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Managerial Notes: Astros, Indians, Red Sox

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A few links of interest regarding one managerial vacancy — and two that may be open once the offseason rolls around.

  • The Astros were thought to be interested in former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman, who previously worked for Houston GM Jeff Luhnow with the Cardinals, though the sides have not spoken, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com (Twitter links). Houston's manager, Tony DeFrancesco, is helming the club on an interim basis following the dismissal of Brad Mills last month, while Riggleman is currently the manager of the Reds' Double-A affiliate.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti has joined the team in Texas, but he said the visit was scheduled and has nothing to do with a potential shakeup, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. When asked about the job security of manager Manny Acta, Antonetti said: "I don't feel any differently than when we talked earlier. I think I'll save any sort of assessments until the end of the season. I think that's probably the best thing to do.
  • Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine says he's "the best man for the job" in Boston, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. The manager said he has suffered along with Red Sox fans this year and expects to return in 2013.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Indians, Free Agents

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The Orioles decided to rely on internal options in the outfield after surveying the market for trade targets, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The Orioles had some interest in Juan Pierre, but it appears they’ll rely on players such as Nate McLouth, Chris Davis, Xavier Avery, Endy Chavez and Lew Ford in the outfield with Nick Markakis injured. Here are today’s links…

  • Jim Bowden lists some potential destinations for the offseason’s top free agents at ESPN.com. For example, could the Yankees could be a fit for Josh Hamilton? Could the Dodgers land Zack Greinke? Here’s MLBTR’s list of 2013 free agents.
  • Indians ownership was "unhappy" with the team's second half performance, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. GM Chris Antonetti said "nothing is new" regarding the job security of manager Manny Acta. "I don't think anyone's happy with where we are or how we've played," Antonetti said.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo offers a report on the latest transactions involving top prospects.

Rosenthal On Farrell, Indians, Nationals

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The Blue Jays shouldn’t part with manager John Farrell unless they are confident they can hire a comparable replacement and make the Red Sox pay dearly for their former pitching coach, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Blue Jays could start by asking for Clay Buchholz again, Rosenthal suggests. Here’s more from around MLB, starting with Farrell…

  • People who know Farrell find it difficult to believe he’d try to force his way out of Toronto, Rosenthal reports. The Blue Jays appear to value Farrell and don’t want to see him leave.
  • Most MLB teams wanted to develop Jurickson Profar as a pitcher when he was an amateur player, Rosenthal reports. The Rangers built a relationship with Profar, who wanted to play shortstop.
  • Scouts following the Indians like the team’s up-the-middle talent, but say the body language of manager Manny Acta suggests he’s resigned to losing. The Indians are expected to consider trade offers for Justin Masterson, Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Perez this offseason and rival teams wonder if they’d listen to offers for Asdrubal Cabrera.
  • Indians officials are “livid” with Perez for his comments about the team’s ownership and top baseball executives, Rosenthal writes. Perez questioned the Indians’ decision making and spending last week in an interview with Jon Paul Morosi. Some executives viewed those remarks as an attempt to get traded, Rosenthal reports.
  • One Orioles person points out that Andy MacPhail traded for many of the Orioles’ key players in a series of successful deals. MacPhail dealt for players such as J.J. Hardy, Pedro Strop, Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Robert Andino and Adam Jones before stepping down following the 2011 season.
  • Though the Nationals would like to retain Adam LaRoche, they can rely on internal options if the first baseman’s asking price reaches the three-year, $33-36MM range. Similarly, the Nationals might decide not to pursue Michael Bourn despite the long-standing expectation that they will offer him a competitive free agent contract.
  • The Brewers will need to sign a starting pitcher and fix their bullpen this coming offseason, Rosenthal writes.

Rosenthal On Clemens, Indians, Pagan

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Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count (video link) from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • Roger Clemens says that he has no plans of making a big league return this season, but a lot of people with the Astros remain skeptical.  If The Rocket plans on coming back, however, he'll have to do it soon.  Houston begins a seven-game homestand against two non-contenders in the Cubs and Phillies on Monday.  They'll be hosting the Pirates and Cardinals in their other homestand and they could not pitch him against those teams without compromising the integrity of the pennant race.
  • Indians officials are leaning towards retaining manager Manny Acta as they know that a new manager won't make all that much of a difference.  They also don't have to worry about placating their fans as they already rank 28th in MLB in home attendance.  Of course, a poor finish to the season could change their minds about Acta.
  • Giants centerfielder Angel Pagan will be coveted by several teams this offseason and his value to the Giants has only increased since the suspension of Melky Cabrera.  Pagan is also similar offensively, from a statistical standpoint, to fellow free agent centerfielder Michael Bourn.  Bourn is obviously a stronger base stealer, a year-and-a-half younger, and offers a longer track record.  However, Pagan could be a decent alternative to the Braves star.

Trade Candidate: Chris Perez

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Chris Perez is enjoying a nice comeback season in 2012 and made the All-Star team, but the Indians closer has mostly drawn attention for his statements off the field.  Perez criticized Cleveland fans for low attendance and a perceived lack of support last spring, and now the right-hander has spoken out against team management in a recent interview with FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi.

Perez is clearly frustrated in Cleveland, and if his latest comments were the last straw for Indians' management, it might be best for both sides if they parted ways this offseason.  The Indians have a deep bullpen that includes the likes of Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith and Tony Sipp, with Pestano the favorite to take over closing duties should Perez get traded.

There was talk, in fact, that Pestano could've taken over as closer in 2012 in the wake of Perez's shaky 2011 campaign.  While Perez posted a 3.32 ERA, his advanced metrics (4.65 SIERA, 5.01 xFIP) weren't kind and he had a career-low 5.9 K/9, good for just a 1.5 K/BB ratio.  Perez has bounced back nicely this season (3.51 ERA, 2.55 SIERA, 3.18 xFIP, a 10.4 K/9 and a career-low 2.0 BB/9) and the righty now has a career 3.20 ERA and 266 strikeouts in 270 innings over five seasons. 

At age 27, Perez is in his prime and arguably has more upside than any of the free agent closing options on the market this winter.  He will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter after agreeing on a $4.5MM contract for 2012, so you can guess Perez is looking at a raise to around $6MM in 2013.  The escalating cost might've made Perez a trade candidate anyway for the cost-conscious Indians though other teams around baseball may also hesitate to take Perez given that he's on pace to earn even more in 2014 after his final arb year.  Still, $6MM for a proven closer is not a bad price to pay.

Here are a few teams who may be looking for a new closer this offseason….

  • Mets. Frank Francisco is set to earn $6.5MM next season and the Mets may not have much payroll space to work with this winter.  Still, the Mets are known to be looking for bullpen help and could be looking for a longer-term option than Francisco, who has pitched better (3.55 SIERA, 10.07 K/9) than his 5.49 ERA would indicate.
  • Dodgers. A very borderline candidate, as L.A. would only be looking for closing help if Kenley Jensen's heart problems proved to be career-threatening.
  • Astros. Wilton Lopez was recently named closer and the rebuilding Astros will likely look for young arms and low-cost veterans in their bullpen rather than pursue a bigger name this offseason.
  • Red Sox. It's probably unlikely that the Sox would pursue another closer but Perez would provide depth given Andrew Bailey's injury history.
  • Tigers. Jose Valverde is a free agent this winter and the Tigers could look for a younger upgrade to finish games.  It's doubtful the Indians would deal Perez to a divisional rival, especially in this case since Perez singled out the Tigers for praise as a team who spends despite their medium market size.
  • Yankees. If Rafael Soriano leaves for free agency, the Yankees could want a proven closer on hand should Mariano Rivera have a setback in his recovery from a torn ACL.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Mets, Profar

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The Braves defeated the Rockies 1-0 this afternoon behind one unearned run and another strong start from Tim Hudson. Atlanta now has a 78-60 record and their chances of making the playoffs exceed 90%, according to Baseball Prospectus. Here are today’s links, starting in Colorado…

  • There are still no winners in the trade that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland for Alex White and Drew Pomeranz, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. White and Pomeranz have been disappointments in the year-plus since the 2011 trade and both must improve the command of their secondary pitches to start seeing better results, Renck writes.
  • The Mets are expected reduce their losses from the $70MM range to $23MM this year, Josh Kosman of the New York Post reports. The Mets cut their payroll considerably last offseason and it currently sits in the $94.5MM range, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Their payroll is expected to stay in the same range for 2013.
  • Jurickson Profar belongs at the MLB level even if he isn't as physically imposing as some of the sport's other young stars, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes. Profar, the 19-year-old shortstop prospect who was recently called up by the Rangers, has impressive makeup at a young age, Passan writes.

Chris Perez Talks Indians, Tigers

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Indians closer Chris Perez offered some potentially controversial analysis of the Cleveland market in an interview that could put the outspoken right-hander back in the national spotlight. In particular, Perez highlighted that the Tigers regularly out-spend their division rivals in Cleveland.

“Different owners,” Perez told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. “It comes down to that. They [the Tigers] are spending money. He [owner Mike Ilitch] wants to win. Even when the economy was down, he spent money. He’s got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball. Sometimes you don’t. But most of the time you do.”

Perez went on to say that top baseball executives have a share of the responsibility as well. Owners don’t make the baseball decisions, so general managers must be accountable for player moves, he said.

“The GMs can only spend the money the owners give them, but they pick who they spend it on or who they don’t,” Perez said. “They pick. The owners don’t pick.”

Perez, 27, suggested the Indians would be better off if they had been more aggressive on last year’s free agent market.

“Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup. They didn’t want to [pony] up for that last year. … That’s the decision they make, and this is the bed we’re laying in,” he said.

The two-time All-Star earns $4.5MM this year and will go to arbitration this coming offseason. The Indians control his rights through 2014, but they could look to trade him before then in the opinion of MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Perez has a 3.51 ERA with 10.4 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and 34 saves in 48 2/3 innings so far in 2012. 

The Tigers rank fifth in MLB with a payroll of $132.3MM, according to USA Today. Meanwhile, the Indians rank 21st with a payroll of $78.4MM. President Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti run the team, which is owned by Larry Dolan.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Moskos, Duncan

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The latest outright assignments from around MLB… 

  • The White Sox outrighted left-hander Daniel Moskos to Triple-A, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Moskos has spent the entire season at Triple-A and posted a 4.05 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 33 1/3 innings for the top affiliates of the Pirates and White Sox this year.
  • The Indians announced that they outrighted outfielder Shelley Duncan to Triple-A. They had designated the 32-year-old for assignment two days ago after he posted a .203/.288/.388 batting line with 11 homers.

Indians Designate Shelley Duncan For Assignment

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The Indians have designated Shelley Duncan for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the roster for Jeanmar Gomez, who was recalled from Triple-A.

Duncan, 32, hit .203/.288/.388 with 11 homers in 264 plate appearances for Cleveland this season. He's a .229/.306/.427 career hitter in 933 big league plate appearances, including a .243/.319/.428 line against left-handers. Duncan has experience in both corner outfield spots as well as first base.

Indians Claim Scott Maine

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The Indians announced that they claimed left-hander Scott Maine off of waivers from the Cubs. The Cubs designated Maine for assignment two days ago to create 40-man roster space for catcher Anthony Recker.

Maine, a sixth round selection in 2007, appeared in 21 games for the Cubs this year, posting a 4.79 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 20 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old has had high strikeout and walk rates throughout his professional career. In parts of six minor league seasons, Maine has a 3.28 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.

The Indians note that Maine and Cleveland closer Chris Perez played together in college at the University of Miami.

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