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Brewers Notes: Fielder, Lopez, Arnett

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As the Brewers do battle with the Mets at Citi Field this afternoon, here's the latest news out of Milwaukee…

  • Prince Fielder's suitors this winter could include the Brewers, Nationals, Cubs or, as a "possible sleeper," the Rangers, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links).  Both of the Los Angeles teams aren't likely to get involved — the Dodgers because they likely won't have new owners in time and the Angels possibly due to their lack of a strong relationship with Fielder's agent Scott Boras.  
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy looks at how the Brewers may have to make a 40-man roster move between games of their double-header with the Pirates on Monday.  Manager Ron Roenicke said top prospect Wily Peralta won't be called up, while McCalvy speculates that right-hander Michael Fiers will instead get the call.
  • As to who could be removed from the 40-man roster with Chris Narveson returning from the disabled list, both McCalvy and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) think Felipe Lopez could be the odd man out.  Lopez, acquired last month to help fill in for the injured Rickie Weeks, has hit just 186/.250/.186 in 50 plate appearances with Milwaukee.
  • Right-hander Eric Arnett is struggling in Class A ball, but the Brewers are still confident in the 2009 first-round draft pick, reports McCalvy.  "You have to remember that Eric was a late bloomer at Indiana. It took him until his third year to kind of put it together," says Milwaukee amateur scouting director Bruce Seid.  "I think Eric got into our organization, and, as we've talked about many times before, he put a lot of pressure on himself. He got off to a slow start, and it kind of tailspinned for him."  Arnett has a 5.31 ERA in 11 combined starts at Class A and rookie ball this season.

Cubs, Hendry Links: Saturday

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The Cubs dismissed long-time GM Jim Hendry yesterday, so let's round up the latest regarding the move…

MLBTR's Steve Adams also contributed to this post.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Cubs, Zimmerman, Minor, Rox, Span

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Ken Rosenthal has his weekly Full Count Video up over at FOXSports.com, so let's take a look:

  • All GMs — past, present, and prospective — would love a crack at the Cubs' recent opening, says Rosenthal. Some GMs who are in their last contractual year, like Brian Cashman of the Yankees, line up better than others. Rosenthal feels the Rays might let Chicago interview Andrew Friedman, but finds it highly unlikely that the Red Sox would allow the Cubs to interview Theo Epstein, who is under contract through 2012.
  • While the Nationals have spent almost $40MM on the Amateur Draft in the past three seasons, Rosenthal says they'd be wise to check in with their first draft pick ever: Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman is controlled through 2013, but Rosenthal likens him to another prominent young star, saying that Zimmerman is to the Nats what Troy Tulowitzki is to the Rockies. He feels the Nats should approach their cornerstone about a similar extension before he gets so close to free agency that he considers testing it.
  • The Mets were far from the only team interested in Mike Minor at the July 31st trade deadline. The Indians offered the Drew Pomeranz to the Braves in exchange for Minor, thinking that with Atlanta trying to acquire Hunter Pence at the time, the Astros may prefer Pomeranz to Minor. Cleveland would get a more Major League-ready arm in return, but the Braves had no intention of dealing Minor.
  • The Rockies will look to add a big bat this winter, preferably at third base or a corner outfield spot. If they can find a third baseman despite a weak market, they may be inclined to pursue a leadoff hitter like the Twins' Denard Span. Rosenthal says the Rox have long coveted Span, and almost drafted him in 2002, but instead took Jeff Francis due to concerns over Span's asking price. Minnesota grabbed Span 11 picks later at No. 20 overall, though they showed a willingness to move him at this year's deadline when negotiating with the Nats.

Jim Hendry Firing Reactions

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The Cubs dismissed GM Jim Hendry earlier today, cutting ties with the third longest tenured GM in the National League even though he's under contract through 2012. The team was one game better than .500 during his tenure, going 749-748. Let's round up the latest reactions, news, and notes surrounding the move…

  • A reminder of the criteria for the next GM as laid out by owner Tom Ricketts, who will conduct the search: a commitment to player development, a stronger analytical background, and someone who's been in a winning culture and has a track record of success.
  • "[Ricketts] told me he felt we needed a fresh start and he was going to look outside the organization," said interim GM Randy Bush to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. "I really appreciated his honesty, to be honest."
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman shot down speculation about his candidacy for the job, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network (Twitter links). Cashman said that New York "has been home for quite some time," and he'd like that relationship to continue when his contract is up after the season.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams said he would give assistant GM Rick Hahn the highest level of recommendation if asked about him by Ricketts, reports Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Hahn was one of MLBTR's top 20 GM candidates.
  • ESPN's Jim Bowden put together a list of potential GM replacements, including several names that appear on our list.
  • Hendry admitted to reporters, including David Kaplan, that he was actually fired on July 22nd. He stayed on to help the team get all of their draft picks signed before the August 15th deadline because owner Tom Ricketts asked him to (Twitter links). Ricketts told Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune that "[Hendry's] been terrific, [it's] a credit to his character."
  • In a video for FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal says that Hendry was done in by the bad contracts given to players like Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, and Milton Bradley even though he had to spend the money at behest of the team's previous owner, the Tribune Company.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times listed Hendry's highs and lows, a collection of the best and worst moments during his tenure as GM.

Latest On Cubs’ GM Search

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The Cubs fired longtime GM Jim Hendry today and they’re already thinking about their next permanent general manager. Former assistant GM Randy Bush has taken over in the interim, but he’s not a long-term option, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts says he’s reaching out to 'industry veterans’ and will search for a well-rounded candidate. "We are not running a baseball organization by a computer model," Ricketts said, according to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (on Twitter). But as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes notes, the Cubs will look to find someone more statistically inclined than Hendry (Twitter link).

Ricketts is looking for someone who will emphasize the farm system, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (on Twitter) and he wants farm director Oneri Fleita and scouting director Tim Wilken to stay, according to Sullivan (on Twitter). As for specific candidates, Ricketts says he’ll impose silence around the process from here, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (on Twitter).

Hall of Famer Pat Gillick is not a candidate to run the Cubs, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Here’s MLBTR’s list of top GM candidates in MLB.

Cubs Fire Jim Hendry

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The Cubs announced that they have dismissed general manager Jim Hendry and named assistant GM Randy Bush interim GM. Hendry was promoted to the GM job in the summer of 2002 and was under contract through 2012. Owner Tom Ricketts praised Hendry for his years of work, but says he's now looking for new voices.

“It is time for a fresh approach in our baseball leadership and our search begins immediately for our next general manager,” Ricketts said.

The Cubs won three division titles under Hendry (2003, '07, '08), but they're currently 54-70, 19 games out of first place in the NL Central despite an Opening Day payroll of roughly $134MM. The 56-year-old departs as the third-longest tenured GM in the National League, behind Brian Sabean of the Giants and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies. Over the course of Hendry's tenure, the Cubs were 749-748, one game above .500.

Bush has been the Cubs' assistant GM for the past five seasons and also has experience as a special assistant to Hendry and as the Cubs' minor league hitting coordinator. The 52-year-old was the head baseball coach at the University of New Orleans from 2000-04.

MLBTR's Transaction Tracker details Hendry's transactions, from the $91.5MM extension for Carlos Zambrano to his bargain signing of Kerry Wood last winter. MLBTR's list of GM candidates includes 20-plus names, including some who could end up on Chicago's shortlist.

Chicago sportscaster David Kaplan broke the news (on Twitter).

MLBPA Files Grievance For Zambrano

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The MLB Players Association has filed a grievance on behalf of Carlos Zambrano, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. The Cubs placed the right-hander on the disqualified list Saturday after he struggled against the Braves, cleared out his locker and said he was retiring.

Players don't get paid on the disqualified list, so Zambrano would stand to lose about $3MM if the Cubs' decision holds up. The MLBPA aims to lighten the penalty, though there's no timetable for the process at this point, according to Muskat. The Cubs and the union will meet and, if they don't reach an agreement, they'll go in front of an arbitrator.

Players don't get paid or pick up service time on the disqualified list, so Zambrano could lose as much as one sixth of his $17.875MM salary. He is under contract for $18MM next year and his contract includes a $19.25MM vesting player option for 2013.

Draft Links: Callis’ Recap, Bonuses, Cubs

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Monday's deadline to sign selections from June's First-Year Player Draft has come and gone, but there's plenty of reactions and analysis still to be had. Here's some of the latest:

  • Baseball America's Jim Callis has written up a draft recap, the big takeaway being that teams spent a lot of money on amateur players in 2011. Callis lists the biggest deals in the early, middle and late rounds, as well as the notable picks who did not sign. All told, teams spent a record $236MM combined.
  • If you're into charts, Callis has a whole gang of cool ones within this piece, including the biggest bonuses in draft history, the largest big league contracts in draft history, team bonus expenditures for the past three years, and this year's top 50 bonuses vs. slot. Nice, comprehensive work there by Callis and BA, to compile all that data.
  • The Cubs were among the big spenders in this year's draft, and it gave us a glimpse into what their long-term plan may be under the ownership of the Ricketts family, writes Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com wonders, what makes a good draft? He spoke to Callis about it recently, and the answer is fascinating. Only 10-12 percent of the guys who are drafted and signed will make it to the bigs, so if a team can produce two big leaguers in one draft, that year is a success.

Heyman On Cubs, Marlins, Cole, Posada

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Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano could use a change of scenery, as Jon Heyman explains at SI.com. One rival GM considers the right-hander a fourth starter, which matches Tim Dierkes’ assessment of Zambrano from yesterday. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors, starting with another note on the Cubs… 

  • Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has had good things to say about GM Jim Hendry, but Heyman hears that Hendry is still “at risk” of losing his job. Despite a weekend report to the contrary, Hendry doesn't have any guarantees. 
  • The Marlins demoted Logan Morrison to the minors because Marlins officials, including manager Jack McKeon, believe the outfielder needs to show more maturity and be less outspoken. It doesn't appear that Morrison will file a grievance.
  • One GM called first overall pick Gerrit Cole a “slam dunk” number one starter, Heyman reports. The Pirates signed the former UCLA right-hander to an $8MM deal on Monday.
  • The Yankees won’t release Jorge Posada, but it appears that he’ll have to earn a spot on their playoff roster.

Teams Spend $236MM On Draft

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The totals are in and Major League teams have again broken draft spending records. According to figures compiled by Jim Callis of Baseball America, MLB teams spent a combined $227.94MM on this year's draft bonuses and $235.99MM including additional guaranteed money in MLB deals for Danny Hultzen, Trevor Bauer, Dylan Bundy, Anthony Rendon and Matt Purke. 

A year ago, MLB teams spent about $35MM less: $195.78MM, or $201.83MM including additional guaranteed money in big league deals. The Pirates led the way in 2011, spending over $17MM and breaking the $11.93MM record the Nationals set a year ago. Washington also broke its previous record, spending over $15MM on Rendon, Purke, Alex Meyer, Brian Goodwin and others.

Though only seven teams had ever spent over $10MM on the draft before this year, ten teams did so in 2011, according to Baseball America. Along with the Pirates and Nationals, the Royals ($14.01MM), Cubs ($11.95MM), Diamondbacks ($11.93MM), Rays ($11.48MM), Mariners ($11.33MM), Padres ($11.02MM), Blue Jays ($11.00MM) and Red Sox ($10.98MM) spent eight figures on the draft.

The Tigers ($2.88MM), who didn’t select until the second round, and White Sox ($2.76MM) were the only clubs to spend less than $3MM, according to Baseball America.

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