Rogers On Yankees, Cubs, Mauer, Padilla
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has written a pair of new articles. One focuses on the New York Yankees, while the other explores news from around the majors. Here are some of his points:
- Pitching depth is the Yankees' main priority this offseason. Having Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes all healthy and effective would be ideal, but Rogers doesn't think GM Brian Cashman will be able to resist looking hard at free agent veteran starting pitching.
- Rogers thinks the Cubs will attempt to bolster their bullpen through trades.
- He also mentions that the Cubs could be looking to fill a couple vacancies in their Opening Day rotation, with Rich Harden expected to leave and Ted Lilly's health in question.
- Rogers expects the Minnesota Twins to "get busy" working on an extension for Joe Mauer, and wonders what the starting point will be (his guess: five years and $95MM).
- The Los Angeles Dodgers would like to re-sign Vicente Padilla based on his on-field performance. However, his off-field actions, including last week's shooting in Nicaragua, make the decision more problematic.
Odds & Ends: Torre, Figgins, Mora
A few links to browse while we continue the countdown to the GM meetings….
- 2010 may not be Joe Torre's last season in Los Angeles after all, according to T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times.
- Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that any Phillies fans expecting the club to go out and land another elite starting pitcher this offseason will be disappointed.
- FOX Sports's Jon Paul Morosi explains why the trade market might be busier than usual this year, and looks at what players could be dealt next.
- MASN's Roch Kubatko examines the Baltimore Orioles' third basemen, past and future. He's skeptical that the Orioles will pursue Chone Figgins this offseason because manager Dave Trembley wants a power hitter at third base. He also wonders if Melvin Mora might end up in Philadelphia.
- Kirk Gibson won't earn a shot at a managerial gig this year, but he may get an opporunity in the not-so-distant future, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice is ready to cut ties with Miguel Tejada and hand over the Astros' third base job to Chris Johnson.
- Steve Slowinski at DRays Bay asks what the Rays ought to do with Andy Sonnanstine, and formulates his own solution.
Kurkjian’s Latest: Yankees, Dodgers, Chapman
Tim Kurkjian runs through some of the top storylines to watch this offseason for his latest article on ESPN.com. Here's a breakdown of some of the topics discussed…
- Kurkjian believes the Yankees will let Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui walk this winter and will "consider" free agents Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.
- Kurkjian also thinks Holliday is "perfect for Fenway Park," and someone who will be pursued if the Red Sox aren't able to reach an agreement with Bay.
- The McCourts' divorce could have a serious impact on the way Los Angeles does business this offseason. As Kurkjian writes, "The Dodgers need to acquire at least one topflight starting pitcher, but there is already speculation that they will not have enough money to re-sign left-hander Randy Wolf."
- The Cubs won't be able to trade Milton Bradley without picking up most of the two years, $20MM left on his contact.
- The Yanks are likely to re-sign Andy Pettitte for at least one year.
- Kurkjian spoke to one MLB general manager who thinks Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman has "a ways to go before he's ready to pitch in the major leagues, phyiscally and emotionally."
- The Angels are expected to be aggressive in trying to re-sign Chone Figgins, but he'll have plenty of other suitors. Kurkjian lists the White Sox and Orioles as possibilities. We've heard the Cubs might also have interest.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Pierre, Webb, Mariners
Here's a few links on a gorgeous Saturday, at least around these parts…
- Acquiring Carlos Gomez allows the Brewers to wave goodbye to Mike Cameron, and Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel says they'll use the savings on pitching. "We're going to have to take our resources that we gave to Mike and distribute them to fill other needs for our ballclub," said GM Doug Melvin. "We've said pitching is our focus. We still have other needs, like any club. And the salaries of our other players go up, too."
- The return of Manny Ramirez allows the Dodgers to resume searching for a trade partner for Juan Pierre, according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Pierre still has two-years and $18.5MM remaining on his contract.
- In today's blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that Brandon Webb will be prime trade bait in the middle of next season if he makes it all the way back and the Diamondbacks aren't in contention.
- Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider takes a look at some offseason options for the Mariners.
- Meanwhile, former Mariner Kenji Johjima can provide some additional input on American pitchers the Hanshin Tigers may pursue, notes Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Patrick also passes along a report that lists some pitchers Hanshin is looking at, including two Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith and Chris Jakubauskas.
- Rowland-Smith is on Twitter, and was a little surprised by the news.
- Bob Dutton of The KC Star takes a look at the newest Royals, Chris Getz and Josh Fields.
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball lists all 39 players who filed for free agency on Friday.
Manny Ramirez Will Return To Dodgers in 2010
7:01pm: Hernandez has a quote from Boras:
"Obviously, he enjoys L.A.," Boras said. "If he went into the marketplace, the real negative was that he could end up playing in a place he wasn't comfortable playing."
6:19pm: Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times tweets that according to agent Scott Boras, Manny Ramirez will return to the Dodgers next year. Technically, Manny signed a two-year deal last offseason, but he has the ability to opt out of the 2010 portion of his contract within five days after the World Series. He would forfeit $20MM by doing so.
The 37-year-old Ramirez had a tale of two seasons in 2009. He hit .348/.492/.641 in the team's first 29 games, but "just" .269/.389/.492 after returning from a 50-game banned substance suspension. ESPN's Keith Law said that Manny showed the "the loss of bat speed" at the end of the season, and didn't think that any team should invest $20MM in him for 2010.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Red Sox, Iwamura, Matsui
On this date 33 years ago, Bill Campbell became one of the first players to sign a contract with a new team under baseball's new free agency system. After saving 20 games with the Twins in '76, Campbell signed a four-year, $1MM deal with the Red Sox. In his first season in Boston, he would save 31 games and make his only All-Star appearance. As we enter the 34th Hot Stove season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- MLB Notebook suggests Ben Sheets or Erik Bedard for the Dodgers over Vicente Padilla.
- Around the Majors breaks down why Jeremy Hermida is a good pick-up for the Red Sox.
- Fire Brand of the American League explores what it will cost the Red Sox to sign Josh Beckett to an extension.
- Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke? likes what Akinori Iwamura brings to the Pirates both on the field and off.
- Raise the Jolly Roger wonders if Iwamura is worth the cost-controlled Jesse Chavez.
- Baseball Daily Digest says that the Iwamura acquisition is the Pirates latest move into the international market.
- Beyond the Boxscore feels the Pirates got a steal, noting that Iwamura is worth $7.5MM more than his $4.85MM salary
- Twins Geek laments the near-acquisition of Iwamura by the Twins.
- Mets Fans Forever hopes the Mets pass on Hideki Matsui.
- Crawfish Boxes takes a look back at every move the Astros made before and during the '09 season.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Dodgers Decline Jon Garland’s 2010 Option
According to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times, the Dodgers have declined Jon Garland's mutual $10MM option for 2010. The Diamondbacks will pay Garland his $2.5MM buyout, as per the terms of August's trade for Tony Abreu.
Garland made 32+ starts for the eighth straight year, putting up a 4.01 ERA, his lowest since 2005. FanGraphs valued his 2009 performance at $10.6MM, but it's hard to see Garland getting eight figures annually on the open market.
Dodgers Interested In Re-Signing Vicente Padilla
The Dodgers signed righty Vicente Padilla to a minor league contract on August 19th; he'd been designated for assignment by the Rangers. Padilla pitched well in 39.3 regular season innings and in two out of three postseason starts. According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti recently expressed interest in re-signing Padilla. The interest appears mutual.
Padilla's agent Adam Katz downplayed a recent "hunting accident" wherein the pitcher grazed himself in the thigh with a bullet. Padilla reportedly spent less than an hour being treated in a Nicaraguan hospital. Colletti told Hernandez he didn't know enough about the matter to determine whether it would affect his interest in re-signing Padilla. More troubling is Padilla's lengthy history of alcohol problems, but most MLB teams tend to ignore DUIs.
Padilla certainly won't be signing another three-year, $33.75MM deal. He might be able to get one year and $5-8MM. Aside from the Dodgers, the Brewers, Mets, and Diamondbacks are three clubs known to be hunting for starting pitching.
Manny Ramirez Rumor Shot Down
2:21pm: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times says (via Twitter) that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti shot down the rumor below. By the way, Hernandez just joined Twitter, so get following!
12:16pm: From Bob Keisser of the Long Beach Press-Telegram (hat tip to Diamond Leung):
A baseball insider says the club has been contacted by an American League team that is interested in Manny Ramirez if the team will pay part of his $20 million salary for 2010. It's a team that plays in a very mediocre division, has a few team officials familiar with Ramirez, and always needs a bump in notoriety.
MLBTR has not referenced a rumor from Keisser in its four-year history, but let's explore this one anyway.
SI's Jon Heyman wrote Wednesday that Manny "is planning to exercise" his $20MM player option. Manny hit well in 2009, but a 50-game PED suspension marred his season.
As for Keisser's clues, he appears to be referring to the AL Central. Did the Twins, Tigers, White Sox, Indians, or Royals express interest in Manny? Indians GM Mark Shapiro crossed paths with Ramirez. The Tigers' David Chadd worked for the Red Sox when Manny was there. Do any of the other teams have officials familiar with the slugger? In general, do you buy this rumor?
Dodgers Notes: Manny, Schmidt, Offseason
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick takes a look at what he figures to be an "exciting" offseason for the Dodgers. Let's go over the highlights:
- No surprise that Gurnick lists Manny Ramirez as the biggest question mark heading into 2010. Manny's 37, and while many feel he's a lock to pick up his $20MM option for 2010, Gurnick cautions not to be too sure. As Gurnick points out, Manny is as unpredictable as they come, as is his agent, Scott Boras. Gurnick reminds us of 2006, when no one thought J.D. Drew would walk away from $33MM guaranteed, but he and Boras did just that, securing more years and more dollars with the Red Sox. Additionally, Manny's told his teammates that the pounding on his legs is getting to him, and that he ought to be a designated hitter.
- The Dodgers are set to have up to $40MM come off the books this offseason, which should more than cover the arbitration raises due to Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, James Loney, Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo.
- Jason Schmidt accounts for $15.5MM of that $40MM sum. Gurnick says that Schmidt is "expected to retire."
- The Dodgers did extremely well signing Orlando Hudson and Randy Wolf to one-year deals last offseason, but now find themselves right back where they started, writes Gurnick, with second base and starting pitching as the biggest needs.
- Gurnick lists outfielder Jason Repko as a non-tender candidate.
- Rather than give the second base job to Blake DeWitt, Gurnick feels that an acquisition for second base is "almost a certainty."