AL Central Notes: Chen, La Russa, Buehrle, Tigers
Justin Verlander was the big winner as the 2011 Players Choice Awards were announced today. Verlander's peers selected him as both the 2011 AL Outstanding Pitcher and the 2011 Player Of The Year. Could this be an omen for the AL MVP result in a few weeks?
Here's some other news from the AL Central…
- Bruce Chen tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he has already received calls from two teams interested in the veteran southpaw. Despite this outside interest, Chen says he wishes to remain with the Royals. "Kansas City has expressed numerous times that they would like to sign me back,” Chen said. “We have a real good relationship, and we’re making progress."
- There is "some talk" that Tony La Russa could become a consultant with the White Sox, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). La Russa, who managed the Sox from 1979-86, would work with rookie manager Robin Ventura.
- Mark Buehrle is "wide-open" to the possibility of joining a number of different teams, his agent Jeff Berry tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Buehrle has said in the past that he only wished to pitch for the White Sox or his home-state Cardinals, but also said last month that he would be interested in pitching in the National League for the first time in his career.
- Unlike last winter, the Tigers will take their time in perusing the free agent market this offseason, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- A few tweaks at third base, backup catcher and the bullpen could be all it takes to push the Tigers to a championship next year, writes Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian discusses the Indians' plans for third base next year, the chances of Kosuke Fukudome re-signing in Cleveland and other topics in a reader mailbag.
Latest On Orioles’ GM Search: Friedman, Hahn
Orioles director of player development John Stockstill and Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson are candidates to become Baltimore's next GM, but they aren't alone. Jerry Dipoto is now the Angels' GM and Tony LaCava turned down an offer from the Orioles to remain in Toronto, so the Orioles are expanding their search. Here's the latest, with the most recent updates up top:
- The Orioles would like to interview Dodgers GM Ned Colletti if he leaves Los Angeles, according to Kubatko.
- The Orioles have requested permission to interview Andrew Friedman of the Rays, Rick Hahn of the White Sox and Mike Radcliff of the Twins, according to Kubatko (on Twitter).
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains that the Orioles haven't yet contacted the Rangers about executives such as Thad Levine or A.J. Preller. Connolly suggests former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette and current Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer could be candidates for the position.
- Scott Proefrock, the Phillies' assistant GM, will interview for the Orioles' GM vacancy, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Proefrock is the Orioles' former assistant GM.
- LaCava said his decision to stay in Toronto was about the Blue Jays, not the Orioles. But Danny Knobler of CBS Sports hears that his decision was about the Orioles. LaCava wanted to make front office changes that owner Peter Angelos refused to approve, according to Knobler. LaCava would have obtained a competitive salary from the Orioles.
- Knobler hears that Watson and Stockstill are “very unlikely” to be offered the job.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, who reported this morning that the Orioles are expanding their search, notes that manager Buck Showalter and director of baseball operations Matt Klentak are handling the front office responsibilities for now.
- Kubatko adds that the Orioles have contacted the Rays, White Sox, Twins and Phillies for permission to interview GM candidates from the teams' front offices.
- For a complete look at MLBTR's GM Candidates, click here. Two people on the list, Jerry Dipoto (#1) and Ben Cherington (#4), have already landed GM jobs.
Quick Hits: Price, Aardsma, Willingham, Angels
Happy Halloween to MLBTR's readers! We've already seen C.C. Sabathia sign an extension and Tony La Russa retire today. Here are some more updates from around MLB…
- Rays left-hander David Price opted out of the contract he signed when Tampa Bay drafted him, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. He's still under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player, however. Price could earn $7-8MM in 2012 through arbitration according to MLBTR's projections, so declining his $2.433MM option was merely a formality.
- David Aardsma, who became a free agent today, wouldn't rule out returning to the Mariners, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
- Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group that he expects Josh Willingham to sign a three-year deal and doesn’t expect his client to re-sign with the Athletics (Twitter link).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Yankees executive Billy Eppler was the runner-up to Jerry Dipoto in the Angels' search for a GM (Twitter link).
- The White Sox announced that they hired Jeff Manto to be their hitting coach, Joe McEwing to be their third base coach and Mark Parent to be their bench coach (Twitter link).
- Dave Cameron introduces FanGraphs' top 50 free agents of the offseason. MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents is on its way as well.
White Sox Exercise Option On Jason Frasor
The White Sox exercised their $3.75MM club option on reliever Jason Frasor, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
The Sox have a good collection of relievers under contract for 2012, but exercising the option on Frasor makes sense since he has positive trade value. The 34-year-old Chicago native posted a 3.60 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.05 HR/9, and 37% groundball rate in 60 innings for the Blue Jays and White Sox this year.
Quick Hits: White Sox, Indians, Sabathia, Sizemore
A grab-bag of links on the first Sunday of what should be a fun offseason….
- Don't expect the White Sox to pick up any big-ticket players on the free agent market, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The club is unlikely to bring Juan Pierre back in 2012 and if they look to replace him with a traditional leadoff type, Merkin expects the team to do so via trade.
- It would be a surprise if the Indians re-signed Chad Durbin as the club has several promising young relievers who could take his spot, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
- The Yankees will make a contract offer to C.C. Sabathia this weekend, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. However, most people expect the lefty to opt out of his current deal and "look around."
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff predicts destinations and contract details for his top 30 free agents, in slideshow form.
- The Rangers, Nationals, and Brewers top Buster Olney's list of potential landing spots for Grady Sizemore (ESPN insider link).
- Hisashi Iwakuma confirmed that he will attempt to sign with an MLB team again this winter, according to NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (via Sponichi). Iwakuma was unable to work out a deal with the Athletics last offseason.
- New Angels GM Jerry Dipoto will have complete decision-making power, says Angels owner Arte Moreno. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times has details and quotes.
- The Padres will hire Phil Plantier as their new hitting coach, tweets FOX's Ken Rosenthal.
Williams: White Sox Not In “Shopping Mode”
The White Sox are a coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 79-83 and 16 games back of the Tigers in the AL Central. A number of high-profile players had poor showings in 2011, but GM Kenny Williams said in a radio interview today that he will not be shopping players this offseason. Daryl Van Schouwen of The Chicago Sun Times provides a recap of the interview…
"Everyone I've heard speak on it is right," said Williams. "We have talented people, and we did not achieve what we wanted to based on some of those talented people not performing. But we're in a position where we have to look at the future. So I will not be in shopping mode; I'll be listening to see what the interest is in some of our players. Quite frankly, I don't expect people to try to blow our doors down for some of our guys who had down years. Their value is going to be down a little bit."
Williams added that if he does move any of what he called the team's "valuable pieces," that it would be for Major League ready talent, not minor leaguers. He cited Dayan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers, Alejandro de Aza, Brent Morel, and Gordon Beckham as the team's young core.
"We have a nice young, kind of youthful movement," said Williams. "[Players acquired in trades] would have to fit into that. Not A-ball players, Double-A type. They would have to be Major League ready and potential impact players."
In our Offseason Outlook, Ben Nicholson-Smith noted that the White Sox could choose to trade players like Carlos Quentin, John Danks, and/or Gavin Floyd to infuse the roster with some young talent. Quentin and Danks are the team two arbitration cases.
Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, two players that had extremely disappointing seasons, figure to be unmovable given their contracts. Both guys are under contract for another three seasons, with Dunn owed $44MM and Rios owed $39.5MM. Williams said he's "got a great idea or two" about how to help Dunn improve going forward, but said he would speak to the slugger about that privately.
Latest On Angels’ GM Search: Evans, Hahn
The Angels' top choice for their general manager opening is Andrew Friedman of the Rays. Owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino dined with Friedman this week, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll leave the Rays. Here are the latest updates on the Angels' GM search, with the most recent updates up top:
- Dan Evans and Rick Hahn have emerged as strong candidates for the job, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Hahn, the assistant GM of the White Sox, placed second on MLBTR's list of GM candidates. Evans, a longtime assistant GM for the White Sox himself, was the Dodgers' GM in 2002-03.
- Kim Ng of MLB, Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer of the Yankees, Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks, Thad Levine of the Rangers and Tory Hernandez of the Angels are also candidates for the job.
White Sox Notes: Danks, Buehrle, Minors, Manto
The White Sox may not be negotiating with two teams to build a new front office, but still, there's plenty of news from the south side of the Windy City. Here's the latest on the Sox…
- It "seems unlikely" that both John Danks and Mark Buehrle won't be with the White Sox next season, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. If Chicago keeps both, however, it could mean that Gavin Floyd is the one traded as part of "what looks to be a cost-cutting offseason."
- Writing for Baseball America, Mark Gonzales looks at Jhan Marinez and Osvaldo Martinez, the prospects acquired by the White Sox as compensation for Ozzie Guillen.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America says there's "no question" (Twitter link) the White Sox have the worst farm system of any team.
- Jeff Manto is the favorite to become the new White Sox hitting coach, reports Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago. Manto has been the team's minor league hitting coordinator for the last four years.
- On Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith spotlighted the White Sox as part of MLBTR's Offseason Outlook series.
Minor Moves: Shane Lindsay
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves right here…
- Shane Lindsay elected free agency, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The White Sox had outrighted the right-hander to create roster space last week. Lindsay, a native of Melbourne, Australia, had a cameo with the White Sox this year after spending most of the season in the upper minors. He posted a 2.18 ERA in the minors despite an alarming walk rate of 7.5 per nine innings. Lindsay did strike out 11.5 batters per nine in 70 1/3 combined innings at Double-A and Triple-A.
- Eddy has more on the latest minor transactions from around baseball.
Offseason Outlook: Chicago White Sox
Expect the White Sox to consider trading established players as they retool for manager Robin Ventura's rookie season in 2012.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Adam Dunn, DH: $44MM through 2014
- Alex Rios, OF: $39.5MM through 2014
- Alexei Ramirez, SS: $32.5MM
- Paul Konerko, 1B: $25.5MM through 2013
- Jake Peavy, SP: $21MM through 2012
- Matt Thornton, RP: $12MM through 2013
- Jesse Crain, RP: $9MM through 2013
- Sergio Santos, RP: $8.25MM through 2014
- Gavin Floyd, SP: $7MM through 2012
- A.J. Pierzynski, C: $6MM through 2012
- Dayan Viciedo, 3B: $3.25MM through 2012
- Will Ohman, RP: $2.5MM through 2012
Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)
- John Danks, SP: $8MM
- Carlos Quentin, OF: $7.5MM
Contract Options
- Jason Frasor, RP: $3.75MM club option (Type B free agent)
Free Agents
- Mark Buehrle (Type B SP), Juan Pierre (Type B OF), Omar Vizquel (unranked UT IF), Ramon Castro (unranked C)
Going all-in didn't work out for the White Sox. After spending $127MM on a team that won just 79 games and trading their manager, the White Sox intend to ease up this offseason. Reality has set in, replacing the optimism of a year ago, but GM Kenny Williams says the team isn't going into rebuilding mode. With players like Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy on the books, Chicago's going to retool instead.
It appears the White Sox will consider trading Carlos Quentin, John Danks and Gavin Floyd. They could use an infusion of talent. The White Sox, who opened the 2011 season with the 27th-ranked farm system in the game, according to Baseball America, spent less on this summer's amateur draft than any other team.
Interest in Quentin, a free agent after 2012, would likely be strong. Teams such as the Rockies, Mariners, A's, Braves, Twins and Orioles could have interest in the outfielder, who has averaged 27 homers per season with an .857 OPS since 2008. Though both Floyd and Danks will earn $7MM or more next year, they would draw heavy interest trade market. They're under 30, have been steady producers for years and wouldn't require the same financial commitment as C.J. Wilson or other free agents.
The White Sox could let Mark Buehrle walk. Few pitchers match his durability — he has surpassed 200 innings in each of his 11 seasons in the rotation — but the White Sox could turn to younger, cheaper options like Chris Sale and Zach Stewart instead. Assuming the White Sox offer Buehrle arbitration, they'll collect a compensatory draft pick for losing the Type B free agent.
Juan Pierre, another Type B free agent, probably doesn't fit into Chicago's long-term plans. He told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune he doesn't expect the White Sox to place him high on their list of offseason priorities. Even if the White Sox trade Quentin, they have outfielders in Viciedo, Rios and Alejandro de Aza, so Pierre will likely depart without an offer of arbitration. Free agent backups Omar Vizquel and Ramon Castro will probably leave as well, though they aren't tied to compensation picks.
Last offseason's Adam Dunn deal soured in a hurry, so it's possible the White Sox will take a backseat to this year's free agent frenzy. This would mean relying on relatively unproven players like de Aza, Viciedo, Stewart, Sale and Brent Morel and could mean more responsibility for Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge and Addison Reed. If the White Sox are prepared to go younger, as they've suggested, this offseason could be a quiet one in terms of free agent signings.
Like most teams, the White Sox will likely add a reliever or two over the course of the offseason, not that there's much urgency when it comes to Chicago's 'pen. Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman and newly extended closer Sergio Santos provide Ventura with four reliable arms. The White Sox also hold a $3.75MM option for Jason Frasor, a Type B free agent. The Illinois native struggled through 20 appearances in Chicago, so Williams may decide to decline the option without offering arbitration and rely on a more affordable reliever, such as Reed. It's possible that Frasor has some trade value to a team looking for relievers. The club could decline the option and offer arbitration, keeping Frasor if he accepts and obtaining a pick if he declines.
The White Sox have already committed $90MM to next year's team, without accounting for Danks, Quentin or minimum salary players. Dunn and Rios aren't going anywhere, so the White Sox are stuck with their bloated contracts, clinging to hope that the former stars will rebound. They could stay in the AL Central race next year if enough goes their way, but if they do it probably won't be because of high-profile offseason acquisitions.