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Odds & Ends: Brewers, Buehrle, Francis, Vazquez

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Miguel Olivo never played a major league game for the A's, but he signed with Oakland as an amateur free agent 14 years ago today. Here are some afternoon links, including an update on Olivo…

Odds & Ends: Hart, Cox, Giambi, Pierzynski

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Links for Tuesday night, as the Rays, Yankees and Reds clinch playoff berths…

Ozzie Guillen To Manage White Sox In 2011

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White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who is under contract for 2011, told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he'll be "with the White Sox next season" and that he wants to return (Twitter links). There has been uncertainty around Guillen, partly because of the many upcoming managerial vacancies and partly because he appeared to want more job security.

The Marlins, in particular, seemed like a potential fit, but Guillen isn't going anywhere soon. GM Kenny Williams says he won't allow rival teams to interview Guillen for potential jobs. The 46-year-old is now in his seventh season as White Sox manager and has a regular season record of 595-533. Guillen, who led the team to a World Weries title in 2005, steered Chicago back into contention this year after a poor start to the season.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Dodgers, Fielder, Konerko

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Links for Sunday as Phil Hughes takes the mound against Boston..

Odds & Ends: Webb, Pirates, Ozzie, Pena, Mets, Lopez

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Some links to check out after the Rangers clinched their first AL West title since 1999…

Ozzie Guillen Wants Contract Extension?

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FRIDAY, 8:00pm: Guillen clarified today that he isn't specifically seeking out or asking for a contract extension, but "he just wants to know where he stands in the eyes of the organization," tweets Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzales passes on this quote from the White Sox manager (via Twitter): "My thing is, every year, every manager, every player, they want to know what’s my stance. That’s it."

WEDNESDAY, 7:36pm: White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen told reporters this evening that he is seeking a contract extension, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. 

"My mind is ready," Guillen said, while adding that he plans to sell his home in Miami and buy a house in Chicago. "I want to be here as long as I can. I want to be with the White Sox for the rest of my career, but this is a business. I like to know what they have in mind. It's nice to have an extension. You have security but meanwhile, I have another year on the contract."

The controversial manager also stressed that he is not tempted to test the waters of a potentially wide-open free agent market.  Guillen's current deal is guaranteed through the 2011 season.

Konerko Could Retire If Unsatisfied With Options

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White Sox veteran Paul Konerko may walk away from baseball if he finds himself unsatisfied this offseason, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.  When asked if he would follow a path similar to the one taken by his former teammate Jermaine Dye, Konerko acknowledged that it's a possibility.

"I would hope that I have enough perspective where, the game of baseball has been great, it's been great for me, and I've worked hard at it and been good to the game, but I think I've had enough to where if I was out of the game for whatever reason, it's not something that … I'll have other things going on, you know," said the 34-year-old.

If the four-time All-Star does opt to call it a career, he'll certainly be leaving the game of baseball on a high note.  In 600 plate appearances this season, Konerko hit .315/.397/.588 while belting 37 home runs.  According to Baseball Reference, Konerko has earned nearly $90MM in 14 big league seasons.

Marlins Rumors: Uggla, Catchers, Managers

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The Marlins don’t have a permanent manager and Dan Uggla is nearing free agency so Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and GM Michael Hill have some franchise-defining decisions to make this offseason. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has the details:

  • Dan Uggla’s representation has asked for a deal worth about five years and $58MM, but the Marlins are offering fewer years and less money. They’d prefer to work out a three-year deal and are offering just over $8MM per season. Uggla, who will be eligible for free agency after 2011, makes nearly that much this year and he’ll earn a raise through arbitration next year, so the Marlins don’t appear to be offering much of a deal.
  • The Marlins say they would like to add a top catcher and they’ll consider alternatives to John Baker, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Yorvit Torrealba, Bengie Molina, John Buck and Miguel Olivo will be considerations for Florida if they hit the open market, but Victor Martinez probably won’t be a fit. The Marlins could also have interest in Jason Varitek and Rod Barajas as part-time options.
  • Rafael Soriano’s expected salary demands have priced him out of the Marlins’ plans.
  • The Marlins will consider Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, Padres first base coach Rick Renteria and Padres bench coach Ted Simmons as they search for their next manager. Interim manager Edwin Rodriguez could keep his job and it doesn’t seem likely that the team will resume talks with Bobby Valentine, who was once considered the frontrunner for the gig.
  • The Marlins would have interest in Ozzie Guillen if he were available, but the White Sox skipper is under contract in Chicago next year. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Guillen wants assurances that the White Sox want him to be their long-term manager. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf would prefer to keep Guillen around than search for a new manager, so Guillen could get the security he’s looking for.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jenks, Jays, D’Backs GM, Torre

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Links for Monday night, as the Phillies extend their NL East lead with an eighth consecutive win….

  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provides a lengthy preview of the 2011 Pirates, speculating about how the team may improve its roster.
  • Ozzie Guillen tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he has no idea whether the White Sox' front office plans to retain Bobby Jenks next year.
  • The Toronto Sun's Ken Fidlin believes that questions about J.P. Arencibia behind the plate and Adam Lind at first base mean that the Jays could attempt to bring back John Buck and Lyle Overbay.
  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports (via Twitter) that Logan White is out of the running in the Diamondbacks' search for a general manager. ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirms (via Twitter) that it appears to be a two-man race between Kevin Towers and Jerry Dipoto. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests that the D'Backs are torn between the appeal of Towers and loyalty to Dipoto; they should name a GM this week.
  • Joe Torre hasn't ruled out managing the Mets or another club, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork. Torre told WFAN: "I don't really anticipate managing again, but I think it would be unfair not to listen just out of curiosity to see if something excites me."
  • Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Coco Crisp would like to return to Oakland next year, though he knows he'll have little say in whether his 2011 option is exercised.

Non-Tender Candidate: Bobby Jenks

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It's not often that a team cuts ties with an established closer before he accrues enough service time to qualify for free agency, but that's exactly what could happen with the White Sox and Bobby Jenks this winter. With a $7.5MM salary in 2010 and another year of arbitration eligibility left, Jenks' salary is only going to go up next season, possibility into the eight-figures.

Of course, the White Sox probably wouldn't entertain the idea of non-tendering their World Championship closer if his performance was in line with his compensation. His 4.44 ERA, .267 batting average against, and 3.08 BB/9 this season are career worsts, and it doesn't appear to be a one-year fluke either. Those three stats have gotten worse and worse every year since 2007, and Jenks will begin next season at 30-years-old. It's entirely possible that he's already reached his prime and is now on the way down.

Despite that, Jenks is still one of the better relief pitchers in the game. His 10.42 K/9 ranks right up there with other elite bullpeners, and after a gradual decline his average fastball velocity jumped back up to 95.0 mph this season. Jenks has also been victimized by some poor luck, with a .368 batting average on balls in play (league average is .302) and a 65.4 left-on-base percentage (72.0% league average). If those regress back to his career marks (.306 and 73.5% respectively), his ERA will almost certainly drop back down into the 3.00's.

The White Sox have absorbed a ton of salary obligation in the last two seasons, most notably in the form of Jake Peavy's and Alex Rios' long-terms deals, so they may decide that the money that would be spent on Jenks could be better used elsewhere. For what it's worth, the ChiSox already have a replacement closer in-house with Matt Thornton, and young (and cheap) hard-throwing setup men Sergio Santos and Chris Sale give the club some more options if nothing else. 

Do you think Chicago will part ways with its closer after the season? Click here to vote in the poll, and here to see the results.

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