Quick Hits: A’s, Gomes, White Sox, Cubs, Dodgers
Earlier today, A's skipper Bob Melvin suggested that the club is ready to discuss a new contract with Jonny Gomes. The interest seems to be mutual, as Gomes re-iterated that he wants to be back in Oakland next season, writes Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com. "Would I like to? Absolutely," Gomes said. "I don't know, I mean this season has been magical for me, it has been a dream come true. When you've been kicked in the teeth as much as I have in the offseason you realize nothing is a guarantee." Here's more from around baseball..
- Dayan Viciedo will see his four-year, $10MM deal expire at the end of the year, but the White Sox outfielder says that he is not focused on his next contract, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Viciedo has 1.123 years of major league service to his credit and won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2014 season.
- In his latest mailbag, several readers ask Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune why the Cubs can't build for the future while also looking to win in 2013. Sullivan writes that the main answer is a lack of pitching, which is a problem that can't be remedied overnight.
- The Dodgers announced earlier today that hitting coach Dave Hansen will not return in 2013. However, Hansen has been offered another position in the club, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Rockies officially kicked off their managerial search yesterday by meeting with bench coach Tom Runnells, writes Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. Stu Cole, manager of Triple-A Colorado Springs, is the club's other internal candidate in the search.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Dodgers, Brewers
The latest outright assignments from around MLB…
- The Brewers announced that they outrighted infielder Eric Farris and right-hander Cody Scarpetta to Triple-A Nashville. Farris appeared in 13 games for the Brewers this past year, but spent the majority of the season as a second baseman and utility player at Triple-A. Scarpetta, 24, posted a 3.85 ERA in 117 innings at Double-A Huntsville in 2011 but missed the 2012 season to undergo Tommy John surgery.
- The Dodgers outrighted right-hander Blake Hawksworth and outfielder Matt Angle to Triple-A Albuquerque, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports (on Twitter). Hawksworth didn't pitch at the MLB level in 2012 and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in August. Angle, 27, spent the 2012 season at Triple-A, posting a .303/.376/.412 batting line in 447 plate appearances.
Quick Hits: Sanchez, Leyland, Felix, Blue Jays
With Terry Francona now off the market, it wouldn't make a sense for the Tigers to let Jim Leyland go at the end of the year, opines Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press. Yesterday, Leyland confirmed that he wants to continue managing in 2013, but the veteran skipper's contract will expire at the end of the year. Here's more from around baseball..
- If the Tigers re-sign Anibal Sanchez, they'll have to move another one of their starting pitchers, opines Jason Beck of MLB.com. Beyond the simple numbers issue, the Tigers will be facing a payroll crunch if they choose to keep Sanchez with the same rotation in place. Justin Verlander will earn $20MM next season, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will head to arbitration for the second time, and Doug Fister is first-time arb eligible. In theory, Detroit could part with one of the four and plug Drew Smyly in their place.
- Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach is set to interview with the Red Sox for their managerial vacancy next week, tweets Ken Gurnick of the Los Angeles Times.
- Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik wouldn't discuss whether he has had contract extension talks with ace Felix Hernandez, but reiterated that both sides are hoping that he will stay put in Seattle for the long-term, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com. Hernandez has two years and $40.5MM left on the five-year, $78MM deal he inked in 2010.
- Omar Vizquel opined earlier this year that the Blue Jays were in desperate need of veteran leadership, but Jose Bautista says that he doesn't agree with that assessment, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com. "I really don't understand why everybody is making — in my eyes — a big deal out of that subject," Bautista said. "It's not something that needs to be addressed in our clubhouse."
- Despite talk of the Phillies looking to improve with minor moves this winter, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News wouldn't rule out Ruben Amaro making a major splash by signing the likes of B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn.
Managerial Notes: Red Sox, Rockies
The latest managerial news from around MLB…
- The Red Sox have contacted Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach to determine his interest in their managerial opening, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports. Wallach is interested and the Red Sox are expected to interview him in the coming days.
- Boston continues to target Blue Jays manager John Farrell, Silverman reports. However, hiring Farrell could involve compensation or take a long time, so the club's exploring options such as Wallach, who also drew interest from Boston last offseason. Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus is believed to be on Boston's list of possible candidates.
- The Red Sox intend to start interviews related to their managerial opening on Friday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The process will likely continue over the weekend and early next week, Bradford reports.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports outlines the Rockies' managerial options, including Wallach. Under Colorado's new front office structure, director of Major League operations Bill Geivett assumes some of the responsibilities that would traditionally go to the field manager.
- MLBTR had two sets of managerial links yesterday which are worth checking out.
NL Notes: Braves, Adrian Gonzalez, Cubs, Cardinals
The Nationals and Cardinals began their NLDS today, 79 years to the day of the last playoff game for a Washington franchise. The series will also feature the largest age gap between two managers facing off in the post-season (27 years and 235 days between 69-year-old Davey Johnson of the Nationals and 42-year-old Mike Matheny of the Cardinals), according to the Elias Sports Bureau via a tweet by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Other notes and nuggets from the Senior Circuit:
- It is highly unlikely the Braves will attempt to sign Josh Hamilton because they typically don't pursue top-of-payscale free agents who come with questions, tweets the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien.
- Adrian Gonzalez told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that he felt he struggled this season because he was "trying too hard." Gonzalez was even disappointed by his career-high 47 doubles. Also in the profile, the Dodger first baseman discussed the responsibility he feels as a Mexican-American athlete in a heavily Latino city.
- The Dodgers will continue to strengthen their starting rotation which could lead them to target Zack Greinke, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Cubs will need to acquire two or three starting pitchers merely to put a representative team on the field, opines Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Wittenmyer adds don't look for the Cubs to sign Greinke or Jake Peavy, as Shaun Marcum and Anibal Sanchez are more in line with the current front-office thinking.
- Jake Westbrook, rehabbing from discomfort in his right oblique, threw a bullpen session this morning and hopes to be available for bullpen duty if the Cardinals advance to the NLCS, reports MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch. The throwing schedule for Westbrook is fluid because he will be leaving the team after Game 2 to be with his wife, who is scheduled to be induced into labor for the birth of their fourth child on Thursday.
- The Cardinals will win the World Series in six games over the Tigers, predicts Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com in his playoff prognostication column.
Cafardo On Johnson, Soriano, Hernandez, Hamilton
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there are some General Managers who have a few regrets regarding last winter. Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wishes he had done more for the rotation. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto probably would have liked to boost the bullpen more during the team's spending frenzy which netted Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was asked to assess his own mistakes and said, “How long is this article? Just kidding. We all have regrets. When you make the amount of decisions we do, you make mistakes. So this year [Jeremy] Guthrie was acquired to give us innings, but Coors [Field] got him and that hurt us. We had such a lack of experience everywhere else. There was no margin for error, and I screwed up.” Here's more from today's column..
- Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson will be trade bait, despite talk to the contrary. Miami could get a ton from teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Rangers, Twins, and Dodgers. On the whole, the Marlins look like they're ready to clean house again.
- Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano would make a lot of sense for the Rays as a DH, especially since the Cubs would pick up the bulk of his final two years under contract. Soriano could also help the Blue Jays, Orioles, or Indians.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that he expects Shin-Shoo Choo to be back with Cleveland next season as he enters his walk year, but he will also listen to offers for the 30-year-old. Choo could make sense for Boston as they face a similar situation with Jacoby Ellsbury. Cafardo suggests a deal involving a pitcher like Justin Masterson.
- Teams have offered the moon for Felix Hernandez in the past but there’s no chance that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is going to trade him now. King Felix is under contract through 2014 and the M's have the money to keep him beyond that. For his part, Hernandez is well-paid and loves playing in Seattle.
- Josh Hamilton says that he won't take a discount to stay with the Rangers, but that's where he's likely to land as it's hard to read the market for him. The Tigers, Nationals, Pirates, Phillies, Angels, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles shouldn't be ruled out. The Yankees and Red Sox also can't be crossed off the list but neither market is a strong fit for Hamilton.
- Jake Peavy would appear to be a target for the Red Sox once his $22MM option is declined by the White Sox. The 31-year-old could also end up staying put in Chicago or returning to the NL.
- Former catcher Brad Ausmus, currently serving as a special assistant to the GM in San Diego, said that he would have interest in the Red Sox managerial vacancy. As of Friday, however, he has yet to be contacted. Ausmus turned down a chance to be interviewed for the Astros job earlier this fall.
- The Red Sox are pursuing John Farrell, but Ryne Sandberg could be on their list, even though he was just named as the Phillies' third base coach and is likely being groomed for Charlie Manuel's job. Cherington tried to get Sandberg to take Boston's Triple- A job a couple of years ago.
- While some have accused Bobby Valentine of ignoring advanced scouting reporters, Cafardo says that he saw the manager reading them every time he visited his office.
Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency
A total of 28 players — all with big league time under their belts — recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages…
- Infielders: Brian Bixler (Astros), Sean Burroughs (Twins), Blake DeWitt (Cubs), Alberto Gonzalez (Rangers), Angel Sanchez (Astros), Nate Spears (Red Sox), Drew Sutton (Pirates)
- Outfielders: Travis Buck (Astros), Ryan Langerhans (Angels), Mitch Maier (Royals), Darnell McDonald (Yankees), Jai Miller (Orioles), Trent Oeltjen (Dodgers), Jason Pridie (Phillies), Mike Wilson (Mariners)
- Right-handed Pitchers: Roman Colon (Royals), Mike Ekstrom (Rockies), Jack Egbert (Mets), Ryota Igarashi (Yankees), Evan Meek (Pirates), Scott Richmond (Blue Jays), Kip Wells (Padres), Randy Wells (Cubs), Dan Wheeler (Indians)
- Left-handed Pitchers: Alex Hinshaw (Cubs), Cesar Jimenez (Mariners), Zach Kroenke (Diamondbacks), Garrett Olson (Mets)
Dodgers Notes: Kershaw, League, Ramirez, Cruz
Good news for Dodgers fans as General Manager Ned Colletti confirmed that Clayton Kershaw will not require surgery on his right hip, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Here's more on what Colletti had to say to reporters with all links going to Hernandez's Twitter..
- The Dodgers will make a strong effort to re-sign their relievers, including free agent Brandon League (Twitter link). The former Mariner told reporters yesterday that he has informed the Dodgers that he hopes to return.
- At this point in time, Colletti is leaning towards Hanley Ramirez playing shortstop in 2013, Hernandez tweets.
- Meanwhile, the club is heading into the offseason with the idea that Luis Cruz can be the Dodgers' third baseman in 2013 (Twitter link). Cruz, 28, hit .297/.322/.431 with six homers in 78 games for the Dodgers in 2012. It would make sense for the Dodgers to look in-house for an answer at third with limited options at the position on the open market this winter.
- Colletti was asked if Juan Uribe has a place on the team in 2013 and the GM responded "We'll have to see," (Twitter link). To part ways with Uribe, the Dodgers will have to eat the $10.3MM remaining on his deal.
Red Sox Receive De La Rosa, Sands From Dodgers
The Red Sox announced that they have received right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder Jerry Sands to complete their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers from earlier this summer. In a related move, the club has designated catcher Guillermo Quiroz for assignment.
De La Rosa and Sands were already known to be the players to be named later in the August 25th swap, but the two sides had to wait until the end of the major league season to make that end of the deal official. The other two prospects in the trade, pitcher Allen Webster and infielder Ivan De Jesus, already joined Boston.
De La Rosa, 23, was sidelined for the bulk of the 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The right-hander had a strong debut season in 2011, posting a 3.71 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in ten starts and three relief appearances. De La Rosa and Webster were considered to be the top pitchers in the Los Angeles farm system after two-sport standout Zach Lee.
Sands, 25, posted a .244/.325/.376 slash line with four homers in 251 plate appearances for the Dodgers over the last two seasons. He also owns a Triple-A batting line of .288/.362/.552 with 55 home runs in 940 plate appearances during that stretch.
Quiroz, 30, has seen time for the Blue Jays, Mariners (twice) , Rangers, Orioles, and Red Sox across eight big league seasons. He spent most of the year with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .278/.362/.483 with 15 homers in 89 games.
Quick Hits: League, Tracy, Upton, Blue Jays
Brandon League told reporters that he has informed the Dodgers that he would like to re-sign this winter, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. After a rough handful of games to kick off his Dodger career, League settled down to finish with a 2.30 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in Los Angeles. Here’s more from around baseball as Miguel Cabrera celebrates his Triple Crown season..
- With his status uncertain for 2013, Rockies skipper Jim Tracy is set to meet with front office management on Friday, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Tracy was said to have a handshake agreement for next season but there has been heavy speculation that the club could let him go this offseason.
- From talking to people around the Rays, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) can’t find anyone who thinks that Tampa Bay will come up with the money to retain B.J. Upton. Recently, more than 61% of MLBTR readers polled said that the Rays should extend Upton a qualifying offer this winter.
- Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos says that he is comfortable with John Farrell returning to manage the club with just one year left on his contract, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The GM went on to say that the club’s payroll will go up for next season, though there will not be a “bottomless pit” to work from (Twitter link).
- Dodgers outfielder Shane Victorino will be parting ways with his representation at ACES and is interviewing other agents, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The veteran is set to hit the open market this winter. Earlier tonight, we learned that Nyjer Morgan has also dropped ACES.
- If the Rangers are bounced early from the postseason, Josh Hamilton‘s dropped pop-up against the A’s earlier today will have an impact on Texas’ willingness to bid on him, opines Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).