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NL Central Links: Matheny, Little, Fielder

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Earlier tonight, the Cardinals hired Mike Matheny as their new manager, despite the fact that he's never managed at any professional level. Here's some more on that and other news from around the NL Central:

  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com calls it a "fascinating hire"and a tough job for Matheny to follow a legend that went out with a title. Knobler also wonders if the Cardinals will hire an experienced bench coach for their rookie manager, something the White Sox didn't do with Robin Ventura (Twitter links).
  • Former Red Sox and Dodgers manager Grady Little is an possible candidate for such a role, tweets Knobler.
  • Matthew Leach of MLB.com tweets that he hasn't covered a player in the last 10 seasons who was "better-regarded by EVERYONE" than Matheny.
  • The Brewers' financial situation has changed drastically since the club offered Prince Fielder a five-year, $100MM extension in the spring of 2010, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Several players have been extended or traded for since then, and a big salary for Fielder no longer makes sense. Haudricourt says some in the organization feel it's time to let Mat Gamel have a shot at first base. The 26-year-old hit .310/.372/.540 with 28 homers in Triple-A last year.

Quick Hits: Twins, Cuddyer, Cardinals, Phillies

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Some links on this Sunday afternoon..

  • In an interview with "Sunday Morning SportsTalk," Twins GM Terry Ryan indicated that Trevor Plouffe will likely play in the outfield and DH in 2012, writes Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com.  Mackey (via Twitter) sees this as a sign that Michael Cuddyer won't be back in Minnesota.
  • Regardless of what Albert Pujols decides to do this winter, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak doesn't envision making major changes to the team's core, writes Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch.
  • The Phillies can’t keep adding and retaining the biggest, most expensive stars, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The club's signing of Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year, $50MM deal could hamper them both in the short-term and long-term.
  • The Dodgers can fetch a record price tag of $1 billion can be expected for the organization, Dodger Stadium and the surrounding real estate, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  One of the biggest reasons for the team's value is all of the undeveloped real estate surrounding Dodger Stadium, which sits on 275 acres of land that is largely used for parking.

Managerial Notes: Red Sox, Lamont, Cubs, Cardinals

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The Cubs, Cardinals, and Red Sox still have managerial vacancies to fill, and each club seems to have narrowed its search to a few finalists. Here are the latest links:

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals are very high on Matheny, and the race appears to be down to him and Terry Francona.
  • The Red Sox could conduct follow-up interviews with their managerial candidates at the GM meetings in Milwaukee next week, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • The Sox met with Gene Lamont today, concluding their first round of interviews, as Lauber writes. GM Ben Cherington said of his interviewees: "All five of those guys, I can envision hiring to manage the Red Sox. We’ve got to pick one."
  • Tim Britton of the Providence Journal explains how Lamont's past experience is unique among the five Red Sox candidates.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe examines the finalists for the Red Sox and Cubs managerial openings, and predicts the jobs will go to Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux, respectively. Abraham also writes that Cherington has started to compile a list of pitching coach candidates, but will work with the new manager when deciding who to hire.
  • Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the pros and cons of the Cardinals' candidates, concluding that Mike Matheny looks like the favorite.

Cards Don’t Plan To Greatly Increase Offer To Pujols

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Albert Pujols is being wooed by the Miami Marlins, but that hasn't forced his former team's hand just yet. SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals do not plan to greatly increase the nine-year, $210MM contract offer they made to Pujols before the season.

The Marlins are the only team to extend an offer to Pujols so far this offseason, but we have heard that the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers are unlikely to pursue the slugger. It was reported earlier today that Miami's offer "probably isn’t close to being enough" to lure Pujols away from St. Louis. Only a handful of teams can afford to match the Cardinals' original offer, so there's no reason for them to sweeten the pot just yet.

Managerial Notes: Cardinals, Cubs, Red Sox

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Here's the latest on the search to fill the dugouts in St. Louis, Chicago and Boston….

  • Cards GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he expects the Cardinals' new manager to be one of the team's six finalists for the job: Terry Francona, Chris Maloney, Mike Matheny, Joe McEwing, Jose Oquendo and Ryne Sandberg.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told reporters, including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, that the team will "probably" not conduct any more interviews of managerial candidates.  "I wouldn’t rule out an additional candidate but it’s not a certainty," Hoyer said.  The Cubs have thus far spoken to Sandy Alomar Jr., Pete Mackanin, Mike Maddux and Dale Sveum.
  • The Cubs have no timetable for hiring their new manager.  "We want to make the right decision, not the quick decision," Hoyer said. 
  • The Red Sox have no plans to bring in any other interview candidates, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.  The Sox also haven't asked other teams for "formal permission" to interview any currently-employed candidates.  Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo interviewed today and Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont will interview tomorrow, seemingly limiting the field to those two plus Alomar, Sveum and Mackanin.

Cardinals Notes: Pujols, Matheny

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Cardinals fans may be uncomfortable with the news that the Marlins will meet with Albert Pujols within the next few days. However, St. Louis’ managerial search appears to be progressing smoothly. Here are the details…

  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears the Cardinals have yet to adjust their offer to Pujols (Twitter links). Jon Heyman of SI.com has reported that the team offered nine years and "a bit more than $200MM" before the season.
  • Mike Matheny has emerged as a leading possibility to manage the Cardinals in 2012 and beyond, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Some in the baseball industry believe Matheny is the frontrunner, but Rosenthal doesn't like the idea of teams hiring managers who don't have much managing and coaching experience.
  • Strauss suggests the Cardinals will complete their managerial search “very soon.”

NL Central Links: Wandy, Reds, Cards’ Manager

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Some NL Central linkage …

  • Astros GM Ed Wade said today on MLB Network Radio that he is open to all offers on left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, tweets Jim Bowden. The Astros tried to move Rodriguez in a post-deadline transaction in August, but they were unable to reach agreement on trade with the Rockies when Colorado was awarded a waiver claim on the southpaw. We heard a couple weeks ago, though, that some expect the Rockies to again pursue Rodriguez this offseason.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that Cincinnati is more likelty to pursue players via trades than free agency this offseason, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The club's most pressing needs, according to Fay, are a top-of-the-rotation starter and a right-handed-hitting power bat.
  • The Cardinals' won't expand their candidate list beyond Mike Matheny, Terry Francona, Ryne Sandberg, Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing and Chris Maloney, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, who's hearing great things about Matheny and wouldn't be surprised if Matheny were named the next skipper in an upset (Twitter links).

Stark On Pujols, Fielder, Manny, Royals

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MLB executives expect Albert Pujols to re-sign in St. Louis, but predicting Prince Fielder’s next team is considerably more challenging. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark surveyed a dozen MLB executives about likely landing spots for the two free agent first basemen and the details are worth examining. Here they are, along with more notes from Stark:

  • The average prediction for Pujols’ next contract was more than $28MM per season for 8.5 years. All but one respondent expect Pujols to re-sign with the Cardinals, though there’s buzz that the Cubs, Marlins and Rangers are “gearing up” for him.
  • Executives expect Fielder to sign a seven-year deal in the $22-23MM range. Some doubt NL teams would commit more than five years to Fielder because of concerns that he’ll be incapable of playing passable defense once he hits his mid-thirties.
  • Manny Ramirez tried out for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, but it didn’t go well, possibly because Japanese teams prefer to avoid players with baggage.
  • The players and owners are considering significant changes to the schedule in talks for a new collective bargaining agreement. The sides are considering a proposal that would split MLB teams into six divisions of five teams, ensure identical schedules for teams within the same division and boost inter-league play considerably.
  • Stark hears that the Nationals are focused on finding veteran starting pitching and a center fielder. One executive believes the team prefers Mark Buehrle to C.J. Wilson or Roy Oswalt.
  • The Phillies have interest in Jason Kubel and have checked in on Grady Sizemore. 
  • More than six teams have expressed interest in Jimmy Rollins.
  • The Braves seem interested in shedding salary and they continue to float Jair Jurrjens’ name. It appears that they’d move Martin Prado after his disappointing 2011 season.
  • Rival teams say the Royals are no longer looking to trade for a top-of-the-rotation starter, according to Stark. They acquired Jonathan Sanchez earlier in the week and now prefer to hold their prospects and spend on back-of-the-rotation arms.
  • The Red Sox are less likely to spend on a right fielder if they re-sign free agent DH David Ortiz.

Cardinals Rumors: Matheny, Francona, Sandberg

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The latest on the Cardinals…

  • Francona and Oquendo seem to be favorites for the managerial opening, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links).  However, Heyman hears Matheny is beloved by Cardinals people and has a "real shot" at the position.
  • Ryne Sandberg and Jose Oquendo are on deck for managerial interviews tomorrow, report Joe Strauss and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Terry Francona interviewed today.
  • GM John Mozeliak is hopeful the Cardinals will have a manager chosen by next week, though he won't artifically hasten the process, writes Goold.  Last week the Cardinals interviewed Chris Maloney, Joe McEwing, and Mike Matheny.
  • Rafael Furcal is willing to wait to negotiate a contract with the Cardinals until after their manager search concludes, according to Goold.
  • Albert Pujols is interested to hear the Cardinals' choice, writes Goold.  "Albert would stay if Oquendo got the job," former teammate David Eckstein told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports earlier this month.  

Heyman On Pagan, Braves, Pujols, Madson

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Terry Ryan is officially the interim general manager of the Twins, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the longtime GM is recharged and may stay a while (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors from SI.com:

  • The Mets have discussed Angel Pagan as a non-tender candidate, but they intend to offer him arbitration, according to Heyman (on Twitter). MLBTR projects a $4.7MM salary for the center fielder in 2012.
  • Meanwhile, Chris Capuano is looking for a two-year deal, but the Mets prefer one-year bargains (Twitter link).
  • The Braves are looking for a Zack Greinke-like return in a deal for Jair Jurrjens, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The Royals obtained Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress for Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt last offseason.
  • Twins executive Mike Radcliff and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer weren’t that interested in the Orioles’ GM job, according to Heyman. The Orioles requested permission to interview them both, but the Twins denied the request and the Orioles hired Dan Duquette before setting anything up with Oppenheimer.
  • It's believed that Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava got a raise to stay in Toronto, according to Heyman.
  • It’s hard to tell Boston’s list of managerial candidates apart from the one the Cubs have, as Heyman explains.
  • It doesn’t appear that the Cardinals will be able to boost their nine-year, $200MM offer to Albert Pujols by much.
  • Ryan Madson is drawing lots of interest and the Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Rangers and Marlins are believed to be interested.
  • C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt are drawing lots of interest, as expected.
  • Heyman hears that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Prince Fielder or Pujols. The Marlins have also expressed early interest in Jose Reyes.
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