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Managerial Notes: Baker, La Russa, Reds, Girardi

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Earlier today, the Reds fired manager Dusty Baker, who had one year and roughly $3.5MM remaining on his contract. Reports indicated that Baker was fired after telling GM Walt Jocketty to fire him instead of hitting coach Brook Jacoby, whom Baker didn't feel was to blame for the team's struggles. Reds owner Bob Castellini denied that report when asked by John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Here's more on the Baker, the Reds and other managerial rumblings from around the league…

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Tony La Russa has no interest in returning to a managerial role, and adds that the Reds will likely stay in-house to replace Baker. He lists Jim Riggleman as one internal candidate.
  • Indeed, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch backs Nightengale's assessment of La Russa. Hummel spoke with La Russa following Baker's dismissal and was told, "I'm not managing again." La Russa then joked, "Walt [Jocketty] has had more than enough of me."
  • Fay tweets that pitching coach Bryan Price is the leading in-house candidate to replace Baker, though Riggleman is also a candidate. He implies that it isn't a given that Cincinnati will stay in-house, though.
  • Baker was fired because his players stopped playing hard for him, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It became clear to management that Baker wasn't the man to take them to the next level, says Rosenthal.
  • Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated looks at Baker's 0-for-7 run in the postseason, calling him the Gene Mauch of our generation and wondering if Baker will get another chance. Verducci speculates that Baker could be a fit with the Mariners and adds that Baker loves that area of the country.
  • The Nationals have asked the Yankees for permission to interview Joe Girardi, according to David Kaplan of CSN Chicago (Twitter link). Kaplan speculates that the Reds may also want to interview Girardi.

Reds Fire Dusty Baker

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10:55am: Baker was fired after he stood up for hitting coach Brook Jacoby, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Jocketty informed Baker that he was planning on firing Jacoby, to which Baker replied, "If want to fire someone, fire me," as he felt it was unfair for blame to fall on Jacoby.

Baker said he felt he was doing what was right by defending Jacoby and would like to continue his managerial career elsewhere, adds Heyman. The past several days have been difficult, Baker conceded, as he's also been receiving hate mail from angry fans.

9:45am: The Reds have confirmed the move via press release. Within the release, GM Walt Jocketty offers the following statement:

"This was a very difficult decision to make. Dusty played an important role in the recent success of this organization, and we thank him for his contributions during his time here. We feel a change is necessary, however, if we are to continue to move the organization forward."

9:02am: Baker was fired, writes ESPN's Buster Olney in his daily Insider-only column. Olney explains that club executives felt the team was steeped with Major League talent and expected a deep postseason run with a chance at a championship, not a quick exit in a one-game Wild Card playoff. According to Olney, there's a sense from the top of the organization that a clubhouse shake-up was needed.

Earlier this morning, Olney tweeted that the front office "was seething" after the team's loss to the Pirates, prompting the change.

7:33am: Dusty Baker is out as Reds manager, according to Ben Walker of the Associated Press.  The Reds will announce today that Baker has been replaced, though it is currently unclear whether he was fired or he resigned. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Baker had one year and roughly $3.5MM remaining on his contract.

Baker, 64, has been managing the Reds for the past six seasons, three of which have resulted in playoff berths. His record since taking over as Cincinnati's manager is 509-463. That .524 winning percentage is on par with his career percentage of .526. Baker is a three-time NL Manager of the Year and led the 2002 Giants to the National League pennant.

Earlier in the week, the Reds were bounced from the Wild Card playoff game by the Pirates, but general manager Walt Jocketty was quick to tell reporters, including John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that he hadn't considered firing Baker: “I don’t think so,” Jocketty said. “He’s signed for another year.” That seems to suggest a resignation, though Reds ownership could have had a different view on Baker than Jocketty and brought about the change.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, Reds, Castillo, Baker,

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Yesterday, we learned that the Cubs will contact Padres executive A.J. Hinch about a possible return to managing.  The Cubs obviously have a big focus on player development and Hinch's work with Justin Upton, Max Scherzer, Stephen Drew, and Miguel Montero is likely a plus for the club.  Here's a look at the NL Central as the Pirates get set to do battle with the Cardinals..

  • Tim Dierkes (via Twitter) has talked with multiple agents who see the Cubs spending significant money on a free agent catcher this winter.  That comes as something of a surprise following a solid year by Wellington Castillo, who is still pre-arbitration eligible.  Castillo, 26, hit .274/.349/.397 in 428 plate appearances this season.
  • The Cubs aren't locked on to anyone in their managerial search, but they have serious interest in Yankees skipper Joe Girardi, sources tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  Cubs ownership is rather high on Girardi and they're making a strong internal argument to hire him.  Meanwhile, Yanks GM Brian Cashman is scheduled to meet with Girardi's agent today.
  • In the immediate aftermath of last night's loss, Reds GM indicated that Dusty Baker will be back in 2014, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. When asked if there was any question about Baker returning, Jocketty said: “I don’t think so.  He’s signed for another year.” The final call on the veteran skipper will be made by owner Bob Castellini.
  • The Cubs have a plan in place for the future but it will require patience as their top prospects aren't ready for the big leagues yet, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  President Theo Epstein has indicated that he won't spend a ton this winter and will instead look to fill holes with low-cost signings.

Quick Hits: Byrd, Angels, Mariners, Ripken, Weiss

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The Reds could have claimed outfielder Marlon Byrd, who the Pirates acquired in August, but they passed on the chance, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes (on Twitter). Byrd was owed near the league-minimum salary and was in the midst of a solid year, and it was well-known that the Reds' division rivals in Pittsburgh needed an outfielder. The Reds had waiver priority, and thus could have blocked the Mets from trading Byrd to Pittsburgh. But they didn't, and he homered against them in their 6-2, season-ending loss to the Bucs Tuesday night. The primary purpose of claiming Byrd would have been to block the Pirates from getting him, but it's worth noting, too, that the righty Byrd could have been quite helpful for the Reds tonight against Bucs lefty starter Francisco Liriano, who baffled the Reds' lefty-heavy lineup with sliders. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Angels still haven't dismissed GM Jerry Dipoto or manager Mike Scioscia, and that might be an indication that both will still be with the team in 2014, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes. The Angels' massively disappointing season and reports of conflict between Dipoto and Scioscia have led to reports that one of them might depart at the end of the season, but so far that hasn't happened. Scioscia is owed around $27MM over the next five years, and Dipoto is under contract through next year.
  • Mariners Chairman/CEO Howard Lincoln is expressing confidence in GM Jack Zduriencik, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. After a recent series of poor seasons and the abrupt departure of manager Eric Wedge, the Mariners appear to be in disarray. But Lincoln says that firing Zduriencik would lead the organization in the wrong direction. "I know how frustrated the fans are. No one is more frustrated than I am," he says. "But we have to be patient and stick with the program we have invested so much in. We can't switch horses, change gears, whatever you want to call it now. That's not a good idea." Lincoln also says the Mariners have received inquiries from plenty of potential managerial applicants, even though Zduriencik's questionable status might appear to make the Mariners' managerial job an undesirable one.
  • Former Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. isn't tipping his hand about whether he might be interested in managing the Nationals, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. He does, however, seem interested in managing a big-league team someday. "At some point I might like to do that," Ripken says. The Nationals will be looking for a manager to replace the retiring Davey Johnson. In August, in response to a question about managing, Ripken said, "I think I would be more curious at this stage in my life than I have been."
  • Rockies manager Walt Weiss isn't under contract for 2014, but the team wants him to return, writes Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies hired Weiss after the 2012 season, signing him to a one-year deal. His next contract might be a two-year deal, or perhaps a one-year deal with an option.
  • Renck also notes that, while the Rockies' main front-office personnel will likely remain the same, roles could change, perhaps with Bill Geivett moving into "more of a traditional GM role." Geivett currently reports to GM Dan O'Dowd, but Geivett currently runs Major League operations while O'Dowd works on the minor leagues.

NL Central Notes: Pirates, Reds, Hinch, Brewers

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The Pirates, who tonight will host their first playoff game since 1992, were built not only through the draft, as small-payroll teams often are, but also through trades and free agency, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker and Tony Watson were drafted by Neal Huntington's predecessor Dave Littlefield, and Huntington drafted Pedro Alvarez, Jordy Mercer, Justin Wilson and Gerrit Cole. But the 2013 Pirates were shaped, in large part, by two 2012 acquisitions of former Yankees — the Bucs traded for top-of-the-rotation starter A.J. Burnett before the 2012 campaign, and signed catcher and defensive wizard Russell Martin to a two-year deal after the season was over. Here are more notes from around the NL Central.

  • A loss for the Reds tonight could raise questions about the team's future, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is set to become a free agent. And if pitching coach Bryan Price becomes a top managerial candidate with the Mariners, there might be questions about Dusty Baker's future with the Reds as well, since the Reds would likely want to keep Price. Such questions probably wouldn't be resolved right away, however — Baker is due around $4MM next year, and the Reds had 90 wins this year, so there would be no rush to replace him.
  • After dismissing Dale Sveum, the Cubs are looking for a manager, and Rosenthal (via Twitter) thinks former Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch might be one possibility. Hinch is currently an assistant GM for the Padres. Rosenthal tweets that, among Padres personnel, Hinch appears more likely for the Cubs job than special assistant Brad Ausmus.
  • First base tops the Brewers' list of priorities this offseason, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes. Brewers first basemen hit just .206/.259/.370 in 2013, and their primary first baseman was Yuniesky Betancourt, who hit .212/.240/.355. GM Doug Melvin suggests the Brewers could bring back Corey Hart after Hart missed the entire 2013 season, but the Brewers want to learn more about the condition of his knees.

Boras Targeting $100MM+ For Shin-Soo Choo

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Last month, one MLB executive told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that Shin-Soo Choo could fetch $90-$100MM on the open market this winter.  It's a number that probably seems high to many, but agent Scott Boras thinks that figure is actually on the low side.

"As a custom of the industry, prognostications by executives this time of year are dramatically divergent from the real market," Boras told Heyman. "I don't think anyone correctly predicted what Jayson Werth or Carl Crawford got."

Heyman checked in with three other execs on guesses for Choo – two said $75MM over five years and one threw out $56MM for four.  Two of the executives were probably using B.J. Upton's $75.5MM, five-year deal as a comp, and the other was likely looking at Michael Bourn's four-year, $48MM pact with the Indians (and possibly Nick Swisher's four-year, $56MM contract as well).  Boras argues that none of those estimates are on the mark because, in part, they are working off of the assumption that five years is as high as a club will go.  

The agent notes that Werth got seven years from the Nationals, and while Choo isn't exactly a spring chicken, he is the same age (31) that Werth was when he inked his deal. Choo also actually boasts a slightly better career slash line than Werth.  He adds that Choo's value could also get a boost thanks to his ability to play center field and bat leadoff (though a look at defensive metrics like UZR and DRS indicate that Choo is clearly not cut out for center field).

If Choo's next deal is worth $100MM or more, it would be more than just surprising, it would be historical.  Of the 43 players that have received nine-figure deals, only six - Werth, Zack Greinke, Ryan Zimmerman, Mike Hampton, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran - had just one All-Star selection before putting pen to paper.  Choo, meanwhile, has never made an All-Star team.

So far, Choo has already been linked to the Mets and Cubs, and he should have plenty of other suitors this offseason. Choo reportedly "loves" Cincinnati, but GM Walt Jocketty was candid earlier in the year in expressing that it would likely be difficult for the team to afford Choo beyond 2013.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Reds Release Kyle Lotzkar

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The Reds have released right-hander Kyle Lotzkar, MLBTR has learned. The 23-year-old was designated for assignment earlier in the month along with fellow righty Josh Ravin to clear roster space for Johnny Cueto and Sean Marshall, each of whom was returning from the 60-day DL.

Lotzkar, 23, was a supplemental-round pick (53rd overall) by the Reds in 2007 as compensation for the loss of Scott Schoeneweis to free agency. At the time of the draft, Baseball America wrote that Lotzkar had established himself as the clear second-best prospect in Canada behind right-hander Phillipe Aumont, praising Lotzkar's projectable frame and potential for two plus pitches.

Lotzkar ranked in the Reds' Top 30 prospects, per BA, in each of the past six seasons, coming in at No. 12 prior to the 2013 campaign. In their most recent analysis, BA noted that Lotzkar possessed some of the best stuff in Cincinnati's system when at his best, calling his power curveball and 90-94 mph fastball both above-average. Health has never been a given with Lotzkar, however, as he's battled through Tommy John and a stress fracture in his right elbow since being drafted.

In 38 innings for the Reds this season, Lotzkar posted an 8.05 ERA and 37 walks, though he still boasted an impressive 41 strikeouts. Striking batters out has never been an issue for Lotzkar, and his command has typically been significantly better than it was in 2013, as evidenced by career marks of 10.5 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Kendrick, Bradley, Balentien, Brennaman

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This Sunday is Mariano Rivera Day at Yankee Stadium — a day set aside to commemorate the Hall of Fame career of the greatest closer in baseball history. However, as the New York Post's Ken Davidoff writes, Rivera came close to never saving a game in Yankee pinstripes. Prior to the 1996 season, the Yankees debated flipping Rivera to the Mariners in exchange for offensively challenged shortstop Felix Fermin because they weren't sure a hot prospect by the name of Derek Jeter was ready. Several members of the Yankees staff, including then-assistant-GM Brian Cashman and then-manager Joe Torre talked president George Steinbrenner out of the deal. Jeter went on to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, while Rivera finished third in the Cy Young voting with 107 2/3 innings of dominant relief work. Here's more from around the league…

  • Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick will be shut down after getting a second opinion on his injured right shoulder, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Though the move could be purely precautionary, Kendrick had expected to return to the rotation. As Zolecki notes, any concern over Kendrick's shoulder could play a role in the team's decision whether to offer him salary arbitration. The 29-year-old is set to reach his fourth and final season of arbitration eligibility, and will be due a raise on the $4.5MM he earned last year. He has struggled to a 4.70 ERA in 182 innings on the season, his worst campaign since 2010. Advanced metrics see things somewhat differently, though they do not necessarily make him look much more appealing in broader terms: Kendrick's 4.01 FIP and 4.15 xFIP are actually the second-best tallies of his career. By measure of SIERA, the hurler has never posted a sub-4.00 season.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers says that phenom Archie Bradley will not reach the bigs this year, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "To add him to the roster in the winter when roster spots are very valuable to us — and the team being pretty much out of contention — didn't make a lot of sense," said Towers. The 21-year-old starter will, however, get a chance to earn a spot in the club's 2014 rotation in spring training, according to the Snakes' GM.
  • Wladimir Balentien's historic season in Japan has led to speculation that he might be a big league target in spite of his long-term deal with the Yakult Swallows. For his part, however, Balentien insists he has had no thoughts of a move, per a Nikkan Sports report (link in Japanese) transmitted via Twitter by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. "No. I'm surprised that's come up," said Balentien in reference to the rumors."I'm with the Swallows for four years."
  • Marty Brennaman, the Reds' radio voice since 1974, has just inked a new three-year deal at age 71, reports Nick Hurm of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Brennaman received the Ford C. Frick Award over thirteen years back, and partnered with fellow legend Joe Nuxhall for over thirty seasons. 

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

NL Central Notes: Liriano, Choo, Gregg

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MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince offers up a list of what he considers to be the Top 10 acquisitions of this past offseason, headlined by the Pirates' signing of Francisco Liriano. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has also tabbed Liriano as the best open-market pick-up of 2013. Recently, MLBTR's Steve Adams got GM Neal Huntington's take on that signing as well as some other recent offseason acquisitions. Here are a few more notes from the National League's Central division:

  • A Reds player told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link) that pending free agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo "loves it" in Cincinnati and that teammates have been "working on him"to stay in town. Of course, with several big contracts already on the books, and with Billy Hamilton potentially ready to help at the MLB level, it has been fairly questioned whether the Reds would be in the mix for Choo. 
  • Cinci GM Walt Jocketty says the team is in fact interested in bringing back Choo, fellow Enquirer newsman C. Trent Rosecrans reports. "We feel we have a good fit for him," Jocketty explained. "We have a winning team that is built to win." The GM implied that the team had hoped to talk extension with Choo's agent, Scott Boras, earlier this year. "We've expressed to him all year [sic] our interest in re-signing him," said Jocketty. "He's wanted to wait or maybe Scott wants to wait until the year is over. We have interest in re-signing. We'll do everything we can to make that happen." Now set to hit the market after an outstanding season, Choo's price tag figures to be higher than it would have been in a mid-year extension scenario. He currently occupies the fifth slot on the 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings of MLBTR's Tim Dierkes.
  • After apparently misunderstanding comments from manager Dale Sveum regarding save opportunities down the stretch, Cubs closer Kevin Gregg blasted the organization in the media. As detailed by ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine and Jesse Rogers, GM Theo Epstein says that he could release Gregg, and will consider the decision overnight. Epstein explained that the team had no intentions of removing Gregg from his role, but instead wanted to allow recent acquisition Pedro Strop to finish a few games. 
  • Even if Gregg holds on with Chicago for the rest of the year, the incident — along with Strop's audition — could impact whether the team has any interest in bringing him back next year. Though he has cooled down considerably after a remarkable comeback in the season's earlygoing, Gregg has notched 32 saves on the year. Either way, as Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com notes, Gregg recently triggered a $500k bonus by finishing his 50th game of the year.

Brewers Claim Josh Ravin

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The Brewers have claimed Josh Ravin off waivers from the Reds, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter).  The right-hander took to Twitter himself to confirm the transaction. 

Ravin was designated for assignment by Cincinnati earlier this week.  The 25-year-old posted a 5.82 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 6.7 BB/9 in 51 innings of relief between Double-A and Triple-A this season.  He boasts a career 8.1 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 across parts of eight minor league seasons.

To keep up with the status of all players in DFA limbo, be sure to check out the MLBTR DFA Tracker.

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