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Odds & Ends: Mariners, Beltre, Ramirez

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Happy birthday to Hall-of-Famer Whitey Ford and (future Hall-of-Famer?) Zack Greinke.  MLBTR's gift to these two star pitchers is this batch of news items…

  • John Hickey of the Seattle PostGlobe outlines some of the holes that the Mariners have to fill for 2010, and speculates that free agent and Los Angeles resident Adrian Beltre might be targeted by the Angels and Dodgers.
  • Peter Gammons thinks that if it weren't for Manny Ramirez's player option, the Dodgers would part ways with the controversial left fielder, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.
  • MLB.com's Steve Gilbert writes that if Conor Jackson can stay healthy in the Dominican Winter League, he can avoid being non-tendered by the Diamondbacks.
  • Joe Mauer's big brother Jake has been named the new manager of the Twins' Class A-Advanced affiliate in Fort Myers, reports Benjamin Hill of MLB.com.
  • Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner discussed Jim Riggleman's chances of being named manager, some recent front office hires and his club's overall plans for the future in a chat with Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Odds & Ends: Sano, Towers, D’Backs, Fehr

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Links for Wednesday…

  • Kevin Towers has a standing offer from the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  For now, Towers plans on taking a few months off.  In contrast, a week ago ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that "there would appear to be excellent odds that Towers will land with the Yankees as a special assistant sometime in the months ahead." 
  • The Cubs' contract with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo is official.
  • Miguel Angel Sano received his U.S. work visa, according to SI's Melissa Segura.
  • The new Rays hitting coach is Derek Shelton, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic crafts an offseason plan for the Diamondbacks, who have a decent amount of money to work with.  We did our Offseason Outlook for the team back in September.
  • J.C. Bradbury of Sabernomics says tendering a contract to arbitration-eligible right fielder Jeff Francoeur is probably worthwhile for the Mets.  I don't sense that non-tendering him is a serious consideration.
  • Donald Fehr will receive an $11MM parting gift when he steps down from his MLBPA position, says ESPN's Amy K. Nelson.  The players were mostly in favor of the decision, according to Curtis Granderson.
  • The Rangers met with Jim Crane's group Tuesday, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Two more potential investing groups are scheduled.
  • Backup catcher Mike Redmond told MLB.com's Kelly Thesier he plans on playing next year, whether or not it's with the Twins.
  • 41-year-old righty Keiichi Yabu also hopes to play in 2010, says NPB Tracker's Ryo Shinkawa.
  • Reliever George Sherrill has no hard feelings about the Orioles trading him to the Dodgers, says Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
  • MLB.com's Dick Kaegel talked to Zack Greinke, who was characteristically blunt.
  • In a Saturday post, Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts said he'd like to see how GM Ned Colletti handles the decreased payroll flexibility once his young players reach arbitration.  Weisman is even-handed in his assessment of Colletti, but here's a funny quote: "I don't laud him for retaining the young core of the team: Kershaw, Kemp, Billingsley, Broxton, Martin, et al. Knowing not to dump those guys is like knowing not to show up to work in your underwear."

Cafardo On Drew, Reynolds, Gonzalez

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In his piece on Don Mattingly's interest in a managerial position, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo brings us some nuggets of information from around the majors:

  • Stephen Drew is expected to be shopped by the Diamondbacks this offseason and "there should be" discussions with the Red Sox.  Cafardo wonders if hitting in a more patient lineup could boost his OPS (.748 in 2009).
  • More on the D-Backs as Mark Reynolds fell three days shy of being classified as a Super Two.  Reynolds will earn $425,000 in 2010 instead of something in the neighborhood of $5MM.
  • Cafardo suspects that Boston will go after Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez but asks, "do the Sox have enough players to give San Diego?"
  • Twins pitcher Ron Mahay wants to stay in Minnesota but won't rule out a return to Boston.
  • Speaking of returns, Mike Hargrove is campaigning for another opportunity in Cleveland but might be "too old school".  According to a report from Terry Pluto earlier today, Hargrove has not been interviewed for the job.
  • Cafardo says to look for former Padres general manager Kevin Towers to become an assistant or special adviser with another club.  Towers said earlier this month that he doesn't want to be in an office if he isn't the GM.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Twins, Mets, Rockies, Delgado, Nady, Butler

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On this date six years ago, Aaron Boone ended the ALCS with an 11th inning home run off of Tim Wakefield. Yesterday we learned that Boone is likely to retire, ending his 12-year career. With this season's LCS underway, 26 teams are already in the Hot Stove season. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Discussion: Twins’ Offseason

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We'll get into the Twins' Offseason Outlook in a few weeks, but fans are eager to discuss the team's 2010 plans now that they've been eliminated from the playoffs.

Once again the Twins have question marks on the left side of the infield.  Joe Crede and Orlando Cabrera are free agents, leaving Brendan Harris and Nick Punto as the main internal options.  Adrian Beltre is the most intriguing affordable free agent option at the hot corner.  Marco Scutaro is the top available shortstop, though he's coming off a career year.  The Twins could also look to the trade market – how about Dan Uggla and J.J. Hardy?

The Twins also must decide whether Delmon Young's final month of the season is a sign of things to come.  Another .284/.308/.425 performance won't be acceptable from their left fielder.

MVP frontrunner Joe Mauer is signed through 2010, and one of the Twins' top offseason priorities is to extend their catcher.

As for the rotation, August acquisition Carl Pavano is up for free agency.  The Twins should consider re-signing him or someone similar – they have question marks after Scott Baker.

Does it make sense to trade closer Joe Nathan to free up payroll and fill some of these holes?  Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune thinks so, and his colleague Michael Rand debates the finer points.

Odds & Ends: Pujols, Holliday, Mauer, Reyes

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Links for Tuesday…

Odds & Ends: Pujols, Holliday, Mauer, Reyes

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Links for Tuesday…

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Rockies, Crede

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Links for Monday…

  • The Astros received permission to interview Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar for their managerial job, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford.  Brad Mills and Manny Acta will also interview, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter).  McTaggart adds Bob Melvin, Dave Clark, and Al Pedrique as other candidates, while Alyson Footer adds Ned Yost, Randy Ready, Phil Garner, and Pete Mackanin.
  • Nationals scouting director Dana Brown has been hired away by new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Rockies owner Dick Monfort told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the team's postseason appearance won't significantly affect payroll.  The Rockies have impending free agents in Jason Marquis, Yorvit Torrealba, Rafael Betancourt, and Joe Beimel (among others), and must also decide whether to tender Garrett Atkins a contract.  Torrealba and Betancourt have pricey club options.
  • Astros catcher J.R. Towles is a potential buy-low candidate for the Rays, says R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay.  Towles hit .276/.386/.455 in Triple A this year, but Jason Castro is the Astros' catcher of the future.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak hopes to take advantage of the exclusive negotiating period for his free agents, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  In a separate article, Joe Strauss of the P-D notes that Rick Ankiel pulled a fast one on the media.
  • Joe Crede is optimistic he'll have a quick recovery from his third back surgery, says MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  Merkin says the Boras client "spoke more in generalities than about a specific return to Minnesota."
  • Jack Morris almost signed with the Yankees in 1996, writes Jack Curry of the New York Times. 
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculates about the Red Sox trading closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Odds & Ends: Thome, Anthopoulos, 2010 Draft

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Here's a few links to check out while the Cardinals try to stave off elimination…

  • Prior to this evening's game, Jim Thome said he would "still love to come back" to the White Sox, according to Chris DeLuca of The Chicago Sun Times. ''I want to come back to the American League,'' said the 39-year-old Thome, who is making $13MM in the final season of the monster six-year, $85MM contract he signed with the Phillies prior to 2003.
  • Ken Fidlin of The Calgary Sun writes that new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous "would do well to foster" what he calls the "Twins Way" in Toronto. He's referring to a "culture of professionalism and attention to detail."
  • Forgive the self-promotion, but if you're looking for a way to keep track of where each team's draft picks go once free agency starts, make sure you check out our 2010 Draft Order Tracker at River Ave. Blues. I'll keep that baby updated all winter as signings are make official, so make sure you check back in often.

Discussion: Carl Pavano

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After the trade deadline, the Twins acquired Carl Pavano from the Indians to help bolster their rotation.  The 33-year-old was serviceable in Minnesota, posting a 4.64 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and an xFIP of 4.18.  Tomorrow night at the Metrodome, Pavano will take the mound as the Twins look to stay alive.

Pavano infamously pitched just 145.2 innings for the Yankees over the course of a four-year, $39.55MM pact signed in December of 2004.  During that time a litany of injuries (including a bruised buttocks) kept the righthander off the mound but in 2009 he recorded 199.1 IP in total.

Looking ahead to this winter, Pavano seems to be an attractive commodity in free agency once again.  It's no secret that the pool of free agent starters leaves much to be desired and that should mean a bump in pay for the Connecticut native.  One executive told Ken Rosenthal in September that Pavano could fetch a one-year deal worth as much as $7MM this offseason.

Where would you rank Pavano amongst the other available starters?  Would you dole out $5-7MM per season in a multi-year deal?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

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