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Quick Hits: Twins, Cuddyer, Cardinals, Phillies

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Some links on this Sunday afternoon..

  • In an interview with "Sunday Morning SportsTalk," Twins GM Terry Ryan indicated that Trevor Plouffe will likely play in the outfield and DH in 2012, writes Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com.  Mackey (via Twitter) sees this as a sign that Michael Cuddyer won't be back in Minnesota.
  • Regardless of what Albert Pujols decides to do this winter, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak doesn't envision making major changes to the team's core, writes Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch.
  • The Phillies can’t keep adding and retaining the biggest, most expensive stars, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The club's signing of Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year, $50MM deal could hamper them both in the short-term and long-term.
  • The Dodgers can fetch a record price tag of $1 billion can be expected for the organization, Dodger Stadium and the surrounding real estate, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  One of the biggest reasons for the team's value is all of the undeveloped real estate surrounding Dodger Stadium, which sits on 275 acres of land that is largely used for parking.

Minor Moves: Jared Burton, Wilmin Rodriguez

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The latest minor moves…

  • The Twins signed right-hander Jared Burton to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link).  Burton, 30, has a 3.41 ERA in 164 appearances with the Reds over the last five seasons, recording 143 strikeouts in 169 Major League innings.
  • The Giants re-signed left-hander Wilmin Rodriguez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 26-year-old reliever posted a 4.34 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 64 1/3 innings in the upper minors of San Francisco's system in 2011.

Quick Hits: Twins, Burrell, Willis, Mariners

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As Ryan Madson's agreement with the Phillies falls through, we learn that one of his former Phillies teammates may be hanging 'em up …

  • Twins GM Terry Ryan said he remains interested in re-signing Michael Cuddyer, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Ryan said he spoke with Cuddyer earlier this week and added that the Twins should have the flexibility in their projected $100MM 2012 payroll to make Cuddyer a fair offer. So far, the Phillies have been aggressively pursuing Cuddyer this offseason.
  • Free agent outfielder/DH Pat Burrell, 35, said his career is likely over due to a nagging right foot injury, according to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (via NBCSports.com). The former Phillie, Ray and Giant, however, has yet to make a final decision. The Phils made Burrell the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1998.
  • Left-hander Dontrelle Willis is drawing a lot of interest on the free agent market, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Willis pitched to a 5.00 ERA/4.10 FIP in 75 2/3 innings with the Reds in 2011.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said on MLB Network Radio that he is motivated to acquire an impact bat either through trade or free agency, tweets Jim Bowden.
  • A pair of veteran scouts who follow the international free agent market predicted that Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes would sign a bigger contract than the one fellow defector Aroldis Chapman signed with the Reds two offseasons ago, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Chapman signed for six years and $30.5MM.

Carroll Nearing Multiyear Deal With Twins

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2:24pm: Carroll's nearing a multiyear deal with the Twins, according to Crasnick (on Twitter). He would be Minnesota's everyday shortstop.

2:08pm: The Twins continue to pursue Carroll, according to Morosi (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Twins and Carroll are talking regularly (Twitter link).

12:50pm: The Twins have had recent discussions for Carroll, according to Morosi (Twitter link).

12:19pm: The Braves and Indians aren't finalists for Carroll, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

11:40am: The Padres are not the team nearing a deal with Carroll, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter).

10:57am: The Dodgers aren't the team that's nearing a deal with Carroll, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). Troy Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies aren't the mystery team (Twitter link) and Morosi reports that the Tigers aren't involved.

10:36am: The Blue Jays are showing serious interest in Carroll and were one of three finalists for him as of yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all links go to Twitter). Morosi hears that the infielder is "very close" to agreeing to a deal.

7:38am: Jamey Carroll is nearing a multiyear deal with an unknown team, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). The Tigers, Rockies, Dodgers and Indians have been mentioned as potential suitors for Carroll, a Millenium Sports Management client who is expected to sign within a few days. The Phillies and Braves have also expressed interest.

The 37-year-old infielder played shortstop and second base for the Dodgers in 2011, posting a .290/.359/.347 line in 510 plate appearances. He hasn't posted an on-base percentage below .355 in any of the past four seasons and he has a career mark of .356 after a decade in the Major Leagues. Carroll, who also has experience at third base and in the outfield, stole ten bases without getting caught this past season. He is not a ranked free agent and won't cost his new team a draft pick.

Carroll spoke with MLBTR's Tim Dierkes in June and you can check out the interview here. Tim predicted the Tigers would sign Carroll, placing him 41st on MLBTR's list of top free agents.

This post was originally published on November 11, 2011.

Minor Moves: White Sox, Indians, Valdes

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The latest minor moves…

  • The White Sox announced that they signed left-handers Donnie Veal and Jose Quintana. Veal, 27, posted a 4.22 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in the Pirates' system this past season. Quintana, 22, posted a 2.91 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 for the Yankees' Class A team in 2011.
  • The Indians announced that they signed catcher Michel Hernandez to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training. The 33-year-old hit .273/.384/.381 in the upper minors of the Indians' and Orioles' systems in 2011.
  • The Phillies have signed left-handed reliever Raul Valdes to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Valdes pitched 12 total innings for the Yankees and Cardinals in 2011 after spending the 2010 season with the Mets. In 63 2/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A this past season, Valdes posted a 4.38 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.
  • The Twins re-signed Brian Dinkelman to a minor league deal, according to Morosi (on Twitter).
  • The Brewers re-signed Erick Almonte, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 33-year-old utility player appeared in 16 games for the Brewers in 2011, playing first base and right field. Almonte spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he hit .303/.380/.447.
  • The Mariners signed right-hander Jeff Marquez to a minor league deal, according to his agency, Sosnick Cobbe Sports (via Twitter). Marquez, a first-round pick in 2004, was granted free agency by the Yankees last week.

Twins Rumors: Ryan, Payroll

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Terry Ryan returned to the role of Twins GM yesterday; here's the latest on the club.

  • Ryan will be the GM for as long as he wants to be, a member of the Twins organization told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  "I don't know if it'll be for one year or 10 years," Ryan said yesterday, noting that if he likes the job he expects owner Jim Pohlad to let him stay.
  • Ryan alluded to a $100MM payroll for 2012 yesterday, down from the $113-118MM range the Twins had in 2011.  However, Twins president David St. Peter told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "Terry and I, frankly, have not had one discussion about our payroll for next year.  He’s been privy to it because nothing has changed from what we had been telling Bill [Smith]…I think it can be a fluid number. I’m hoping we can find a way to inch it forward."  Christensen guesses the Twins will ultimately have a payroll in the $110MM range.
  • If Kevin Slowey and Jose Mijares are not retained, I'd estimate the Twins' commitments in the $74MM range for 2012 before accounting for minimum salary players.  That could mean as much as $30MM to spend on 2012 salaries.
  • Ryan's said his first priority is to reach out to the agents for the team's own free agents: Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Joe Nathan, and Matt Capps.  

Heyman On Pagan, Braves, Pujols, Madson

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Terry Ryan is officially the interim general manager of the Twins, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the longtime GM is recharged and may stay a while (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors from SI.com:

  • The Mets have discussed Angel Pagan as a non-tender candidate, but they intend to offer him arbitration, according to Heyman (on Twitter). MLBTR projects a $4.7MM salary for the center fielder in 2012.
  • Meanwhile, Chris Capuano is looking for a two-year deal, but the Mets prefer one-year bargains (Twitter link).
  • The Braves are looking for a Zack Greinke-like return in a deal for Jair Jurrjens, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The Royals obtained Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress for Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt last offseason.
  • Twins executive Mike Radcliff and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer weren’t that interested in the Orioles’ GM job, according to Heyman. The Orioles requested permission to interview them both, but the Twins denied the request and the Orioles hired Dan Duquette before setting anything up with Oppenheimer.
  • It's believed that Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava got a raise to stay in Toronto, according to Heyman.
  • It’s hard to tell Boston’s list of managerial candidates apart from the one the Cubs have, as Heyman explains.
  • It doesn’t appear that the Cardinals will be able to boost their nine-year, $200MM offer to Albert Pujols by much.
  • Ryan Madson is drawing lots of interest and the Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Rangers and Marlins are believed to be interested.
  • C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt are drawing lots of interest, as expected.
  • Heyman hears that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Prince Fielder or Pujols. The Marlins have also expressed early interest in Jose Reyes.

Twins Notes: Ryan, Krivsky, Iwakuma

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The Twins replaced general manager Bill Smith today, announcing that longtime GM Terry Ryan will run the team once again — at least for the interim. Here’s more on the Twins' front office, plus some hints about the composition of the 2012 roster:

  • Ryan said he anticipates a payroll of roughly $100MM next year, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter links).
  • Ryan confirmed that former Reds GM and Twins assistant GM Wayne Krivsky will join Minnesota’s front office, according to Bollinger.
  • Hisashi Iwakuma, the Japanese right-hander who nearly signed with the Athletics last offseason, is on the Twins’ radar, according to Bollinger. Minnesota bid on the 30-year-old a year ago, but Oakland earned his rights through the posting system. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes placed Iwakuma 22nd on his list of top free agents, ahead of Kelly Johnson, Josh Willingham and many others. Tim’s predicted destination for Iwakuma: the Twins.
  • Ryan said he won't make any changes to the team's coaching staff unless manager Ron Gardenhire wants to bring in different people, according to Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 (on Twitter).
  • For a detailed look at the challenges the Twins face this winter, here's my offseason outlook piece.

Twins Name Terry Ryan Interim GM

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Terry Ryan is returning to the role of Twins GM, the team announced today.  Ryan, who has an interim tag on his title this time, replaces Bill Smith.  Said owner Jim Pohlad in a statement:

"The Twins goal is to get better in 2012 and beyond. Bill was equally motivated to achieve that goal but we differed in the scope and approach that was required. Going forward, we intend to have additional discussions with Bill about an ongoing role within the organization."

Smith spent over four years as Twins GM.  He won two division titles and nearly three in that time, but 2011 was disastrous for the club.

Ryan has been in the Twins organization for 28 years, serving as GM from 1994-2007 before assuming the role of senior advisor.  The two-time Sporting News Executive of the Year said, "We have many assets in place including a strong front office, manager, coaching staff and returning core of players. We have a lot of work to do in relation to development of our roster, but I’m optimistic in our collective abilities to ensure the future on-field success of this franchise."

Quick Hits: Cuddyer, Willingham, Duquette, Mets

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Let's take a look at some weekend links from around the league….

  • Michael Cuddyer is open to returning to the Twins, but even if Minnesota makes him the best offer, there's no guarantee he'll sign there, says Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 (Twitter links). Last night we heard that the Phillies are seriously pursuing Cuddyer.
  • Approximately ten teams have expressed interest in Josh Willingham so far, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (via Twitter). O'Brien adds that the Braves, who could use a power-hitting outfielder, are not one of those clubs.
  • With the Orioles close to hiring Dan Duquette, MASN's Roch Kubatko (Twitter link) talks to one O's person who calls Duquette "brilliant" and says no one is more connected in Asian and Latin American markets.
  • As Alex Speier of WEEI writes, 60-year-old Pete Mackanin, a managerial candidate for the Cubs and Red Sox, would be an unconventional choice – no one 60 or older has been hired for his first full-time managerial job since Bobby Mattick in 1980 with the Blue Jays.
  • Jim Thome doesn't seem to be a great fit in Philadelphia, says ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider link). The Phillies agreed to sign the 41-year-old slugger to a one-year deal and introduced him at a news conference this afternoon.
  • Rick Sofield, who has played and coached with Clint Hurdle in the past, is the latest addition to the Pirates' staff, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • The Mets are attempting to attract potential investors by agreeing to pay an annual interest on minority stakes, according to a New York Post report.
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