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Quick Hits: Price, Aardsma, Willingham, Angels

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Happy Halloween to MLBTR's readers! We've already seen C.C. Sabathia sign an extension and Tony La Russa retire today. Here are some more updates from around MLB…

  • Rays left-hander David Price opted out of the contract he signed when Tampa Bay drafted him, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. He's still under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player, however. Price could earn $7-8MM in 2012 through arbitration according to MLBTR's projections, so declining his $2.433MM option was merely a formality.
  • David Aardsma, who became a free agent today, wouldn't rule out returning to the Mariners, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
  • Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group that he expects Josh Willingham to sign a three-year deal and doesn’t expect his client to re-sign with the Athletics (Twitter link).
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Yankees executive Billy Eppler was the runner-up to Jerry Dipoto in the Angels' search for a GM (Twitter link).
  • The White Sox announced that they hired Jeff Manto to be their hitting coach, Joe McEwing  to be their third base coach and Mark Parent to be their bench coach (Twitter link).
  • Dave Cameron introduces FanGraphs' top 50 free agents of the offseason. MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents is on its way as well.

Quick Hits: White Sox, Indians, Sabathia, Sizemore

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A grab-bag of links on the first Sunday of what should be a fun offseason….

  • Don't expect the White Sox to pick up any big-ticket players on the free agent market, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The club is unlikely to bring Juan Pierre back in 2012 and if they look to replace him with a traditional leadoff type, Merkin expects the team to do so via trade.
  • It would be a surprise if the Indians re-signed Chad Durbin as the club has several promising young relievers who could take his spot, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
  • The Yankees will make a contract offer to C.C. Sabathia this weekend, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. However, most people expect the lefty to opt out of his current deal and "look around."
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff predicts destinations and contract details for his top 30 free agents, in slideshow form.
  • The Rangers, Nationals, and Brewers top Buster Olney's list of potential landing spots for Grady Sizemore (ESPN insider link).
  • Hisashi Iwakuma confirmed that he will attempt to sign with an MLB team again this winter, according to NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (via Sponichi). Iwakuma was unable to work out a deal with the Athletics last offseason.
  • New Angels GM Jerry Dipoto will have complete decision-making power, says Angels owner Arte Moreno. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times has details and quotes.
  • The Padres will hire Phil Plantier as their new hitting coach, tweets FOX's Ken Rosenthal.

West Notes: Matsui, Angels, Gibson, D’Backs

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Here are a handful of interesting notes from around baseball's West divisions:

  • The Athletics' interest in re-signing impending free agent DH Hideki Matsui is waning, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland wants to get younger, according to Slusser, and Matsui, now 37, doesn't fit that bill. A return isn't entirely impossible, though, and A's GM Billy Beane will meet with Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, next week.
  • Angels owner Arte Moreno said that the Halos' 2012 payroll will be in the $130-140MM range, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), which would prevent them from pursuing any expensive free agents. In the Angels' installment of MLBTR's Offseason Outlook series, Ben Nicholson-Smith calculated that the Angels will have about $120MM on the books before accounting for players making the league minimum, so new GM Jerry Dipoto will have about $10-20MM to play with.
  • Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson's 2013 club option vested when the Snakes reached the playoffs this year, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D'Backs almost certainly would have picked up the option anyway considering Gibson's success in his first full season as skipper, but Arizona's postseason berth assured it. Gibson's coaches have all been extended through 2013, as well.
  • D'Backs GM Kevin Towers will focus on position players this offseason rather than pitchers, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, with second base being a key spot of interest. It's been expected that Aaron Hill's $8MM 2012 club option will be declined, though Arizona would like to re-sign him, according to Gilbert.
  • Towers doesn't expect to find a new vice president of scouting and player development, the position vacated by Dipoto, according to Piecoro. As well, Towers and Dipoto will hash out which executives the latter will be allowed to bring to Anaheim, with director of international scouting Carlos Gomez expected to be a person of interest in those talks. "That'd be a tough one," Towers said. "He's good. International guys are hard to find, especially young guys. He is under contract. I plan on offering him even a second year."

Angels Name Jerry Dipoto GM

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2:51pm: Dipoto's deal is for three guaranteed years followed by two option years, clarifies Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times on Twitter.

SATURDAY, 9:45am: The team announced that Dipoto received a five-year contract to be GM in a press release. His introductory press conference will be held at noon PT today.

FRIDAY, 10:34am: The Angels' exhaustive search for a new general manager is over. They will name Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks their next GM, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

The 43-year-old was the top name on MLBTR's list of GM candidates. He emerged as one of the game's top executives after a successful stint as Arizona's interim GM, but he told Tim Dierkes in August that he's always looking for more knowledge.

"The day I feel like I've stopped learning about baseball is the day I should go home," he said. "Every single day you're going to learn something new and start to adjust your lines of thinking.  It's an ongoing education.  Every person I meet in the game, my first instinct is to learn something from them.  My mentor is the game."

Dipoto, a former Major League reliever, was Arizona's senior VP of scouting and player development before landing the Angels job. After an eight-year playing career that included stints with the Indians, Mets and Rockies, Dipoto joined Colorado's front office. Later, he worked in Boston's front office and was with the Red Sox for their 2004 title, before returning to the Rockies and then leaving for Arizona.

The Angels are far from the only team affected by the move. Rays executive Andrew Friedman — apparently owner Arte Moreno's top choice — won't be going to Anaheim. The Orioles, who had interviewed Dipoto for their GM opening, lost their chance to hire Dipoto. Meanwhile, Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays, De Jon Watson of the Dodgers and John Stockstill of the Orioles have improved chances of becoming Baltimore's GM.

The Angels also considered Thad Levine of the Rangers, Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler of the Yankees, former GMs Dan Evans and Omar Minaya,  Kim Ng of MLB and Rick Hahn of the White Sox. The Angels won't announce the move before Saturday, since MLB prohibits major announcements during the World Series.

MLBTR's Transaction Tracker offers a look back at the moves Dipoto made while running the Diamondbacks last summer. He acquired Daniel Hudson from the White Sox and obtained Joe Saunders and prospects Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin from the Angels.

Front Office Notes: Duquette, Gwynn, Padres, Wilken

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Earlier today we learned that the Angels will name Jerry Dipoto as their new GM while the Orioles are leaning towards hiring Tony LaCava for the same role. Let's round up the latest front office news from around the game…

  • The Diamondbacks are unlikely to fill Dipoto's position, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). The team believes scouting director Ray Montgomery and farm director Mike Bell can handle the responsibilities.
  • Dan Duquette was among those interviewed by the Angels, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Duquette has served as GM of the Expos (1991-1994) and Red Sox (1994-2002), but most recently has been involved with the Israeli Baseball League and New England Collegiate Baseball League.
  • The Mariners have hired Chris Gwynn to be their director of player development, reports Dan Hayes of The North County Times (on Twitter). Gwynn had previously been the Padres director of player personnel.
  • Hayes hears from a source that Padres assistant GM A.J. Hinch will not assume the departed Jason McLeod's duties (Twitter link). The team will look to hire new evaluators following the departures of McLeod, Gwynn, and Jed Hoyer.
  • “I’m very happy that we got him over here for a number of reasons," said Cubs scouting director Tom Wilken to The Chicago Sun-Times when asked about working for McLeod, who now oversees the team's scouting and player development. “[His hiring] just kind of brought a smile to my face, and we’ve talked a little bit here in the last few days. And I really look forward to getting together with him and putting together this plan here to make us World Champions."

Quick Hits: Shields, Giambi, Sizemore, Beltran

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After one of the greatest, wildest, sloppiest and most exciting games in baseball history, we're going to see a Game Seven tomorrow night.  It will be the first seventh game in the Series since the Angels needed the maximum to beat the Giants in 2002.

As we prepare for the last game of 2011, here are some news items….

  • In an interview with 620-WDAE radio (reported on by Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times), James Shields says he thinks the Rays will pick up his $7MM option for 2012 and he will pitch for the team next season.  The Rays are a near-lock to pick up Shields' option but they could shop the right-hander for a trade this winter.  
  • Smith also notes that Shields' option could be worth as much as $8MM depending on an innings-pitched incentive clause and how Shields fares in AL Cy Young voting.
  • Jason Giambi is considering declining his side of his $1MM mutual option for 2012, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  We heard last month that the Rockies were going to pick up their side of the option, so the decision appears to be up to Giambi.
  • If Grady Sizemore had played his exact career with another team and the Indians had a chance to sign him, the Tribe wouldn't even consider the move, argues Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  That's how Pluto frames the Indians' decision about Sizemore's $9MM option for 2012.
  • The Red Sox and Giants will both be contenders for Carlos Beltran this winter, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).
  • The Angels should rehire former scouting director Eddie Bane, opines Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles.  Bane was fired by then-GM Tony Reagins last year but still has a good relationship with owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino.
  • The week's minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
  • After getting burned on the Michael Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg signings, "it’s unlikely that the Orioles will spend big money on a closer" this winter, says Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.

Angels GM News: Levine, Evans, Eppler, Oppenheimer

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The latest on the Angels' GM opening…

  • The Angels are expected to obtain permission from the Rangers to interview assistant GM Thad Levine once the World Series ends, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. 
  • Former Dodgers GM Dan Evans will interview for the job Thursday or Friday, according to DiGiovanna (on Twitter).
  • DiGiovanna points out that Rays executive VP of baseball operations hasn't pulled himself out of the running for the job.
  • Yankees draft guru Damon Oppenheimer will not be called back for a second interview, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but director of professional scouting Billy Eppler will speak to the Angels again.
  • Kim Ng will interview for the position today, tweets Heyman.
  • Omar Minaya, Andrew Friedman, Jerry Dipoto, and Rick Hahn still appear to be under consideration, while Thad Levine and Dan Evans could also interview.

Front Office Notes: Red Sox, Minaya, Cashman

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The Cubs and Red Sox introduced the new leaders of their respective baseball operations departments today. Theo Epstein met with the media in Chicago and Ben Cherington did the same in Boston. Here are some more notes from front offices around MLB…

  • Epstein sounded extremely confident in Cherington’s ability to bring the Red Sox back to the playoffs. “He’s had such a well-rounded development,” Epstein said of Cherington. “He’s got so much integrity. He’s so bright. He’s got great management skills of people. This guy is going to do a fantastic job.” Alex Speier of WEEI.com has more quotes from Epstein.
  • Speier hears from an insider who won't be surprised if the Red Sox and Cubs need the help of the commissioner's office to resolve the issue of compensation for Epstein.
  • Former Mets and Expos GM Omar Minaya is one of top candidates for the Angels’ GM job, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees expect to have a new deal with GM Brian Cashman by Monday, according to Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff explains that Rangers executive A.J. Preller rooted for the Yankees before getting his first job in professional baseball. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes spoke to Preller earlier this month for our GM Candidates series.
  • The Diamondbacks announced that they promoted Junior Noboa to VP of Latin Operations. Noboa, Arizona's first ever international hire, enters his 18th season with the organization. He has overseen the acquisition of players such as Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra.
  • For the latest on the Orioles’ GM search, click here, for notes on MLB managers click here and for more front office rumors click here.

Manager Notes: Scioscia, La Russa, Red Sox

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We heard earlier today that Blue Jays manager John Farrell will be staying put in Toronto. Here's the latest news on other managers around MLB:

  • Tony La Russa expects to decide soon after the World Series whether to exercise his half of his mutual contract option with the Cardinals, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The sides have 14 days to make their decisions regarding the option. The St. Louis coaching staff has not received any indications that La Russa intends to leave or retire, according to Strauss.
  • Now that Farrell is out of the picture for the Red Sox, they aren't likely to hire another MLB club's manager, according to the Boston Herald.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia told ESPN 710’s Mason and Ireland that he's far from Los Angeles' de facto GM, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The skipper says he can't do two jobs at once. “I don’t look at budgets. I don’t count money," he said. "I don’t look at other teams to see what trades are going to be made or facilitate or start that process. I think that’s the only way a manager can function." 
  • Saxon hears from one executive who says some executives shy away from the Angels GM job because of Scioscia's power in Anaheim.

Angels Would Make Friedman Team President

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The Angels are prepared to offer Andrew Friedman a position as club president, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. Despite their strong interest, the Angels don’t appear to have much of a chance of obtaining him from the Rays, according to DiGiovanna. The Angels, who met with Friedman last week, would hire a second executive to be the team’s general manager if the 34-year-old joins their baseball operations department.

The Angels have interviewed Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks, Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler of the Yankees, Rick Hahn of the White Sox and former GM Omar Minaya for the position. Kim Ng of MLB will interview this week and the Angels hope to interview Thad Levine of the Rangers after the World Series ends, according to DiGiovanna. Former GM Dan Evans also intrigues owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino.

The Angels asked for permission to interview Al Avila of the Tigers and Dan Jennings of the Marlins, but were denied. Los Angeles' new GM will have the authority to hire a new assistant GM, player personnel director and farm director, according to DiGiovanna.

The Angels are in direct competition with the Orioles, who interviewed Dipoto for their GM vacancy. For a complete look at the moves Friedman has made in Tampa Bay, check out MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.

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