Odds & Ends: Johjima, Brewers, Pujols
As the champagne chills in the Philadelphia clubhouse, here are some late-night newsbits….
- Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald reports that during a conference call with Japanese press members, Kenji Johjima said that a lack of playing time was the main reason he opted out of his contract with the Mariners. He and the team cited Johjima's desire to be closer to his family in Japan as the primary reason for his leaving Seattle two days ago.
- Milwaukee assistant general manger Gord Ash chatted with fans on Wednesday about the Brewers' minor league prospects. Perhaps the most notable item from the chat was Ash's admission that there will be a "gap" of time before the Brewers can get some pitching help from the farm since most of their best young hurlers are at least a year or two away.
- Albert Pujols' arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday was "a success" according to a team statement noted by MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The not-insignificant procedure shouldn't lead to any missed playing time for Pujols, who is expected to be fit and ready for spring training.
Brewers Hire Rick Peterson
11:31am: Peterson received a two-year deal, according to Haudricourt.
12:24am: According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers have hired Rick Peterson to be their next pitching coach.
Milwaukee ranked at the bottom of the National League last season with a 5.37 team ERA. Peterson, who has been the favorite for the gig since the regular season ended, will be formally introduced at a press conference Tuesday.
Peterson has worked with Milwaukee manager Ken Macha (during the early 2000s in Oakland) and Brewers bench coach Willie Randolph (from 2003-2008 in New York). Of course, chemistry among the coaching staff is no guarantee for success. The Brewers have serious personnel problems among their starting pitching corps and need to find new blood either by trade or on the open market this winter.
The Brewers dismissed now-former pitching coach Bill Castro in mid-August.
Offseason Outlook: Milwaukee Brewers
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Brewers. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C –
C – Mike Rivera – $415K+
1B – Prince Fielder – $10.5MM
2B – Rickie Weeks – $2.45MM+
SS – Alcides Escobar – $400K
3B – Casey McGehee – $400K
IF – J.J. Hardy – $4.65MM+
IF – Mat Gamel – $400K
LF – Ryan Braun – $1MM
CF – Jody Gerut – $1.775MM+
RF – Corey Hart – $3.25MM+
OF –
? –
SP – Yovani Gallardo – $414K
SP – Dave Bush – $4MM+
SP – Manny Parra – $426K
SP – Jeff Suppan – $12.5MM
SP – Chris Narveson – $400K
Braden Looper – $6.5MM mutual option, $750K buyout if club declines
RP – Trevor Hoffman – $7.5MM
RP – Seth McClung – $1.6625MM+
RP – Todd Coffey – $800K+
RP – Carlos Villanueva – $447K+
RP – Mitch Stetter – $408K
RP – Mark DiFelice – $403K
RP – Chris Smith – $400K
Other commitments: Bill Hall – $7.15MM, David Riske – $4.5MM, David Weathers – $400K buyout
Non-tender candidates: Jody Gerut, Seth McClung
Let's say the Brewers non-tender Gerut and McClung and decline options on Looper and Weathers. That'd put them at $64MM before arbitration raises to Rivera, Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Bush, Coffey, and Villanueva. Many of these players had off years but we still have to put the team in the $70MM range. $4.5MM would be trimmed if Hardy is traded for a minimum-salary player. The Brewers entered 2009 with a $80.2MM payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.
GM Doug Melvin could have $10MM+ to spend, with holes to fill at catcher, center field, and in the rotation. Melvin must shoulder some of the blame for the team's limited payroll flexibility – the Brewers have $11.65MM in dead money for Riske and Hall in 2010, plus $12.5MM for Suppan to conclude that dubious signing.
The Brewers could fill the catching spot internally, if they allow Jason Kendall to leave as a free agent. The candidate is 23-year-old prospect Angel Salome. Salome hit .286/.334/.413 in 314 Triple A plate appearances this year. His defense is a question mark, and the Brewers did not give him a September audition. Starting Salome would be a risky move, and Kendall does want to stay.
Weeks is strongly opposed to moving to center field, and incumbent Mike Cameron is a free agent. Cameron is willing to take a pay cut to stay, and the Brewers should strongly consider re-signing him. Gerut may be cut loose after a .230/.279/.376 performance. Internally, Lorenzo Cain (.214/.277/.338 at Double A, missed time with a ligament tear) can't be ruled out. Note that Melvin said in September that "we cannot be distracted" by holes in the field due to the need to focus on pitching.
On to the rotation, Melvin would like to add two starting pitchers. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy wrote on September 10th that "the Brewers will almost certainly pick up" Looper's option. I've written before that I don't think that's a good idea. For that same price the Brewers could sign a free agent with significantly more upside.
The Brewers will not trade Braun or Fielder, but it seems very likely that they'll make Hardy and/or Gamel available for starting pitching. Today at U.S.S. Mariner Dave Cameron proposed a Hardy-Brandon Morrow swap, which seems reasonable. The Twins, Red Sox, and Blue Jays could be other potential fits for the shortstop.
Even before considering a possible long-term deal for Fielder, Melvin has his work cut out for him this winter. He's already re-signed Hoffman and added Rick Peterson as the new pitching coach. Now he must take a limited budget to find two starting pitchers, a catcher, and a center fielder. He has to decide on Looper's option, entertain offers for Hardy, and deal with at least five significant arbitration cases. Should be an action-packed hot stove season for Brewers fans.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Rockies, Brewers
What, two playoff games isn't enough baseball for you? Us either…
- Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com discusses the many problems with the Pirates. She doesn't think any of the traded Pirates are coming back, and addresses the improvement Pittsburgh needs to make in the starting rotation and up the middle.
- MLB.com's Thomas Harding dissects the state of the Rockies, position-by-position.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says there will be no pitching coach hiring announced today for the Brewers, in case you were staying up late waiting for that announcement.
- Boston Red Sox coaches Brad Mills and Tim Bogar interviewed for the Houston managerial vacancy.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Orioles, Garner
Apparently Sunday afternoons in October are a slow time for baseball news. Who knew? Here's some links to tide you over for now…
- Viva El Birdos takes a look at the 2010 rotation options for the Cardinals, both internal and external. Could Kyle McClellan or Blake Hawksworth succeed in the rotation?
- Roch Kubatko isn't sure that the Orioles are in the market for a left-handed reliever at all, though he does mention that they're expected to re-sign Mark Hendrickson.
- Brian McTaggart from MLB.com held a Q&A session with Astros managerial candidate Phil Garner. Garner managed the Astros from 2004-2007.
- Adam Rubin expects the Brewers to hire Rick Peterson as their new pitching coach. General manager Doug Melvin recently flew to New Jersey to meet with Peterson, and as Rubin points out: "How often does a GM fly halfway across the country to interview a pitching coach? Isn’t it usually the other way around?"
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reports that Tony Bernazard is close to signing on with Scott Boras, stating that Boras likely sees Bernazard's rapport with Latin players as a valuable asset in recruiting new clients.
- J.J. Cooper at Baseball America ranks the Top 10 Independent League prospects, with Reynaldo Rodriguez ranking number one. The Red Sox purchased Rodriguez's contract last week.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Yankees, Brewers
A few links to browse while you recover from last night's 13-inning marathon in the Bronx….
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman has a plan for the Mets' rotation: take advantage of spacious Citi Field by pursuing fly ball pitchers instead of the ground ball pitchers that everyone else will covet. Sherman's ideas include Jeremy Guthrie, Gil Meche, and Ervin Santana.
- Adam Rubin at the New York Daily News hears that the Mets want to acquire a right-handed first baseman to complement Daniel Murphy in 2010. Rubin anticipates that the team's bigger move will be adding a power-hitting outfielder though.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News expects the Yankees to re-sign either Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui as the team's regular DH, letting the other player go. Brian Cashman could then use that money to sign a left fielder who wouldn't be a defensive liability.
- After the Cincinnati Reds hired Bryan Price as their pitching coach, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel becomes more confident than ever that Rick Peterson is headed for the Brewers' open pitching coach position.
Brewers, Reds Complete David Weathers Trade
The Reds have received an undisclosed amount of cash from the Brewers to the complete August's David Weathers trade, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. When the deal was made, it was reported that Cincinnati could choose from a pool of young players, or opt for cash. They obviously did the latter.
The 39-year-old Weathers had a 4.88 ERA in 24 IP for Milwaukee after the trade. The Brewers hold a $3.7MM option for 2010, but could instead pay Weathers a $400K buyout.
Odds & Ends: McCourts, Strasburg, Cotts
Some tidbits from around baseball as we enjoy Game One of the ALCS…
- Bill Shaikin and Harriet Ryan of the L.A. Times have some ominous news for Dodgers fans surrounding the separation of Frank and Jamie McCourt: his attorneys claim he is the sole owner of the Dodgers, while her lawyers say the team's ownership is split 50-50 between the soon-to-be ex-couple.
- On the night of Stephen Strasburg's professional debut in the Arizona Fall League, Jack Magruder of the Washington Times notes that Strasburg won't pitch much in the AFL.
- Reliever Neal Cotts doesn't know if the Cubs will non-tender him, but he is just focused on pitching somewhere in 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel relates a nice anecdote about Craig Counsell to illustrate why he thinks the Brewers should bring back the veteran infielder in 2010.
- MLB.com's Mychael Urban praised the young, talented and affordable Oakland bullpen in his ongoing team report card series.
- Manny Acta and Bob Melvin "have to be 1-2" for the Houston manager's job thus far, says MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter)
Odds & Ends: Pujols, Cubs, Strasburg, Wagner
Another round of links for the afternoon…
- The Cards were surprised to hear that Albert Pujols isn't thinking about a contract extension, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Cubs have now asked the Rangers for permission to speak with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- First overall pick Stephen Strasburg makes his AFL debut tonight, according to the AP (via ESPN).
- Earlier in the week, the New York Post reported that Billy Wagner was leaning towards retirement. Wagner's agent, Bean Stringfellow, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports this week that Wagner plans on playing next year.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says there's no question: the Red Sox will enter Spring Training with at least five starters. Even if they pick up Tim Wakefield's option, as expected, they will likely add another arm.
- The Brewers sent cash to the Reds to complete the David Weathers trade, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- Bobby Valentine side-stepped questions about the Marlins on 790 The Ticket this morning, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale says (via Twitter) that it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Padres hire Jed Hoyer or Jerry DiPoto to be the team's next GM.
Odds & Ends: Padilla, Acta, Gillick, Bradley
More links from around the majors as we await the continuation of the NLCS…
- Vicente Padilla, who starts for the Dodgers this afternoon, tells Ben Bolch of the LA Times that he's not thinking about his next contract. Padilla will be a Type B free agent after the season.
- Manny Acta is interviewing for the Astros managerial opening today, as MLB.com's Alyson Footer notes. Acta has already interviewed for the Cleveland job.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart would like to see Bob Melvin manage the Astros.
- Longtime MLB GM Pat Gillick tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that he has no interest in becoming the Padres' GM.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the team isn't likely to announce its next pitching coach today.
- Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs are still discussing a possible Milton Bradley trade with a number of teams, though no move appears imminent.
- Miles expects the Cubs to lure hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo away from the Rangers.