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Heyman On Friedman, Darvish, Yankees

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With the general manager carousel moving at full speed and free agency approaching quickly, there are plenty of rumors in Major League Baseball. Jon Heyman weighed in today at SI.com; here are some highlights: 

  • Heyman’s sources doubt the Angels would waste Andrew Friedman’s time if they weren’t prepared to offer him a job. However, someone close to Friedman doubts he would leave the Rays. Friedman tops the Angels’ long list of GM candidates.
  • One general manager expects C.J. Wilson to sign a deal worth $75MM over five years.
  • Yu Darvish is undecided about making the jump to MLB, but he’ll be in line for lots of money if he does make the leap. One general manager suggested Darvish would cost about $100MM between his contract and his posting fee and another GM agrees that he’ll cost “big bucks.”
  • The Yankees and GM Brian Cashman are making progress in their discussions about a new contract.
  • Free agent starter Freddy Garcia is popular with the Yankees’ front office and could return in 2012. The right-hander barely qualifies as a Type B free agent, according to our rankings.

Latest On Angels’ GM Search: Evans, Hahn

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The Angels' top choice for their general manager opening is Andrew Friedman of the Rays. Owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino dined with Friedman this week, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll leave the Rays. Here are the latest updates on the Angels' GM search, with the most recent updates up top:

  • Dan Evans and Rick Hahn have emerged as strong candidates for the job, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Hahn, the assistant GM of the White Sox, placed second on MLBTR's list of GM candidates. Evans, a longtime assistant GM for the White Sox himself, was the Dodgers' GM in 2002-03.
  • Kim Ng of MLB, Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer of the Yankees, Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks, Thad Levine of the Rangers and Tory Hernandez of the Angels are also candidates for the job.

The Orioles’ GM Search: Jennings, Watson, Dipoto

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The Orioles have interviewed Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks and Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays for their open GM position. Here's the latest on the team's search with the most recent updates up top:

  • As expected, the Marlins have officially denied the Orioles' request to interview Dan Jennings, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).  Jennings is halfway through an eight-year contract with the Marlins, reports Connolly, and this is the fourth time in four years that the Marlins have turned down another club's request to interview Jennings, Florida's assistant GM and vice-president of player personnel.
  • The Orioles are expected to contact Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson about their GM position, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. They haven't scheduled additional interviews at this point, but more are coming.
  • Dipoto probably has the edge at this point, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly explains why Dipoto might prefer the Orioles to the Angels. Los Angeles is interviewing many candidates, but the Orioles won't interview many more than two, so Dipoto's chances of getting an offer from Baltimore seem good. Connolly notes that the Orioles would look bad if they want Dipoto then let him slip away to the Angels.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Dipoto had a "terrific" interview with the Orioles (Twitter link).
  • For more on LaCava and Dipoto, check out MLBTR's GM Candidate pieces from earlier in the year.

Friedman Tops Angels’ List, Met With Moreno

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3:52pm: Rosenthal's sources are skeptical that Friedman would leave the Rays. One said "he's not going" (Twitter link). Scott Miller of CBS Sports notes that Friedman has a stake in the Rays (Twitter link).

2:32pm: Friedman is the Angels' top choice, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

2:02pm: Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive VP of baseball operations, recently dined with Angels owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino, according to Jason Collette of DRaysBay. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com confirms that Moreno and Carpino met with Friedman in Florida this week. The Angels, who are searching for a new general manager, also interviewed Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer.

Yesterday's reports indicate that the Angels will also interview Tory Hernandez from their own baseball operations department along with Kim Ng of MLB, Rick Hahn of the White Sox, Billy Eppler of the Yankees and Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks (Saxon hears that Ng's unlikely to get the job). The Angels also appear to be interested in Thad Levine, the Rangers' assistant GM.

Though the Rays operate with one of the smallest payrolls in the game, they've reached the playoffs in three of the past four seasons under Friedman, who became the team's executive VP of baseball operations in 2005. The Angels are in direct competition with the Orioles. Baltimore is searching for a GM and has interviewed Dipoto.

The Angels and Rays face different offseason challenges, but both are poised to contend in 2012.

Angels To Interview Ng, Interested In Levine

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7:55pm: The Angels will interview Rick Hahn of the White Sox and Tory Hernandez, their own manager of baseball information, along with Oppenheimer, Eppler, Ng and Dipoto, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter links).  The interviews will likely take place in the coming week.

12:18pm: The Angels are also interested in Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine, report Olney and Mark Saxon.  Levine has ties to the area, having worked for the Dodgers for a year and earned his MBA from UCLA.

10:59am: The Angels will interview Kim Ng for their GM opening, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Ng currently works for MLB with a focus on international operations.  She was previously the Dodgers' assistant general manager for nine years, and interviewed for three GM vacancies during that time.  Before that, Ng was assistant GM with the Yankees and also worked for the White Sox and MLB.  Ng, who ranked tenth on our list of GM candidates, would be the first female to take on the role.

So far we've heard that Diamondbacks' Jerry Dipoto and the Yankees' Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler will be interviewed for the Angels GM job.  Owner Arte Moreno outlined his criteria earlier this month.

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Angels

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The Angels, soon to be under new leadership, will look to add a minimum of one starting pitcher, improve their offense and tinker with their bullpen.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Free Agents

The Angels' new general manager will face challenges, as every GM does, but no organizational overhaul is required in Anaheim. Even after missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Angels have many above-average players and the payroll to keep them in place. The Los Angeles front office can build on 2011's 86-win team by pursuing starting pitching, considering bullpen upgrades and finding a way to improve the offense.

The Angels have already committed over $100MM to next year's payroll and if they bring back their arbitration eligible players, payroll will rise to $120MM before accounting for those earning the minimum salary. This would give Tony Reagins' replacement a little more than $20MM to work with, assuming owner Arte Moreno is willing to match last year's $142MM payroll.

In other words, the Angels could conceivably bid on an elite free agent like Jose Reyes or Prince Fielder. But in an offseason that features above-average free agents at shortstop and first base, the Angels are set at both positions (Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis, Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales). In theory, the Angels could trade Aybar — he'd have many suitors — and sign Reyes or Jimmy Rollins. There has even been some talk of moving Trumbo from first base to third. Don't count on a major free agent signing.

The team may get a power-hitting first baseman from within. Morales has been sidelined with a left ankle injury since an ill-fated walk-off celebration a year and a half ago and the Angels can no longer count on him to be a force in their lineup. If he does return, they'll have seven players (Morales, Trumbo, Peter Bourjos, Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and Mike Trout) for five spots. 

The Angels could option Trout, Baseball America's 2011 minor league player of the year, to the minors at the beginning of next season. The benefit, aside from clearing space in the Major Leagues, would be delaying Trout's arrival on the free agent market by a year. If the Angels are happy to let Trout develop in the minors until mid-June, they could control his rights for an extra season seven years from now.

Howie Kendrick, a free agent after 2012, is an extension candidate this offseason. He posted a .285/.338/.464 line and appeared in 140 games, including 20 or more at three different positions (first, second and left). Bourjos, meanwhile, probably needs more time to prove himself if he’s going to land a long-term deal, even after a tremendous first full season.

Kendrick, Trumbo, Erick Aybar and Alberto Callaspo give the Angels a quartet of solid everyday infielders and Maicer Izturis is a capable reserve. While Callaspo offers less power than most third basemen, his .366 on-base percentage could be enough to prevent the Angels' next GM from bidding heavily on Aramis Ramirez. However, if the Angels want to add power, Ramirez is a fit. He's easily the best free agent option at his position and the Angels have more established players than Callaspo at the other traditional power positions.

The Angels face a dilemma behind the plate. Jeff Mathis posted a .174/.225/.259 line while sharing catching duties with Hank Conger and Bobby Wilson. Only the Twins and Astros, baseball's two worst teams, had their catchers combine for a lower OPS than the Angels' .555. But manager Mike Scioscia admires Mathis’ glovework and the skipper's endorsement resonates, since he spent 1,395 Major League games behind the plate himself. Mathis is a non-tender candidate given his projected $1.8MM salary and the team's cheaper, more offensively capable alternatives. If the Angels don’t expect Conger to hit as well as he did in the minors, they could go outside of the organization for catching depth. It’s one of the primary weaknesses of an offense that the Angels should look to improve over the winter.

Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana will occupy the top three spots in the rotation for the next two years, giving the Angels one of the top rotations in the game. Like every MLB team, they have internal candidates for the back of the rotation. But the Angels' chances of unseating the American League champion Rangers would be better if they had more at the back of their rotation than Jerome Williams, Trevor Bell, Tyler Chatwood and Garrett Richards. It appears Joel Pineiro will sign elsewhere as a free agent and the Angels may attempt to sign a replacement. California native C.C. Sabathia would give the Angels one of the best rotations in baseball, though he seems to favor the Bronx.

Last offseason the Angels spent on the bullpen, signing free agent lefties Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Downs to multiyear deals. It's unlikely the Angels will make a similar splash this offseason, even though rookie closer Jordan Walden blew a league-leading ten saves in an otherwise strong season. Rich Thompson, Walden, Downs and Takahashi provide Scioscia with four solid late-inning options and the club's new GM will likely mix in new pieces for depth and competition.

The Rangers have established themselves as the team to beat in the AL West. But the Angels can compete with Texas in 2012 if their new GM improves the rotation and finds a way to infuse offense into a lineup that will remain mostly intact from last year.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Rangers, Yankees

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On this date in 1979, the Pirates beat the Orioles 4-1 to win the World Series in seven games. Willie Stargell, the '79 NL MVP, hit a two-run home run in the victory. Here are links for Monday night as we await the beginning of this year's World Series…

  • Jim Callis of Baseball America envisions Matt Barnes and Anthony Ranaudo in Boston's 2015 rotation.
  • Callis also explains that the Dodgers weren't sure what they had when they drafted right-hander Edwin Jackson in 2001. He was athletic enough to pitch or play in the outfield.
  • Bob Simpson, a co-chairman of the Rangers' board, told reporters, including Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com, that the Rangers are committed to sustaining their current level of play. 
  • Victor Martinez told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's prepared to catch in 2012. The switch-hitter didn't catch at all after August 4th because of a knee sprain, but he's willing to don the tools of ignorance again. Martinez's health will affect Detroit's level of interest in backup catchers this offseason.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests it will be hard to get the Yankees to offer C.C. Sabathia much more than Cliff Lee obtained from the Phillies ($120MM over five years). Sabathia is expected to opt out of the four years and $92MM remaining on his contract this offseason and though he enjoys playing in New York, it doesn't seem like he's going to give the Yankees a hometown discount. 
  • The Yankees favor Yu Darvish over C.J. Wilson of the Rangers, according to Sherman.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer is highly regarded by the Angels. The Orioles hold D'Backs exec Jerry Dipoto in similarly high esteem, according to Olney (on Twitter).

Service Time Breakdown For Mike Trout

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If Kendrys Morales returns from his left ankle injury by Spring Training, Angels manager Mike Scioscia will have seven players competing for five spots. Morales, Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos, Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and Mike Trout would have to share playing time in the outfield and at first and DH. 

Mike Trout Angels

The issue could resolve itself or disappear completely in a number of ways. The Angels' new GM could make an unexpected trade. Trumbo could transition to third base. Someone could get hurt. Or, if all seven players are healthy, the Angels could consider demoting Trout.

The Angels called Trout up from Double-A before he turned 20, which suggests they aren't about to let service time considerations dominate their decision making. Still, it wouldn't be hard to argue that Trout could use more minor league seasoning. He was Baseball America's minor league player of the year, but he struggled to hit MLB pitching, posting a .220/.281/.390 line in 135 plate appearances with the Angels.  

Trout picked up 83 days of service time in 2011, which means he's 89 days short of the 172-days required for a full year. If the Angels allow Trout to pick up 89 days of service time next year, he'll have a full year of service and be on track for free agency after 2017.

If the Angels want to keep Trout under their control for an extra year, they could option him to the minor leagues for the season's first three months. In doing so, they'd ensure that Trout doesn't pick up more than 88 days of service in 2011. Combine 85 or so days next year with the 83 days he picked up in '11 and he'll still fall short of a full year of service next offseason and remain under the Angels' control through 2018.

It's probably academic, as the Angels showed they're willing to call on Trout if they believe he can make their team better, even if it means risking an earlier free agent departure. Trout's development and the team's roster composition will likely outweigh service time considerations for the Angels in 2012.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Lackey, Buehrle, Epstein

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Upon joining the Cubs, Theo Epstein will leave behind one contractual headache in John Lackey and acquire another one in Carlos Zambrano, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  The difference between the two, as a National League scout pointed out, is that Zambrano could once again be a top-of-the-rotation hurler while some doubt if Lackey is even a No. 4 or 5 starter.  The answer for both clubs could be a "garbage-for-garbage" deal that allows them to exchange one bad contract for another.  Some prime candidates include Chone Figgins, Barry Zito, Vernon Wells, and Derek Lowe.  Here more from Cafardo..

  • While Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is an interesting free agent possibility for the Red Sox if they could get him on a two-year deal.  The veteran could be their No. 5 starter or serve as a strong lefty in the bullpen.
  • It's hard to tell if David Ortiz is serious about leaving the "drama" of Boston for the Yankees, but the veteran wouldn't be a fit in New York as they have no need for a DH.
  • A.J. Hinch, the vice president of pro scouting for the Padres, could have interest from teams like the Red Sox, and possibly the Cubs with Epstein there.  Las Vegas agrees, as oddsmaker Jimmy Shapiro placed Hinch as the odds-on favorite to get the Sox managerial job.  Meanwhile, Josh Byrnes is currently a special assistant with San Diego and could depart for a bigger role with Epstein in Chicago.
  • Mariners skipper Eric Wedge is a very interesting name that could be involved in the Red Sox’s managerial search.  However, getting Wedge out of his deal in Seattle could be a problem as he has a good deal of personnel power there.
  • Tony La Russa would be an interesting choice for Boston, but it appears he'll be staying in St. Louis or retiring.  La Russa has always spoken fondly of the city, but it doesn’t appear at this stage of his career that he would want to deal with some of the issues in the BoSox organization.
  • Brian Cashman's contract extension is nowhere near done.  The Yankees GM’s deal expires at the end of the month, but neither side is feeling any pressure to get something completed.
  • Meanwhile, Cashman's top two assistants, Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer, are being interviewed by the Angels for their GM job.  Cashman told the paper that he feels both men are absolutely qualified to take the next step.  Recently, our own Ben Nicholson-Smith spoke with Oppenheimer about the possibility of becoming a GM.
  • Cafardo wonders if history will be kinder to Dan Duquette now that the Theo Epstein era is concluding in Boston.  Duquette never won a championship as the Red Sox's GM but the 2004 team certainly had his fingerprints on it.  Now working as a business consultant, the longtime MLB exec never got the chance to be a GM again, but hasn't ruled out doing so in the right situation.

Davidoff On Red Sox, CBA, Rangers, Darvish

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In today's column, Ken Davidoff of Newsday tackles a number of topics including what's next for Boston.  Here are some highlights..

  • When the dust settles, the Red Sox are expected to name Ben Cherington as Theo Epstein's successor in Boston.  While the club could take one step toward closing their credibility gap by hiring an experienced manager to complement their rookie GM, that's not likely to be the case.  The Red Sox already view Cherington as having GM experience because of the work he has done with the organization.  They'll more likely look to hire someone with a willingness to utilize statistical analysis and work with the rest of the baseball operations department.
  • This year, MLB and the Players Association had hoped to announced their next collective-bargaining agreement during the World Series like they did in 2006.  However, with the World Series just three days away, people in the loop aren't optimistic.   The two sides are meeting virtually every day and the biggest rancor appears to be surrounding Bud Selig's desire for hard slotting in the amateur draft.  It's hard to imagine that this will result in any kind of a work stoppage, but it does seem like they'll miss out on the great PR opportunity that they were able to capture five years ago.
  • We don't see the Rangers and Angels as trading partners because there's too much anxiety over being burned.  However, the Rangers used to admire Halos catcher Mike Napoli from a distance, and were able to trade for him immediately after the Blue Jays acquired him.  Davidoff asked Daniels if he kept an eye on players in the divison whom he couldn't acquire by trade but could hope would get dealt to a different club so he could pounce.  For Daniels, it's not that clear-cut, but he says that he checks in when someone he's interested in moves out of the AL West.
  • Baseball officials are increasingly convinced that righthander Yu Darvish will be posted to the major leagues, and industry folks wonder how much will teams pay.  The Red Sox paid more than $51MM five years ago to talk with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and that hasn't panned out for them. The expectation is that in light of Boston's disappointment with Matsuzaka, teams won't bid as much for Darvish.
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