Odds & Ends: Halladay, Pujols, Mateo, Benitez
Here's a few links to check out as Roy Halladay makes what might be his final start in Toronto as a member of the home team…
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian spoke to Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston about Halladay, and what the offseason might hold for him. "If you didn't [have a shot at the playoffs in '10], I think you would maybe think about ''Maybe it is time to move him.'" He also added "I can't make those decisions. They're going to do what's right for the club and certainly Doc's got a little bit of say-so."
- Rob Neyer of ESPN suggests that Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt wait a year before signing Albert Pujols to an extension because Pujols' value will never be higher than it is right now. What to do you guys think, any chance Pujols actually increases his value next season?
- Yoel Adames of ESPN Deportes has some quotes from Edgar Mercedes, agent for Wagner Mateo, about a possible lawsuit against the Cardinals. St. Louis voided Mateo's $3.1MM contract earlier this week after finding "pre-existing injuries and physical defects."
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that the "hottest rumor among baseball scouts is that Pat Gillick will be returning to Toronto to become president of the club, but not GM."
- The Astros released Armando Benitez and the Braves released John Halama, according to this week's edition of minor league transactions, courtesy of Baseball America.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Girardi, Ricciardi
Time for a round of afternoon links before the regular season's second-last weekend officially begins…
- The Astros signed Korean infielder Chan Jong Moon to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Tom Singer. The 18-year-old high schooler is apparently a high-energy player.
- Peter Abraham of the Journal News wonders if the Yankees would extend Joe Girardi's contract if the Yankees secure a World Series berth this year. Girardi's current deal expires after next season.
- Joe Posnanski doesn't get J.P. Ricciardi, partly because people say wildly divergent things about the GM. Posnanski doesn't expect J.P. to be the person who will turn the Jays around in the tough AL East.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com says it's time to think of Clay Buchholz as a number three starter. Meanwhile, Rob Neyer of ESPN.com wonders if Jon Lester is Boston's new ace.
Heyman On Pujols, Holliday, Acta, Cubs
The Cardinals want to lock up Albert Pujols, but Jon Heyman of SI.com wonders if they can keep him and Matt Holliday. One GM says there's "no chance" the team can keep the two stars, despite owner Bill DeWitt's goal to "lock up both of them." Here are more details on the Cardinals' superstars, along with the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- Heyman says it's illogical to expect Pujols to demand anything less than $30MM per season.
- Holliday is "thought to be interested" in a deal comparable to Mark Teixeira's $180MM pact. No doubt Holliday would have interest in that kind of deal, but would any team consider it? (I doubt it.)
- There are many reasons it makes sense for the Cards to try to lock up Holliday and Pujols. As Heyman says, such an attempt would show manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan and the fan base that the team wants to win at all costs.
- Heyman hears that the Astros will interview former Nats manager Manny Acta for their managerial opening.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro is facing pressure to fire manager Eric Wedge, especially now that the club has lost 11 straight.
- Not surprisingly, two GMs consider Alfonso Soriano untradeable. He has $90MM remaining on his contract.
- The Cubs would have to eat a "decent chunk" of Carlos Zambrano's contract if they decide to trade him. A trade doesn't seem likely, however.
- If the Cubs deal Milton Bradley, Heyman considers the Padres a logical fit.
- Execs around the league expect Roy Halladay to be on the trade market again this winter.
Odds & Ends: Wagner, Astros, Haren, Mora
Some more links to check out…
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reconstructs the day that the Red Sox acquired Billy Wagner with help from the hard-throwing lefty himself.
- If you ask Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, Astros owner Drayton McLane sets an open tone for the entire organization.
- Justice believes the Astros need to add an innings eater this offseason and says he expects them to shop for bargains.
- Dan Haren says he wants the D'Backs to bring Brandon Webb back next year, according to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic.
- Melvin Mora tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he'll never tire of thanking the Orioles, even if they don't exercise his option after the season. It would be a shock if the O's picked up Mora's $8MM option.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Pirates, Corpas, Astros
Some links for Friday morning…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think the Mets should pursue Rich Harden when the righty becomes a free agent this winter. Instead, Sherman would like to see the Mets sign someone with a more consistent history.
- The Pirates want manager John Russell and his coaching staff to lead the club again next year, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington both sound confident in the skipper despite the club's 95-loss season.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Rockies to shop Manny Corpas aggressively this offseason.
- The Astros are just beginning to search for a permanent manager, but Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says we shouldn't rule out current third base coach Al Pedrique.
- It's possible that Roy Halladay will make his final home start for the Blue Jays tonight. As MLB.com's Jordan Bastian points out, Halladay is an offseason trade candidate.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Rangers weren't impressed to hear that Milton Bradley sat out to make sure his stats looked good before signing with the Cubs as a free agent.
Stark On Braves, Hardy, Uggla
Let's check out the hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark's latest Rumblings and Grumblings column at ESPN.
- The free agent market for super-utility men is strong, with Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, and Jerry Hairston Jr. Stark says the Cards will let DeRosa test the market, despite the recent extension chatter. Stark talked to an NL exec who prefers Figgins to DeRosa, which seems logical.
- Stark finds it "all but certain" that the Braves bring Tim Hudson back for 2010, but they won't be shopping Javier Vazquez. He considers the Braves unlikely to re-sign free agent relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. If that's the case, Frank Wren will need to bring in some kind of late-inning arm.
- Expect a strong market for Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, despite his disappointing '09 season. Which teams do you see in the mix?
- Stark sees the Marlins keeping only one of Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, and Jorge Cantu, who are all due raises through arbitration.
- Stark says the Astros don't have a shopping list yet for their next manager, but count on GM Ed Wade to be meticulous. The 'Stros prefer someone with experience, leading Stark to join in on the Jim Fregosi speculation.
Odds & Ends: Braves, Astros, Valentine, Baez
Some links for the morning…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is glad that Bobby Cox's tenure as Braves manager will end with a sense of finality. The Braves announced yesterday that Cox will manage for one last year in 2010.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer lists some of the managerial candidates the Astros could consider, including Jeff Bagwell, Jim Fregosi, and Bobby Valentine.
- Could Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan be a candidate? Duncan told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that he's focused on the Cardinals now, but he didn't completely rule out the job.
- Yesterday Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News reported that Valentine was nearing a deal to join ESPN as an analyst. If the deal goes through, Yahoo's Gordon Edes expects Valentine to have an escape clause that would enable the former MLB skipper to take a managerial job if he so chooses.
- Danys Baez tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he'd like to sign with an East Coast team after the sason. The reliever doesn't rule out the Orioles, but a reunion seems unlikely.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post asks Nationals fans how many games their club will win next year. More than half of Post readers expect the Nats to win between 71-80 games.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Mets, Millwood, Marquis
Another round of links…
- According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the entire White Sox coaching staff, including hitting coach Greg Walker, pitching coach Don Cooper, bench coach Joey Cora and first base coach Harold Baines, received contract extensions Wednesday afternoon that will keep them all with the club through 2011.
- The Dallas Morning News' Tom Cowlishaw believes Kevin Millwood's $12 million option for 2010, which vested Monday, is a fine deal. "If you're general manager Jon Daniels or team president Nolan Ryan or manager Ron Washington and you're going to be judged next season by how much your team lives up to this overhyped notion that 2010 is the Rangers' year," Cowlishaw writes, "you need Kevin Millwood on that wall."
- According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (via Twitter), Cubs players didn't find out about Milton Bradley's apology until his statement was released to the media Wednesday afternoon. That certainly won't help the level of perceived sincerity.
- Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle takes an early look at the Astros' plans for the upcoming offseason. We're not expecting big things.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post gathered a reaction Wednesday from Jason Marquis on Jeff Francoeur's assumption that the free agent right-hander "would love to" pitch for the Mets in 2010. “I hope there are a lot of teams that want a guy that can win 15 games and work 200 innings,” Marquis said. - As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, manager Jerry Manuel acknowledged Wednesday that the Mets need to add a reliable veteran catcher this offseason. If not, they'll head into the 2010 season with Omir Santos and Josh Thole as their Opening Day backstops.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Bradley, Rangers, Ramon
A fresh batch of links for Wednesday afternoon…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle highlights some of the positives and negatives of the ongoing Drayton McLane era in Houston. "This is his franchise," writes Justice, "and he's certainly no absentee owner. He's front and center for all the good and all the bad."
- According to David Roeder of the Chicago Sun-Times, the IRS may be planning to challenge the Tribune Co.'s sale of the Cubs. The Tribune is attempting to save about $300 million in capital gains taxes with the sale, but is also maintaining a 5 percent stake in the franchise. So it's really more of a partnership.
- Milton Bradley's mother, Charlena Rector, told the Sun-Times' Chris DeLuca Tuesday that her son is open to returning to the Cubs. Of course, GM Jim Hendry and Co. probably don't want him back.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan lays out several facts regarding the sale of the Texas Rangers. For what it's worth, Major League Baseball is hoping the sale price will be over $500MM.
- As Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe notes, Ramon Ramirez is extremely happy with the trade that brought him to Boston last winter. “I love these guys,’’ the reliever said Tuesday. “It’s been great to be in Boston. I’m enjoying it. It’s been a good time. This is a great team.’’ He's done well for himself, too, posting a 2.67 ERA and a .227 BAA.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick highlights nine players who are, as he puts it, "at a career crossroads." Among the names? Delmon Young, B.J. Upton and Francisco Liriano.
Manager Rumors: Astros, Indians, Mets, Cards
The latest on some possible managerial changes…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle wonders if the Astros could pick former MLB manager Jim Fregosi to lead the club next season. Dave Clark, Manny Acta, Tim Bogar, Jeff Bagwell and Brad Ausmus could also be candidates to manage.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Indians appear to be pressuring GM Mark Shapiro to fire manager Eric Wedge.
- Edes says O's manager Dave Trembley and Nats interim manager Jim Riggleman have limited job security.
- It's not likely that the Mets will fire Jerry Manuel and replace him with former manager Bobby Valentine. Edes' sources say it's not impossible, though.
- Edes says Braves manager Bobby Cox will likely return next season, but suggests there's tension between Cox and Braves GM Frank Wren.
- Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail says it's not enough for the Blue Jays to fire GM J.P. Ricciardi. If the Jays are going to clean house, Blair says they should fire manager Cito Gaston, too.
- Cards manager Tony La Russa tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn't want to think about his next contract yet. The longtime skipper is a free agent after the season.