitter links). The Orioles figure to reach a decision on their complex front office situation soon.

Orioles Leadership Notes: Showalter, MacPhail

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It appears likely that Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail will step aside after the season, so before long the Cubs won't be the only team considering GM candidates around the league. It's possible that the Orioles won't have to look far though…

  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun believes that the leading candidate to replace MacPhail is none other than current field manager Buck Showalter. Neither Showalter nor MacPhail will talk about the expected leadership change in Baltimore, but the club could announce that MacPhail is stepping down as soon as Thursday. 
  • Showalter hinted that the Orioles will make changes Thursday, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Showalter will not attempt to be the manager and GM at once, according to Connolly. He'll either pick his replacement or help owner Peter Angelos find someone for the GM's role. MacPhail could also have input in the search, according to Connolly, who points out that Angelos tends to hire experienced baseball men. 
  • Connolly doesn't expect the Orioles to hire anyone under 45 and can't see the club selecting a "whiz kid" to take over baseball operations.
  • MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli hears that John Hart, the former GM of the Indians and Rangers who has ties to Showalter, is not a likely candidate to succeed MacPhail.
  • MLBTR's GM candidates series introduced Matt Klentak of the Orioles. I also spoke to Thad Levine of the Rangers, who once rooted for the Orioles with Josh Byrnes, the current Padres exec and former D'Backs GM.

Cafardo’s Latest: Fielder, Orioles, Wilson, Capuano

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe discusses player conditioning and expanded rosters in his latest column, before sharing a few notes and rumors from around the league. Here are a few highlights from the piece:

  • While the Brewers have been all but ruled out of the Prince Fielder sweepstakes in some corners, Cafardo hears from big league sources that the Brew Crew may make a bid to retain their first baseman after all.
  • It appears Buck Showalter will have a significant infuence on Orioles' moves and decisions going forward. If Andy MacPhail leaves the team this winter, the O's may hire someone to hold the general manager title, but have Showalter acting as the de facto GM.
  • Cafardo speculates that the Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, Tigers, and Cardinals could all be in on C.J. Wilson this offseason.
  • "Nobody has any real answer" about why the Red Sox and Mets couldn't reach an agreement on a Chris Capuano trade. We heard earlier this week that the Sox tried to acquire Capuano to help them clinch a playoff spot, but that talks were dead.
  • Although Manny Ramirez has mentioned the possibility of playing in Japan, Cafardo doesn't think a Japanese team would be willing to take on a two-time PED user.
  • Cafardo has heard Bobby Valentine mentioned as a potential replacement if the Red Sox and Terry Francona part ways. Earlier today, FOX's Ken Rosenthal looked into whether or not Francona's job is in jeopardy.

Quick Hits: Crisp, Patton, Yankees, Indians

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On this date in 1983, Steve Carlton of the Phillies won the 300th game of his career. The Phillies don't have any 300 game winners on their staff at this point, but it won't be surprising if one or two of their pitchers join Carlton in Cooperstown one day. Here are some links for Friday…

  • Coco Crisp told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that he's looking for a winning team, a location he likes and a good "financial situation" when he decides where to sign this offseason (link via the Boston Herald). The 31-year-old California native says he enjoys playing in Oakland and believes the A's have a chance to win in 2012.
  • The Orioles placed Troy Patton on the restricted list yesterday, according to MLB.com's Transactions Page. The left-hander left the team for a court-appointed orientation class that's related to his offseason DUI arrest, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He should re-join the team in Detroit today.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Bob Klapisch of the Record that he's "comfortable but not expectant" of a new contract after the season, when his current deal with the Yankees expires. Klapisch says Cashman has earned another contract.
  • Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made the case for bringing Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona to the Indians next year. Though there are arguments in favor of each player, it's not easy to get excited about "the prospect of continued uncertainty."

GM Candidate: Matt Klentak

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MLBTR’s list of general manager candidates introduced 20 people who were identified by their peers as potential Major League GMs. We’re now going to bring you closer to the candidates with a series of pieces. Today the series continues with one of the Orioles’ top executives. 

Matt Klentak grew up in Massachusetts, where he played shortstop and rooted for Cal Ripken Jr. of the Orioles. His playing career ended after four years of college ball at Dartmouth, but he’s now working in the front office of the team his boyhood hero starred on for decades.

Klentak, 31, got his start in professional baseball with the 2003 Rockies. He contacted Thad Levine, the Rangers’ assistant GM who then worked in Colorado, through connections he had with the Red Sox and joined a Rockies front office that had recently lost Josh Byrnes to Arizona and Michael Hill to Florida. 

After a year in Colorado’s front office, Klentak moved on to the labor relations department in the commissioner’s office. He worked on the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement and later advised teams on rules and the CBA. Andy MacPhail hired Klentak in 2008 and he now works on contracts, 40-man roster management and arbitration as the Orioles’ director of baseball operations.

I spoke with Klentak this week; here are some highlights from our conversation:

On growing up a baseball fan in Massachusetts:

Cal Ripken Jr. was absolutely my favorite player. I was a tall, lanky shortstop from the north and when I was growing up as a kid in the ‘80s, Cal was among the best shortstops and he was the player I tried to emulate. When a lot of people would tell me that I was too tall to play shortstop, all I had to do was point to Cal and say ‘no, no, no, that’s not true.’

On the scope of his current role in Baltimore:

One of the things that’s really special about our industry is that month to month, the job responsibilities are constantly changing and that keeps all of us fresh. Just when you finish the draft, it’s time for the trade deadline and then when the trade deadline’s over it’s time for the draft signing deadline and before you know it you’re budgeting and getting ready for the following year and then free agency hits and then the tender deadline and arbitration and lo and behold, it’s Spring Training and we’re getting ready for Opening Day. It’s nice. It keeps us on our toes, but it’s also a lot of fun.

On mentors in the game:

In Colorado, [GM] Dan O’Dowd is one of the best leaders I’ve ever worked with. I learned a ton from Thad Levine, [Rockies Assistant GM] Bill Geivett and [Rockies VP of Scouting] Bill Schmidt. Mike Hamilton was the video coordinator in 2003 and Mike took me under his wing and taught me a lot about clubhouse culture. I spent a lot of time in the video room with Mike and when you’re a 23-year-old kid who has never been in a big league clubhouse, that was an important adjustment to make and Mike really took me under his wing and taught me a lot.

In New York, I worked with some really impressive people. [Pirates president] Frank [Coonelly] was the one who gave me my first job and he is one of the most hard working and detail-oriented people I’ve ever worked with. [Padres VP of Strategy & Business Analysis] John [Abbamondi] is analytically brilliant and taught me a ton. And here in Baltimore, Andy MacPhail has just been a tremendous teacher and mentor for me. I can’t thank Andy enough for the opportunity he’s given me here.

On the possibility of becoming a GM:

I got into this game because of a passion for baseball and that’s still the case and that’s why I work in this industry. At the end of my career, if I never become a GM, I’m not going to consider myself a failure. That’s not why I got into this and it’s not how I’m going to measure myself. My ultimate goal is to make a career in this industry and be happy, productive and challenged while contributing to the game and working with great people.

Guerrero Hopes To Play Two Or Three More Years

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Vladimir Guerrero told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he hopes to play two or three more seasons in the Major Leagues instead of retiring after the season.  The 36-year-old is just three hits behind Julio Franco for the all-time Dominican hits record and one homer away from 450 for his career. Though he could reach both milestones in 2011, he expects to be back next year.

“I feel I can play two or three more years,” he told Connolly. “And I just need to work a little harder this offseason when I go to the Dominican and see what happens.”

Guerrero has 2,583 hits, 449 homers and a .318/.379/.553 line 16 seasons into a career that will probably deliver him to Cooperstown soon after he retires. It seems unlikely that the Orioles will re-sign the 36-year-old, who earned $8MM on a one-year deal in 2011.

Guerrero projects as a Type B free agent, not that it matters much – it’s hard to imagine an offer of arbitration from the Orioles. In 556 plate appearances this year, the nine-time All-Star has a .292/.320/.423 line with 13 homers.

Front Office Notes: Pirates, Mariners, Orioles

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The Pirates and Mariners recently agreed to extensions with their respective general managers and it appears that the Orioles will soon have to look to replace president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. Here are the latest front office notes from around MLB…

  • The Pirates announced six promotions in their baseball operations department. Former scouting director Greg Smith is now an assistant general manager, as is former director of player development Kyle Stark. Tyrone Brooks is the Pirates' new director of player personnel and Joe DelliCarri is now the amateur scouting director. The Pirates also promoted Larry Broadway to director of minor league operations and Kevan Graves to director of baseball operations.
  • The Mariners announced that they hired Pete Vuckovich as a special assistant to GM Jack Zduriencik. The former Cy Young Award winner had worked on and off of the field for the Pirates in various roles since 1992. Vuckovich, now 58, won the 1982 American League Cy Young Award with the Brewers.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com is hearing John Hart's name as a possibility for the Orioles' GM job (Twitter link). Hart, the former GM of the Indians and Rangers, is close to Orioles manager Buck Showalter, which helps his candidacy.

Red Sox Notes: Fister, Harden, Adams, Orioles

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The odds say the Red Sox have a 94.5% chance of making the playoffs, but I'm guessing that's not going to console most Red Sox fans. Boston leads Tampa Bay by three games in the Wild Card race, but that gap might have been wider by now if they had made different moves at the trade deadline. Alex Speier of WEEI.com has the details on the deadline deals that didn't happen…

  • When the Red Sox made cursory inquiries about Doug Fister, it became clear that the Mariners were aiming high and looking for a right-handed bat. Since joining the Tigers, Fister has a 2.28 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 0.9 BB/9 in 51 1/3 impressive innings.
  • The Red Sox were set to acquire Rich Harden from the A’s, but once they looked at his medical records, they were no longer willing to include both Lars Anderson and a player to be named. The PTBNL would have come from a list of high-upside players in the lower minors.
  • Raul Alcantara, an 18-year-old Dominican who signed for $500K in 2009 and Brandon Workman, a second round pick in last year’s draft, would have been on the list.
  • The Red Sox also kicked around the idea of acquiring Harden’s former teammate, Brad Ziegler, who ended up going to Arizona.
  • The Padres weren’t thrilled with Boston’s prospects, so Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein never came close to completing deals for Mike Adams or other Padres relievers.
  • The Orioles and Red Sox never exchanged names regarding a possible Koji Uehara deal.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Rivera, Johnson, Andino

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The Rays and Red Sox begin a four-game set at Fenway Park tonight that could very well determine the AL Wild Card.  Here are some items about both clubs, plus the rest of the AL East…

  • Trades and middling draft results have robbed the Red Sox of pitching depth, opines ESPN's Jim Bowden (Insider subscription required).  With more good arms in the system, Bowden argues that Boston could have had reinforcements ready to step in when Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz hit the DL, or could've used those young prospects to acquire a more reliable starter than Erik Bedard.
  • The Blue Jays will at least check in on Jonathan Papelbon this winter, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm, though Chisholm notes that it isn't Alex Anthopoulos' style to sign relievers to expensive, multiyear contracts.  Chisholm also looks at Frank Francisco and Adam Loewen's respective futures in Toronto as part of the mailbag piece — Chisholm thinks Francisco will leave, while Loewen is out of options and will probably only have a spot on the team if the Jays cut Mark Teahen.
  • Mariano Rivera is a Yankees legend today, but Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York looks at how 20 years ago, the Sandman wasn't even the most regarded prospect in his own family.  "If you turn the clock back and you ask who was the best Rivera in our system, it was Ruben," says Brian Cashman.  "Mariano was just known as Ruben’s cousin.''
  • Writing for USA Today, Patrick DiCaprio looks at how Orioles reliever Jim Johnson fits the prototype of a closer.  Johnson could very well finish games next season given that Baltimore seems to have lost patience with Kevin Gregg, though we've also heard that the O's have explored converting Johnson to a starter.  You can keep track of Baltimore's late-game situation all winter long at MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.
  • Robert Andino has finally gotten the chance to show he belongs in the Majors, writes Brittany Ghiroli for MLB.com.  The versatile infielder has definitely earned a roster spot with the Orioles for next year.
  • The Rays' somewhat surprising performance in 2011 makes it clear that they will be contenders again in 2012 and possibly for years to come, writes Rob Neyer.

Minor Moves: Buente, Hendrickson, Ward

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As I showed earlier today in my 10 Best Minor League Deals Of The Year post, minor moves sometimes have a major impact.  Today's latest:

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