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Cafardo On LaRoche, Johnson, V-Mart, Guthrie

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In his latest piece for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo speculates on possible frontrunners for all the managerial positions that could open up this offseason. Bobby Valentine, Fredi Gonzalez, Dave Martinez, Tim Wallach, and Brian Butterfield are among the options Cafardo suggests for various teams. Here are the rest of the highlights from Cafardo's column:

  • The Diamondbacks placed potential trade candidates Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson on waivers on Friday.
  • One National League GM on August trades: "You’re going to see a lot of deals in the third and final week. A lot of teams are still in the mode that they’re in the hunt and they don’t want to sell off. The races are tighter this year, so most of the activity will come later rather than sooner."
  • The Red Sox and Victor Martinez's representation have had "preliminary talks" regarding an extension. Cafardo feels that Martinez could land a contract worth approximately $60MM for four years, and he's not sure if the Sox would pay that much to keep V-Mart's bat around.
  • An American League GM tells Cafardo that he was on the fence about Jeremy Guthrie before the trade deadline and regrets not pursuing the O's right-hander more aggressively: "I think he’s a pitcher who could have helped a lot of teams if you’d taken that leap."
  • Cafardo hears from a Blue Jays source that the team has "about 200 people" on their list of managerial candidates. Whether or not that's an exaggeration, the Jays are clearly casting a very wide net in their search for Cito Gaston's replacement.

Rosenthal On Manny, Cardinals, Braves, Inge

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We already took a look at Ken Rosenthal's updates on Joe Torre and Dusty Baker, but those weren't the only items of interest in his latest Full Count video at FOX Sports. Here are the others:

  • Manny Ramirez should be on his way back to full health in the coming weeks, but if the Dodgers want to move him before August 31st, his no-trade clause may make things difficult. Rosenthal indicates that the Dodgers might be careful about when they place Ramirez on waivers, perhaps doing so if and when the White Sox are behind the Red Sox in the standings. As Rosenthal notes, Boston winning a waiver claim on Manny would make a trade highly unlikely, whereas the White Sox and Dodgers could have a better chance of working something out.
  • The Cardinals and Braves are both searching for third base help. The Cardinals plan to give Allen Craig some time there and the Braves have been content with in-house options so far, but Rosenthal suggests Brandon Inge is a player who could be a fit for both teams. If Inge is placed on waivers, another contender may put in a claim to block the Braves and Cards from having a shot at him.

Red Sox Release Shealy

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The Red Sox have released first baseman Ryan Shealy, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.  Boston's Triple-A affiliate announced the move after Jeremy Hermida was assigned to the team.

Boston designated Shealy for assignment roughly three weeks ago.  In five games for the Red Sox this season, the soon-to-be 31-year-old didn't yield a hit in seven plate appearances.  In 80 combined Triple-A games for the Tampa Bay and Boston affiliates, he posted a slash line of .231/.345/.472 with 15 homers.

Poll: Jonathan Papelbon’s Future

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Although the Red Sox's season has been sabotaged by injuries, closer Jonathan Papelbon has drawn the ire of fans dating back to his blown save in Game Three of the ALDS last season. His blown save on Thursday was already his sixth this season, a career high, and both his strikeout (8.2 K/9) and walk (3.6 BB/9) rates are the worst of his career. 

With a $9.35MM salary this season, Papelbon will easily command eight-figures next year, his final season of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent. With Daniel Bard proving himself a viable late inning arm, the Sox have a replacement already in-house should they choose to part ways with their closer. That said, Papelbon is still one of the game's best relievers and will be very difficult to replace.

What should the Red Sox do with Jonathan Papelbon after the season?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results. 

Odds & Ends: Twins, Harvey, Ynoa, Westmoreland

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On this day 100 years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Superbas (today the Dodgers) played what the Baseball Reference Bullpen describes as "the most evenly matched game ever."  Both teams used two pitchers, scored eight runs, and recorded 13 hits, two errors, 38 at-bats, five strikeouts, three walks, 13 assists, 27 putouts, one hit batter and one passed ball.  The game was perhaps fittingly called on account of darkness, thus preserving the total deadlock.

If two teams end up with matching scorecards tonight, we'll know there's some Friday the 13th spookiness at play.  Until then, however, here are some news items…

  • With Jose Mijares out for at least the next four weeks, the Twins may be in need of left-handed relief help, reports MLB.com's Kelly Thesier.  The Twins were one of several teams interested in Scott Downs before the trade deadline, so it's possible Minnesota could revisit that pursuit.  
  • A Mets official tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that talks between the team and first-round pick Matt Harvey will "likely" last right up to Monday's deadline.  Harvey, picked seventh overall by the Mets, is represented by Scott Boras.  MLBTR's Mike Axisa profiled Harvey back in June.
  • Michael Ynoa will undergo Tommy John surgery on August 24, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).  Oakland signed the 18-year-old in 2008 to a contract that featured a $4.25MM bonus, a record high for a non-Cuban international player.  Ynoa made his professional debut this seaon for the Athletics' Arizona League rookie-ball team, posting a 5.00 ERA and 11.0 K/9 ratio in three starts.
  • Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland is making " 'remarkable' progress" in his comeback from brain surgery, reports Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
  • Writing for ESPNBoston.com, Mike Andrews looks at the "age advancement" of certain prospects in Boston's minor league system.
  • Nationals president Stan Kasten criticized the draft pick signing process in a chat with MASN's Ben Goessling.  "The charade, the Kabuki dance nature of all of this is just kind of silly," Kasten said.  "We can do better as an industry, and I think both sides [players and owners] recognize that."  Kasten didn't give any updates on Washington's negotiations with first overall pick Bryce Harper.
  • Could Luis Rodriguez be "the next Andres Torres"?  Fangraphs' Dave Cameron looks at the infielder's breakout season for the White Sox Triple-A affiliate.

Draft Notes: Solis, Klein, Jenkins, Gumbs

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The deadline for signing draft picks is just days away. Teams have until August 16th (next Monday) at 11 CST to sign their picks, and the agreements are starting to trickle in. Here are the details:

  • Talks between the Nationals and second-round pick Sammy Solis are "amicable," and MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears from a source that a deal is close to being worked out.
  • Baltimore has agreed to terms with third-rounder Dan Klein, tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis.  Klein's bonus is worth just under $500K, or as Callis describes it, "second-round money."
  • The Cardinals officially announced their contract with Tyrell Jenkins, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com.  It was reported earlier this week that Jenkins and the Cards had agreed to terms that included an above-slot bonus price for the 50th overall pick.
  • The Yankees signed second-rounder Angelo Gumbs for $750K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. The outfielder gets the largest bonus for any player drafted after the supplemental first round this year.
  • Here's another above-slot deal for an outfielder: the Padres signed eighth-rounder Jose Dore for $450K, according to Callis.
  • Not surprisingly, the Red Sox haven't had substantial talks with Scott Boras about signing Anthony Ranaudo, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Ranaudo pitched well in the Cape Cod League this summer and maintains that he's ready to return to LSU.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo gives the latest updates on unsigned first round picks. Mayo reports indications that the D'Backs have continued talking to Barret Loux, who failed his physical.
  • Here's our list of top picks to sign.

Gammons On Papelbon, Ramirez, Overbay

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The venerable Peter Gammons appeared on WEEI's The Big Show to discuss a few Red Sox-related hot stove topics.  WEEI.com's Sam Dykstra has the transcript of some of the interview's highlights…

  • The Red Sox will have a hard time finding takers for Jonathan Papelbon this winter if the club decides to install Daniel Bard as its full-time closer.  Gammons predicts Papelbon will get around $12MM for his final year of arbitration, and doubts that Boston would be able to move Papelbon's entire salary plus get a quality return in a trade.
  • Manny Ramirez in Tampa Bay is Boston's "worst nightmare," according to Gammons.  He says that should Ramirez return from the disabled list and be placed on waivers by Los Angeles, Boston would then be faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to risk putting in a claim on their former slugger just to keep him from ending up as a Ray.  The Red Sox could end up being stuck with the approximately $5.5MM remaining on Ramirez's $20MM salary, not to mention the added baggage that Ramirez could bring back to the Boston clubhouse.  Then again, as Gammons describes it, "it may be that Manny doesn’t realize that he has to play and perform to get another contract. We have no indication that he’s understood that after three trips to the disabled list this year."
  • Lyle Overbay is cited as a backup option at first base if the newly-acquired Carlos Delgado can't find his stroke in the minors.  Overbay has cleared waivers and is free to be dealt to any team, though the Toronto first baseman does have a no-trade clause in his contract.

Minor League Transactions: Marti, Anderson

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Yadel Marti generated some buzz a couple winters ago when he defected from Cuba. It took a while, but the righty signed with a major league organization. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the details and other transactions from August 2nd-11th:

  • The Braves became the third team to release Josh Anderson this season. The Reds and Brewers also released Anderson, who has combined for a .448 OPS for those three organizations.
  • The Red Sox released infielder Tug Hulett.
  • The Dodgers released former big league pitcher Bobby Livingston. The lefty logged 56.1 innings for the 2007 Reds.
  • The A’s signed Yadel Marti from Veracruz of the Mexican League. The 31-year-old pitched for the same team as Luis Heredia, a top pitching prospect who’s drawing interest from the Pirates and Blue Jays, among other clubs.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Royals, Rays, Burrell

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On this date 41 years ago, Major League owners unanimously elected Bowie Kuhn to a seven-year term as commissioner. It was under Kuhn that the reserve clause was eliminated, paving the way for free agency as we know it.

We've got a lot of links to get to, so let's dive right in…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Olsen, Adam, V-Mart

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Another round of links for Wednesday, as Cliff Lee falls short of eight innings for the first time in two months…

  • The White Sox are cautiously optimistic about signing the team's top remaining unsigned picks, amateur scouting director Doug Laumann told MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
  • Scott Olsen made $250K in incentives for starting his 11th game of the season tonight, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
  • 2010 draftee Jason Adam is close to signing with the Royals, according to Daniel Paulling of the Kansas City Star. Adam, ranked by Baseball America as the 54th-best prospect in this year’s draft awaits approval from the commissioner’s office.
  • Victor Martinez told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that the Red Sox have not offered him an extension (Twitter link). The catcher hits free agency after the season.
  • The Yankees agreed to sign third-rounder Rob Segedin for a $377K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Segedin, a third baseman, receives about $100K more than MLB’s recommended bonus for his slot.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains why he believes the Rangers shouldn't try to sign Cliff Lee long-term just yet. It's probably a moot point, since Lee seems destined to reach the open market.
  • MLB owners and executives approved the sale of the Rangers to the group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The final vote occurs tomorrow.
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