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Rosenthal On Garcia, Pirates, Papelbon

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal says Florida's Chris Coghlan deserves the NL Rookie of the Year award.  Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, J.A. Happ, Randy Wells, and Tommy Hanson are also in the mix…who do you like?
  • For the AL ROY, Rosenthal sticks with his preseason choice of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.  Jeff Niemann, Andrew Bailey, Nolan Reimold, and Gordon Beckham are other top contenders.
  • Rosenthal has a few possible Nationals managerial candidates: Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Bobby Valentine, and Bob Melvin.  It's also possible Jim Riggleman is retained.
  • I was not aware of this – Freddy Garcia's deal with the White Sox has a 2010 option with a $1MM base and $2MM in incentives.  Garcia has an 89mph fastball these days, but he's posted quality starts in three of four tries (against the Yankees and Red Sox).
  • The Pirates would only trade starters Paul Maholm or Zach Duke if they receive "a young major league starter of similar quality, plus another piece."  I mentioned that the Bucs look pretty good for 2011, but Rosenthal says team officials are not conceding 2010.
  • Rosenthal's source describes a Jonathan Papelbon trade as "pretty unrealistic."  Jayson Stark's sources had a similar opinion.
  • Rosenthal rattles off the teams that have had past interest in Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, who is getting pricey: the Orioles, Twins, Giants, D'Backs, Dodgers, and Cardinals.

Odds & Ends: Orioles, Ayala, Kata, Nationals

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Another round of links on me…

  • Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says it's time for Andy MacPhail to use some of his minor league inventory to land the Orioles a middle of the order hitter, while possibly gambling on a high quality free agent pitcher with an injury history. Personally, I don't think making moves like that will do much to improve the O's chances of competing in the AL East. They're on the right track now, with an impressive core of young talent highlighted by Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold, Brian Matusz, and Chris Tillman. Patience.
  • According to Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel, veteran reliever Luis Ayala has elected to become a free agent. The Marlins designated him for assignment last week.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that the Astros outrighted infielder Matt Kata off the 40-man roster. I sure hope he wasn't waiting on that September callup.
  • The Nationals have fired director of player development Bobby Williams, reports Chico Harlan of The Washinton Post. Williams had a long standing relationship with previous GM Jim Bowden, and his firing represents the first significant front office move made by new permanent GM Mike Rizzo.
  • Are you a draft nut like me, but struggling to find ways to pass the time until next June? Then check out this NPB Draft projection by Patrick at NPB Tracker. High school pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who has drawn interest from several MLB clubs, is the consensus top talent this year. 

Rangers Mulling Third Base Acquisition

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In the wake of Michael Young's hamstring injury, the Rangers are "considering trade options at third base" according to Evan Grant of D Magazine in a Wednesday article.  Young is aiming to return two weeks from now, so it'd be a short-term upgrade over the current Omar Vizquel/Esteban German combo.  And if the Rangers do overcome their 3.5 game defecit in the AL West, the September acquisition would not be playoff-eligible.

Grant speculates on three potential acquisitions: Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, and Fernando Tatis.  The problem is that the first two are being well-compensated for their lousy seasons, while Tatis hasn't played third base much in recent years.  ESPN's Buster Olney finds a deal unlikely, but feels that Jamey Carroll might be a nice fit.  One more idea: would a Troy Glaus trade be worth exploring?

Discussion: Managers On The Hot Seat

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Scott Miller of CBSSports.com writes that some managers around the league might be fearing for their jobs as their teams play out the string. Managers who "are thought by some to be" on the hot seat, with relevant quotes from Miller, include:

  • Baltimore's Dave Trembley – "in imminent danger"
  • Houston's Cecil Cooper – "appears a goner"
  • Cleveland's Eric Wedge – his "future is very questionable"
  • The Mets' Jerry Manuel – "forget it. He stays."

Miller also discusses the situation in Washington, D.C., where the Nationals must decide whether to retain interim manager Jim Riggleman.

Also of interest is Miller's mention of Bobby Valentine, who is about to leave Chiba Lotte in Japan after seven years. Miller says that Valentine is "the name to watch" on the managerial front. 

Who better to sort all of this out than our readers? First of all, who deserves to be out of a job when the 2010 begins? What should the Nats do with Riggleman? Where might Valentine find a job? Who will keep their managing job unjustly? Let's get at it in the comments section.

Odds & Ends: Johnson, Peavy, Nelson

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Links for Thursday…

Yankees Acquire Freddy Guzman

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The Yankees have acquired speedy outfielder Freddy Guzman from the Orioles, according to The Star Ledger's Marc Carig. Baltimore gets a player to be named later in the deal

Guzman will head to Triple-A Scranton initially, and was hitting .219-.261-.289 in stops with the top minor league affiliate of three different organizations this year. The Orioles signed him to a minor league deal earlier this month.

Red Sox Acquire Joey Gathright

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The Red Sox have acquired speedy outfielder Joey Gathright from the Orioles, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. Baltimore with receive either a player to be named later or cash considerations in the deal. He will head to Triple-A Pawtucket initially.

Gathright got into 20 games with the Cubs earlier this year, but he has spent the majority of the season with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk. He's a career .262-.327-.303 hitter in the big leagues.

Crasnick On Sheffield, Smoltz, Giambi, Pedro

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ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick presents some of the players, managers and executives who can start earning next year's job by finishing the season strong:

  • Gary Sheffield is hitting well, but in the words of one NL official, "he has some explaining to do" if he wants a job next year after last week's drama.
  • Barring a September collapse, Jerry Manuel seems likely to return next year.
  • John Smoltz is "definitely interested" in pitching next year, according to his agent.
  • Jason Giambi can prolong his career if he plays well for the Rockies this month.
  • One NL exec believes Pedro Martinez can still contribute.
  • Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says he knows some people want him out of Toronto. However, Crasnick believes the GM has a strong relationship with team president Paul Beeston. Once Beeston hands authority over to a new president, Ricciardi could lose his job.
  • Crasnick says managers Eric Wedge (Indians), Jim Riggleman (Nationals), Dave Trembley (Orioles) and Cecil Cooper (Astros) don't have much job security.

Olney On The Market For Billy Wagner

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If he finishes the season well, Billy Wagner could see multi-year offers as a free agent after the season, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. If, as expected, Wagner becomes a Type A free agent, teams would have to surrender a draft pick to sign him, but a mid-nineties fastball and high-leverage success could be enough to attract teams regardless. Of course, there's a chance Wagner pitches to mixed results with the Red Sox. If that's the case, he could become this year's Juan Cruz and see limited interest because of his Type A status.

Olney breaks down possible suitors in depth and finds that the Tigers, White Sox, Cubs, Brewers, Orioles and Braves could have some interest in closers this offseason. However, Wagner is one of many in a deep class of closers that includes Trevor Hoffman and Jose Valverde.

One talent evaluator suggested the Red Sox could keep Wagner as their closer while Daniel Bard continues to develop. This would enable them to trade Jonathan Papelbon. Two other evaluators believe teams will be willing to forfeit a draft pick to sign Wagner.

Odds And Ends: Halladay, O’Day, Scott, Giambi

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Some links for the morning…

  • Be here at 2pm CST for this week's chat.
  • Jamey Newberg compares Roy Halladay and Derek Holland since July 31st and shows that the Rangers are looking good even though they didn't deal for Doc.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says designating Darren O'Day for assignment was an "under-the-radar mistake" by the Mets.
  • MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says the Orioles are trying to evaluate Luke Scott at first base to see if he can play there long-term. No one's hitting him anything, so the O's are having trouble reading his ability.
  • Jason Giambi tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he has no problem playing in the minors or coming off the bench for the Rockies.
  • Curt Schilling said on WEEI in Boston that he's not surprised to hear Billy Wagner is passing up the chance to enter a playoff race.
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