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DeWayne Wise Declares Free Agency

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Outfielder DeWayne Wise has declared free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple A, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (via Twitter).

In addition to the catch that saved Mark Buehrle's perfect game, Wise hit .225/.262/.366 in 153 plate appearances for the White Sox this year.  The 31-year-old played mostly center and right field.   UZR/150 loved his defense in the limited 371-inning sample.  Wise has about four years of service time, so a team signing him for 2010 could retain him in 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player.

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Feliz, Baylor

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A few tidbits while everyone is watching the Twins-Yankees game…

  • ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine reports that the White Sox may look to the trade market moreso than free agents given that the Pale Hose aren't planning to spend any extra money in 2010.  Levine singles out Jermaine Dye, Bobby Jenks and Octavio Dotel as the most likely departures from Chicago roster, noting that Dotel mentioned the Cubs as a preferred next destination (along with either New York team).
  • It "wouldn't surprise" Rangers president Nolan Ryan if second-year right-hander Neftali Feliz goes into spring training preparing to be a starter, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.  Feliz posted a 1.74 ERA and a 4.88:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20 relief appearances in his rookie season.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Don Baylor is a possibility for the Houston manager's job.

White Sox Exercise Option On Matt Thornton

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The White Sox exercised their 2010 option on reliever Matt Thornton, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  At $2.25MM, it was an easy call for GM Ken Williams.  Even if the Sox had declined Thornton's 2010 option, he'd still have been under team control as an arbitration-eligible player.  The team also has an option on Thornton's first possible free agent year (2011) for $3MM.

Thornton, a 33-year-old lefty, posted another fine season with a 2.74 ERA, 87 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 72.3 innings.  The former first-round pick was acquired by the White Sox for Joe Borchard in March of '06, and he's improved his control drastically since the trade (without sacrificing his 96 mph heater).  Thornton is the favorite to close for the White Sox in 2010 if Bobby Jenks is traded.

White Sox Exercise Option On Freddy Garcia

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The White Sox exercised their 2010 option on pitcher Freddy Garcia, according to SI's Jon Heyman.  The option has a $1MM base salary plus $2MM in possible incentives.

Garcia, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January.  That contract had up to $6.5MM in performance bonuses, but Garcia struggled in Spring Training and the minors for the club.  When the Mets released him in late April, some thought he might have to hang it up.  He returned to the White Sox on a minor league deal in June, and was solid in the majority of his nine big league starts.  It looks like Garcia is finally back from August '07 shoulder surgery.

Chicago's 2009 rotation may already be settled, with Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Garcia.  Everyone is under contract except for Danks, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Mets, White Sox

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Lots of teams are packing their bags today. But every trip has a destination…

  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chats with readers. Among other moves, he expects the Pirates to shop Matt Capps.
  • The incomparable Marty Noble quotes a Mets official as saying, "There's more of an understanding now that we need to fix things on more than the Major League level."
  • Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune thinks Carlos Quentin could help himself from "a slight weight loss."
  • Nick Piecoro believes the Diamondbacks have no choice but to pick up Brandon Webb's $6.5MM option for 2010, which is actually an $8.5MM option minus a $2.0MM buyout Arizona can exercise.

Odds & Ends: Kikuchi, Dye, Varitek

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Links for Monday…

Chone Figgins Too Pricey For White Sox?

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Recently, the South Side of Chicago has been identified as a logical destination for Angels third baseman Chone Figgins as he heads into free agency.  However, manager Ozzie Guillen doesn't envision the 31-year-old utility player fitting into the White Sox' budget, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley says that in 2010 high-priced pick-up Alex Rios will take over in center field and Carlos Quentin will move from left to right in place of Jermaine Dye, whose $12MM option is not likely to be picked up.  This leaves one spot open, which could be solved by signing Figgins or retaining Scott Podsednik, who Guillen would "love" to have back.

Podsednik played a slightly below average left field this season, posting a UZR/150 of -3.4 at the position.  Figgins, meanwhile, hasn't played the outfield regularly since 2006. 

Can Figgins be had for less than $10MM per year in a depressed economy?

Scott Podsednik Will Explore Free-Agency

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Scott Podsednik wants to return to the White Sox next season but will test the market, reports Scott Merkin of MLB.com.  Podsednik says that he will look for counsel from his representation as he is new to the process.

Posting .306/.355/.415 in 583 plate appearances with Chicago in 2009, Podsednik proved to be one of the best minor league deals of the year.  After logging significant time at both left and center field, Podsednik is sure to garner some attention this winter. 

Fangraphs estimates the Texas native's 2009 value to be $7.2MM.  It's difficult to ascertain what Scotty Pods will fetch on the open market as he will turn 34 in March. 

How much would you fork over to sign Podsednik?  Would a team in need of a solid lead-off bat overpay for his services?  Your thoughts in the comments.

Odds & Ends: Towers, Ricciardi, Jenks, Barajas

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Some links on a surprisingly busy Saturday morning…

  • Here's a link to this morning's post containing comments from Padres CEO Jeff Moorad about the firing of Kevin Towers. It was quickly buried by the news of J.P. Ricciardi being let go, so you may have missed it.
  • FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says that Towers "should be relieved to be out of an organization in which he constantly faced ownership interference, payroll reductions and other forms of nonsense."
  • Stoeten at Drunk Jays Fans provides some fan reaction to the Ricciardi move. Moral of the story: it was a move that had to be made, but what took so long?
  • MLB.com's Scott Merkin says that we could once again hear Bobby Jenks' name mentioned in trade rumors this offseason. The team has a capable replacement in Matt Thornton, and Jenks figures to get a raise on his $5.6MM salary through arbitration.
  • Rod Barajas has interest in returning to Toronto next season, and indicated that he wasn't sure if the rift between players and manager Cito Gaston would influence his decision, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Odds & Ends: Church, Macha, Farrell

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Some more reading for the last Friday night of the 2009 regular season….

  • Mark Bowman of MLB.com wonders if Ryan Church has played his last game for the Braves. Bowman thinks, because of Church's back injuries, the Braves may not want to pay for a salary bump through arbitration.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin has not yet met with Ken Macha to discuss his future in Milwaukee, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It looks as if Macha will be back in the Brewers' dugout in 2010, but Melvin probably won't make it official until after Sunday's finale.
  • Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell attempts to dispel rumors that he'll be the next manager in Cleveland, via Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks at the AL Rookie of the Year race and concludes that the candidate he'd most like to have for the next few seasons is Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter) is surprised the Orioles picked up Dave Trembley's 2010 option.
  • If Bobby Jenks is back in Chicago in 2010, White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper expects a better season out of the closer, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
  • Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal writes that the Indians are still feeling the "punch to the gut" of losing Victor Martinez.
  • T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com notes that it's not certain whether Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will be back in Texas in 2010.
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