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Heyman On Crawford, Soriano, Werth, Mets

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Teams are locking young stars up to long-term deals, so this year's free agent market looks less impressive than it could have. The result, according to one AL executive who spoke to Jon Heyman of SI.com, is a “thin class” behind Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre and Adam Dunn. Heyman polled two agents and an executive on the earning potential of a number of free agents. Here are some results, plus other noteworthy rumors.

  • The executive and one agent predicted Carl Crawford will sign for $120MM over seven years.
  • One agent predicted that Derrek Lee would sign for $24MM over two years. The others predicted a one-year deal worth $4-6MM. Lee’s recent struggles and history as a middle-of-the-order hitter make him hard to project.
  • Agent Scott Boras called Rafael Soriano, who is not his client, “one of the top closers in the game.”
  • Boras continued to link Jayson Werth to Matt Holliday, who signed for $120MM, rather than Jason Bay, who signed for $66MM. "Why not compare [Werth] to Holliday? He's had a platform year like Holliday, and he's a better defender than Holliday,'' Boras said.
  • The Mets won't reach out to Pat Gillick if and when they look to replace GM Omar Minaya. Gillick once said he wouldn’t work for chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, who has a reputation as a difficult boss.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Towers, Phillies, Torre, Lee

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Tuesday night links, as Scott Baker makes his first start for the Twins in nearly three weeks….

  • Jim Hendry will officially interview Ryne Sandberg for the Cubs' manager job, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago. According to Levine's sources, the club also plans to talk to Pat Listach, Bob Melvin, and Bob Brenly.
  • A "reliable source" told Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that the D'Backs are set to offer Kevin Towers their GM job. Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona says no job offer has been made yet, though the team met with Towers again today (Twitter link).
  • Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly reports (via Twitter) that the Phillies have signed Franklyn Zavala, a 16-year-old Dominican pitcher, for a $330K bonus.
  • Understandably, Joe Torre's comments about the possibility of managing the Mets didn't sit well with current manager Jerry Manuel, as Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger writes. Torre apologized for his comments, telling Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that he's "closing the door on managing the Mets – and probably everybody else" (Twitter links).
  • Astros manager Brad Mills avoided the question of whether Carlos Lee would play more first base in 2011, says MLB.com's Pete Kerzel. Alyson Footer, the team's director of social media, notes in a pair of tweets that first base is Lee's strongest position and she'd like to see him there next year.
  • Pat Gillick won't rule out taking another general manager job if the right situation arises, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
  • Craig Counsell tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) that he'll be back in 2011, either for the Brewers or another club.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jenks, Jays, D’Backs GM, Torre

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Links for Monday night, as the Phillies extend their NL East lead with an eighth consecutive win….

  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provides a lengthy preview of the 2011 Pirates, speculating about how the team may improve its roster.
  • Ozzie Guillen tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he has no idea whether the White Sox' front office plans to retain Bobby Jenks next year.
  • The Toronto Sun's Ken Fidlin believes that questions about J.P. Arencibia behind the plate and Adam Lind at first base mean that the Jays could attempt to bring back John Buck and Lyle Overbay.
  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports (via Twitter) that Logan White is out of the running in the Diamondbacks' search for a general manager. ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirms (via Twitter) that it appears to be a two-man race between Kevin Towers and Jerry Dipoto. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests that the D'Backs are torn between the appeal of Towers and loyalty to Dipoto; they should name a GM this week.
  • Joe Torre hasn't ruled out managing the Mets or another club, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork. Torre told WFAN: "I don't really anticipate managing again, but I think it would be unfair not to listen just out of curiosity to see if something excites me."
  • Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Coco Crisp would like to return to Oakland next year, though he knows he'll have little say in whether his 2011 option is exercised.

Top Execs Could Shy Away From Mets GM Job

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The Mets may have trouble convincing baseball’s top executives to take over as the team’s next general manager, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets will fire or re-assign GM Omar Minaya after the season, according to Sherman, but that’s the easy part. Sherman reports that chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has a reputation in baseball circles as a tone deaf, credit-seeking, second-guessing micro-manager who isn’t accountable or self aware.

That reputation won’t make the Mets’ search for a new GM any easier, but they’re prepared to spend, even though they owe Minaya millions after 2010. Former Padres GM Kevin Towers will likely take the Diamondbacks GM job if the money is right and former D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes is hesitant to work for the Wilpons, according to Sherman.

Former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker likes working for the Rays, but those close to him say he would consider the right GM job. Those are far from the only qualified candidates to run a team, but it appears that the Mets will have to fight the perception that Wilpon is a difficult boss as they hunt for their next GM.

Rosenthal On Beltran, Pirates, Pujols, Braves

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There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 2011 Mets from Francisco Rodriguez to Omar Minaya to Jerry Manuel. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Minaya or his replacement,  “would be wise to explore trades for [Jose] Reyes and [David] Wright” this offseason. Here are the rest of the rumors:

  • Carlos Beltran, a player who could become a trade chip this winter, told Rosenthal that he would like to remain on the Mets.
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly is the team's “de facto GM”, according to some rival executives.
  • Not surprisingly, the Cardinals’ top offseason priority will be extending Albert Pujols, who will hit the open market after 2011 unless the Cards lock him up. It took Joe Mauer and the Twins a while to work out their $184MM extension, so we could be in for a winter’s worth of Pujols rumors.
  • As Rosenthal points out, the Braves could use a big bat to play left field and they'll likely be on the lookout for one this offseason.

Manager Notes: Baker, Gibson, Torre

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A couple of interesting managerial notes for your Sunday reading pleasure:

  • Dusty Baker continues to mull over the contract extension offered by the Reds, writes the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay. It's believed that the offer was for multiple years, but Baker won't confirm that. He says that he's focused on winning a division title, not his own future.
  • In a piece for MLB.com, George Von Benko writes that Kirk Gibson says he'd like to continue managing the Diamondbacks, but regardless of who's in charge, the organization will be headed in a different direction in 2011.
  • Joe Torre called rumors connecting him to the Mets "irresponsible," writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. According to Torre, he's had no conversations with anyone regarding his future.

Odds & Ends: Ellsbury, Pirates, Soto, Drew

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Links for Sunday, as the Padres, Giants, and Rockies find themselves separated by a single game in the NL West standings….

Davidoff On Beltran, Greinke, Takahashi, Kemp

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The Mets are sending "strong signals" that they'd like to trade Carlos Beltran this winter, an AL official tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Davidoff acknowledges that the Mets often seem to want to unload big contracts, but rarely follow through. However, Beltran, as opposed to Luis Castillo or Oliver Perez, is a player that other teams would have interest in. Here are Davidoff's other hot stove notes:

  • The Royals have Zack Greinke signed through 2012, but aren't sure whether they'll be competitive by then, so they'd be willing to listen to offers on their ace. Davidoff lists the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, and Nationals as teams who might be interested.
  • Hisanori Takahashi is eligible for free agency this winter and would like to be a starting pitcher. One AL scout is skeptical: "Who’s going to sign him to start? Maybe a bad team, at the back end of their rotation. He’d be better off staying in the bullpen. He’s really good there."
  • Davidoff wonders if new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly will be more willing to deal with Matt Kemp than Joe Torre was. A scout compares Kemp to Alfonso Soriano, suggesting that both players lack baseball instincts and struggle to improve their games.

Potential Openings For Luis Castillo

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Throughout the season, Luis Castillo has made it clear that he isn't thrilled with his role on the Mets bench. Just yesterday, he told Mike Puma of the New York Post that he wants to play regularly in 2011, since he'll hit free agency after next year. At this point, Castillo thinks the Mets will be able to find a taker for him this offseason, but it seems unlikely that any team would choose to offer him a starting role. 

Castillo makes $6MM this year and he has struggled at the plate. He still makes contact on an unusually high percentage of the pitches he swings at and still has a good eye for the strike zone, but he has a .235/.338/.267 line. Any team interested in Castillo would also have to keep in mind that he has played all 14,373 of his major league innings at second base. Versatility is not one of the 35-year-old's calling cards. 

Second basemen David Eckstein, Orlando Hudson and Mark Ellis (club option) are eligible for free agency this offseason, so the Mets could call the Padres, Twins and, potentially, the A's to see if they have interest in Castillo. The Tigers, Royals and Cardinals have options at second, but not well-established ones, so the Mets could try to peddle Castillo to one of those teams, too.

But it doesn't seem likely that any GM will look at his options and decide that he wants to pursue Luis Castillo as his next everyday second baseman. The Mets may trade Castillo, but there are so many established second basemen that his chances of playing every day don't seem much better than Jeff Francoeur's were when he was hoping for a similar opportunity.

Heyman On Mets, Towers, Blue Jays

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It won’t be a surprise if the Mets replace GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel after the season. At this point, Jon Heyman of SI.com says it’s “all but certain” that they’re goners. Here are the details on who might replace them, plus other details about GM and managerial openings around baseball:

  • The Mets appear to be looking for a “high energy” manager, so it’s hard not to wonder if Bobby Valentine is a candidate to manage the team for a second time.
  • The Mets are ready to consider former Padres GM Kevin Towers, former D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes and White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn as possible replacements for Minaya.
  • Some have suggested that Towers would prefer to work for a team in the West, but he’d consider GM jobs in the East. "I don't think I'm in position to be picky,” Towers said.
  • The Blue Jays will likely consider third base coach Brian Butterfield and Yankees third base coach Rob Thomson for their managerial opening this offseason. Some say current manager Cito Gaston is pushing the Jays to hire former Rockies manager Don Baylor.
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