Odds & Ends: Braves, Blue Jays, Reds, Mets
Time for another round of links…
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wouldn't be surprised if the Braves could get a team to pick up Derek Lowe's contract. The righty has $45MM remaining on the four-year deal he signed last offseason.
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star says there's "significant discontent" towards Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. It's just not as bad as Ken Rosenthal says it is.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says the discontent has been building in the clubhouse all season long.
- From Jeff Blair's Twitter: "Poor Chicago: first they get screwed by [Alex] Rios, then they get screwed by Rio."
- As MLB.com's Mark Sheldon notes, the Reds fired pitching coach Dick Pole.
- Matthew Cerrone and Michael Baron of MetsBlog are divided on whether Carlos Zambrano would be a good addition for the Mets.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that it will cost about $500MM to buy the Rangers.
Heyman On Best Moves & Managerial Changes
Jon Heyman of SI.com ranks the best moves of the year and Matt Holliday figures in prominently. Heyman says the Rockies made the move of the year when the acquired Huston Street, Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith for Holliday. And Heyman says the Cardinals made the third-best move of the year when they acquired Holliday for Brett Wallace and two other prospects. Here's the latest on some managers and potential managers:
- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell appears to be the Indians' preferred choice to manage the club next year. In fact, he may be the only candidate they're seriously considering right now.
- In all likelihood, the Orioles will replace manager Dave Trembley. He couldn't steer the team to a strong finish, so they could lose 100 games.
- Jerry Manuel (Mets) and Ken Macha (Brewers) will likely return as "lame ducks" next year.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman has a chance at winning the permanent managerial job.
Heyman On Best Moves & Managerial Changes
Jon Heyman of SI.com ranks the best moves of the year and Matt Holliday figures in prominently. Heyman says the Rockies made the move of the year when the acquired Huston Street, Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith for Holliday. And Heyman says the Cardinals made the third-best move of the year when they acquired Holliday for Brett Wallace and two other prospects. Here's the latest on some managers and potential managers:
- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell appears to be the Indians' preferred choice to manage the club next year. In fact, he may be the only candidate they're seriously considering right now.
- In all likelihood, the Orioles will replace manager Dave Trembley. He couldn't steer the team to a strong finish, so they could lose 100 games.
- Jerry Manuel (Mets) and Ken Macha (Brewers) will likely return as "lame ducks" next year.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman has a chance at winning the permanent managerial job.
Bidding On Jason Bay
WEEI.com's Alex Speier hears from multiple sources that the bidding for Jason Bay will reach at least four years at $14-15MM per season. The 31-year-old outfielder has been "pleasantly surprised" by his first contract year. Bay didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the season, but he's produced, as usual.
He has 36 homers and a .266/.385/.538 line that overshadows his 159 strikeouts and below average defense (according to UZR/150). A return to Boston appears to be a "legitimate possibility," but other teams will have interest if the two sides can't agree to a deal.
As Speier notes, the Angels, Cardinals, Giants, Mariners, Mets, White Sox and Yankees could all have interest in Bay and the resources to sign him.
Yahoo's Gordon Edes and MLBTR's Mike Axisa each compared Bay to Matt Holliday last month, so check out their articles to see how Bay fits in to the rest of the free agent market.
Gammons On Wedge, Halladay, Giants
ESPN.com's Peter Gammons describes how hard it is to win when there's no room for error. It's tough for small-market teams like the Indians and Blue Jays to win when every mistake and injury costs them. Here are Gammons' latest rumors:
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro never felt that the club's disappointing season was manager Eric Wedge's fault, but someone had to go. Shapiro still fired Wedge, but could any manager have done much better with a team that traded its veterans (most notably Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee) and endured an injury-plagued season from its best player (Grady Sizemore)?
- If the Blue Jays can't sign Roy Halladay long-term, they can expect to get 60% of what J.P. Ricciardi could have obtained if he had dealt the Jays' ace within the AL East back in July.
- Gammons finds it hard to believe that there are questions remaining about Giants GM Brian Sabean, whose future in San Francisco remains uncertain. In spite of some over-zealous spending (Aaron Rowand and Barry Zito come to mind), there's a lot to like about the Giants.
- Mets ownership doesn't like the team to spend above-slot on its draft picks, which weakens the team's minor league system. Gammons says their system has become deeper, however.
Mets Notes: Murphy, Ticket Prices, Payroll
Some notes on the year's most disappointing team…
- Newsday's David Lennon says Daniel Murphy will not be the Mets' starting first baseman next year. "Period. End of story."
- The Mets will cut their ticket prices next season, according to this press release (via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post)
- Hubbuch notes that the Mets plan on making trades and signings to improve their club going forward. The team should continue to have one of the game's highest payrolls. They started the year with a payroll of $149MM, according to Cot's. Check out Tim's suggestions for the $35-40MM the club will have to spend this winter.
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Jose Reyes?
In true Mets fashion, Jose Reyes injured himself again during rehabilitation from a different injury, suffering a torn hamstring as he tried to run in an effort to move past the torn tendon that has sidelined him since June.
As odd as this may sound, the injury may open the door for Reyes to become a 2011 free agent. The Mets have Reyes signed through 2010, at $9MM next season, and a club option for 2011 at $11MM.
While it has long been considered a no-brainer for the Mets to pick that up, should Reyes suffer through similar injuries in 2010, the reverse conventional wisdom may quickly take hold.
And just how flexible the Mets can be at the position will largely be decided by the progress of prospect Reese Havens, who the Mets are sending to the Arizona Fall League. Havens, who turns 23 on October 20, hit .247/.361/.422 in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League this season, with 14 home runs. It is commonly assumed that Havens will move to second base at higher levels, principally because of Jose Reyes.
Now, Havens has had his own injury problems. But who is healthy in 2010 could go a long way toward determining who is the shortstop at Citi Field in 2011. Mets fans just pray that it's one of these two, and not Anderson Hernandez.
Mets Likely To Re-Sign Alex Cora?
The Mets are likely to re-sign Alex Cora as their backup infielder for 2010, according to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. Cora, 34 in October, hit .251/.320/.310 in 308 plate appearances for the Mets this year. The Scott Boras client earned $2MM for his efforts.
MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone appreciates Cora's intangibles, but would hate to see GM Omar Minaya overpay him with a two-year deal (see Marlon Anderson and Julio Franco).
Will Yusei Kikuchi Choose MLB?
Yusei Kikuchi may decide this week between Japanese baseball and MLB, according to Bobbie Dittmeier of MLB.com. As Dittmeier says, the hard-throwing 18-year-old southpaw would "become the first high school player to bypass Japan's draft and sign with a Major League organization."
Dittmeier says the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, Tigers, Braves, Rangers, Mariners and Indians have reportedly scouted Kikuchi. She passes along a Kyodo News quote from Kikuchi's high school coach indicating the pitcher is 50-50 on his decision.
NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman has covered Kikuchi extensively. Back in May, Newman explained to MLBTR the differences between Kikuchi and Junichi Tazawa.
Jeff Francoeur Craves Multiyear Deal
Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur would like to discuss a multiyear deal with the team to buy out his arbitration years, according to Newsday's David Lennon. Francoeur, 26 in January, has a .308/.333/.491 line in 291 plate appearances for the Mets since coming over in the trade with Atlanta.
Francoeur is already under team control through 2011. Given the limited sample of playing time, the Mets might be inclined to focus on a 2010 contract. Francoeur earned $3.375MM in '09, and he shouldn't expect a huge raise as a second-year arbitration player for hitting .277/.306/.418 overall. Even if Francoeur offered to sign a two-year, $8MM contract, the Mets would be guaranteeing unnecessary millions.