Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield
A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series….
- Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter.
- Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.
- MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet.
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield wants to return to Florida. "It would be nice to finish my career with the Marlins," Sheffield said. "This is where I made a name for myself.''
- The Houston Astros aren't handling the managerial interview process well, according to Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle. Justice's pick for the opening, Jim Fregosi, wasn't one of the ten candidates announced by the Astros.
- Chris Ruddick of the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald, speculates on the next moves for St. Louis and Boston. He isn't opposed to letting Tony LaRussa and Matt Holliday walk, and suggests that Jonathan Papelbon could be shopped for a "young bat" this winter.
- The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay writes that former Diamondbacks pitching coach Bryan Pryce is on the Reds' list of candidates for their pitching coach. The Brewers have also expressed interest in Pryce.
- Within a mailbag on MLB.com, Chris Haft writes that players like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay will be out of the San Francisco Giants' price range, and that the team is more likely to acquire a "hard-hitting utilityman."
Odds & Ends: Astros, Marlins, Reds
Let's check out some links as the Twins try to even the score in New York:
- Brian McTaggart of MLB.com has the latest on the Astros' manager search from GM Ed Wade.
- Two Marlins coaches declined offers to return to the club next season, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The departures of Bo Porter (third base/outfield) and Steve Porter (bullpen) mean that the Fish now have four spots to fill on their coaching staff after letting pitching coach Mark Wiley and first-base coach Andy Fox walk. The Marlins also outrighted infielder Andy Gonzalez and right-hander Dallas Trahern to Triple-A New Orleans.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks into the postseason success of Wild Cards.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer runs down the ex-Reds currently in the playoffs. Fay says that "you can't really kick the Reds" for letting these players get away.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Marlins, Reds
Let's check out some links as the Twins try to even the score in New York:
- Brian McTaggart of MLB.com has the latest on the Astros' manager search from GM Ed Wade.
- Two Marlins coaches declined offers to return to the club next season, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The departures of Bo Porter (third base/outfield) and Steve Porter (bullpen) mean that the Fish now have four spots to fill on their coaching staff after letting pitching coach Mark Wiley and first-base coach Andy Fox walk. The Marlins also outrighted infielder Andy Gonzalez and right-hander Dallas Trahern to Triple-A New Orleans.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks into the postseason success of Wild Cards.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer runs down the ex-Reds currently in the playoffs. Fay says that "you can't really kick the Reds" for letting these players get away.
Marlins Release Scott Proctor, Dave Davidson
The Marlins released pitchers Scott Proctor and Dave Davidson, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Proctor, 33 in January, was non-tendered by the Dodgers in December of last year. He agreed to a $750K deal with the Marlins in January, but was not able to return from flexor tendon surgery as expected. In May, he decided to undergo Tommy John surgery. Proctor's best year was 2006, when he posted a 3.52 ERA in 102.3 relief innings for the Yankees.
Davidson, 26 in April, was claimed off waivers from the Pirates in April but designated for assignment by the Fish in May. The southpaw worked only 10.6 innings for the Marlins' Triple A club. A June waiver claim of Davidson by Baltmore was voided due to a shoulder injury. Davidson found his way to the big league 60-day DL, earning a few extra bucks in the process. Poor guy earned it – Fredi Gonzalez had him throw 52 pitches in his lone big league inning.
Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo
Links for Friday…
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler.
- The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
- Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier. Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have Yusei Kikuchi appear in person for meetings with NPB teams but not MLB clubs. Newman still likes the Rangers as Kikuchi's top suitor, based on reports.
- Newman also tells us that pitcher Koji Mitsui, who was posted twice last winter but received no bids, has been released and will attempt to sign with an MLB team.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan for the Cubs that includes signing Chone Figgins and avoiding long-term free agent deals.
- Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the team's recent roster moves.
- Via Twitter, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. passes along info from Miguel Angel Sano's agent Rob Plummer.
- In an MLB.com chat, Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo says that his first choice is to stay with Toronto for his entire career, but his second choice is to pitch on the West Coast.
Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo
Links for Friday…
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler.
- The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
- Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier. Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have Yusei Kikuchi appear in person for meetings with NPB teams but not MLB clubs. Newman still likes the Rangers as Kikuchi's top suitor, based on reports.
- Newman also tells us that pitcher Koji Mitsui, who was posted twice last winter but received no bids, has been released and will attempt to sign with an MLB team.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan for the Cubs that includes signing Chone Figgins and avoiding long-term free agent deals.
- Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the team's recent roster moves.
- Via Twitter, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. passes along info from Miguel Angel Sano's agent Rob Plummer.
- In an MLB.com chat, Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo says that his first choice is to stay with Toronto for his entire career, but his second choice is to pitch on the West Coast.
Odds & Ends: Sabathia, Leyland, Astros
Some links to start the day off…
- Marc Carig of the Star Ledger says the Yankees hit the jackpot when they signed C.C. Sabathia to a $161MM deal last offseason.
- As Yankees manager Joe Girardi tells Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News, they acquired the lefty for big games like last night's ALDS opener against the Twins.
- Tigers fans are rightfully frustrated after a devastating week, but Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press says firing manager Jim Leyland wouldn't solve a thing.
- Former Astros manager Phil Garner tells Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that candidates for the Houston managerial job have to be honest with owner Drayton McLane and GM Ed Wade.
- Now that Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez knows his job is secure, he's clearing his head in Georgia for a few days, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer agrees with Tyler Hissey: the Rockies deserve a lot of credit for acquiring Jason Hammel.
- Hissey says the Rays appear to have won the deal that sent Delmon Young and Brendan Harris to the Twins for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza.
Discussion: Dan Uggla
His name is Dan Uggla, and he can be had for the right price this offseason. The 29-year-old Florida second baseman has 121 homers and an .826 OPS in his four major league seasons, but between his war of words with Marlins franchise player Hanley Ramirez and the $7-8MM he is likely to earn in arbitration, rumors have been swirling that the Fish are looking to move Uggla out of south Florida before he becomes too pricey for their taste.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal listed the Dodgers, Cardinals, Orioles, Twins, Giants and Diamondbacks as possible suitors for Uggla in an article last month. The Snakes may be out of the running now since, as reported by the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro, Arizona will likely look at internal candidates to play second base. Baltimore already has Brian Roberts entrenched at second, but if Uggla was interested in moving to third base he would surely become attractive to even more clubs.
Of the clubs on Rosenthal's list, Minnesota stands out since it's unusual for the small-market Twins to be looking at picking up high-priced talent, rather than moving it themselves. But with Target Field opening in 2010, the Twins may have some extra revenue to spend on both picking up the tab for Uggla and (the team's top priority) signing Joe Mauer to a long-term contract. Minnesota has holes at both second and third that Uggla could fill.
Would Uggla fit best on one of the aforementioned six clubs, or is there another team out there with both the money and the need for a slugging second (or third) baseman?
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Giambi, Kikuchi
Some links to check out as we await the crowning of the 2009 AL Central Champions:
- Major League Baseball announced today that the transfer of the Chicago Cubs to Tom Ricketts was unanimously approved. Ricketts will assume day-to-day control of the club when the deal is finalized, which should take place before the end of the month.
- Jack Curry of the New York Times reports via Twitter that Jason Giambi "raved about the Rockies and said he wants to play in 2010."
- Decision time is drawing near for Japanese high school pitcher Yusei Kikuchi and NPB Tracker took a glance at what lies ahead for the hard-throwing lefty. The 18-year-old is deciding between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and is believed to have more than 20 clubs interested in his services. Kikuchi originally planned to speak with only a select few MLB teams, but has now resolved that he will talk to all interested suitors.
- More from NPB Tracker as Ryota Igarashi – reliever for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows – eyes a move to MLB. Igarashi is keeping mum on the subject for now as his team is in the playoff hunt.
- ESPN's Keith Law chatted about new Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos on the radio today and Drunk Jays Fans has a transcript of the interview as well as a link to the audio.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times offered up his take on how the internet has changed the way baseball is covered.
- From the Fish Bytes blog comes the news that the Marlins did not extend contract offers to pitching coach Mark Wiley and first-base coach Andy Fox. Both men were offered positions elsewhere in the organization. The rest of the coaching staff will be retained.
- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com brings us similar news out of Kansas City. Everyone on the Royals staff will return to their current roles, except for bullpen coach John Mizerock and first-base coach Rusty Kuntz. Mizerock has been let go whereas Kuntz will become a special assistant to GM Dayton Moore.
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Giambi, Kikuchi
Some links to check out as we await the crowning of the 2009 AL Central Champions:
- Major League Baseball announced today that the transfer of the Chicago Cubs to Tom Ricketts was unanimously approved. Ricketts will assume day-to-day control of the club when the deal is finalized, which should take place before the end of the month.
- Jack Curry of the New York Times reports via Twitter that Jason Giambi "raved about the Rockies and said he wants to play in 2010."
- Decision time is drawing near for Japanese high school pitcher Yusei Kikuchi and NPB Tracker took a glance at what lies ahead for the hard-throwing lefty. The 18-year-old is deciding between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and is believed to have more than 20 clubs interested in his services. Kikuchi originally planned to speak with only a select few MLB teams, but has now resolved that he will talk to all interested suitors.
- More from NPB Tracker as Ryota Igarashi – reliever for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows – eyes a move to MLB. Igarashi is keeping mum on the subject for now as his team is in the playoff hunt.
- ESPN's Keith Law chatted about new Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos on the radio today and Drunk Jays Fans has a transcript of the interview as well as a link to the audio.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times offered up his take on how the internet has changed the way baseball is covered.
- From the Fish Bytes blog comes the news that the Marlins did not extend contract offers to pitching coach Mark Wiley and first-base coach Andy Fox. Both men were offered positions elsewhere in the organization. The rest of the coaching staff will be retained.
- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com brings us similar news out of Kansas City. Everyone on the Royals staff will return to their current roles, except for bullpen coach John Mizerock and first-base coach Rusty Kuntz. Mizerock has been let go whereas Kuntz will become a special assistant to GM Dayton Moore.