Quick Hits: Cabrera, LaRoche, Astros, A’s
Earlier today, Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera announced that he is removing his name from consideration for the National League batting title in the wake of his suspension. "I have no wish to win an award that would be tainted. I believe it would be far better for someone more deserving to win…I am grateful that the Players Association and MLB were able to honor my request by suspending the rule for this season. I know that changing the rules mid-season can present problems, and I thank the Players Association and MLB for finding a way to get this done." More from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..
- Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo told Adam LaRoche and his agent they will talk about his future shortly after the playoffs, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. LaRoche has a $10MM option on his contract for next season but the veteran has made it clear that he hopes to remain in Washington.
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets that some people in baseball believe that Dan Radison will be the Astros' next manager. Former catcher Brad Ausmus was said to be in the running for the job but he removed his name from consideration earlier this evening.
- Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow confirmed that he has spoken with nine potential candidates for the managerial vacancy and has trimmed down the list somewhat, write Brian McTaggart and Clark Goble of MLB.com. However, Luhnow wouldn't say how many candidates remain in consideration.
- Athletics owner Lew Wolff believes his team's fight for a new ballpark will be settled within the next year, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Wolff went on to say that he isn't interested in battling things out with the Giants in a courtroom.
NL Central Notes: Astros, Ausmus, Reds
Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the job of Pirates GM Neal Huntington isn't completely secure. Manager Clint Hurdle appears to have won over upper management, however. Here are some more notes from the NL Central as Chris Carpenter returns to action against the Cubs…
- Brad Ausmus told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter) that he enjoyed meeting with the Astros but has withdrawn his name from consideration for their managerial job. The former catcher may also be a candidate for the Marlins if they move on from Ozzie Guillen.
- The Astros interviewed former MLB catcher Brad Ausmus for their managerial opening, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Ausmus, who played 18 seasons with the Astros, Padres, Tigers and Dodgers, is now a special assistant with the Padres.
- Several National League executives have been predicting for weeks that Ausmus is the favorite for the job in Houston, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). Nick Cafardo reported yesterday that Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar are frontrunners for the position. Interim manager Tony DeFrancesco and Nationals third base coach Bo Porter are also candidates.
- The Reds are a better team this year than they were in 2010, when they last appeared in the postseason, Rosenthal writes.
Astros Notes: Martinez, Bogar, Geith
It was on this day in 2007 that J.R. Towles set a new Astros team record by recording eight RBIs in one game, an 18-1 Houston win over the Cardinals. The Astros had high hopes for Towles as their catcher of the future, but Towles never developed, hitting just .187/.267/.315 in 484 plate appearances from 2007-2011. The catcher spent this season playing for the Twins' Triple-A affiliate.
Here's the latest out of Houston…
- Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar "are [the] front runners" to become the next Astros manager, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Astros were known to want their new manager in place by next week, though that could be delayed if their choice was working for a team going to the postseason. Interim manager Tony DeFrancesco, Nationals third base coach Bo Porter and Larry Bowa have all also interviewed for the job, with Bowa already dropping out of contention.
- The Astros announced the acquisition of left-hander Theron Geith from the Rays, completing the August 31 trade that sent Ben Francisco to Tampa Bay. Geith, 23, was a 39th-round pick for the Rays in the 2011 draft and posted a 2.98 ERA, an 8.1 K/9 and a 4.45 K/BB ratio in 31 relief appearances for high-A ball Charlotte this season.
- You can keep up on all the breaking news out of Houston on MLBTR's Astros-specific Facebook page, Twitter and RSS feeds.
Central Links: Hafner, Leyland, Astros
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.
Managerial Notes: Bowa, Bogar, Scioscia
The latest managerial notes from around the Major Leagues…
- Astros owner Jim Crane said he hopes to have decided on a manager by the end of next week, Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Crane said the Astros have interviewed five or six candidates and have a few upcoming interviews, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports (on Twitter).
- Larry Bowa won't be the Astros' next manager, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Bowa said he and Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow agreed the team needs a younger manager. The 66-year-old Bowa added that he was "very impressed" by Luhnow when the two spoke earlier in the month.
- Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar will interview for the Astros' managerial opening, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The Astros are expected to conduct the interview in the Tampa Bay area when the Red Sox visit the Rays. The interview will take place tomorrow, McTaggart reports (on Twitter). Bogar was also a candidate for Houston's managerial opening before the 2011 season.
- Nationals third base coach Bo Porter, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and interim skipper Tony DeFrancesco have already interviewed for the Astros job.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto continues to support manager Mike Scioscia, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. Dipoto pointed to Scioscia's "great track record of success," and declined to speculate about the manager's job security in detail. Scioscia is under contract through 2018.
Texas Notes: Lewis, Feliz, Astros, Bowa
Baseball's two Texas teams are currently at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the Rangers having won 87 games (third-best in MLB) and the Astros having just 48 victories (last in MLB). Here are some links surrounding the Lone Star State's two teams that will soon share a division…
- The Rangers hope to have both Neftali Feliz and Colby Lewis back mid-season in 2013, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Lewis signed an extension with the AL West leaders earlier today.
- Astros owner Jim Crane's emphasis on building a strong minor league product is beginning to pay off, as evidenced by Class A Lancaster's championship, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. McTaggart's piece provides a tremendously in-depth look at each level of the Astros' minor league system.
- SiriusXM's Mad Dog Radio interviewed Larry Bowa earlier today (hat tip: Andrew Fitzpatrick of SiriusXM). Bowa told host Chris Russo that he met general manager Jeff Luhnow and Crane in the process. Bowa sees value in Luhnow's sabermetric approach but told Russo that there's more to the game than the numbers can tell you. When asked if he is feeling the fire to manage another Major League team, Bowa replied: "…it’s a challenge and it would be something that I’d have to sit down and think about because they do have some talent down below."
Rosenthal On Yankees, Playoffs, Sabermetrics
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.
Astros Notes: Bowa, Martinez, Rays
The Astros got their managerial search underway earlier this week when they interviewed Nationals third base coach Bo Porter. Yesterday, we learned that Houston also interviewed Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and interim skipper Tony DeFrancesco. Here's the latest out of Houston..
- Larry Bowa confirmed to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that he interviewed for the Astros' managerial job on Friday. It was reported that Bowa met with General Manager Jeff Luhnow, but it was not known if Bowa was there to discuss the position of manager.
- Martinez said that his interview in Houston went well and he's excited about the opportunity to run his own ship, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 47-year-old interviewed previously for openings with the Indians and Blue Jays. Last offseason he was linked to the White Sox but never interviewed.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon gave Martinez a strong endorsement for the job while adding that he would be disappointed to lose him, Topkin tweets.
Latest On Astros’ Managerial Search
The Astros interviewed Nationals third base coach Bo Porter for their managerial opening yesterday. Here’s the latest on some other possible candidates for the position…
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow met with former MLB manager and player Larry Bowa at Minute Maid Park today, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Luhnow didn't say whether Bowa was interviewing for the managerial opening, but confirmed that the sides met to discuss "some baseball related matters.”
- The Astros interviewed Rays bench coach Dave Martinez for the managerial opening earlier in the week, McTaggart reports.
- Astros interim manager Tony DeFrancesco formally interviewed for the permanent managerial position yesterday, McTaggart reports (on Twitter).
East Notes: Villanueva, Red Sox, Nationals, Strasburg
Last night, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters that he isn't sure if impending free agent Carlos Villanueva could last as a starter across the course of an entire season. Villanueva, who has a 3.58 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 13 starts this year, told reporters that he isn't happy with the lack of public support, according to Tony Ambrogio of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The right-hander is looking to be a full-time starter going forward, which would call for a more lucrative contract. Here's more from the Eastern divisions..
- Villanueva told reporters, including MLB.com's Chris Toman, that he took some time to speak with Anthopoulos following his comments to the media. "It's OK for him to have that doubt. It's OK for him to have his own opinion, because there are 29 other teams that might have a different opinion — that's why we battle to get to free agency, so we can see what else is out there," Villanueva said.
- A person who is familiar with the Red Sox's ownership group told Peter Gammons of MLB.com (Twitter link) that the rumors of the club being for sale aren't true. Earlier today, Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino took to the Boston airwaves to deny the rumblings. Owner John Henry also shot down the speculation of a sale.
- The Astros are set to interview Nationals third base coach Bo Porter for their vacant managerial position, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Porter, 40, is the first name to surface as having interviewed for the position. Tony DeFrancesco has been managing the club on an interim basis since Brad Mills was let go last month.
- Rany Jazayerli of Grantland argues that the Nationals were wrong to shut down Stephen Strasburg. Jazayerli looks back at how other promising young pitchers were used it the past and also questions why the Nats imposed an innings limit on Strasburg rather than a pitch limit.