Odds & Ends: Holliday, White Sox, Pirates
Good morning everybody! Let's check out some links…
- Matt Holliday has meshed beautifully with the Cardinals since being acquired in July, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
- Ozzie Guillen says that Matt Thornton has "good enough equipment" to step into the closer role, but wants to learn more about his mental makeup as the season winds down, writes Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. Thornton may asked to be the White Sox' fireman in 2010 if the team trades Bobby Jenks, who is entering his second year of arbitration.
- If the Giants don't pick up his 2010 option, Freddy Sanchez doesn't anticipate coming back to the Pirates, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- More from Dejan Kovacevic as he says that the Pirates could be calling Matt Capps their closer for 2010 in an effort to boost his trade value. Capps has an ERA of 5.91 in 53.1 innings of work this year.
- There are indications that the Mets will keep pitching coach Dan Warthen and batting coach Howard Johnson on board, writes Marty Noble of MLB.com. There has been no such indication for third-base coach Razor Shines.
Fixing The Mets
The New York Post's Joel Sherman offered up some suggestions for shaking things up in the Mets clubhouse this offseason. He worries that Luis Castillo won't be able to replicate his strong 2009 and that Jeff Francoeur (.826 OPS with New York) may not be able to build on his solid second half. Unsurprisingly, his chief concern is the Mets starting rotation.
However, Sherman suggests that the Mets first address their other holes before looking at starting pitchers, considering the weak crop available this winter:
"Put out strong one-year offers with a 2011 option to a group at each position. Say Rod Barajas/Bengie Molina/Miguel Olivo at catcher; Nick Johnson/Russ Branyan/Adam LaRoche at first: and Bobby Abreu, Mark DeRosa and Jermaine Dye for left field. The first guy to take the offer in each group gets the contract."
The Mets were linked to Bobby Abreu for some time last offseason, so it would make sense for them to re-visit that idea again this year. Adam LaRoche looks like a completely different player in Atlanta, posting .354/.432/.618 with 12 HRs in 49 games. Abreu projects to be a Type A free agent whereas LaRoche should be a Type B.
Should the Mets address their pitching woes via free agency? As badly as they need to bolster spots two through five, there won't be a great deal of options available. Would you extend multi-year deals to the likes of Rich Harden or Joel Pineiro? Should the Mets pick up where they left off last year and consider Randy Wolf?
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Pujols, Upton, Astros, Bradley
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's see what he has for us…
- Albert Pujols is in no rush to sign a contract extension. A source "with knowledge of his thinking" tells Rosenthal that the chances of Pujols agreeing to an extension this winter are "slim and none."
- The reason is that Pujols wants to assess the Cardinals' long-term outlook before deciding on his future. Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Tony LaRussa are all unsigned beyond this season.
- Tampa Bay figures to explore the market for B.J. Upton this offseason. The Rays would be selling low, but they have needs behind the plate and in the bullpen, and it's possible a team could offer a package that would satisfy those needs. If they don't get an offer to their liking, Tampa will simply hold onto him.
- The Astros managing job might be Jim Fregosi's to lose, but don't be surprised if Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar "gains momentum." Even though he's relatively inexperienced, Bogar is a former 'Stro who also managed in their minor league system, as well as in Cleveland's. Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio, and Jeff Bagwell all think highly of him.
- Teams have already called the Cubs about Milton Bradley. The Giants, Padres, Rangers, Rays, and Mets are among the clubs with possible interest. The Cubs are confident they can deal Bradley without paying the overwhelming majority of the $21MM still owed to him over the next two years. They could either trade Bradley's bad contract for another bad contract, or use the old sliding scale of "the more money we pay, the better the players we get in return."
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers
They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…
- David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
- With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.
Mets Claim Jack Egbert From White Sox
5:24pm: Just following up, Hubbuch says Egbert will not pitch for the Mets this year, instead he'll just report to Spring Training next year.
3:06pm: The Mets claimed right-hander Jack Egbert off waivers from the White Sox, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. The 26-year-old only appeared in two games with the White Sox this year and the results weren't pretty. He allowed one run for every out he recorded, so he has a 27.00 ERA to show for his 2.2 innings pitched.
Egbert pitched better at Triple A Charlotte, where he allowed 132 hits and 33 walks in 108 innings. He struck out 78 and finishes his minor league season with a 5.05 ERA.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Webb, Soria, Red Sox, Pirates, Verlander, Felix
On this date five years ago, Carlos Delgado hit his 300th career home run. He would go on to hit three more home runs that game to become just the 15th big leaguer to hit four in one game. Now in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract, Delgado has a season average of .298 with four homers and 23 RBI in the 26 games he played before his hip surgery. Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are open to bringing him back next year. However, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets will not offer Delgado arbitration. With one week remaining before the off-season starts for most teams, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- MLB Notebook looks at where Brandon Webb could end up if the D'Backs decline his option.
- Royals Authority wonders if the Phillies would be a good trade partner to land Joakim Soria.
- The Bottom Line writes that the Red Sox either have to re-sign Jason Bay or pick up Matt Holliday.
- Bucco Fans says the Pirates have money to spend this off-season and speculates on where that money might be spent.
- Jorge Says No! speculates on what it might take to sign Justin Verlander to an extension.
- Prospect Insider looks at what it might take to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
- Blogging Mets lists Omar Minaya's worst moves.
- Sports: A Game Of Inches compares Jonny Gomes to Adam Dunn. Gomes will be arbitration-eligible after the season.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Dotel Would Play For Mets Or Yankees
The White Sox told Octavio Dotel that he's not in their long-term plans when the righty approached the club about a contract extension last month, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 35-year-old reliever says he'd like to play in New York for the Yankees or, his preferred team, the Mets. Dotel has experience in New York; he began his MLB career as a starter with the Mets in 1999 and played a season with the Yankees in 2006.
This year Dotel has allowed 54 hits in 61.2 innings, walking 36 and striking out 74 for an ERA of 3.36. He projects as a Type A free agent, so teams will have to surrender a high draft pick to sign Dotel if the White Sox offer him arbitration. He's currently making $6MM in the second deal of a two-year contract.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Pirates, Corpas, Astros
Some links for Friday morning…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think the Mets should pursue Rich Harden when the righty becomes a free agent this winter. Instead, Sherman would like to see the Mets sign someone with a more consistent history.
- The Pirates want manager John Russell and his coaching staff to lead the club again next year, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington both sound confident in the skipper despite the club's 95-loss season.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Rockies to shop Manny Corpas aggressively this offseason.
- The Astros are just beginning to search for a permanent manager, but Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says we shouldn't rule out current third base coach Al Pedrique.
- It's possible that Roy Halladay will make his final home start for the Blue Jays tonight. As MLB.com's Jordan Bastian points out, Halladay is an offseason trade candidate.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Rangers weren't impressed to hear that Milton Bradley sat out to make sure his stats looked good before signing with the Cubs as a free agent.
Odds & Ends: Jays, Zambrano, Harden
A few more evening links….
- The Blue Jays have some uncertainty at catcher heading into 2010, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. With Rod Barajas poised to test the free agent market, Raul Chavez, Kyle Phillips, J.P. Arencibia, and Brian Jeroloman could all be in the mix for time behind the plate. GM J.P. Ricciardi also tells Bastian that Scott Downs and Jason Frasor could split closing duties in Toronto next year.
- BP's Christina Kahrl at ESPN.com says so many factors stand in the way of trading Carlos Zambrano that the Cubs would probably have to accept "pennies on the dollar" to move him. She figures if they're looking to deal, the Cubs need to hope they receive interest from a starter-hungry team convinced that Big Z could be their missing piece, like perhaps the Mets.
- Rich Harden has been shut down for 2009, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Has Harden thrown his last pitch for Chicago? He says he'd like to return, but Sullivan suggests that the Cubs likely won't offer more than a one-year deal. Check out Tim's rundown of this year's starting pitching free agent class for an idea of how Harden fits into the market.
- R.J. Anderson at DRays Bay gets involved in the Felix Hernandez chatter by wondering if the Rays might try acquiring the Mariners ace this winter. It seems unlikely, but they apparently made at least one attempt prior to the trade deadline.
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune chimes in on Ken Williams' assessment of the 2009 White Sox. Rogers points out that the Chicago GM should be blaming the team's $25MM payroll cut, or even himself for failing to acquire any talent that helped the 2009 team in the Javier Vazquez and Nick Swisher deals.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Mets, Millwood, Marquis
Another round of links…
- According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the entire White Sox coaching staff, including hitting coach Greg Walker, pitching coach Don Cooper, bench coach Joey Cora and first base coach Harold Baines, received contract extensions Wednesday afternoon that will keep them all with the club through 2011.
- The Dallas Morning News' Tom Cowlishaw believes Kevin Millwood's $12 million option for 2010, which vested Monday, is a fine deal. "If you're general manager Jon Daniels or team president Nolan Ryan or manager Ron Washington and you're going to be judged next season by how much your team lives up to this overhyped notion that 2010 is the Rangers' year," Cowlishaw writes, "you need Kevin Millwood on that wall."
- According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (via Twitter), Cubs players didn't find out about Milton Bradley's apology until his statement was released to the media Wednesday afternoon. That certainly won't help the level of perceived sincerity.
- Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle takes an early look at the Astros' plans for the upcoming offseason. We're not expecting big things.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post gathered a reaction Wednesday from Jason Marquis on Jeff Francoeur's assumption that the free agent right-hander "would love to" pitch for the Mets in 2010. “I hope there are a lot of teams that want a guy that can win 15 games and work 200 innings,” Marquis said. - As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, manager Jerry Manuel acknowledged Wednesday that the Mets need to add a reliable veteran catcher this offseason. If not, they'll head into the 2010 season with Omir Santos and Josh Thole as their Opening Day backstops.