Managerial Notes: Leyland, Rockies, Indians, Red Sox
Earlier today, we ran down the latest managerial news including word that Rangers skipper Ron Washington's job is safe despite the club's disappointing finish. Here's the latest on vacancies from around the major leagues..
- While the Tigers and manager Jim Leyland will address his contract situation at the end of the year, the skipper confirmed today that he wants to continue managing, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com.
- Rockies senior vice president Bill Geivett told Jim Bowden (via Twitter) on MLB Network Radio that both bench coach Tom Runnells and Triple-A manager Stu Cole are internal candidates for their managerial job.
- As of now, former Astros skipper Brad Mills is not joining the Indians staff under Terry Francona, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Mills served as Francona's bench coach while with the Red Sox.
- Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington declined to comment when asked if he has requested permission to interview candidates from other clubs, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Of course, there has been wide speculation that the Red Sox are interested in Blue Jays manager John Farrell.
- Mike Lowell told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he would want to know the "ins and outs" of an organization before taking on the role of manager. Yesterday, Lowell told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he's not looking to become a big league manager at this point in time despite being linked to the Marlins job.
Managerial Notes: Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies
Managers are in the spotlight more than ever in October, since in-game decisions are heavily scrutinized throughout the postseason and it’s a busy month for hirings and firings. The latest…
- Though there’s a lot of self-evaluation going on in Texas following the Rangers’ disappointing finish, manager Ron Washington will return in 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Washington’s current contract covers the 2013-14 seasons.
- Candidates such as Tim Wallach, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Brad Ausmus would surely come up if the Rockies look outside of the organization for potential managers, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). Jim Tracy resigned as the team's manager two days ago.
- The Red Sox will start their search for a new manager in earnest in the next few days, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Boston will start by asking the Blue Jays for permission to speak with John Farrell, Olney reports. Ausmus could be a candidate in Boston, too.
- Bobby Valentine may have been paid not to criticize the Red Sox following his dismissal, rival officials suggested to Olney. Such financial incentives are not uncommon, according to Olney.
- In case you missed it, Ozzie Guillen's future with the Marlins remains unclear.
Discussions To Intensify For Ortiz, Red Sox
Serious conversations about a new contract for David Ortiz are expected to begin at some point next week, Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com reports. The Red Sox have already had some informal talks about contracts for Cody Ross and Ortiz, who are both on track to hit free agency next month.
"David is someone who we feel strongly about bringing back and we're trying to figure out a way to do that and we hope that happens," GM Ben Cherington said at the end of the regular season.
Ortiz, who turns 37 next month, posted a .318/.415/.611 batting line in 383 plate appearances this past season. He hit 23 home runs and 26 doubles, but appeared in just one game after suffering a right Achilles strain on July 16th. Ortiz is an SFX client.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Farrell, Ichiro
The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend but a soft free agent market means that General Manager Ben Cherington will have to get creative to improve the club heading into 2013. Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald looks at some of the available options, including Yankees first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher. It doesn't seem likely that Swisher would be a fit for the Red Sox as he will turn 32 in November and believes that he's in store for a Jayson Werth-type deal. While executives don't see the veteran getting something in the neighborhood of $126MM over seven years, he's still likely to net a lucrative multi-year pact. Here's more out of the AL East..
- The Blue Jays continue to suggest that they won't let manager John Farrell go to the Red Sox, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com isn't sure why as they don't seem to be sure about him in the long term. Several people around baseball suggest that things are less-than-perfect between Farrell and the Toronto front office.
- Of course, the Blue Jays could have a change of heart, and Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at what it might cost the Red Sox to pry Farrell away. The two deals that happened last year involving decision-makers suggest that Boston wouldn't have to forfeit an elite prospect in a trade. While the Marlins shipped right-hander Jhan Marinez and infielder Osvaldo Martinez, ranked fourth and fifth in their farm system, to the White Sox for Ozzie Guillen, Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that their rankings were a reflection of Marlins' lack of minor league talent.
- The union between Ichiro Suzuki and the Yankees has turned out to be an ideal marriage, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. General Manager Brian Cashman told Ichiro prior to the trade that he would have to shift to left field and hit towards the bottom of the lineup. However, the outfielder has since moved up to second in the order and has seen time at all three outfield spots.
AL Notes: Duquette, Red Sox, Showalter, Neshek
On the night that playoff baseball returns to Baltimore for the first time since 1997, we take a break from the action to catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines around the American League…
- Orioles general manager Dan Duquette says there's no need to increase the team's payroll for next season given Baltimore's current success, says Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Orioles' payroll for the 2012 season saw the team spend $82MM — down $6MM from one season ago.
- History says that the Red Sox will have to pay a steep price to the Blue Jays if they hope to secure John Farrell's services next season at manager, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Most recenly the Marlins sent the White Sox their fourth- and fifth-best prospects in exchange for manager Ozzie Guillen. The trade proved to be an ill-fated one for Miami as the front office may not retain Guillen for the 2013 season.
- O's manager Buck Showalter has done a masterful job taking undesirable pieces and shaping a competitive club under his tutelage, says Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. "I kind of noticed this right when I got here," Nate McLouth said. "He's the kind of guy who even when he's not looking at you, he's watching you. He knows what's going on. All the time. Everywhere."
- Mere days after the death of his newborn child, Athletics reliever Pat Neshek and his wife turned to baseball as a tool to aid in the mourning process, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News. Neshek returned to the team on Saturday after tragedy struck on Wednesday to retire two batters in a row and successfully guide the A's out of a jam. "You could just see the emotion in his eyes," said Derek Norris. "You could see how much it meant to him."
AL East Notes: Jones, Red Sox, LaRoche, Blue Jays
Yesterday, the Yankees informed Andruw Jones that he will not be on the ALDS roster against the Orioles. Jones says that he understands the move and won't consider retirement as a result, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. “I’m going to be playing,” said the 35-year-old. “I don’t know where, but I’m not done playing.” Jones will be a free agent this winter as his one-year, $2MM deal expires. Here's more out of the AL East..
- The Red Sox have plenty of money to work with this winter thanks to their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers, but there isn't much for them to spend it on, notes John Tomase of the Boston Herald. Tomase could see Boston targeting Adam LaRoche and Mike Napoli, but the Red Sox would be wary of a substantial long-term commitment to the latter.
- If the Red Sox can't pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald suggests that they could instead target Toronto's first base coach Torey Lovullo.
- The Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston came and went without a bang, writes Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald. Despite Dice-K's less-than-impressive pitching with the Red Sox, Buckley hopes that the club continues to put a strong emphasis on international scouting.
Cafardo On Johnson, Soriano, Hernandez, Hamilton
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there are some General Managers who have a few regrets regarding last winter. Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wishes he had done more for the rotation. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto probably would have liked to boost the bullpen more during the team's spending frenzy which netted Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was asked to assess his own mistakes and said, “How long is this article? Just kidding. We all have regrets. When you make the amount of decisions we do, you make mistakes. So this year [Jeremy] Guthrie was acquired to give us innings, but Coors [Field] got him and that hurt us. We had such a lack of experience everywhere else. There was no margin for error, and I screwed up.” Here's more from today's column..
- Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson will be trade bait, despite talk to the contrary. Miami could get a ton from teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Rangers, Twins, and Dodgers. On the whole, the Marlins look like they're ready to clean house again.
- Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano would make a lot of sense for the Rays as a DH, especially since the Cubs would pick up the bulk of his final two years under contract. Soriano could also help the Blue Jays, Orioles, or Indians.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that he expects Shin-Shoo Choo to be back with Cleveland next season as he enters his walk year, but he will also listen to offers for the 30-year-old. Choo could make sense for Boston as they face a similar situation with Jacoby Ellsbury. Cafardo suggests a deal involving a pitcher like Justin Masterson.
- Teams have offered the moon for Felix Hernandez in the past but there’s no chance that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is going to trade him now. King Felix is under contract through 2014 and the M's have the money to keep him beyond that. For his part, Hernandez is well-paid and loves playing in Seattle.
- Josh Hamilton says that he won't take a discount to stay with the Rangers, but that's where he's likely to land as it's hard to read the market for him. The Tigers, Nationals, Pirates, Phillies, Angels, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles shouldn't be ruled out. The Yankees and Red Sox also can't be crossed off the list but neither market is a strong fit for Hamilton.
- Jake Peavy would appear to be a target for the Red Sox once his $22MM option is declined by the White Sox. The 31-year-old could also end up staying put in Chicago or returning to the NL.
- Former catcher Brad Ausmus, currently serving as a special assistant to the GM in San Diego, said that he would have interest in the Red Sox managerial vacancy. As of Friday, however, he has yet to be contacted. Ausmus turned down a chance to be interviewed for the Astros job earlier this fall.
- The Red Sox are pursuing John Farrell, but Ryne Sandberg could be on their list, even though he was just named as the Phillies' third base coach and is likely being groomed for Charlie Manuel's job. Cherington tried to get Sandberg to take Boston's Triple- A job a couple of years ago.
- While some have accused Bobby Valentine of ignoring advanced scouting reporters, Cafardo says that he saw the manager reading them every time he visited his office.
Quick Hits: Phillies, Alomar, Red Sox, White Sox
Here are some links from around the league as the League Division Series round of the postseason opens…
- “Center field is something we have to address. That will be one of our priorities," said Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Salisbury looked at some free agent and trade options who could fit the team's needs.
- The Indians hired Terry Francona earlier today, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter) that interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. has been offered a spot on the team's coaching staff.
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter) that had the Indians not hired Francona, he would have not taken the Tigers' manager job had they fired Jim Leyland after the season.
- The Red Sox have not yet begun their search for a new manager after firing Bobby Valentine on Thursday, a source insists to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams confirmed to CSNChicago.com that the team's entire coaching staff will return next season.
Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency
A total of 28 players — all with big league time under their belts — recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages…
- Infielders: Brian Bixler (Astros), Sean Burroughs (Twins), Blake DeWitt (Cubs), Alberto Gonzalez (Rangers), Angel Sanchez (Astros), Nate Spears (Red Sox), Drew Sutton (Pirates)
- Outfielders: Travis Buck (Astros), Ryan Langerhans (Angels), Mitch Maier (Royals), Darnell McDonald (Yankees), Jai Miller (Orioles), Trent Oeltjen (Dodgers), Jason Pridie (Phillies), Mike Wilson (Mariners)
- Right-handed Pitchers: Roman Colon (Royals), Mike Ekstrom (Rockies), Jack Egbert (Mets), Ryota Igarashi (Yankees), Evan Meek (Pirates), Scott Richmond (Blue Jays), Kip Wells (Padres), Randy Wells (Cubs), Dan Wheeler (Indians)
- Left-handed Pitchers: Alex Hinshaw (Cubs), Cesar Jimenez (Mariners), Zach Kroenke (Diamondbacks), Garrett Olson (Mets)
Red Sox Receive De La Rosa, Sands From Dodgers
The Red Sox announced that they have received right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder Jerry Sands to complete their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers from earlier this summer. In a related move, the club has designated catcher Guillermo Quiroz for assignment.
De La Rosa and Sands were already known to be the players to be named later in the August 25th swap, but the two sides had to wait until the end of the major league season to make that end of the deal official. The other two prospects in the trade, pitcher Allen Webster and infielder Ivan De Jesus, already joined Boston.
De La Rosa, 23, was sidelined for the bulk of the 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The right-hander had a strong debut season in 2011, posting a 3.71 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in ten starts and three relief appearances. De La Rosa and Webster were considered to be the top pitchers in the Los Angeles farm system after two-sport standout Zach Lee.
Sands, 25, posted a .244/.325/.376 slash line with four homers in 251 plate appearances for the Dodgers over the last two seasons. He also owns a Triple-A batting line of .288/.362/.552 with 55 home runs in 940 plate appearances during that stretch.
Quiroz, 30, has seen time for the Blue Jays, Mariners (twice) , Rangers, Orioles, and Red Sox across eight big league seasons. He spent most of the year with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .278/.362/.483 with 15 homers in 89 games.