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Quick Hits: Indians, Red Sox, Dylan Bundy

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On this day in 1949, Cleveland owner Bill Veeck and a group of players held a funeral service to bury the 1948 pennant in centerfield. The Indians were mathematically eliminated from the American League pennant race 24 hours prior on their off-day. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines from around the league…

  • Finding a reliable backup for Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop should be a priority for the Indians this offseason, opines Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland has relied on the services of Brent Lillibridge and Jason Donald for the majority of the season but mixed results and general inconsistency have left manager Manny Acta in search of another option. "We really need somebody, when we give Cabby a day off or he goes down, who can step in help us out. It's been an issue… It's been an issue."
  • Pawtucket pitching coach Rich Sauveur's big league aspirations may soon come to fruition with Boston's coaching staff facing uncertainty this offseason, writes Brian MacPherson of The Pawtucket Journal. "I want to be a pitching coach in the big leagues," Sauveur said. "I've wanted that ever since 2000 when I retired." The former Major League left-hander will spend the final two weeks of the season with the Red Sox as a reward for his strong contributions to the PawSox.
  • Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy's Major League debut against the Red Sox on Sunday didn't come without a hitch, reports MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The 19-year-old right-hander couldn't find his glove when the call came to the bullpen requesting his services on the mound. "Tommy Hunter answered the phone and told me I was going in. I said, 'What?' and I couldn't find my glove. Took me about a minute to find it," Bundy said. "He told me to get going, so I was like, OK, its happening, and I got loose as quick as I could."

AL Central Links: Leyland, Willingham, Choo

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The White Sox may be in first place in the AL Central but they're apparently going to be making some front office changes this winter.  Here are some more items from around the division….

  • Jim Leyland remains the right person to manage the Tigers, even though the team trails the White Sox in the AL Central, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press writes. Leyland has questionable job security with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
  • The Twins have a number of offseason needs but manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters (including MLB.com's Zack Meisel) that starting pitching is his team's top priority.
  • Josh Willingham recently said he'd be open to an extension with the Twins, a prospect that Seth Stohs of the Minneapolis Star Tribune thinks the club should wait to explore until after the 2013 season.  Willingham is finishing the first season of a three-year, $21MM contract and I'd agree that Minnesota should be in no rush to extend an outfielder who will be 35 years old when his current deal expires.
  • Shin-Soo Choo's trade value and his worth on the free agent market after 2013 will be limited by his inability to hit left-handed pitching, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Choo, a left-handed hitter, has just a .556 OPS against southpaws this season and a .246/.334/.353 line against lefties for his career.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian looks at the Indians' pitching struggles this season how the Tribe will try to fix the problem this winter.  Pitching upgrades are likelier to come through trades than by spending on free agents, as Bastian asks, "What team should spend big after a 90-plus loss season? The time has come again to shift the focus back to building a better foundation. The current core is not breeding confidence, especially on the mound."

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post

Managerial Notes: Scioscia, Tigers, Indians

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The Marlins and White Sox plan to re-structure their respective front offices, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported today. Nightengale also has some updates on the job security of a few MLB managers. Here are the details…

  • Mike Scioscia is in the middle of a heated internal debate in Anaheim, Nightengale reports. Though Scioscia’s contract runs through 2018, he will “likely” be a scapegoat if the Angels miss the playoffs. The Angels are four games behind the Athletics and Orioles in the Wild Card race.
  • Jim Leyland could take the fall if the Tigers don’t reach the postseason. Leyland's contract expires after the 2012 season.
  • The Indians have gone 15-41 since the All-Star break and Manny Acta is in danger of losing his job, Nightengale writes.

Central Notes: Inge, Francona, Tigers, Indians, Pirates

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"I'll be ready for spring," said former Tiger and current Athletic Brandon Inge to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Inge recently had season-ending shoulder surgery. Here is the latest from baseball's two Central divisions…

  • Terry Francona's name is "already making the rounds" as a possible hire for the Tigers or Indians this winter, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. It's unclear if Cleveland would even be able to afford the former Red Sox skipper, however.
  • Pirates owner Bob Nutting is looking into his club's operations according to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, including the draft, player development, and free agent spending. Kovacevic says he "won’t be surprised in the slightest if (Nutting) takes action once this season ends."
  • MLB.com's Peter Gammons wrote about the Brewers and GM Doug Melvin, who has made moves to help bring the club back to contention during his ten years at the helm. Our Transaction Tracker has a list of Melvin's moves, which include deals for CC Sabathia and Zack Greinke.

Heyman On Possible Manager, GM Turnover

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What began as a season that figured to have little managerial and front-office turnover at its conclusion has gone in the opposite direction over the course of a long — and for some teams very disappointing — summer, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here's a look at the teams that could make shakeups on the bench and/or in the front office:

  • Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine seems very likely to be dismissed, as "everyone in baseball is sure he is a goner." Boston likes Toronto manager John Farrell as a possible replacement, but Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has reiterated that organization policy is to preclude personnel from leaving for a lateral move. GM Ben Cherington, meanwhile, appears safe, though other tweaks could be made in the front office.
  • Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen's fate is up in the air, but Miami is more likely to shake up its front office. Factions have reportedly taken shape among the organization's top executives.
  • The Angels came into the season with very lofty goals after spending heavily in free agency. But owner Arte Moreno is reportedly unhappy with the team's poor play, while some say GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia haven't hit it off so far, with the firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher earlier this year an apparent point of contention. The pricey balance on Scioscia's contract may make firing him too difficult, though, so his departure could ultimately be his own decision. 
  • Indians manager Manny Acta has a "very real chance to be fired," as Cleveland has slipped into its second consecutive second-half slump. GM Chris Antonetti, though, is probably safe, as he's well regarded and hasn't yet been on the job for two full years.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski appears to be safe, but manager Jim Leyland, whose contract expires at the end of this season, may not be brought back, as owner Mike Ilitch is displeased with the way this season is going after spending on Prince Fielder in the offseason. 
  • Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is safe after instilling a new attitude in Pittsburgh, but GM Neal Huntington could be in trouble, especially if the team finishes under .500 for a 20th consecutive season.
  • Yankees manager Joe Girardi is safe despite his frustrations with his team's second-half struggles, and the "popular" GM Brian Cashman is in no trouble.

Central Links: Hafner, Leyland, Astros

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The Tigers are holding their collective breath after righty Max Scherzer exited Tuesday night's start prematurely because of shoulder pain. Scherzer, who leads the American League in strikeouts, is scheduled to undergo an MRI. More on the Tigers in this batch of links …

  • The Indians are expected to decline their $13MM club option on DH Travis Hafner for 2013, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Hafner, sidelined since early August due to a back injury, is trying to get back on the field for what could be his final appearances as a member of the Tribe. With a career line of .278/.382/.508, the 35-year-old has posted solid offensive numbers when healthy, but staying on the field has been an issue, as he's missed chunks of time in each of the past five seasons.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he is focused on his team's playoff chase rather than his own contract status, writes Anthony Odoardi of MLB.com. Leyland's deal expires after this season, but he maintains he has held no discussions with Detroit about this future: "I haven't discussed my situation with anyone nor has my situation been discussed with me. And I don't want to discuss my situation with anyone nor do they want to discuss it with me right now. We're trying to win a division."
  • The Astros hope to pick their next manager by the end of next week, but they may have to wait till after then to announce the decision, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. If the selected candidate is on a team that's still in the playoffs, Houston will wait till that team's season is over, McTaggart explains.
  • Astros owner Jim Crane reiterated that he's not expecting Roger Clemens to pitch this season, tweets Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
  • While some consider the second-place Tigers a disappointment after a splashy offseason that saw them land top free agent Prince Fielder, Detroit has played pretty close to where some advanced metrics suggest they should be, explains Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs.

Central Notes: Indians, Tigers, Lohse

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Dusty Baker will manage his 3,000th MLB game when the Reds visit the Cubs at Wrigley Field tonight. It’ll be a familiar setting for Baker, who managed the Cubs for four seasons before moving on to Cincinnati. Here are the latest links from MLB's two central divisions…

  • Indians president Mark Shapiro indicated that the team will have the ability to spend this offseason (Twitter link). However, Shapiro questions the depth of this particular free agent market. The Indians could be looking to sign an outfielder, and this year’s free agent class is particularly strong in the outfield.
  • Anibal Sanchez of the Tigers and Wandy Rodriguez of the Pirates are among the trade deadline acquisitions who have recovered from shaky beginnings in new cities, Paul Casella of MLB.com writes.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch writers Derrick Goold, Rick Hummel, Jeff Gordon and Tom Timmermann weigh in on whether the Cardinals should look to retain Kyle Lohse for 2013. The writers note that the Cardinals have starting pitching depth and need to spend on other areas, such as a possible extension for Adam Wainwright. Nearly three quarters of respondents to a recent MLBTR poll suggested the Cardinals should make Lohse a qualifying offer when he hits free agency after the season.

Rosenthal On Yankees, Playoffs, Sabermetrics

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The Yankees enter play today with a one-game lead over the Orioles and four games over the Rays. And, it's a good thing this isn't your father's Yankees, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. If George Steinbrenner was alive today, Rosenthal believes he might have fired manager Joe Girardi after blowing a ten-game lead in the AL East and replaced him with the likes of Lou Piniella. Hal Steinbrenner is almost the polar opposite of his father. So much so that, when Rosenthal asked Brian Cashman of the potential fallout that might occur if the team fails to reach the playoffs, the Yankees' GM said, "We have objective, patient ownership." Also from Rosenthal's column:

  • The new schedule hasn't been a cure-all for small market teams like the Rays. Rosenthal suggests one way to mitigate the Rays’ disadvantage would be to scale revenue sharing so they would receive a greater percentage than a low-revenue club such as the Indians, who compete in a division with lower payrolls.
  • A criticism of the new playoff system is Wild Card teams who have better records than division winners are penalized in the seeding of the Division Series. Rosenthal's solution is to wait until after the Wild Card game to seed the Division Series.
  • The AL CY Young Award voting will be a test of how accepted advanced statistics are by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Rosenthal points out the last eight AL pitchers to either lead or tie for the lead in those categories, like the Rays' David Price this year, each have won the award. The Tigers' Justin Verlander meanwhile leads in wins above replacement and Chris Sale of the White Sox leads in ERA+. Price is tops, however, in quality of opponents faced, based on the rankings of Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
  • Larry Bowa's interview for the Astros' managerial vacancy is a good sign, as rival executives have worried that GM Jeff Luhnow is surrounding himself with too many like-minded sabermetric types rather than building a diverse baseball operations department.
  • The Marlins may have difficulty in sticking with their plan to keep Emilio Bonifacio in center field, play Donovan Solano at second, and make the acquisition of a third baseman their top priority. Rosenthal points out the market for third basemen is bare, so one alternative for the Marlins is to acquire an outfielder and move Bonifacio back to third base.
  • Look for the Rays to exercise their $2.5MM option on Fernando Rodney. Rodney is bidding to become only the second reliever in history (Dennis Eckersley in 1990) to have a season of 40 or more saves and an ERA under 1.00. Rodney leads baseball with 43 saves and his ERA is 0.66.
  • The Cubs will look again this offseason to move Alfonso Soriano, who is one home run and one RBI shy of his first 30-homer, 100-RBI season since 2005. If the Cubs fail to receive a sufficient offer, they could always bring back Soriano, owed $36MM over the next two years, and try to move him at the deadline again. Rosenthal cited the example of Carlos Lee of how it is easier to deal an overpriced player the closer he gets to the end of his contract.

Travis Hafner Obtains Ten And Five Rights

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Travis Hafner obtained ten and five rights yesterday when he reached ten years of MLB service, MLBTR has confirmed. Hafner, who entered the season with nine years and nine days of service time, has 164 days of service so far in 2012 for a total of ten-plus years at the MLB level. 

Hafner is in the final season of a four-year, $57MM contract that includes a limited no-trade clause. The Indians now need Hafner’s permission to trade him to any team. It’s presumably a moot point for 2012, as the designated hitter has been sidelined since August 5th with lower back inflammation. If Hafner re-signs with the Indians as a free agent he’d retain the right to veto any trade. However, if he signs elsewhere he won’t have no-trade rights unless his representatives at Legacy Sports Group negotiate them into his contract.

Players who have accumulated ten years of major league service time can't be traded without their permission if they have spent the last five years with their current club. Hafner has been playing for Cleveland since 2003.

Managerial Notes: Girardi, Dodgers, Marlins

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The Astros are the only team currently looking for a manager, but within a few weeks there’s a good chance other MLB teams will be in the market for managers of their own. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports lists those who could be managing for their jobs between now and the end of the regular season. Here are the highlights…

  • Joe Girardi of the Yankees is a good manager who doesn’t deserve to be fired, Rosenthal writes. However, Girardi’s job security will be in question if the Yankees don’t win the AL East.
  • It’d be reasonable to ask if Jim Leyland got enough out of the Tigers roster if Detroit misses the postseason. The Tigers could decide it’s time for a change after seven seasons under Leyland, Rosenthal writes.
  • Though Mike Scioscia is under contract through 2018, Angels owner Arte Moreno would be disappointed to miss the playoffs after an offseason of aggressive moves.
  • The Dodgers will likely pursue a contract extension with manager Don Mattingly no matter how their season ends, Rosenthal reports.
  • Bobby Valentine won’t be back in Boston. If the Red Sox can’t pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, they’ll have to look elsewhere for a replacement.
  • Some Marlins people believe their season started deteriorating when Guillen spoke publicly about Fidel Castro in April. However, it appears more likely the Marlins will re-structure their front office than fire Guillen.
  • Rosenthal suggests Terry Francona could be a fit in Cleveland if the Indians dismiss Manny Acta following their disappointing second half. Francona will likely have options elsewhere and he might be prohibitively expensive for Cleveland.
  • Fredi Gonzalez probably won’t have to worry about his job security as long as the Braves make the playoffs.
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