Odds & Ends: Astros, Tribe, Tracy, Ricciardi
Another hearty batch of links…
- The Astros have not contacted Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar about their vacant managerial position, according to the Boston Globe's Adam Kilgore. He's interested, but too focused on the 2009 season to consider such a major change at this time.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer says Bogar is "at the top of everyone's speculation list," for the gig, but the "club isn't tipping [its] hand on anything."
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times thinks the Indians' managerial post, assuming Eric Wedge is let go after this season, might fall to former Mariners skipper Mike Hargrove. Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell is also being mentioned for the job.
- According to Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star, the Diamondbacks aren't likely to pick up Chad Tracy's $7MM option for 2010. He's played in just 91 games this season and Brandon Allen has already arrived in the major leagues.
- Bruce Arthur of the National Post believes the Blue Jays have no choice but to fire GM J.P. Ricciardi this winter. "If Ricciardi's time is not over," Arthur writes, "then it will be nothing short of a betrayal."
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers
They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…
- David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
- With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Webb, Soria, Red Sox, Pirates, Verlander, Felix
On this date five years ago, Carlos Delgado hit his 300th career home run. He would go on to hit three more home runs that game to become just the 15th big leaguer to hit four in one game. Now in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract, Delgado has a season average of .298 with four homers and 23 RBI in the 26 games he played before his hip surgery. Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are open to bringing him back next year. However, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets will not offer Delgado arbitration. With one week remaining before the off-season starts for most teams, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- MLB Notebook looks at where Brandon Webb could end up if the D'Backs decline his option.
- Royals Authority wonders if the Phillies would be a good trade partner to land Joakim Soria.
- The Bottom Line writes that the Red Sox either have to re-sign Jason Bay or pick up Matt Holliday.
- Bucco Fans says the Pirates have money to spend this off-season and speculates on where that money might be spent.
- Jorge Says No! speculates on what it might take to sign Justin Verlander to an extension.
- Prospect Insider looks at what it might take to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
- Blogging Mets lists Omar Minaya's worst moves.
- Sports: A Game Of Inches compares Jonny Gomes to Adam Dunn. Gomes will be arbitration-eligible after the season.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Odds & Ends: Wagner, Astros, Haren, Mora
Some more links to check out…
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reconstructs the day that the Red Sox acquired Billy Wagner with help from the hard-throwing lefty himself.
- If you ask Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, Astros owner Drayton McLane sets an open tone for the entire organization.
- Justice believes the Astros need to add an innings eater this offseason and says he expects them to shop for bargains.
- Dan Haren says he wants the D'Backs to bring Brandon Webb back next year, according to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic.
- Melvin Mora tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he'll never tire of thanking the Orioles, even if they don't exercise his option after the season. It would be a shock if the O's picked up Mora's $8MM option.
Odds & Ends: Redmond, Mauer, Bay
Another round of links…
- Backup catcher Mike Redmond wants to re-sign with the Twins this offseason, according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Rookie Jose Morales has been backing Joe Mauer up lately, so the Twins have options behind the plate.
- Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press says the Twins "are expected" to try to sign Joe Mauer for about $120MM over seven years after this season. If Mauer hits free agency after next season, he'd probably see multiple offers worth more than $120MM.
- The Red Sox will have an opening in left field after the season and Curt Schilling knows how he'd attempt to fill it. He said on WEEI's The Dennis & Callahan Show that he'd rather re-sign Jason Bay than pursue Matt Holliday because Bay has proven he can play in Boston.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law reports that the D'Backs are about to sign their first European player. Andrea Pizziconi, a 17-year-old Italian, has a "promising" slider and may develop into a four-pitch pitcher.
Red Sox To Pursue Aroldis Chapman; O’s?
7:12pm: It sounds like the Orioles will be quick to bow out if Chapman's price tag is driven up by high-budget bidders like the Red Sox and Yankees. Here's Andy MacPhail, the O's president of baseball operations, courtesy of MASN's Roch Kubatko:
"I have not talked to [owner Peter Angelos] about it because I have no idea where this one is. I haven't broached the subject with him because I am so uncertain as to the level of interest among other clubs because there will be a certain time where you measure the risk-reward."
"…If some of the big boys are going to go after him, like the Red Sox did with Dice-K, that's not a risk that I would be willing to take."
11:41am: Expect the Red Sox to have interest in 21-year-old lefty Aroldis Chapman when he becomes a free agent, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald and ESPN's Amy K. Nelson. The Yankees are also expected to be in the mix. Will the Sox attempt to buy up all the hotel rooms in Andorra?
Chapman may be granted free agency before the playoffs. The bidding could exceed $40MM, and Chapman could potentially sign before the regular free agent signing period begins. Nelson talked to Chapman's agent Edwin Leonel Mejia, who plans to hold private workouts in Europe. Aside from the Red Sox and Yankees, Silverman names the Angels and Rangers as likely suitors. The Orioles were connected to Chapman in July, but the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec didn't expect them to join a bidding war. Mejia explained Chapman's preference to Silverman: "He simply wants to go with whatever team wants him the most."
Odds & Ends: Felix, Marte, Closers
Another handful of links before the night is out….
- Keith Law of ESPN.com is skeptical about Boston's chances of acquiring Felix Hernandez from the Mariners. Law concedes that the Red Sox could offer Clay Buchholz as the centerpiece, but doesn't think they have the necessary major-league ready hitting prospects to complete a deal.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Andy Marte will meet with Indians GM Mark Shapiro to figure out if Marte has a future in Cleveland. Long considered a top prospect, Marte has yet to enjoy much success at the major league level, and is starting to run out of options.
- Erik Manning at FanGraphs takes a look at the major bullpen signings of last offseason and how they've played out. Underwhelming performances from Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes, along with the emergence of low-priced or homegrown arms like David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey may make some teams think twice before investing heavily in a free agent closer this year.
- Daniel Hudson made the first start of his career tonight for the White Sox, allowing just one earned run in five innings against the Twins. Nonetheless, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald expects that given Chicago's rotation depth and the 22-year-old's power arm, Hudson will assume a bullpen role for the Sox in 2010.
Cafardo’s Latest: Felix Hernandez, Red Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has his Sunday column up. Let's have a look.
- Cafardo expects the Red Sox to make another push for Felix Hernandez in the offseason. Hernandez's price tag could prove too high for Seattle to retain him; however, they are open to extending him. Before the deadline, the Red Sox reportedly offered a 5-for-1 deal for the ace that Seattle turned down.
- The Indians have yet to see dividends pay for the players they received for Cliff Lee. Cafardo writes, "Righty Carlos Carrasco is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA (six homers in 14 innings); catcher Lou Marson is hitting .154; shortstop Jason Donald went on the disabled list in Triple A; and righty Jason Knapp underwent surgery to remove fragments from his shoulder."
- Cafardo wonders if the Nats would've dealt Cristian Guzman had they known Ian Desmond would emerge as their shortstop of the future.
- Chiming in on the Jason Bay or Matt Holliday discussion, Cafardo quotes scouts who seem to have him leaning toward Holliday as the better option, particularly for Boston.
Odds & Ends: Reynolds, Gammons, Orioles
Some late night links after Jake Peavy allowed three runs in five innings in his first start for the White Sox…
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic notes that Mark Reynolds is likely to fall short of qualifying as a Super Two, meaning he'll have to wait until after 2010 to become arbitration eligible. He also says that it "does not appear there have been any discussions about a long-term deal with Reynolds, but the club does not seem averse to the idea of an extension."
- ESPN's Peter Gammons writes about how great Victor Martinez has been for the Red Sox since being acquired at the trade deadline. He also praises Casey Kotchman, but I think I'd rather have Adam LaRoche, who has a 1.053 OPS since the trade.
- Orioles Manager Dave Trembley indicated that the team needs someone to hit behind Nick Markakis until some younger players like Matt Wieters and Adam Jones are ready to do it, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko.
- If you aren't already, make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter.
Odds & Ends: Buchholz, Burnett, Yanks, Cards
Some links as the weekend draws closer…
- Thought the Red Sox were going to deal Clay Buchholz this summer? You're not alone. Buchholz tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford he expected to be traded because of all the rumors.
- Peter Abraham of the Journal News points out that one of the Yankees' biggest acquisitions of the year, A.J. Burnett, has pitched poorly over the course of his last nine starts. Now Burnett must prove to his teammates that he's ready for the Division Series.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com says the Yankees' plan to add power pitchers to the rotation worked (even if Burnett has struggled lately). It's hard to argue with 94 wins in mid-September, but there's more to the Yanks than their rotation.
- Verducci notes that some of the best free agent signings happened late last offseason and some of the worst ones were finalized early. Could we see GMs play the waiting game this winter?
- Joel Pineiro, Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa will have to wait until the season's over to sign their next contracts. Cards GM John Mozeliak told Bernie Miklasz that the team doesn't expect to negotiate deals with prospective free agents before the season ends.