White Sox Notes: McMillen, Guillen, Marlins
The White Sox are hosting their crosstown rivals this evening and both teams are looking to move past disappointing starts. The Cubs have a 29-42 record, while the White Sox have improved to 35-38 after a dismal April. Here's the latest on the South Siders:
- The White Sox announced that they have agreed to terms with 23 of their 50 draft picks, including fourth rounder Kyle McMillen, a 21-year-old right-hander from Kent State University. McMillen is represented by Jonathan Maurer.
- Manager Ozzie Guillen told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he wants to remain in Chicago after this year (Twitter links). Guillen, who is under contract for 2012, acknowledged that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Kenny Williams have the final say on his future.
- The Marlins, who named 80-year-old Jack McKeon their new manager today, don’t have a long-term skipper in place and have had interest in Guillen for years. Guillen acknowledged the rumors of Florida’s interest in him by pointing out that powerful right fielder Mike Stanton would help the Marlins more than he could.
Outrighted: Herrera, Brad Davis
The latest group of players who cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A:
- The Brewers outrighted Danny Ray Herrera to Triple-A Nashville, according to MLB.com's transactions page. They designated the left-hander for assignment on Saturday.
- Marlins catcher Brad Davis, designated for assignment Wednesday to open a 40-man spot for Jose Lopez, is headed to New Orleans according to the team's Twitter account.
Marlins Hire Jack McKeon As Manager
The Marlins' hiring of Jack McKeon as manager is complete, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. An announcement by the team is scheduled for this afternoon.
Edwin Rodriguez surprised the team by resigning Sunday, in the midst of a brutal month for the Fish. McKeon, now 80, managed the Marlins from 2003-05 and remained with the organization as a special assistant. He'll be the second-oldest person to manage an MLB game behind Connie Mack, reports ESPN's Buster Olney via Elias. As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes, McKeon's past four managerial jobs began midseason, including his '03 hire with the Marlins that resulted in a World Championship. The 32-40 Marlins are 7.5 games out of the wild card, so they'd probably have to play at least .620 ball from here on out to have a shot at the playoffs.
Marlins Manager Edwin Rodriguez Steps Down
9:36PM: Jack McKeon, 80, is expected to be named the Marlins' new manager, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
11:52AM: Bobby Valentine is also being considered by the Marlins as well, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
11:30AM: In addition to Hyde, the Marlins are considering 80-year-old Jack McKeon as a candidate for interim manager, tweets Olney.
10:35AM: Marlins skipper Edwin Rodriguez has resigned, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Bench coach Brandon Hyde will manage the team this afternoon in Tampa Bay as the club begins its search for an interim manager.
Rumors have swirled about Rodriguez's job status this season as the Fish have floundered. The Fish have long coveted White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently reported that the team was even looking at Bobby Valentine.
Florida has lost 18 of their last 21 games and earlier this month fired hitting coach John Mallee in an effort to shake things up. The Marlins are at the bottom of the NL East, 12.5 games back of the first place Phillies.
Rodriguez was hired on a full-time basis in November. The 50-year-old finished 2010 as the club's interim manager after Fredi Gonzalez was fired.
Marlins Notes: McKeon, Hyde, Guillen
Earlier today, Edwin Rodriguez voluntarily stepped down as Marlins manager and bench coach Brandon Hyde was tabbed to fill in for today's game against the Rays. Here's the latest on who might take over next..
- McKeon is owner Jeffrey Loria's first choice to take over as interim manager, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- Marlins officials will discuss interim manager candidates internally after today's game against Tampa Bay, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. A source tells Morosi (Twitter link) that both Hyde and Jack McKeon are being considered and a decision is expected in the next 48 hours.
- A source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the Marlins are not considering Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. The Fish hope to put an interim skipper in place for the rest of season by tomorrow.
- Jack McKeon will definitely manage again on an interim basis if asked, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The octogenarian said that he's capable of doing it, though he'd want to talk it over with his wife first.
- Nightengale also tweets that it would be interesting if the Marlins hire someone to fill-in on an interim basis and then make another run at Ozzie Guillen.
Cafardo On Kazmir, Upton, Broxton, Ramirez
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if roster manipulation is rampant in baseball. Cafardo points to the pulled quad muscle injury of Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald as a possible example. McDonald wasn't showing any signs of injury and when asked about it, he gave a "no comment". It's possible that Boston simply wanted to get McDonald more playing time with Mike Cameron eating up the lion's share of the reps. Things such as this, Cafardo writes, are happening all around baseball. Let's see what else is happening around the majors:
- As poorly as left-hander Scott Kazmir has pitched in the last two seasons, there are at least five teams looking at him in the Rockies, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. It also wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees jump into the mix considering their pitching needs.
- There always seems to be a should-we-or-shouldn’t-we-trade B.J. Upton dilemma for the Rays. The Nationals could be a fit as they'd like a young center fielder they can grow with. The question is: is he available? All signs point to yes.
- Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has been on the shelf since May with an elbow injury, but the club could move him if they're lagging in the standings.
- The Marlins' recent slide has skipper Edwin Rodriguez on the hot seat and it's no secret that the club has been keeping an eye on Ozzie Guillen for quite some time. Guillen has one year remaining on his deal with the White Sox.
- The Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $8MM in deferred payments but the charismatic twelve-time All-Star is collecting a lot more than that. The BoSox owe him quite a bit of money too, roughly $32MM over 16 years. Boston will pay Ramirez through 2026, when he’ll be 54-years-old.
NL East Notes: Edwin Rodriguez, Uggla, Riggleman
Here are a couple items of note out of the NL East, where the Phillies sit atop the division with a five-game lead over the Braves entering Saturday's games:
- Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez is probably not in danger of losing his job, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com (via Twitter). Marlins brass relieved hitting coach John Mallee of his duties earlier this month in an effort to shake things up, leading to speculation that Rodriguez could be next if the Fish don't pick things up. Rodriguez was hired on a full-time basis in November; he finished 2010 as their interim skipper in the wake of Fredi Gonzalez's dismissal.
- Braves second baseman Dan Uggla is unlikely to be demoted despite his offensive struggles, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Uggla, who signed a five-year, $62MM extension after being acquired by Atlanta in a trade this offseason, can refuse a minor league assignment since he has five years' service time, according to O'Brien.
- Nationals manager Jim Riggleman deserves to have his 2012 option picked up and an extension on top of that, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The Nats sit at one game under .500 after Saturday's win over the O's, particularly impressive considering they've been without Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Zimmerman for much of the season, as Heyman notes.
Rosenthal’s Full Count: Marlins, Wandy, Phillies, Rockies
Ken Rosenthal has his lastest Full Count video up over at FOXSports.com. Let's go over the highlights:
- If the Marlins make a managerial change, the most likely candidate would be Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. Porter spent five years with the Marlins, and three as a Major League coach. Rosenthal wonders if the Nats would let him go to a division rival midseason, and if Porter would accept the job on an interim basis, knowing the Marlins ultimately want Ozzie Guillen. Porter turned down a similar offer last season.
- Rosenthal asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman if he would consider trading for an ace, and Cashman replied, "I'm not Ruben Amaro," referring to the Phillies GM and his affinity for blockbuster trades. Rosenthal names Wandy Rodriguez as a potential target for New York, but says there could be a hangup since the Astros value Rodriguez as an ace, while the Yanks would view him as a back-of-the-rotation addition.
- The Phillies are doing their due dilligence in looking for right-handed hitters and left-handed relievers, but are limited by payroll issues. They also don't currently have regular at-bats for any hitter they'd acquire. Rosenthal says someone like Ryan Spilborghs, making $2MM with the Rockies, is the type of hitter that would be appealing to Philadelphia.
- The Rockies could be buyers or sellers, depending on their play over the next month. If they're buyers, they'll seek innings-eating pitchers (Rosenthal names Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and the Twins' Kevin Slowey as possible targets), while if they sell they could look to move Huston Street, Ty Wigginton, and Aaron Cook.
NL East Links: Isringhausen, Reyes, Marlins
Let's round up some links from the NL East…
- ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) one name that has been raised by talent evaluators as a trade option if the Mets become sellers is Jason Isringhausen. Izzy has a 3.09 ERA in 23 1/3 innings as Francisco Rodriguez's primary setup man, but the advanced metrics don't like him as much: his FIP sits at 4.75.
- An executive told SI.com's Jon Heyman that he believes Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will eclipse Carl Crawford's seven-year, $142MM contract as a free agent this winter because of his bat and "shutdown" defense (Twitter links). Another exec told Joel Sherman of The New York Post that "Prince Fielder is going to get at least 7 yrs with that body, so tell me how [Reyes] doesn't get at least 7 yrs."
- The Marlins made a series of roster moves today, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro hears that the team is not considering a managerial change (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, meanwhile, says that manager Edwin Rodriguez is on shaky ground and the team maintains interest in Ozzie Guillen and even Bobby Valentine.
- Peter Gammons hears that Marlins players believe team ownership will go over the the heads of the baseball operations department and fire Rodriguez as well as his coaches (Twitter link).
Marlins Designate Dustin Richardson For Assignment
The Marlins designated lefty reliever Dustin Richardson for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Dewayne Wise, tweets the team. Center fielder Chris Coghlan was optioned to Triple-A to open a 25-man spot.
Today's series of moves reflects poorly on a pair of mid-November deals made by the Marlins. Richardson was the Marlins' return from Boston for lefty Andrew Miller, who had been a big piece of Florida's Miguel Cabrera trade with Detroit. Miller was non-tendered by the Red Sox, so any team could have jumped in and signed him. But he re-signed and is flourishing in Triple-A, to the point where many teams tampered and tried to convince him to opt out of his contract according to Peter Gammons. Richardson, meanwhile, had a 3.66 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 5.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 32 Triple-A innings.
Coghlan, the 2009 Rookie of the Year, was the Marlins' Opening Day center fielder despite never having played the position as a pro. His demotion comes on the heels of a .230/.296/.368 line in 298 plate appearances. Confidence in Coghlan was presumably part of the reason the Marlins found Cameron Maybin expendable in November; Maybin is hitting .259/.322/.413 for San Diego.
The Marlins traded a superstar to Detroit in Miguel Cabrera in December of 2007, and Dontrelle Willis added value to the package. They received Miller, Maybin, Burke Badenhop, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio de la Cruz, and Mike Rabelo in return. If Richardson finds a new home they'll have nothing to show for Miller, while the Maybin thread leaves the Fish with relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. Badenhop is part of the Marlins' big league bullpen as well.