Shapiro To Become Indians President, Antonetti GM
Indians GM Mark Shapiro will become team president after the season and assistant GM Chris Antonetti will become GM. Current president Paul Dolan will become team chairman and CEO at that point.
Jim Duquette of MLB Home Plate first reported the move (via Twitter). MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince added detail and noted that the deal had become official (via Twitter). Last July, Jon Heyman of SI.com suggested this change could occur sometime.
Antonetti, 35, has already taken on many day-to-day GM responsibilities, according to Castrovince. The executive oversees player development, pro scouting, information systems, statistical analysis and video scouting. He joined the Indians in 1999 and turned down the chance to become Cardinals GM after 2007.
Shapiro started with the Indians in 1992 and replaced John Hart as team GM in 2001. Shapiro's Indians won 635 regular season games, losing 661. The Indians won the AL Central in 2007 but lost to Red Sox in the ALCS. Click here to check out Shapiro's trade history and here to look back at one of his most successful deals.
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Benson, Giants, Mariners
A quick rundown of some of the day's items…
- In an appearance on WEEI's Dale & Holley Show, ESPN's Keith Law said that the Red Sox are the clear front-runners if and when Adrian Gonzalez hits the trade market. "I really think that Boston could top anybody if Adrian Gonzalez becomes available, and he will," Law said. The transcript of Law's appearance is available here.
- It looks like Washington might still be the only team interested in Kris Benson. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that the Indians have no interest in the right-hander.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark polled "20 baseball wise men" to get their take on the offseason moves. The panel picked Seattle and Arizona as the most improved teams in their respective leagues, while Cleveland and the Dodgers were the least improved. John Lackey was named the winter's best free agent signing, while Brandon Lyon's deal with Houston was considered the worst.
- Giants infielder Freddy Sanchez underwent shoulder surgery on December 23, but the news of the procedure didn't come out until almost a month later. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News believes the club wanted to keep Sanchez's condition a secret in order to help them sign Juan Uribe to a more team-friendly contract. Uribe signed a one-year, $3.25MM deal on January 5.
- MLB.com's Jim Street answers some Mariner-related questions in a fan mailbag. Some topics of note include the possibility that the M's could deal one of their surplus outfielders, and Chad Cordero could also be trade bait if he doesn't make the Seattle bullpen but otherwise appears recovered from shoulder surgery.
- Matt Klaassen of Fangraphs thinks "Arizona overpaid a bit" in the arbitration settlement between the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson, but also notes that "there is reason to believe this deal is fair to both sides."
- Miguel Olivo took less money to play in Colorado because he wanted to be on a contending team, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- "It's decision time" for teams to negotiate with players entering the last year of their contracts, says USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
- Wandy Rodriguez and the Astros had their arbitration hearing today, and The Associated Press reports that a decision should be reached by tomorrow. Rodriguez wants $7MM, while Houston has countered with an offer of $5MM.
- Jane Lee of MLB.com breaks down the dollars and reasoning behind Oakland's quick flip of Willy Taveras earlier this month.
- There are no new developments between Jonny Gomes and the Reds, but John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the two sides are still talking. GM Walt Jocketty is hopeful the team and player "can get something done this weekend."
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at some of the issues facing the Pirates this spring, and notes that the club's young players could be helped without the pressure to win starting jobs.
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Lowell, Mauer, Adrian
Links for Wednesday…
- I recently did an Orioles-centric phone interview with Tom Sedlacek of the Bowie Baysox website.
- The Cubs signed 18-year-old Korean righty Kim Jin-yeong for $1.2MM, reports Matt DeWoskin of True Stories Of Korean Baseball. I have heard that this is not official yet, however.
- Ted Lilly would like to remain with the Cubs beyond 2010, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, but the lefty doesn't want to be a distraction.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford chatted with Mike Lowell about his near-trade to the Rangers and his future with the Red Sox.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today examines the Joe Mauer extension situation, drawing a parallel to Cal Ripken in 1992.
- This time, Padres CEO Jeff Moorad talked about hope and optimism regarding an extension for Adrian Gonzalez (Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals, Reds, and Indians made big league offers to Chien-Ming Wang, while the Dodgers and Rays showed interest but did not make offers.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Tigers traded Curtis Granderson because they soured on him as a player.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has the numbers on the five remaining arbitration cases.
Russell Branyan Down To Indians, Rays
Free agent slugger Russell Branyan is down to the Indians and Rays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The FOX writer says the Red Sox are "no longer a factor."
Yesterday, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi made the Boston connection. The Rays' interest was characterized as "mild," with the Tribe considered the frontrunner. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets agreement that the Indians are the favorite. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince said the Indians made a Major League offer.
Branyan Has Offer From Indians
2:53pm: Castrovince hears (via Twitter) that the Indians offered Branyan a major league deal.
10:19am: The Indians have an offer out to Branyan, though it's not clear whether it is for a major league deal, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. The club could platoon Branyan with Matt LaPorta, who has been cleared to resume baseball activities after undergoing surgeries on his left hip and left big toe.
7:59am: The Rays and Red Sox are in the mix for Russell Branyan, but neither one of those clubs has progressed as far as the Indians, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Rays have "mild interest" in the 30-homer man and the Red Sox are keeping tabs on him even though they don't appear to have room for the slugger unless they trade Mike Lowell.
Odds & Ends: Rangers, Wang, Indians
A few links to pass along….
- Jon Daniels says "it's less than 50-50" that the Rangers make any more moves before spring training, reports Jeff Wilson of The Dallas Morning News. Wilson adds that Rod Barajas and Rocco Baldelli have been connected to Texas this winter, and the Rangers might also be interested in a platoon partner for Chris Davis.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals are out of the Chien-Ming Wang sweepstakes. We've already learned that the Nationals are the favorites to sign the right-hander.
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer answers some reader mail that covers such topics as a possible Grady Sizemore trade and Omar Vizquel's somewhat surprising criteria for picking a new city.
- Orlando Cabrera and Aaron Miles aren't exactly the first two names that leap to mind when you're thinking about October baseball, but Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that the duo's playoff experience was a factor in their acquisition, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times provides a general recap of the 2009-10 offseason.
Heyman On Damon, Braves, Wang, Dye
Jon Heyman of SI.com explains that expectations for Johnny Damon were unrealistically high at the beginning of the offseason. Here's Heyman's latest on Damon and others:
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland is said to want Damon badly.
- Heyman hears that the Braves might have $6MM to spend.
- Chien-Ming Wang's agent says his client is still a week or so away from deciding where he'll sign. Competitors still expect the righty to sign an incentive-laden deal with the Nationals.
- We've heard that the Indians are considering Jermaine Dye; Heyman says he could play some first base in Cleveland.
Disappointing Offseason For Russell Branyan
Russell Branyan ranked second among all free agents this offseason with 31 home runs in 2009. The slugger, represented by Dan Lozano, entered free agency seeking a three-year deal in the $20-30MM range according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Branyan rejected a one-year offer with a club option to return to the Mariners, and they moved on to Casey Kotchman and Ryan Garko.
Rumors of the Marlins' interest in Branyan were shot down, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that the Blue Jays and Indians are considering him. A back problem hampered Branyan in the second half last year, but he says he feels great now. Rosenthal reported that Branyan has been working out with Dan Uggla and Khalil Greene at Vanderbilt.
Hank Blalock Looking For Work
Hank Blalock, Carlos Delgado, and Russell Branyan comprise the remaining free agent market for potential starting first baseman/designated hitters. Let's review all three, starting with Blalock.
Blalock, 29, is represented by Scott Boras. He hit .234/.277/.459 in 495 plate appearances for the Rangers last year. It was his first healthy season since '06, but he posted the lowest batting average and on-base percentage of his career.
Blalock came up as a third baseman, but played only nine innings there in '09. He logged 567.6 innings at first base, spending the rest of his time as a designated hitter. In recent years Blalock had a rib removed due to thoracic outlet syndrome and also had shoulder and wrist surgeries. The Indians are the only known Blalock suitor, as the Orioles, Braves, and Pirates have gone in different directions.
Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Jackson, Blalock, Bedard
Some Tuesday night links…
- Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweets that neither Tim Lincecum nor the Giants have budged in their negotiations, and his arbitration hearing is set for Friday.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports (via Twitter) that the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson still haven't made any progress towards an agreement. Their arbitration hearing is now just eight days away.
- In addition to having interest in Russell Branyan and Jermaine Dye, the Indians are also talking to Hank Blalock, reports Rosenthal. He adds that the Blue Jays are also in on Branyan.
- In a pair of tweets, Rosenthal passes along the incentives in Erik Bedard's contract. They lefty could bring in $500K each for 14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 starts, plus $600K for every 25 innings after 75.
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com report that Damon hasn't moved off his demand of a two-year deal. Good luck with that, Johnny.
- Morosi and Rosenthal also report that the Rangers and Mets appear to be "hamstrung by complications at the ownership level," meaning they're approaching their payroll limits.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said the team has some interest in bringing Willy Taveras back on a minor league deal. Oakland released Taveras today.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (via Peter Schmuck) spoke to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who indicated that the team has not had recent talks with the agents for Jarrod Washburn or Chien-Ming Wang. The O's were linked to both pitchers earlier today.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says (via Twitter) that it's "highly unlikely" that the Padres will sign Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi. Several teams reportedly offered the southpaw a minor league contract.