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Stark On Braves, Hardy, Uggla

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Let's check out the hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark's latest Rumblings and Grumblings column at ESPN.

  • The free agent market for super-utility men is strong, with Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, and Jerry Hairston Jr.  Stark says the Cards will let DeRosa test the market, despite the recent extension chatter.  Stark talked to an NL exec who prefers Figgins to DeRosa, which seems logical.
  • Stark finds it "all but certain" that the Braves bring Tim Hudson back for 2010, but they won't be shopping Javier Vazquez.  He considers the Braves unlikely to re-sign free agent relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.  If that's the case, Frank Wren will need to bring in some kind of late-inning arm.
  • Expect a strong market for Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, despite his disappointing '09 season.  Which teams do you see in the mix?
  • Stark sees the Marlins keeping only one of Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, and Jorge Cantu, who are all due raises through arbitration. 
  • Stark says the Astros don't have a shopping list yet for their next manager, but count on GM Ed Wade to be meticulous.  The 'Stros prefer someone with experience, leading Stark to join in on the Jim Fregosi speculation.

Odds & Ends: Webb, Chapman, ChiSox, Brewers

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Wednesday evening link session…

  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney thinks Brandon Webb is right in not accepting a compromise deal from the Diamondbacks.  He lists multiple teams that would be willing to offer the former Cy Young Award winner a lucrative one-year contract, including the Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, White Sox, Yankees and Red Sox.
  • Scott Merkin of MLB.com gathered this quote from White Sox GM Kenny Williams, regarding his outlook heading into the offseason:  "No. 1, I don’t like what I see on the free agent market, and what I do like, it’s going to cost you a No. 1 pick. "
  • According to Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com, Aroldis Chapman's agent will be present at Yankee Stadium this weekend to take in a game against the Red Sox.  Chapman, though, will remain in Andorra.
  • Arangure also "tweets" that Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz has finally become a free agent.  The 25-year-old hit .305/.408/.467 over 52 games in the Serie Nacional last season before suddenly defecting to the Dominican Republic.
  • According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, Brewers manager Ken Macha is likely to return for a second season.  GM Doug Melvin knows exactly where the blame should lie for his club's disappointing 2009 campaign, and it's not on the skipper:  "It came down to starting pitching," Melvin said Tuesday. "Overall, we lacked depth. When we had to reach down … (it wasn't there)."

Odds & Ends: Webb, Griffey, Hoffman

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Links for Monday…

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Dodgers, DeRosa, Cubs, Managers, General Managers

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Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive right on in…

  • Southpaws Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw are likely to start the first two games of the playoffs for the Dodgers, but Kershaw must recover from his dislocated non-throwing shoulder first. The back-to-back lefties would be a big advantage if LA played the lefthanded hitter heavy Phillies. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cardinals, despite being so righty heavy, have the second lowest team OPS (.675) against lefthanded pitchers in the National League.
  • Hiroki Kuroda would likely start game three for the Dodgers, followed by either Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland. Chad Billinglsey will likely be left out of the rotation.
  • The Cards have put their contract extension talks with Mark DeRosa on hold until the offseason, making it more likely that he'll become a free agent. The deal St. Louis originally proposed was less than the three-year, $17.5MM contract Casey Blake received as a free agent last offseason. DeRosa is a year younger now than Blake was then, but the offseason wrist surgery he is scheduled to have makes the situation cloudy.
  • The Cubs will be open to "anything and everything" this offseason, including trading Milton Bradley and/or Carlos Zambrano. Anything to improve the club, basically. However, perhaps the only way the Cubs could unload Bradley would be to take on another underachieving, overpaid player in return.
  • Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is owed $54MM over the next three years, but he's still only 28-years-old and still incredibly talented. The free agent market for starting pitching is thin, which may work in Chicago's favor. Big Z might be appealing at the right price.
  • Ken Macha will likely remain with the Brewers, but at least four other managers are in danger of being fired. The list starts with Cecil Cooper of the Astros, and also includes Jim Riggleman of the Nationals, Dave Trembley of the Orioles, and Eric Wedge of the Indians.
  • Among general managers, Ned Colletti of the Dodgers, Brian Sabean of the Giants, and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies are all without contracts for next year, and two of them are going to the postseason. The only GM that appears to be in jeopardy of losing his job is J.P. Ricciardi of the Blue Jays.

Olney On Nationals, Hardy, Mets

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney compares two of the game's best pitchers, Felix Hernandez and Zack Greinke, before providing us with some rumors:

  • Olney hears the Nationals will consider former MLB manager Buck Showalter when they select the team's permanent field manager.
  • J.J. Hardy will likely see lots of time at shortstop before the season ends. Olney guesses that the Brewers are trying to raise his trade value going into the offseason.
  • One GM tells Olney that the Mets have a few elite players, some unmoveable ones and not much minor league depth. This means the team may have to spend heavily to compete. 
  • Here's Tim's take on the Mets and here's Jon Heyman's.

Davis Would Return To D’Backs Or Brewers

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Doug Davis has played his entire National League career with two teams: the D'Backs and Brewers. Now that he's about to become a free agent, Davis tells Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic that he'd return to either club. However, he knows other teams are likely to have some interest in him, so he's not publicly ruling anything out.

"I think there are a lot of teams out there that could use me," he said.

Davis, who turns 34 on Monday, has been remarkably consistent throughout the last six years. He doesn't have electric stuff, but he's made 30 starts or more nearly every season. A year ago, Davis missed time to recover from cancer, but still managed to start 26 games.

Davis says he won't ask for a ton of money, but he considers himself one of the better left-handers available, so he expects to be paid fairly. After the Brewers nearly acquired him last month, Davis said he wants a three-year deal. Since there are other innings-eaters out there, a deal that long would be a coup for Davis and his agent.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Zambrano, Johnson, Fielder, Felix, Braves

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On this date 39 years ago, the Mets purchased the contract of Dean Chance from the Indians. At the time, the Mets were 1.5 games back in the NL East. The former Cy Young winner would make only three relief appearances down the stretch and the Mets finished six games back in third place. Chance would subsequently be traded in the off-season and play just one more season. With only two weeks remaining before the start of most team's off-season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels the reports that Carlos Zambrano is largely responsible for the Cubs' failures this season are just PR by the Cubs to make it easier to move Zambrano this off-season.
  • Fangraphs makes a case that Nick Johnson's injury history could increase the number of teams that are interested in his services this off-season.
  • Dodgers Rumors wonders if Ned Colletti will be back next season as the Dodgers' GM and whether he deserves to be.
  • MLB Notebook breaks down the possibility of Prince Fielder being traded this off-season.
  • Jorge Says No! writes about the Mariners' inability to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
  • DC Sports Plus looks at some free agent starting pitchers that could help the Nationals next season, with John Lackey, Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro at the top of the wishlist.
  • The Ghost of Midnight Graham suggests that teams avoid Pineiro this winter.
  • UmpBump takes a look at who might be playing first base for the Braves next 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.

Reds Chat With Assistant GM Bob Miller

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Reds assistant GM Bob Miller chatted with fans today for MLB.com.  A few hot stove highlights:

  • Miller expects all four of the Reds' infielders to return for 2010.  Presumably he is referring to Paul Janish as the shortstop, along with Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Scott Rolen.  The fan from the chat had a point – that is a stellar defensive infield.  Miller shot down a fan's idea of pursuing Orlando Hudson.
  • Miller hopes the Reds can come to an agreement with Jonny Gomes for next year.  Shouldn't be too hard, since Gomes is under control as an arbitration-eligible player.
  • Miller's philosophy on trades seems to be that everyone is available at the right price.  Hard to argue with that.
  • Expect the player-to-be-named from the David Weathers trade to be finalized around mid-October.
  • Miller admitted that the offense is a weakness that needs to be addressed.  A healthy, effective Jay Bruce and less Willy Taveras might be sufficient upgrades, in my opinion.  What do you think about a Mike Cameron reunion?

Brewers Rumors: Melvin, Looper

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All but eliminated from the playoffs, the Brewers are focused on 2010.  A few notes about their future…

  • Speculation about GM Doug Melvin being fired is "ridiculous," owner Mark Attanasio told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  Attanasio added that he's not pressuring Melvin to make significant changes.  He'll also leave the decision on manager Ken Macha up to Melvin.
  • Attanasio said trading Prince Fielder for pitching "seems like a cop-out."  He's right in saying it makes for "great Internet fodder and speculation."  Realistically, Fielder will not be on the market this winter.
  • When Braden Looper made his 30th start on September 11th, his mutual option for next year increased to $6.5MM.  His 4.89 ERA matches his 4.87 xFIP, so there's no hidden story about Looper's performance.  Still, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy thinks the Brewers "will almost certainly exercise their half of the option."  Looper said returning to Milwaukee is his first choice, but notes that "the option gives me a little bit of leverage."
  • My opinion: for a net of $5.5MM guaranteed, the Brewers should seek a pitcher with more upside than Looper.  Erik Bedard, Brett Myers, and even Brad Penny might fit the bill.  Looper didn't sign until mid-February this year, and the guarantee was only $4.75MM.  The Brewers can find another Looper if they need an innings-eater, so why not decline the option and see how the market plays out?

Odds & Ends: Nationals’ Catcher, Brewers’ GM, Uggla

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Some food for thought, even though you shouldn't be snacking so close to bed…

  • With Jesus Flores undergoing surgery for a torn labrum, putting his 2010 start date into question, Washington manager Jim Riggleman said the Nationals may have to seek another catcher. According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, Rod Barajas may be a good fit, "because he is an excellent handler of pitchers." Barajas also has a bit of power, and would be a decent fit. Phil Wood of MASN speculates that Brian Schneider could return to Washington, noting that Schneider is "just 32, and would likely have multiple offers", though anyone who has seen Schneider hit this season would assume those offers won't be to play baseball. A shame, since Schneider is one of the best clubhouse guys in the game, has been a tremendous mentor to the younger Mets' players, and will be a tremendous manager if he pursues it.
  • Brewers' owner Mark Attanasio strongly denied that General Manager Doug Melvin's job is in jeopardy. "It seems like a cop-out to me to blow everything up and start from scratch," Attanasio told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "We've built this team around a good core of players now for five years and we took a step back [this year]. We'd like to take two steps forward next year."
  • Dan Uggla is sad that the Marlins are likely going to trade him this offseason.
  • Carl Crawford and Pat Burrell "had words" in Tampa Bay clubhouse, and not polite ones like "please" or "thank you."
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