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Stark On Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Thome

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The Dodgers and Marlins may turn out to be surprisingly big spenders this offseason, Jayson Stark writes at ESPN.com. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s rumors…

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Stark that he intends be aggressive in his attempts to retain key contributors this offseason. "It's our intent to sign some of our core guys long-term," Colletti said. "It's also our intent to improve the club." Colletti acknowledged that it “remains to be seen" whether the Dodgers’ ownership issues will affect the team’s attempts to lock up the likes of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw.
  • Florida president David Samson told Stark that this offseason will be different than most for the Marlins. "With our payroll going up, we have a chance to put together a team at a payroll level we don't currently have," Samson said. Rival front offices get the sense that the Marlins plan to go all-in this offseason before moving into their new stadium.
  • The Mets don’t appear to be interested in waiting around for Jose Reyes to weigh various offers this winter. 
  • Stark hears that Jim Thome is undecided about whether he’ll play in 2012.
  • MLB won’t add playoff teams in 2012, according to Stark.

Potential Suitors For Jose Reyes

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It's not often that five-tool middle infielders hit free agency in their prime. Jose Reyes has a .329/.372/.485 line with 35 stolen bases and a league-leading 16 triples this season, so, despite his history of getting hurt, he will draw plenty of attention when he hits the free agent market this winter. Here's an early look at 13 possible suitors for the 28-year-old, who will cost any team but the Mets a top draft pick in 2012…

Apparent Fits

  • Mets – Reyes has repeatedly stated his interest in staying in New York and the Mets appear to be open to bringing him back. They aren’t likely to offer seven years, but they figure to be involved until the end.
  • Giants – Brandon Crawford could step in next year, while Mike Fontenot and Emmanuel Burriss figure to be reserves if they're back in 2012. On paper, the Giants are one of the best fits for Reyes, who would make the San Francisco lineup much more intimidating.
  • Nationals – Despite Ian Desmond's presence at short, the Nationals could be a factor in the Reyes bidding this offseason. They’ve already been linked to Reyes in speculative looks ahead to the offseason.
  • Phillies – Jimmy Rollins hits free agency after the season and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has never been one to shy away from the best players out there.

Other Possibilities

  • Tigers – Jhonny Peralta has had a banner year for Detroit, but he has lots of experience at third base, so the Tigers could move him back to the hot corner to create space. Reyes would seem to be a fit for spacious Comerica Park.
  • Reds – There are no guarantees for Paul Janish or Edgar Renteria in 2012. Zack Cozart is a logical internal shortstop candidate for Cincinnati, assuming he recovers from Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow and is ready for Spring Training 2012. But would the Reds really offer Reyes more money than they’ve spent on any player since Ken Griffey Jr.?
  • Twins – In a way, the Twins don't pass the sniff test as a possible suitor for Reyes. They've already committed $65MM to next year's team and it's hard to imagine them carrying two $20MM players. But there's room for improvement in a middle infield that now features Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Luke Hughes, Trevor Plouffe and Matt Tolbert.
  • Angels – If the Angels want to make a splash, they could sign Reyes and trade Erick Aybar. They don't have a pressing need at short, however.
  • Braves – It seems more likely that the Braves will work out a deal with Alex Gonzalez, but they do have an opening at short this winter.
  • Cardinals – The Cardinals are interested in re-signing Rafael Furcal and would like to see what former first rounder Tyler Greene can do. Bringing Albert Pujols back figures to be the Cards' top offseason priority, so a run at Reyes seems unlikely.
  • Brewers – Like the Cardinals, the Brewers have room for improvement at shortstop. Adding Reyes could help make up for the possible loss of free agent Prince Fielder.
  • Red Sox – The Red Sox are big spenders, but it's not easy to imagine their front office signing another position player to a nine figure deal so soon after locking Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez up. It's possible, since Marco Scutaro won't necessarily return and Reyes offers far more pop than Jose Iglesias.
  • Astros – Clint Barmes hits free agency, so the Astros will have an opening at short. It would be incredibly surprising to see Houston pursue such an expensive player after losing 100 games, especially since incoming owner Jim Crane is expected to lower payroll if and when the team's ownership transfer finally goes through.

Quick Hits: Indians, Iannetta, Mariners

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The Tigers extended their winning streak to ten games tonight with a 14-4 victory over the White Sox. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Deadline deals played a significant role in this year's AL Central race, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The Tigers and Indians were both aggressive on the trade market in July and August, as our Transaction Tracker shows.
  • Chris Iannetta told Thomas Harding of MLB.com that he hopes to remain with the Rockies, though he has lost playing time to rookie backstop Wilin Rosario in recent weeks.
  • The Mariners announced that they promoted Roger Hansen, who is now a special assistant to GM Jack Zduriencik. The 50-year-old Hansen spent 18 years working for the Mariners in player development, most recently as the organization's minor league catching coordinator.
  • As Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal shows, Jose Reyes of the Mets has raised his on-base percentage to .375 with a counter-intuitive method.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Beato, Braves

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Ruben Amaro Jr. of the Phillies (#2) and Frank Wren of the Braves (#9) both make Jon Heyman's list of top GMs of the year at SI.com. Here are the latest notes from the NL East…

  • Davey Johnson will return as the Nationals' manager in 2012 unless he changes his mind, Heyman reports. The team is required to conduct a full offseason search, however.
  • Former Mets GM Omar Minaya expects to join a new team before the Winter Meetings, according to Heyman, who suggests the Indians and Rays are possibilities.
  • As Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com explains, Rule 5 pick Pedro Beato is destined to finish the season with the Mets and become the team's official property. 
  • The Braves' rotation is limping to the finish line, as Jon Paul Morosi writes at FOXSports.com. Atlanta probably didn't expect Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado to start consecutive games in a pennant race.
  • I examined the free agent stock of Marlins starter Javier Vazquez earlier today.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Iannetta, Santana, Willis

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Joey Votto celebrated his 28th birthday with a 3-for-4 performance today against the Rockies, including his 27th homer of the year.  It wasn't enough, however, as Cincinnati dropped a 12-7 result to Colorado.

Some notes from around the majors….

  • The Red Sox could use another solid starting pitcher but "for the moment don't feel there's anyone out there available who's better than what they have," a team official tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
  • The Rockies will give catcher Wilin Rosario a lot of playing time this month as they decide what to do with Chris Iannetta this winter, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  If Rosario plays well, Colorado may decide to deal Iannetta, who's due to make $3.55MM in 2012.  Iannetta's name was mentioned in trade rumors involving the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Pirates and Padres at the July deadline.
  • Johan Santana will probably not pitch in the Major Leagues for the Mets this season, reports Anthony DiComo for MLB.com.
  • Dontrelle Willis probably won't be back with the Reds next season, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Willis has re-established himself as a big league starter this year but Fay figures that this progress has likely priced the southpaw out of the Reds' range.
  • Another Red who likely won't be back in Cincinnati next year is Paul Janish, opines Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News.  Despite some excellent glovework (a +11.6 UZR/150 at shortstop this year), Janish will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is probably a non-tender candidate with Zack Cozart taking over at short.
  • Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune says several American League scouts have asked him about Jesus Guzman's fielding ability in recent weeks, a sign that AL teams could have an interest in Guzman as a DH candidate.  Center discusses Guzman, Bud Black's status, a possible extension for Cameron Maybin and other Padres-related topics in an online chat with fans.
  • Andruw Jones has been playing all season with a small tear in his left knee, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.  The Yankees discovered the injury during Jones' physical but signed the veteran outfielder anyway  (both Twitter links).

Rosenthal On Wright, Showalter, Sizemore

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • There are conflicting signals over the Mets' willingness to deal David Wright.  They've turned away suitors and the subject has hardly come up in internal discussions.  However, others in baseball think the club will look to deal Wright if they re-sign Jose Reyes.  Wright's club option for 2013 becomes void if he's dealt, making him a free agent after next season.
  • Orioles owner Peter Angelos is willing to give Buck Showalter virtually anything that he wants.  Sources tell Rosenthal that Angelos has told the skipper that he can stay on as manager while assuming the role of General Manager.  The club will have to work out Andy MacPhail's siutation before making any moves.
  • The chances of a new labor agreement being struck by the World Series seem to be diminishing.  Things are tough to handicap as things can pick up at anytime, but the two sides are very far apart on the draft.  The owners want hard slotting and a worldwide draft which would be a difficult undertaking.  Of course, free agent compensation, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing are also among the chief topics of discussion.
  • Grady Sizemore's future with the Indians might hinge on how he performs in the final weeks of the season.  The Tribe holds a 8.5MM option on Sizemore for 2012 but they'll be reluctant to exercise it on a player who hasn't played much recently.  One potential solution would be a contract extension with a lower base salary but the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Sutton, O’Connor, James

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Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here, with the first batch coming courtesy of the International League transactions page…

  • The Red Sox have outrighted Drew Sutton to Triple-A. The 28-year-old utility man had been designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .315/.362/.444 in 60 plate appearances with the big club and .295/.382/.476 in Triple-A
  • The Mets have outrighted Mike O'Connor to Triple-A. The 31-year-old lefty had been designated for assignment earlier this week. In 39 games for New York's Triple-A affiliate, he posted a 5.22 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings. O'Connor also appeared in five games at the big league level.
  • The Twins have outrighted Chuck James to Triple-A. The 29-year-old lefty threw 10 1/3 ineffective innings for Minnesota, but did post a 2.30 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 2/3 innings in their minor league system. James had been designated for assignment earlier this week.

Heyman On Orioles, Cubs, Astros

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The Orioles may have trouble attracting GM candidates with stature, assuming president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail leaves after the season, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. Owner Peter Angelos is involved in all the big decisions the Orioles make, sometimes making the calls himself. Angelos loves manager Buck Showalter and there’s some buzz that Angelos could make his manager the GM as well, as unlikely as that seems. Here’s the latest from Heyman:

  • Showalter was Angelos’ choice last year, though MacPhail appeared to be leaning toward current Mariners manager Eric Wedge.
  • Cal Ripken Jr. doesn’t appear to have interest in becoming a general manager and people close to the longtime Orioles shortstop say they can’t see him working under Angelos as a GM.
  • It’s hard to imagine Rangers executive John Hart agreeing to work under Angelos, unless he gets real autonomy.
  • Angelos wouldn’t like the idea of hiring a Yankee to turn his franchise around and it appears unlikely that Brian Cashman would leave New York for Baltimore.
  • Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine, who grew up rooting for the Orioles, figures to be a candidate for the job.
  • Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts has started calling around “in earnest” about possible GMs.
  • If the Astros move to the American League, MLB will add an extra Wild Card team next year.
  • Mets executives see Justin Turner as a utility player.

Olney On Mauer, Morneau, Wright, Royals

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Twins GM Bill Smith told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are totally committed to arriving at Spring Training in top physical form. The Twins’ chances in 2012 revolve around Mauer, who had knee surgery in December, and Morneau, who is recovering from concussion symptoms. Here are the rest of Olney’s notes from around MLB… 

  • Mauer has discussed a ‘rigorous’ training program with the Twins’ staff.
  • The Twins will also have to restructure their bullpen and decide how Tsuyoshi Nishioka fits into their plans this offseason.
  • The Mets are expected to listen to offers for David Wright, who would presumably draw interest from the Rockies and Angels, among others.
  • Rival teams are in awe of the Royals’ collection of promising position players, Olney writes. Kansas City is still waiting for its pitching prospects to develop.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Rodriguez, Davis

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Links from the NL East, as the Mets and Braves start the first of two games at Citi Field…

  • There is a sense that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and president David Samson will be taking on bigger roles in making player personnel decisions, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter). That would mean less autonomy for president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and general manager Michael Hill, who are nominally in charge of baseball moves. 
  • Ivan Rodriguez will be a backup catcher for the Nationals for the rest of the season, but he says he'd like to play four more years in the Major Leagues, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Mets first baseman Ike Davis told ESPNNewYork’s Adam Rubin that he won’t have surgery to help repair the left ankle sprain that has sidelined him since May (Twitter link).
  • Click here to read about the Braves' starting pitching depth and how it could affect their offseason.
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