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Quick Hits: Varitek, Rockies, Haren, Diamondbacks

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Earlier tonight, the Red Sox announced that Jason Varitek will serve as a special assistant to General Manager Ben Cherington.  “Jason was one of the most respected players of his era and will be a key voice as we move forward,” said the GM. “He will be involved in a number of areas including Major League personnel decisions, evaluations, and mentorship and instruction of young players. We are fortunate to have him in this role.”  The former catcher has long been rumored to be on the verge of a role with the club, but yesterday we learned that he would not be in the mix for the managerial job.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Rockies manager Jim Tracy says that he wants to return in 2013 despite a difficult season in which the team is set to post its worst record in franchise history, writes Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post.  The Rockies plan to discuss their managerial position but so far have made it sound as though Tracy is safe.
  • Dan Haren is less-than-thrilled about a report earlier this week that indicated the Angels are leaning towards turning down options for him and Ervin Santana this offseason, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  Haren says that he and his fellow pitcher are dialed in on the season at hand and are not giving any thought to their respective contract situations.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic evaluates Trevor Cahill's performance with the Diamondbacks since being acquired from Oakland in December.  While Cahill hasn't given the club everything all that they could have hoped for, the 24-year-old has still delivered a reasonably strong year.

Angels Notes: Isringhausen, Greinke, Weaver

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The Angels trail the Athletics by two games with one week remaining in the regular season schedule. Here are some notes on the team’s offseason plans from Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com…

  • Reliever Jason Isringhausen estimates that there’s a 70% chance he’ll retire after the season, Gonzalez reports. Isringhausen said he misses his family but added "there's no telling what will happen once I get home." 
  • Right-hander Jered Weaver indicated that he won’t mind if the Angels sign Zack Greinke to a contract that’s larger than his five-year, $85MM deal. "Whatever they have to do to make our team better," Weaver said. Greinke, the top free agent starter available this offseason, figures to obtain a contract worth $100MM-plus.
  • Weaver would have been a free agent this winter if he hadn’t re-signed with the Angels, but he sounds content to have a contract in place. "That's why I got my deal done a year ago," he said.

Angels To Pursue Greinke, Decline Haren/Santana

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The Angels' "preference" is to decline their club options on Dan Haren and Ervin Santana in order to pursue a long-term extension with Zack Greinke, a source tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  The team would only look to bring back Haren or Santana if Greinke signed elsewhere, Gonzalez believes.

Haren ($15.5MM option, $3.5MM buyout) and Santana ($13MM option, $1MM buyout) both went from being likely pickup candidates to possibly expendable after their disappointing 2012 campaigns.  Both men have shown better recent form, however, which could be a sign that their struggles were temporary — Haren has a 2.45 ERA over his last six starts, Santana a 2.49 ERA over his last seven. 

If the Angels did decline their options, Haren and Santana would become two of the most sought-after arms on the market this winter.  Haren just turned 32 but has been one of the game's better pitchers for the last several years, while Santana was very good in 2010-11, has thrown at least 175 innings in four of the last five years and may still be somewhat of a breakout candidate going into his age-30 season.

The Angels have Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson and presumably Garrett Richards (who will have to replace someone) in place for next year's starting rotation.  If Greinke is re-signed, that would leave the fifth starter's job open to such current in-house options as Barry Enright or Jerome Williams, though the Halos could also pursue add veteran depth this winter.

The Latest On The Angels, Scioscia & Dipoto

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10:00pm: Dipoto weighed in with his sentiments on Sunday regarding Moreno's decision to retain him for a second season, writes Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. The former Diamondbacks executive expressed that Saturday "was a nice day to get behind us and move forward from, to continue getting better as a group and play for this season, 2013 and beyond." The team enters Monday's play two and a half games behind the Athletics for the second Wild Card with only nine games remaining on the schedule. 

SUNDAY, 3:52pm: A day after owner Arte Moreno said Scioscia will return as manager, the Angels skipper told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com, "I have a commitment here. I love it here. I have a passion for it. I'm happy Arte feels the same way. We need to keep moving forward, getting better. There have been a lot of things floating around that weren't accurate. Now we can just concentrate on playing baseball."

Scioscia even addressed his relationship with Dipoto, "A lot of things being portrayed were inaccurate. The media can portray things any way you see them. You can portray a conversation as friction or two opinions. There's not a manager in baseball that doesn't have candid conversations with the general manager. Some people tried to portray my relationship with Jerry as something that's not accurate."

SATURDAY, 7:35pm: Moreno flatly told MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that both Scioscia and Dipoto will be back next season. "These reports, wherever they're coming from, are [false]," he added.

12:19pm: The Angels ensured themselves of a winning season with last night's victory over the White Sox, but they remain 7.5 games back of the Rangers in the division race and 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. Earlier this week we heard that manager Mike Scioscia is "likely" to be the scapegoat if the club fails to make the postseason for a third straight year, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has more on the situation today…

  • Things between Scioscia and GM Jerry Dipoto are quite contentious. Communication between the two is strained, and the skipper briefly considered stepping down after long-time hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was fired in May.
  • At one point in August, Scioscia suggested to Dipoto that he should fire him if he was not satisfied with his job performance. Some in the organization believe it would be easiest if the manager simply left for another team.
  • Dipoto has more power than his predecessor (Tony Reagins) while Scioscia's pull within the organization has waned. The two disagree specifically about assistant GM Scott Servais, who Dipoto hired, and the team's recent emphasis on statistical analysis, among other things.
  • Scioscia is under contract through 2018 thanks to the ten-year, $50MM contract he signed prior to the 2009 season. He'll earn $6MM annually from 2016-2018.
  • Jeff Miller of The Orange County Register wrote more about the strain between Dipoto and Scioscia, though he believes the manager will be given one more year to turn things around.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that owner Arte Moreno is not pleased with the job either Scioscia or Dipoto have done this season and is "expressing unhappiness behind the scenes."

Edward Creech and Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Angels, Ross, Loney, Carp, Scioscia

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there could be a few interesting options for manager Terry Francona this offseason.  There could be two additional openings for the former Red Sox manager with reports indicating that the Angels' Mike Scioscia and Jim Leyland of the Tigers could be in danger of being dismissed this offseason.  Cafardo opines that either team would be ideal for Tito as both teams have the resources to improve and he would be inheriting the same kind of talent-rich team he had in Boston after the 2003 season.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Outfielder Cody Ross has three major-market teams – the Phillies, Yankees, and Red Sox – very interested in him.  Ross has made it clear that he would like to stay in Boston and Larry Lucchino said earlier this week that the club is beginning the process of keeping him for next season and beyond. 
  • The Red Sox are also thinking about re-signing James Loney and he is receptive to coming back, but he could pick up attention in a thin first base market.  The Rays can be expected to kick the tires on Loney as they are unlikely to re-sign Carlos Pena.
  • Mariners first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp could be expendable as the club is likely committed to Justin Smoak at first base.  Carp is starting to appear on a few teams’ wish lists and one NL scout is rather high on him.  “He’s an interesting name,” said the scout. “He’s been buried on that roster in a big ballpark, and if you take him out of there, he may break out. He’s someone you’d take a chance on.”
  • One Angels exec expects to see Scioscia back in the dugout for the Halos next season.  “It would be shocking for me,” said the executive. “I know there have been some issues, but Mike is one of the best, and that’s widely recognized. Guys like Sosh don’t come along very often, which is why he has the long-term contract that he does.“But I suppose crazier things have happened.”  Scioscia is signed to a lucrative contract through 2018.
  • The Red Sox could consider Ed Wade as they seek experienced front office help.  There has also been talk that the Sox would consider Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, but that would require LaCava being offered a bigger title.
  • Rays bench coach Dave Martinez may now be the front-runner for the Astros job because they are using Tampa Bay as their model.  Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar also has the Rays background and is tight with former Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, who is on the panel that will pick the next manager.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Greinke, Dodgers, Pirates

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Here's the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, via his Full Count video…

  • The Dodgers did not try to acquire Zack Greinke before the trade deadline, but expect them to pursue him as a free agent this winter. They won't shy away from the best starter available despite concerns about his ability to pitch in a big market.
  • The Brewers spent roughly $180MM less on Aramis Ramirez than the Tigers spent on Prince Fielder, but Ramirez has provided similar production. The 34-year-old is hitting .299/.363/.536 with 25 homers and an NL-best 47 doubles.
  • Few in baseball will be surprised if changes are made to the Pirates front office given the club's second half slide and recent reports of Navy SEALS type training for their top prospects.
  • The Braves tried to acquire Greg Dobbs at the deadline, but the Marlins declined because they felt his presence was too important to the clubhouse. That was after the Hanley Ramirez trade, suggesting that other clubhouse issues exist.

Mutual Interest For Angels, Torii Hunter

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Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos and Vernon Wells are all expected to remain with the Angels next year, so there’s not an obvious place for Torii Hunter on the 2013 team. But Hunter wants to return to Anaheim, where he has spent the last five seasons of his career. The 37-year-old repeated to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com that he wants to retire with the Angels.

"I want to stay," he said. "Everybody knows that.”

Hunter acknowledged that he has already “made good money” — nearly $117MM, according to Baseball-Reference — and said he just wants to win. He has told the front office as much, and it sounds as though there’s mutual interest in working out a new deal.

"His desire to be here is certainly shared,” general manager Jerry Dipoto told Gonzalez. “We'd love to have him. Now if that's the smartest thing for the Angels to do, we'll do it.”

Hunter has 15 home runs, 22 doubles and a .305/.358/.446 batting line in 537 plate appearances for the Angels this year. The nine-time Gold Glove winner has spent the entire season in right field.

AL West Notes: Angels, Soto, Montero, Athletics

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The A's picked up a 12-4 win in Detroit today to move 3.5 games behind Texas for first place in the AL West, a deficit that could be further cut to three games should the Rangers lose to the Angels tonight.  The A's and Rangers still have seven games remaining against each other, so the division race may not be decided until the very last day of the season.  Here's some news from around the AL West…

  • Angels chairman Dennis Kuhl denied reports that the team is negotiating with the City of Industry about a new ballpark, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  The Los Angeles Daily News reported that the Angels had been in "preliminary talks" with Industry officials about moving the team after the 2016 season, when the Angels can opt out of their lease at Angel Stadium.  In addition to Kuhl, officials from Industry and the proposed building site also denied the report.
  • Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told Bryan Dolgin of ESPNDallas.com that he has been impressed by the "seamless transition" catcher Geovany Soto made after Texas acquired him from the Cubs midseason. Soto is a non-tender candidate heading into the 2012-13 offseason.
  • Could the Mariners trade Jesus Montero?  Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog thinks the M's should consider the possibility, given that the team has John Jaso and Mike Zunino at catcher and Montero's bat projects as a long-term project, according to Cameron's metrics.
  • Remarkably, Athletics starters Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin were selling running shoes around this time last year, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. The rookie pitchers have helped their team to an 85-64 record and excellent playoff position.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post

Managerial Notes: Scioscia, Tigers, Indians

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The Marlins and White Sox plan to re-structure their respective front offices, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported today. Nightengale also has some updates on the job security of a few MLB managers. Here are the details…

  • Mike Scioscia is in the middle of a heated internal debate in Anaheim, Nightengale reports. Though Scioscia’s contract runs through 2018, he will “likely” be a scapegoat if the Angels miss the playoffs. The Angels are four games behind the Athletics and Orioles in the Wild Card race.
  • Jim Leyland could take the fall if the Tigers don’t reach the postseason. Leyland's contract expires after the 2012 season.
  • The Indians have gone 15-41 since the All-Star break and Manny Acta is in danger of losing his job, Nightengale writes.

Heyman On Possible Manager, GM Turnover

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What began as a season that figured to have little managerial and front-office turnover at its conclusion has gone in the opposite direction over the course of a long — and for some teams very disappointing — summer, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here's a look at the teams that could make shakeups on the bench and/or in the front office:

  • Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine seems very likely to be dismissed, as "everyone in baseball is sure he is a goner." Boston likes Toronto manager John Farrell as a possible replacement, but Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has reiterated that organization policy is to preclude personnel from leaving for a lateral move. GM Ben Cherington, meanwhile, appears safe, though other tweaks could be made in the front office.
  • Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen's fate is up in the air, but Miami is more likely to shake up its front office. Factions have reportedly taken shape among the organization's top executives.
  • The Angels came into the season with very lofty goals after spending heavily in free agency. But owner Arte Moreno is reportedly unhappy with the team's poor play, while some say GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia haven't hit it off so far, with the firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher earlier this year an apparent point of contention. The pricey balance on Scioscia's contract may make firing him too difficult, though, so his departure could ultimately be his own decision. 
  • Indians manager Manny Acta has a "very real chance to be fired," as Cleveland has slipped into its second consecutive second-half slump. GM Chris Antonetti, though, is probably safe, as he's well regarded and hasn't yet been on the job for two full years.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski appears to be safe, but manager Jim Leyland, whose contract expires at the end of this season, may not be brought back, as owner Mike Ilitch is displeased with the way this season is going after spending on Prince Fielder in the offseason. 
  • Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is safe after instilling a new attitude in Pittsburgh, but GM Neal Huntington could be in trouble, especially if the team finishes under .500 for a 20th consecutive season.
  • Yankees manager Joe Girardi is safe despite his frustrations with his team's second-half struggles, and the "popular" GM Brian Cashman is in no trouble.
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