Yankees, Marlins Had Preliminary A-Rod Talks
THURSDAY: Marlins president David Samson told Joe Frisaro of MLB.com that there have been "no conversations between the Yankees and the Marlins.”
WEDNESDAY: Earlier today, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman shot down a report from Keith Olbermann which indicated that the club has talked with the Marlins about a possible trade involving Alex Rodriguez. However, Yankees president Randy Levine and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria have in fact had a casual conversation about relocating the embattled third baseman to Miami, a source tells Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
It should be noted that the conversation first began in a "joking" fashion according to the report, which would indicate that any talks between the two sides are in an embryonic stage. However, the source believes that the chat could develop into serious trade talks this winter. Loria reportedly said, "Alex is Mr. Miami, it would be great if he played here for us." The Yankees president then responded, "You can have him."
A second source with knowledge of A-Rod's thinking said Miami is likely the only place that he would accept a trade to. For his part, Levine refused to comment on the conversation with Loria in an interview with ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor and declined to speculate on Rodriguez's future with the Yanks beyond this year. Rodriguez is owed $114MM over the next five years, not including potential bonuses for home run milestones.
It would not be unprecedented for Yankees brass to conduct business with limited involvement from Cashman. Two years ago, the club brokered a substantial deal for reliever Rafael Soriano despite the GM's objections.
Olney On Rodriguez, Blue Jays, Ausmus
Everyone’s talking about Alex Rodriguez these days, but some of the chatter out there can be misleading. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney works his way through some popular theories involving the slumping Yankees slugger, separating myth from reality. Here are Olney’s latest notes…
- The Yankees will probably talk to the Marlins about a deal involving Rodriguez “just to get rid of an outdated superstar,” Olney writes. Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell could end up going from Miami to New York if the sides complete a trade. The Yankees and Marlins have had preliminary talks about a possible deal.
- Olney suggests it’d be a clear sign that the Blue Jays don’t view John Farrell as their manager of the future if they’re willing to discuss sending him to the Red Sox. If the Blue Jays aren’t convinced Farrell is their man, they should complete a deal without haggling too much, Olney writes. The Red Sox have begun compensation talks with Toronto, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported yesterday.
- Brad Ausmus, a candidate for the managerial opening in Boston, did well in his interview, Olney reports.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Tufts, Green, Murphy
Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here as clubs get their 40-man rosters in shape prior to the offseason…
- The Rangers announced that right-hander Tyler Tufts was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock after being activated from the 15-day disabled list. Tufts appeared in 19 minor league games last season before undergoing stomach surgery. The move leaves Texas with 39 players on their 40-man roster.
- The Marlins have outrighted infielder Nick Green to Triple-A according to Clark Spencer of The Miami Herland (on Twitter). The 34-year-old Green hit .174/.208/.304 in 24 plate appearances for Miami this season and is a .236/.303/.347 career hitter in the big leagues.
- The Marlins have also outrighted utility man Donnie Murphy to Triple-A according to Spencer. Murphy, 29, hit .216/.281/.379 in 129 plate appearances for the Fish this year. He's a .205/.270/.373 career hitter in the show.
- The Marlins have also outrighted infielder Gil Velazquez to Triple-A according to Spencer. The 33-year-old hit .232/.246/.250 in 57 plate appearances for Miami this year.
Yankees Notes: Rodriguez, Cashman, Ibanez, Swisher
Here's a look at the latest on the Yankees as they look to stave off elimination in Detroit tonight..
- It wouldn't be surprising to see the Yankees shop Alex Rodriguez this offseason given his struggles, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes that there would be several hurdles for the club to clear first. Chief among them is Rodriguez's veto power and a friend of the veteran told Heyman that he will "never leave" New York. A report from earlier this evening indicated that Rodriguez would give Miami consideration if the opportunity arose according to a source familiar with his thinking.
- Prior to tonight's game, Rodriguez told reporters that he "loves" the Yankees organization, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- While Yankees president Randy Levine and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria have reportedly kicked around the idea of a deal involving Rodriguez, GM Brian Cashman made it clear that he has had no such discussion with the Marlins, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
- Raul Ibanez and Hiroki Kuroda are among those who have boosted their free agent stock with strong performances during the regular season and playoffs, Heyman writes. Meanwhile, a Jayson Werth-type deal for Nick Swisher can now be ruled out as the slugger has been unable to show that he can perform consistently in the postseason.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Orioles, Scutaro, McCann
The Yankees are not talking about a potential Alex Rodriguez trade with the Marlins, according to GM Brian Cashman. Cashman said Keith Olbermann’s report about trade talks is "not true," according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. It’d be an unusual time to discuss a trade, as the Yankees are still in the playoffs and the Marlins have uncertainty in their front office. On to today’s links…
- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Jim Thome "did a nice job" in Baltimore and "added a real veteran presence,” Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. Thome sounds undecided about his next step, but he could re-sign with Baltimore this coming offseason. Making room for him on the roster could require some creativity on the part of Duquette and manager Buck Showalter.
- Baseball executives Brian Sabean (Giants GM), Dan O'Dowd (Rockies GM) and J.P. Ricciardi (Mets special assistant) agree that Marco Scutaro is a talented played with toughness, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Giants infielder stayed in the game to deliver a key hit after being knocked down by Matt Holliday’s overly aggressive slide in the second game of the NLCS.
- Brian McCann could miss the beginning of the 2013 season to recover from shoulder surgery, so the $12MM club option on his contract presents the Braves with a quandary, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. McCann doesn’t have much to worry about in Olney’s estimation. Either the Braves bring the 28-year-old back or he hits free agency and draws interest from many teams, especially AL clubs looking at him as a catcher/DH.
- It's too soon to know if the Braves will pick up the option, but MLB.com's Mark Bowman would guess that McCann will be back.
Red Sox Claim Sandy Rosario
The Red Sox claimed right-hander Sandy Rosario off of waivers from the Marlins, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
Rosario, 27, appeared in four games with the Marlins this past season. He spent most of the year in the minor leagues, where he posted a 1.99 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 31 2/3 innings. Though he started two games, Rosario was mostly used in relief.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier confirmed that Rosario has one minor league option remaining, meaning the Red Sox can send him to Triple-A next season without having to pass him through waivers.
Blue Jays Claim Scott Cousins
The Blue Jays claimed outfielder Scott Cousins off of waivers from the Marlins, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
Cousins, 27, hit .163/.200/.267 in 92 plate appearances for the Marlins this season and is a .183/.231/.291 career hitter in 188 big league plate appearances. He's capable of playing all three outfield spots and is a .288/.345/.457 career hitter at the Triple-A level.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Managerial Notes: Guillen, Johnson, Red Sox, Pena
Here's the latest on some of the open (or possibly open) managerial vacancies from around baseball…
- "It is my belief that as more time passes, the greater the likelihood [Ozzie] Guillen keeps his job. Some others I've spoken with share the same sense," writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, though he notes that this opinion is based on "nothing concrete." While Guillen may stay, there is a greater possibility that the Marlins will make some changes to the coaching staff.
- Davey Johnson tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he has some "unfinished business" with the Nationals and wants to return as the team's manager next season. With GM Mike Rizzo also eager for Johnson to return, Kilgore notes that it will just take ownership approval to work out a new deal for Johnson, who is only contracted through 2013 as a consultant with the Nats.
- The Red Sox will interview Brad Ausmus on Wednesday and DeMarlo Hale on Thursday, reports Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. No manager interviews are scheduled beyond Hale, though the team is open to adding more candidates. The Sox have yet to interview Sandy Alomar Jr. or Torey Lovullo, both of whom interviewed for Boston's manager's job last year.
- Yankees bench coach Tony Pena interviewed for the Red Sox job yesterday and told Lauber (Twitter link) that the two sides talked for six hours and had "a great baseball conversation."
- Jason Giambi is "more suited than most think" to be a manager, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who believes Giambi has "spent [the] last few years preparing for this transition." Renck reported earlier today that the Rockies would interview Giambi for their vacant managerial job.
Managerial Notes: Leyland, Rockies, Indians, Red Sox
Earlier today, we ran down the latest managerial news including word that Rangers skipper Ron Washington's job is safe despite the club's disappointing finish. Here's the latest on vacancies from around the major leagues..
- While the Tigers and manager Jim Leyland will address his contract situation at the end of the year, the skipper confirmed today that he wants to continue managing, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com.
- Rockies senior vice president Bill Geivett told Jim Bowden (via Twitter) on MLB Network Radio that both bench coach Tom Runnells and Triple-A manager Stu Cole are internal candidates for their managerial job.
- As of now, former Astros skipper Brad Mills is not joining the Indians staff under Terry Francona, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Mills served as Francona's bench coach while with the Red Sox.
- Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington declined to comment when asked if he has requested permission to interview candidates from other clubs, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Of course, there has been wide speculation that the Red Sox are interested in Blue Jays manager John Farrell.
- Mike Lowell told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he would want to know the "ins and outs" of an organization before taking on the role of manager. Yesterday, Lowell told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he's not looking to become a big league manager at this point in time despite being linked to the Marlins job.
Marlins Still Weighing Leadership Changes
Not only is Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria deciding whether to fire manager Ozzie Guillen, he is considering restructuring his team’s front office, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports. Loria probably won’t make a decision until the Marlins’ organizational meetings take place later in October.
Earlier this offseason, reports surfaced that the Marlins would dismiss president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and replace him with vice president of player personnel Dan Jennings. As of late last month, Beinfest's job appeared to be safe. Like Guillen, he’s under contract through 2015.
There’s a “very strong chance” Guillen returns, Frisaro reports. The Marlins haven’t decided whether to fire Guillen, but they’ve started considering possible replacements. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported last week that the Marlins are aggressively seeking a replacement for Guillen. Mike Lowell doesn’t appear to be a fit in Miami at this time.