Odds & Ends: Jays, Zambrano, Harden
A few more evening links….
- The Blue Jays have some uncertainty at catcher heading into 2010, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. With Rod Barajas poised to test the free agent market, Raul Chavez, Kyle Phillips, J.P. Arencibia, and Brian Jeroloman could all be in the mix for time behind the plate. GM J.P. Ricciardi also tells Bastian that Scott Downs and Jason Frasor could split closing duties in Toronto next year.
- BP's Christina Kahrl at ESPN.com says so many factors stand in the way of trading Carlos Zambrano that the Cubs would probably have to accept "pennies on the dollar" to move him. She figures if they're looking to deal, the Cubs need to hope they receive interest from a starter-hungry team convinced that Big Z could be their missing piece, like perhaps the Mets.
- Rich Harden has been shut down for 2009, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Has Harden thrown his last pitch for Chicago? He says he'd like to return, but Sullivan suggests that the Cubs likely won't offer more than a one-year deal. Check out Tim's rundown of this year's starting pitching free agent class for an idea of how Harden fits into the market.
- R.J. Anderson at DRays Bay gets involved in the Felix Hernandez chatter by wondering if the Rays might try acquiring the Mariners ace this winter. It seems unlikely, but they apparently made at least one attempt prior to the trade deadline.
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune chimes in on Ken Williams' assessment of the 2009 White Sox. Rogers points out that the Chicago GM should be blaming the team's $25MM payroll cut, or even himself for failing to acquire any talent that helped the 2009 team in the Javier Vazquez and Nick Swisher deals.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Phillies, A’s
Only a handful of games on the schedule tonight, but here are some links to make up for it….
- White Sox GM Ken Williams is let down by his team's performance this season, according to Chris De Luca of The Chicago Sun-Times. Players like Jake Peavy and Alex Rios were acquired with more than just 2009 in mind, but the Sox still hoped to earn a playoff spot in a weak division this year. Dave Cameron at FanGraphs and Rob Neyer at ESPN.com point out that the White Sox didn't underachieve, but rather performed almost exactly as expected. Whether Williams' disappointment will inspire any major offseason moves remains to be seen.
- Scott Merkin at MLB.com suggests one possible change for the 2010 White Sox: Matt Thornton replacing Bobby Jenks as the team's ninth-inning option.
- More potential musical chairs in the bullpen ranks from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. He talks to one scout who suggests that the best closing candidate for the Phillies in October might not be Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson, but Chan Ho Park, if he's healthy. As a soon-to-be free agent, Park could certainly see his stock rise with a strong postseason.
- Buster Olney and ESPN.com take a look at what moves the Oakland Athletics could make this offseason. The theme is a familiar one in Oakland: veteran bargain hunting. Olney mentions Jermaine Dye and Miguel Tejada as two players in their mid-30s the Athletics might look into signing, and also thinks the A's will try to bring back Justin Duchscherer if they can.
- T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com writes that Nolan Ryan is interested in ownership of the Texas Rangers. Current owner Tom Hicks has expressed willingness to surrender controlling interest of the club.
Jermaine Dye’s Future With The White Sox
THURSDAY: Dye told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he "definitely" hopes to finish his career with the White Sox. The outfielder, who homered twice last night, praised Chicago's fans, his teammates and the club's front office.
TUESDAY: The White Sox are unlikely to re-sign outfielder Jermaine Dye for the 2010 season, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Dye faces a $12MM mutual option, which won't merit consideration for the Sox. A new contract at half that amount would be a tough sell, in my opinion. It's been a strange season for the 35-year-old – he was very good in the season's first three months, OK in July, and brutal in August and September. He has no explanation for the prolonged slump, which caused him to drop from Type A to B in the Elias rankings.
It would be dangerous to suggest Dye is done based on roughly 175 plate appearances. His bat is worth risking a few million bucks, though his right field defense has been consistently awful. Unfortunately it's a crowded market for designated hitters.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Mets, Millwood, Marquis
Another round of links…
- According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the entire White Sox coaching staff, including hitting coach Greg Walker, pitching coach Don Cooper, bench coach Joey Cora and first base coach Harold Baines, received contract extensions Wednesday afternoon that will keep them all with the club through 2011.
- The Dallas Morning News' Tom Cowlishaw believes Kevin Millwood's $12 million option for 2010, which vested Monday, is a fine deal. "If you're general manager Jon Daniels or team president Nolan Ryan or manager Ron Washington and you're going to be judged next season by how much your team lives up to this overhyped notion that 2010 is the Rangers' year," Cowlishaw writes, "you need Kevin Millwood on that wall."
- According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (via Twitter), Cubs players didn't find out about Milton Bradley's apology until his statement was released to the media Wednesday afternoon. That certainly won't help the level of perceived sincerity.
- Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle takes an early look at the Astros' plans for the upcoming offseason. We're not expecting big things.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post gathered a reaction Wednesday from Jason Marquis on Jeff Francoeur's assumption that the free agent right-hander "would love to" pitch for the Mets in 2010. “I hope there are a lot of teams that want a guy that can win 15 games and work 200 innings,” Marquis said. - As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, manager Jerry Manuel acknowledged Wednesday that the Mets need to add a reliable veteran catcher this offseason. If not, they'll head into the 2010 season with Omir Santos and Josh Thole as their Opening Day backstops.
Odds & Ends: Webb, Chapman, ChiSox, Brewers
Wednesday evening link session…
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney thinks Brandon Webb is right in not accepting a compromise deal from the Diamondbacks. He lists multiple teams that would be willing to offer the former Cy Young Award winner a lucrative one-year contract, including the Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, White Sox, Yankees and Red Sox.
- Scott Merkin of MLB.com gathered this quote from White Sox GM Kenny Williams, regarding his outlook heading into the offseason: "No. 1, I don’t like what I see on the free agent market, and what I do like, it’s going to cost you a No. 1 pick. "
- According to Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com, Aroldis Chapman's agent will be present at Yankee Stadium this weekend to take in a game against the Red Sox. Chapman, though, will remain in Andorra.
- Arangure also "tweets" that Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz has finally become a free agent. The 25-year-old hit .305/.408/.467 over 52 games in the Serie Nacional last season before suddenly defecting to the Dominican Republic.
- According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, Brewers manager Ken Macha is likely to return for a second season. GM Doug Melvin knows exactly where the blame should lie for his club's disappointing 2009 campaign, and it's not on the skipper: "It came down to starting pitching," Melvin said Tuesday. "Overall, we lacked depth. When we had to reach down … (it wasn't there)."
Odds & Ends: Aramis, Marte, Lowe
Links for Wednesday…
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talked to Aramis Ramirez about his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the Cubs' third baseman was noncommittal. Other third basemen who may become free agents after the 2010 season include Garrett Atkins, Jorge Cantu, Mike Lowell, Jhonny Peralta, and Scott Rolen.
- Former top prospect Andy Marte spoke with Indians GM Mark Shapiro about the future, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shapiro told Marte to play first and third base in winter ball and show up early to Spring Training. It was a tough year for Marte, who turns 26 in November. He was designated for assignment to make room for Juan Salas in February, cleared waivers, raked at Triple A, and then struggled in the bigs.
- Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that Derek Lowe "pitched really well for us." Aside from his home run rate, Lowe's numbers declined across the board this year.
- The Nationals will improve their minor league catching depth for next year, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Miguel Angel Sano is on the backburner for the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN learned from team president Andy MacPhail. MLB's inconclusive age investigation is the problem.
- David Waldstein of the New York Times says Ramon Pena, a special assistant to Mets GM Omar Minaya, will not be back next year. Waldstein says a scouting/player development shakeup is in order. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has info on possible changes aside from Pena.
- White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is out for the season with a calf injury. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the righty's future, given a possible $7MM arbitration reward for the 2010 season.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News notes the impending raise for Giants closer Brian Wilson, who enters his first arbitration year. Jenks' $5.6MM salary this year will serve as a comparable, so the Giants will add around $5MM to the payroll compared to Wilson's $480K this year.
- Braves manager Bobby Cox was not happy with the way GM Frank Wren handled the John Smoltz situation last winter, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.
Odds & Ends: Felix, Marte, Closers
Another handful of links before the night is out….
- Keith Law of ESPN.com is skeptical about Boston's chances of acquiring Felix Hernandez from the Mariners. Law concedes that the Red Sox could offer Clay Buchholz as the centerpiece, but doesn't think they have the necessary major-league ready hitting prospects to complete a deal.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Andy Marte will meet with Indians GM Mark Shapiro to figure out if Marte has a future in Cleveland. Long considered a top prospect, Marte has yet to enjoy much success at the major league level, and is starting to run out of options.
- Erik Manning at FanGraphs takes a look at the major bullpen signings of last offseason and how they've played out. Underwhelming performances from Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes, along with the emergence of low-priced or homegrown arms like David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey may make some teams think twice before investing heavily in a free agent closer this year.
- Daniel Hudson made the first start of his career tonight for the White Sox, allowing just one earned run in five innings against the Twins. Nonetheless, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald expects that given Chicago's rotation depth and the 22-year-old's power arm, Hudson will assume a bullpen role for the Sox in 2010.
White Sox Rumors: Jenks, Podsednik, Linebrink
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune has a new mailbag up, in which he answers some questions about potential offseason moves for the White Sox. A few highlights….
- Gonzales expects the Sox to hang on to John Danks, whose quality innings still come at an affordable price. He can, however, envision them shopping closer Bobby Jenks, perhaps in search of a leadoff hitter.
- Given Scott Podsednik's consistent production this season and the struggling economy, Gonzales thinks there's at least a decent chance the 33-year-old outfielder will be back in Chicago in 2010.
- He sees the Sox keeping Gordon Beckham at third base, where they expect his power to eventually develop enough for a corner infielder.
- If the White Sox want to make a play for Bobby Abreu this offseason, they'll have to be willing to pay more than the $5MM he earned this year.
- Gonzales doesn't anticipate there being any market for Scott Linebrink, meaning the Sox will have to hold on to him and hope that he bounces back next spring.
Perrotto’s Latest: Cubs, White Sox, Chipper, Josh Johnson
The latest from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus:
- The Cubs are trying to sign John Grabow and Reed Johnson before they reach free agency.
- Perrotto says those that know Chipper Jones believe he would actually retire after next season if he can't perform up to his standards.
- There's a possibility the Marlins will try to deal Josh Johnson this winter even though he won't be a free agent until after 2011. Johnson is not anticipated to take a hometown discount to stay in Florida.
- Perrotto expects Russell Branyan will re-sign with the Mariners before he reaches free agency.
- Seems like pure speculation, but a Jake Peavy for Carlos Zambrano deal this offseason would not surprise some in Chicago.
Discussion: Bobby Jenks
A few weeks ago, White Sox GM Kenny Williams sent a memo to the other 29 clubs saying that pretty much all of his veterans were available. It's unclear if closer Bobby Jenks was included in that memo, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the burly righthander will be prime trade bait this winter because of his shaky season, and he goes so far as to say it "will be a bigger surprise if he's back than if traded."
Jenks' performance has suffered this year because he's giving up more longballs than ever before, more than one every six innings pitched. Prior to 2009, Jenks' strikeout rate had been in a four year decline, bottoming out at 5.55 K/9 last year. Even though he's rebounded to post an 8.27 K/9 this season, he's still having the worst year of his career, and FanGraphs values his performance at just $1.9MM.
In his first year of arbitration, the 28-year-old Jenks is earning $5.6MM, and he'll surely get a raise in the offseason. This winter's free agent class features plenty of closers - including Billy Wagner and Trevor Hoffman – which might limit the market for Jenks. What kind of trade value does a homer prone reliever with World Series experience have? Could he fetch a return similar to what the Orioles received for George Sherrill, another closer about to enter his second year of arbitration?