La Russa “Almost Certain” To Return To Cardinals
SUNDAY, 9:13am: La Russa's return to St. Louis is "almost certain" at this point, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As Saturday's AP story suggested, it's still unclear whether or not La Russa's entire coaching staff will be retained, but a source tells Strauss that he'd be "very surprised" if the long-time Cardinals skipper didn't return for 2011.
SATURDAY, 11:43am: Free agency will forever be dominated by the players, but managers are going to get a big piece of the action this winter. Arguably the biggest free agent manager is Tony La Russa of the Cardinals, but the AP (via The Boston Herald) reports that the two sides are talking daily, and that a deal could be reached soon. One of the sticking points involves the security of La Russa's coaching staff, who he presumably wants to return intact.
La Russa has been managing the Cardinals since 1996, leading them to seven division titles, eight playoff berths, and two National League pennants, including a 2006 World Series victory. Overall, St. Louis is 1,318-1,110 under his watch. It's worth noting that La Russa has had his fair share of run-ins with players throughout the years, with Colby Rasmus joining the likes of Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen this year.
At over $4MM annually, La Russa's previous contract made him one of the highest paid managers in baseball. There's no reason to expect that to change if and when a new deal is a reached.
Odds & Ends: Listach, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Hill
Saturday evening linkage as the Phillies and Giants kick off the NLCS…
- Nationals third base coach Pat Listach confirmed to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel that he will interview for the Brewers' managerial opening on Tuesday.
- Nick Piecoro lists some candidates for the Diamondbacks' scouting director job (Twitter links): Tim Huff (Rays), J.J. Lally (White Sox), Chuck Ricci (Indians), and Jeff Schugel (Angels). ESPN's Keith Law tweets that Huff would be an excellent hire, and says he's surprised that Ray Montgomery (Brewers) and Rick Wilson (Angels) aren't on the list (Twitter link).
- MLB.com's Sarah D. Morris doesn't think the Dodgers need an overhaul.
- Lefty Rich Hill has already had discussions with the Red Sox about returning in 2011, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
- McAdam (via Twitter) also expects to see Darnell McDonald back in Boston next season.
- If Tony La Russa comes back to the Cardinals, he should sign a multi-year deal, says Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. learned how to build a successful team by working under Ed Wade and Pat Gillick, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The San Francisco Chronicle's Gwen Knapp praises the Giants' homegrown talent.
Manager Roundup: Mariners, Cardinals
Here's the latest on a pair of big-name managers, with more details to come throughout the day:
Mariners
The Mariners told Bobby Valentine that he is no longer a candidate for their managerial opening, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. The Mariners may be nearing a decision, writes Stone. Eric Wedge, Lloyd McClendon, Cecil Cooper, Clint Hurdle and Daren Brown are possible candidates. John Gibbons also heard that he isn't getting the job, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Eric Wedge did "very, very" well in his interview with the Mariners, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
Cardinals
The Cardinals are in daily contact with Tony La Russa, but it's not clear which way he's leaning, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, the AP reports (via ESPN) that talks are going well between the two sides. Pitching coach Dave Duncan knows that he'd like to return to St. Louis for at least three more seasons, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Nationals, Rasmus
On this date back in 1988, a hobbling Kirk Gibson pinch hit for reliever Alejandro Pena with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers down by one to the Athletics in Game One of the World Series. Dennis Eckersley, who finished second in the Cy Young voting that year, recorded two quick outs before walking the light hitting Mike Davis (.196/.260/.270 that year) in front of Gibson. You all know what happened next. Gibson battled Eck for six pitches before the Oakland reliever finally hung a slider, a pitch that resulted in one of the most famous home runs in World Series history.
Injuries limited Gibson to just that one plate appearance in the Fall Classic, which the Dodgers went on to win four games to one. Joe Posnanski ranked Jack Buck's and Vin Scully's call of the play the fifth greatest in sports history. These links might not be all-time greats, but they're still the best from the past week of the internet…
- DRays Bay interviewed a young third baseman by the name of Evan Longoria.
- SPANdemonium interviewed Shawon Dunston … Jr.
- Sabernomics said goodbye and thank you to Bobby Cox.
- Meanwhile, Capitol Avenue Club thinks the Fredi Gonzalez hire is a huge mistake.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness offers up their offseason plan for the Dodgers (part one, part two).
- Fan Speak does the same, except for the Nationals (part one, part two).
- Lookout Landing summarizes the candidates for the Mariners managerial job.
- The Process Report takes on Joe Maddon's gut check.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors examines Colby Rasmus' trade value.
- Red Sox Beacon re-lives a decade of awful Boston shortstops.
- Baseball Analysts found that Long Beach State produced the most big leaguers in 2010, led by Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki.
- The 5th Starter digs deep in the Blue Jays' finances.
- Bleacher GM took a look at umpire bias.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Cardinals Claim Bryan Augenstein
The Cardinals claimed righty Bryan Augenstein off waivers from the Diamondbacks today, according to the team's Twitter feed. The 24-year-old spent most of the year at Triple-A, posting a 6.56 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 120.6 innings. He allowed a whopping 162 hits in that time.
Augenstein didn't improve his stock after Baseball America ranked him 11th among Diamondbacks prospects heading into the season. Even then, they wrote that in the best case he "profiles as a solid fourth or fifth starter in the Majors." He works with an 86-89 mph sinker.
Odds & Ends: Choo, Nationals, Lee, Pujols
Links for Tuesday night, as Cliff Lee and the Rangers look to advance to the ALCS….
- A story by Yoon Chul of the Korea Times quotes Shin-Soo Choo as saying he'd like to play for a team that wins more than Indians. However, GM Chris Antonetti tells Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he has spoken to Choo and the outfielder "expressed his passion for winning in Cleveland."
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson fields readers' questions about whether the Nationals will pursue Lee, Ted Lilly, Javier Vazquez, and others this offseason.
- Speaking of Lee, when the Yankees really want a player, they usually get him, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- Fangraphs' Jack Moore says that if Albert Pujols hits free agency after the 2011 season, it would be the MLB equivalent of LeBron James' summer of 2010 in terms of impact.
Arbitration Eligibles: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are next in our arbitration eligibles series…
- First time: Kyle McClellan, Brendan Ryan
- Second time: None
- Third time: None
The Cardinals have one of MLB's smallest arbitration classes this year with first-timers McClellan and Ryan. Both should be tendered contracts and neither will be expensive. Ryan was abysmal with the bat this year, but he could win a Gold Glove.
Odds & Ends: Blake, Kemp, Hendrickson, Matias, Hill
If there were any doubts about how much trade deadline acquisitions can affect the postseason, last night's Giants/Braves contest silenced them. A pair of former Royals, Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth, helped lead Atlanta to victory, while ex-Red Sox Ramon Ramirez gave up Ankiel's game-winning blast. As we prepare for another round of playoff baseball tonight, let's check out a few links….
- Casey Blake hit just .248/.320/.407 this season, but MLB.com's Sarah Morris thinks Ned Colletti has more pressing needs than finding a new third baseman.
- Meanwhile, Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times says that today's Matt Kemp-Nationals rumor won't be the last time the centerfielder's name comes up on the rumor circuit this winter.
- The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec expects the Orioles to buy out Mark Hendrickson's $1.2MM option for $200K. Hendrickson could return to the team at a lower price, according to Zrebiec.
- Carlos Matias (now known as Carlos Martinez) has received Visa approval and completed his $1.5MM deal with the Cardinals, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (Twitter link). The Dominican right-hander agreed to terms with St. Louis in June, and has been outstanding in the Dominican Summer League (0.76 ERA, 11.9 K/9).
- The Red Sox have outrighted Rich Hill to the minors, reports Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. The lefty will become a free agent five days after the World Series.
- In his latest appearance on WEEI, Peter Gammons discussed Cliff Lee, Boston's bullpen, and how the purchase of Liverpool FC affects the Red Sox.
- As David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, Billy Wagner's strained oblique will keep him out of the NLDS and, if the Braves advance, the NLCS. With the left-hander still planning to retire, Wagner may have made his final big league appearance last night.
Multiple Teams Preparing Push For Rasmus
Despite John Mozeliak's insistence that Colby Rasmus will not be traded, multiple teams could make a push for the outfielder this winter, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In a chat with fans, Strauss indicated that the Braves, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in prying Rasmus away from the Cardinals.
A report earlier this season suggested that a rift between Rasmus and manager Tony La Russa led to the 24-year-old requesting a trade. With La Russa mulling a return to St. Louis for 2011, rival teams are presumably hoping the Cardinals will reconsider their stance on keeping Rasmus. Even if they don't intend to move their former first-round pick, the Cards "will have ample opportunity to turn down trade offers on Rasmus in upcoming weeks and months," according to Strauss.
A month ago, when MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at possible trade partners for the Cardinals and Rasmus, his list included the Braves and Jays, among other clubs.
Cardinals Exercise Pujols’ 2011 Option
The Cardinals officially announced their decision to exercise Albert Pujols’ 2011 option, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As anticipated, they chose to pay the first baseman $16MM instead of buying him out for $5MM.
The perennial MVP candidate led the National League in homers (42) for a second consecutive season in 2010. He also batted .312/.414/.596 and played in all but three of his team's games. Since arriving in the major leagues a decade ago, Pujols has played in 143 games or more every season without ever batting less than .312, posting an OBP below .394 or posting a slugging average below .561.
After 2011, the $100MM deal Pujols signed in 2004 will expire and he's scheduled to hit the open market. The Cardinals may look to extend the first baseman this winter and, if they do reach an agreement, they could re-negotiate his 2011 salary. If not, Pujols will likely be a bargain once again.