Manager Notes: Red Sox, Sandberg, Mariners
The Nationals are expected to announce that Davey Johnson will return to the dugout in 2012 soon after the World Series ends. Here are more notes on MLB’s managers…
- Peter Gammons of MLB Network said on WEEI that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington thinks outside the box and mentioned Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux as managerial possibilities for Boston. Sveum, a 12-year MLB veteran, managed the Brewers on an interim basis in 2008 and Maddux is the Rangers' pitching coach. Justin Doubleday has more details at WEEI.com.
- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said on ESPN 1000's The Waddle & Silvy Show that he's going to speak with manager Mike Quade in the coming days. Talk about bringing a certain Hall of Famer in to replace Quade is premature, according to Epstein. "Ryne Sandberg obviously was a great Cub, great player, great guy by all accounts, but he's a Philadelphia Phillie,” Epstein said. “He's a Triple-A manager. It would be just so premature for us to talk about that."
- Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times explains that Epstein and Sandberg have been avoiding questions about whether Sandberg could manage for the Cubs.
- The Mariners announced that their entire coaching staff will return in 2012. “I feel we made progress this season,” manager Eric Wedge said in a statement, “and this group was a big part of it."
Front Office Notes: Red Sox, Minaya, Cashman
The Cubs and Red Sox introduced the new leaders of their respective baseball operations departments today. Theo Epstein met with the media in Chicago and Ben Cherington did the same in Boston. Here are some more notes from front offices around MLB…
- Epstein sounded extremely confident in Cherington’s ability to bring the Red Sox back to the playoffs. “He’s had such a well-rounded development,” Epstein said of Cherington. “He’s got so much integrity. He’s so bright. He’s got great management skills of people. This guy is going to do a fantastic job.” Alex Speier of WEEI.com has more quotes from Epstein.
- Speier hears from an insider who won't be surprised if the Red Sox and Cubs need the help of the commissioner's office to resolve the issue of compensation for Epstein.
- Former Mets and Expos GM Omar Minaya is one of top candidates for the Angels’ GM job, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Yankees expect to have a new deal with GM Brian Cashman by Monday, according to Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff explains that Rangers executive A.J. Preller rooted for the Yankees before getting his first job in professional baseball. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes spoke to Preller earlier this month for our GM Candidates series.
- The Diamondbacks announced that they promoted Junior Noboa to VP of Latin Operations. Noboa, Arizona's first ever international hire, enters his 18th season with the organization. He has overseen the acquisition of players such as Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra.
- For the latest on the Orioles’ GM search, click here, for notes on MLB managers click here and for more front office rumors click here.
Manager Notes: Scioscia, La Russa, Red Sox
We heard earlier today that Blue Jays manager John Farrell will be staying put in Toronto. Here's the latest news on other managers around MLB:
- Tony La Russa expects to decide soon after the World Series whether to exercise his half of his mutual contract option with the Cardinals, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The sides have 14 days to make their decisions regarding the option. The St. Louis coaching staff has not received any indications that La Russa intends to leave or retire, according to Strauss.
- Now that Farrell is out of the picture for the Red Sox, they aren't likely to hire another MLB club's manager, according to the Boston Herald.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia told ESPN 710’s Mason and Ireland that he's far from Los Angeles' de facto GM, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The skipper says he can't do two jobs at once. “I don’t look at budgets. I don’t count money," he said. "I don’t look at other teams to see what trades are going to be made or facilitate or start that process. I think that’s the only way a manager can function."
- Saxon hears from one executive who says some executives shy away from the Angels GM job because of Scioscia's power in Anaheim.
Red Sox Likely To Pick Up Marco Scutaro’s Option
The Red Sox are leaning toward picking up Marco Scutaro's $6MM option for 2012, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Earlier today, GM Ben Cherington publicly suggested the Red Sox are likely to exercise the shortstop's option.
"We believe he'd be very coveted this offseason if he got onto the market," Cherington said.
Scutaro, 35, set career highs in batting average and slugging percentage for a .299/.358/.423 line in 445 plate appearances in 2011. He also had a career-best 8.1% strikeout rate and finished with more walks (38) than strikeouts (36). Only seven shortstops have contributed more wins above replacement than Scutaro (12.7) since 2008, according to FanGraphs’ version of the statistic.
If the Red Sox don't pick up Scutaro's option, he can remain in Boston for $3MM instead of taking a $1.5MM buyout. After the regular season, I explained why I expect the Red Sox to pick the option up.
Ben Cherington Press Conference Quotes
The Red Sox introduced Ben Cherington as their executive VP and general manager this afternoon. Cherington says the Red Sox will have a very good team in 2012 and discussed Boston's managerial search and other offseason plans. He also announced that John Lackey will undergo Tommy John surgery. Here are the details:
- Cherington wants a new manager with a strong voice who cares about players and can collaborate with the front office. He says the team will start interviewing candidates soon. The Red Sox have several candidates in mind for first round interviews, but they haven't asked permission to interview any of them yet. Previous managerial experience would be a plus, but it's not necessary.
- Boston's success in terms of free agent signings has "not [been] good enough," according to Cherington.
- Despite Boston's disappointing 2011 season, Cherington says the Red Sox have enough on and off of the field to succeed. "What I'm left with is a conviction that the Red Sox will be the best organization in baseball going forward," he said.
- The Red Sox would like to have David Ortiz and Jonathan Papelbon back, according to Cherington. They have had some initial dialogue with each player and they expect to continue discussions.
- The Red Sox will look to build pitching depth and could go for buy-low acquisitions.
- Cherington believes Marco Scutaro would be "very coveted" this offseason if he got onto the market. The Red Sox have a $6MM option for Scutaro that they'll likely pick up this offseason ($3MM player option, $1.5MM buyout).
- Cherington says he pushed hard to sign Carl Crawford and believes in him.
- The new GM discussed the importance of having top talent evaluators and vowed that the Red Sox will employ some of the top scouts in the game.
- Boston's farm system is "stronger and deeper than ever" at Double-A and below, Cherington said.
- Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino says the Red Sox hired a team player who is hungry for more success. "There is no one more prepared to take on the role of General Manager of the Red Sox than Ben,” he said. “He will hit the ground running, in full stride, and no one will outwork him.”
- "I've always believed in hybrid baseball executives and Ben is a hybrid baseball executive," Lucchino said.
- The Red Sox will soon announce promotions within their front office. Epstein has not asked Cherington about taking front office members with him to Chicago.
- Cherington is the first person from our list of GM Candidates to land a GM job. Here's my piece on Cherington from August 2011.
- Former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein discussed the Cubs and Red Sox at his introductory press conference in Chicago earlier today.
John Lackey To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Red Sox righty John Lackey will undergo Tommy John surgery, new GM Ben Cherington announced today. WEEI's Rob Bradford reported Lackey's visit to Dr. Lewis Yocum earlier today, noting that the surgery causes a sixth-year option to vest for Lackey at the league minimum. This is a good thing for Boston – it reduces the average annual value of the contract from $16.5MM to $13.8MM, creating luxury tax savings.
Lackey had a disastrous 2011 season. His 6.41 ERA was the sixth-highest in baseball history over the last sixty years, given a minimum of 160 innings. He had a rough year with the media as well.
The Red Sox likely were not counting on Lackey for anything in 2012, but the surgery eliminates any chance of a bad contract swap.
Coaching, Front Office News: Eiland, Blue Jays, Feinstein
The latest on the coaching and managerial front:
- The Royals announced the hiring of Dave Eiland as their new pitching coach. Eiland served as the Yankees' pitching coach from 2008-10 and spent this year as a special assistant with the Rays.
- The Blue Jays announced an amendment to their employee permission policy: they will not grant permission for lateral moves. GM Alex Anthopoulos will be holding a press conference today, presumably on this topic. The implication is that the Red Sox will not be allowed to interview John Farrell for their managerial position.
- Rays director of baseball operations Dan Feinstein has joined the Athletics as their director of pro scouting and baseball development, according to the team.
Theo Epstein Press Conference Quotes
We've heard a lot from new Cubs president Theo Epstein today, as the team held a press conference this morning.
- "It truly feels great to be a Cub today," said Epstein at the introductory press conference. He considers his new job "the ultimate challenge."
- "Our goal will be to build the best scouting department in the game," explained Epstein. He stressed "sustained success" and noted that the Cubs' 2011 draft marked a "clear philosophical change" in his eyes. Epstein will also be able to grow the Cubs' baseball operations staff.
- As a first step with the Cubs managerial situation, Epstein intends to meet with Mike Quade in person over the next week. Epstein also intends to "take a creative look at the big league team."
- A third party may ultimately be required to determine the compensation Boston receives, but Epstein considers the teams' relations to be amicable.
- Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said today in a welcome statement, "In his new role, Theo will be given the resources and opportunity to build a strong foundation and the winning culture that our organization and fans deserve." At the process conference Ricketts added, "I simply cannot imagine a better person for this job than Theo Epstein."
- The following bullet points are highlights from an op-ed piece Epstein wrote for the Boston Globe. Epstein writes, "The reason I am leaving has nothing to do with power, pressure, money, or relationships. It has nothing to do with September, either." Instead, he points to a Bill Walsh suggestion that coaches and executives should seek change after ten years with a team, to create a new challenge for the individual and a fresh perspective for the team. Initially, the plan was for assistant GM Ben Cherington to take over the Red Sox after the 2012 season, and those discussions with ownership began this summer while the team was thriving.
- The combination of the Red Sox needing a new manager for the long-term and the challenge presented by the Cubs prompted Epstein to leave earlier than he initially planned. Epstein has complete confidence in Cherington to address Boston's clubhouse issues. Epstein admits, "Things did indeed happen in the clubhouse that do not have a place at the Red Sox or anywhere in sports. But the reports about team-wide apathy and indulgence are exaggerated."
- Epstein feels that Cherington is more prepared for the GM job than Epstein was nine years ago, and the Red Sox "remain one of the preeminent organizations in baseball, with an extremely bright future."
Red Sox Managerial Links: Farrell, Blue Jays
The Red Sox announced that they will introduce Ben Cherington as their new GM tomorrow. Now that the Red Sox have resolved the uncertainty in their front office, it's time to find a new manager. Here are the latest links on the subject:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that Blue Jays manager John Farrell would be desired in Boston, under Cherington, and in Chicago, under former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein (Twitter links). Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux are two candidates who may appeal to Cherington and Epstein, according to Sherman.
- Farrell dismissed speculation about a possible return to Boston, where he was the pitching coach until he left for Toronto. "I am focused right now on preparing for what is best for the Blue Jays in 2012," he told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
- Farrell told Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that the Red Sox haven't asked the Blue Jays for permission to talk to him. Griffin says the rumors are "a slap in the face for Jays fans" and that it would be unseemly for Farrell to return to Boston after one year. However, the Red Sox would get permission to talk with Farrell if they want it, according to Griffin.
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com says Farrell is the right manager for the Red Sox, since they need to rebuild their clubhouse for 2012. Bradford suggests the Blue Jays would likely require substantial compensation from Boston for Farrell and explains that a return to the Red Sox seems unlikely.
Red Sox To Name Ben Cherington GM
OCTOBER 24th: Cherington will be announced as executive vice president/general manager of the Red Sox at a 3pm press conference tomorrow, announced the team. The Cubs, meanwhile, will introduce Epstein as president of baseball operations three hours prior.
OCTOBER 13th: The Red Sox are calling on Theo Epstein's top assistant to restore order in Boston. They have told assistant general manager Ben Cherington that he'll be the team's next GM, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. Cherington will assume the responsibilities of the GM once the Cubs and Red Sox finalize the arrangement that will send Epstein to Chicago.
Cherington started his baseball career with the Indians in 1998. He joined the Red Sox under Dan Duquette and worked extensively with Epstein, who he considers a mentor.
"I learned more [from Epstein] about the game and people and how to get things done and how to do all of that with a sense of humor and compassion," Cherington told me in August. "It has made me a better person and if I’m ever lucky enough to be a GM it’ll make me a much better GM."
Cherington has experience as an area scout and has also worked on player acquisitions, arbitration and quantitative analysis. His first job as a general manager will begin with a search for manager Terry Francona's replacement.