Odds & Ends: Cubs, Indians, Draft Order
Let's take a look around the web on this Sunday evening:
- Cubs manager Lou Piniella says that Ryne Sandberg will be "in the mix" to succeed him as Cubs skipper, according to Andrew Simon of MLB.com. Sandberg is the manager of Chicago's Double-A affiliate and could get consideration as soon as 2011 if Piniella does not ink a new deal.
- Speaking of the Cubs, the Associated Press reports that hitting coach Von Joshua will not return to the team next year but has been invited to fill a similar role for the Triple-A affiliate. Sullivan identifies Sandberg as a possible replacement for Joshua, although GM Jim Hendry declined to name names.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Indians general manager Mark Shapiro wants to appoint the club's next manager by the end of the World Series. Hoynes says that while Cleveland's list of candidates includes some people who are already in-house, Eric Wedge's replacement will likely come from outside of the organization.
- Via twitter, ESPN's Keith Law runs down the 2010 MLB Draft order. Law also notes that spots 9-11 could change.
- Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron, who is a free agent this offseason, suffered a minor concussion when he hit his head diving for a ball in the sixth inning of the season finale, writes Adam McCalvy of Brew Beat. Cameron says that he has had several concussions during the course of his career but assured reporters that he'll "be fine."
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Indians, Draft Order
Let's take a look around the web on this Sunday evening:
- Cubs manager Lou Piniella says that Ryne Sandberg will be "in the mix" to succeed him as Cubs skipper, according to Andrew Simon of MLB.com. Sandberg is the manager of Chicago's Double-A affiliate and could get consideration as soon as 2011 if Piniella does not ink a new deal.
- Speaking of the Cubs, the Associated Press reports that hitting coach Von Joshua will not return to the team next year but has been invited to fill a similar role for the Triple-A affiliate. Sullivan identifies Sandberg as a possible replacement for Joshua, although GM Jim Hendry declined to name names.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Indians general manager Mark Shapiro wants to appoint the club's next manager by the end of the World Series. Hoynes says that while Cleveland's list of candidates includes some people who are already in-house, Eric Wedge's replacement will likely come from outside of the organization.
- Via twitter, ESPN's Keith Law runs down the 2010 MLB Draft order. Law also notes that spots 9-11 could change.
- Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron, who is a free agent this offseason, suffered a minor concussion when he hit his head diving for a ball in the sixth inning of the season finale, writes Adam McCalvy of Brew Beat. Cameron says that he has had several concussions during the course of his career but assured reporters that he'll "be fine."
Farrell Out Of Cleveland Search, Valentine A Candidate
After publicly stating that he is committed to the Red Sox, John Farrell has followed through and removed his name from consideration to be the Indians' next skipper, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. This comes on the heels of a Ken Rosenthal report that Cleveland was moving on as though Farrell would not be a candidate – but would have likely considered him again if he declared his interest in the job.
If Farrell and Cleveland had come to an agreement, they would have had to negotiate with Boston for a way out of the clause barring him from managing in 2010.
Now that they have scratched their reported early favorite off the list, the Indians must move ahead with their search. Rosenthal says the Tribe plans to conduct 8-10 phone interviews before whittling their way down to 3-5 finalists by the third week of October. Olney says that Torey Lovullo – manager of Cleveland's AAA affiliate – is among the in-house options that might be considered. Both Rosenthal and Olney identify Bobby Valentine as a contender.
In a separate report, Olney says that Valentine is already talking to the Marlins about a position. Although Valentine recently signed on with ESPN as an analyst, it is believed that his contract contains an escape clause that would allow him to accept an MLB managerial job. The charismatic skipper spent the last six years managing the Pacific League's Chiba Lotte Marines, where he had the support of the fans, but not the cash-strapped organization. The Mets reached the NLCS in 1999, the World Series in 2000 and went 536-467 (.534) in six seasons and change under Bobby V.
Would Valentine be your pick to manage the underachieving Indians? Who else should the Indians interview for the job?
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Indians Manager, Johnson, Padres GM, Crawford, Mauer
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up this afternoon, so let's see what he's got for us…
- The Indians plan to conduct 8-10 phone interviews for their managerial vacancy, then bring in 3-5 finalists by the third week of October, presumably for formal interviews. Bobby Valentine will be "on the short list," and will almost certainly get an interview. Buck Showalter will not be a candidate.
- Cleveland is proceeding with the search as if Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell will not be a candidate, however that could change quickly if Farrell expresses interest in the job. At that point, the three parties involved would need to discuss a way around the clause in the Farrell's contract that prohibits him from seeking a managerial job elsewhere.
- Signing Josh Johnson long-term is the Marlins' top priority this offseason. In order to get a deal done, Florida will need to "exceed significantly" the four year, $38MM deal the Royals gave Zack Greinke, who was at a similar service time level last offseason.
- If a deal doesn't get done, Johnson will almost certainly not sign an extension next offseason, when he'd be just one year away from free agency. At that point, the Fish would need to trade him.
- Who will replace Kevin Towers as Padres GM? Paul DePodesta, a special assistant to Towers and former GM of the Dodgers, is not interested in the job. Pat Gillick doesn't figure to be a candidate either.
- The leading candidate might be Diamondbacks' exec Jerry DiPoto, but the Padres would need approval from the commissioner's office to get him. CEO Jeff Moorad left the D-Backs just last December, and the league frowns upon executives raiding their former teams for front office talent.
- However, DiPoto has already interviewed for openings with the Nationals and Mariners, so it would be difficult for the D-Backs to make much of a fuss.
- Carl Crawford is "well intentioned" when he says he wants to sign a long-term extension with Tampa Bay. The problem is that the team probably won't offer him enough to keep him from becoming a free agent at the end of 2010.
- The bigger question is Joe Mauer, who can also hit free agency next winter. Mauer told The NY Times earlier this week that he is not interested in becoming the highest paid player in the game, even though he probably deserves to be. He is represented by Ron Shapiro, the same agent that kept Cal Ripken Jr. in Baltimore and Kirby Puckett in Minnesota. Shapiro clearly understands the value of a player staying with one team his entire career.
- Shapiro, father of Indians GM Mark Shapiro, would be "sticking it to his son" a bit by keeping Mauer in the AL Central. That's my phrase, not Rosenthal's.
Odds & Ends: Church, Macha, Farrell
Some more reading for the last Friday night of the 2009 regular season….
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com wonders if Ryan Church has played his last game for the Braves. Bowman thinks, because of Church's back injuries, the Braves may not want to pay for a salary bump through arbitration.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin has not yet met with Ken Macha to discuss his future in Milwaukee, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It looks as if Macha will be back in the Brewers' dugout in 2010, but Melvin probably won't make it official until after Sunday's finale.
- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell attempts to dispel rumors that he'll be the next manager in Cleveland, via Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks at the AL Rookie of the Year race and concludes that the candidate he'd most like to have for the next few seasons is Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter) is surprised the Orioles picked up Dave Trembley's 2010 option.
- If Bobby Jenks is back in Chicago in 2010, White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper expects a better season out of the closer, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal writes that the Indians are still feeling the "punch to the gut" of losing Victor Martinez.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com notes that it's not certain whether Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will be back in Texas in 2010.
Odds & Ends: Church, Macha, Farrell
Some more reading for the last Friday night of the 2009 regular season….
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com wonders if Ryan Church has played his last game for the Braves. Bowman thinks, because of Church's back injuries, the Braves may not want to pay for a salary bump through arbitration.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin has not yet met with Ken Macha to discuss his future in Milwaukee, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It looks as if Macha will be back in the Brewers' dugout in 2010, but Melvin probably won't make it official until after Sunday's finale.
- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell attempts to dispel rumors that he'll be the next manager in Cleveland, via Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks at the AL Rookie of the Year race and concludes that the candidate he'd most like to have for the next few seasons is Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter) is surprised the Orioles picked up Dave Trembley's 2010 option.
- If Bobby Jenks is back in Chicago in 2010, White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper expects a better season out of the closer, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal writes that the Indians are still feeling the "punch to the gut" of losing Victor Martinez.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com notes that it's not certain whether Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will be back in Texas in 2010.
Heyman On Best Moves & Managerial Changes
Jon Heyman of SI.com ranks the best moves of the year and Matt Holliday figures in prominently. Heyman says the Rockies made the move of the year when the acquired Huston Street, Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith for Holliday. And Heyman says the Cardinals made the third-best move of the year when they acquired Holliday for Brett Wallace and two other prospects. Here's the latest on some managers and potential managers:
- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell appears to be the Indians' preferred choice to manage the club next year. In fact, he may be the only candidate they're seriously considering right now.
- In all likelihood, the Orioles will replace manager Dave Trembley. He couldn't steer the team to a strong finish, so they could lose 100 games.
- Jerry Manuel (Mets) and Ken Macha (Brewers) will likely return as "lame ducks" next year.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman has a chance at winning the permanent managerial job.
Heyman On Best Moves & Managerial Changes
Jon Heyman of SI.com ranks the best moves of the year and Matt Holliday figures in prominently. Heyman says the Rockies made the move of the year when the acquired Huston Street, Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith for Holliday. And Heyman says the Cardinals made the third-best move of the year when they acquired Holliday for Brett Wallace and two other prospects. Here's the latest on some managers and potential managers:
- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell appears to be the Indians' preferred choice to manage the club next year. In fact, he may be the only candidate they're seriously considering right now.
- In all likelihood, the Orioles will replace manager Dave Trembley. He couldn't steer the team to a strong finish, so they could lose 100 games.
- Jerry Manuel (Mets) and Ken Macha (Brewers) will likely return as "lame ducks" next year.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman has a chance at winning the permanent managerial job.
Odds & Ends: Sandberg, Yanks, Padres, Upton
Some links to read before the final weekend of the regular season…
- Ryne Sandberg tells Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times that his "ideal job" would be managing the Cubs.
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says C.C. Sabathia and Mike Mussina are the only two Yankee pitchers of the decade to deliver big seasons right after signing big free agent contracts.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune says there's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Padres GM Kevin Towers.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale says (via Twitter) that the Giants expect Randy Johnson to retire after the season.
- Nightengale says teams expect the Rays to deal B.J. Upton this winter.
- Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants need Bengie Molina and Buster Posey next year.
- Justin Masterson tells John Tomase of the Boston Herald that his former pitching coach, John Farrell, would make a good manager.
Gammons On Wedge, Halladay, Giants
ESPN.com's Peter Gammons describes how hard it is to win when there's no room for error. It's tough for small-market teams like the Indians and Blue Jays to win when every mistake and injury costs them. Here are Gammons' latest rumors:
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro never felt that the club's disappointing season was manager Eric Wedge's fault, but someone had to go. Shapiro still fired Wedge, but could any manager have done much better with a team that traded its veterans (most notably Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee) and endured an injury-plagued season from its best player (Grady Sizemore)?
- If the Blue Jays can't sign Roy Halladay long-term, they can expect to get 60% of what J.P. Ricciardi could have obtained if he had dealt the Jays' ace within the AL East back in July.
- Gammons finds it hard to believe that there are questions remaining about Giants GM Brian Sabean, whose future in San Francisco remains uncertain. In spite of some over-zealous spending (Aaron Rowand and Barry Zito come to mind), there's a lot to like about the Giants.
- Mets ownership doesn't like the team to spend above-slot on its draft picks, which weakens the team's minor league system. Gammons says their system has become deeper, however.