Davidoff On Beltran, Greinke, Takahashi, Kemp
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
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
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.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Mets, Arroyo, Atkins
As major league teams unveil their 2011 schedules, here are some news items….
- As Daniel Hudson improves to 6-1 with a 1.67 ERA as a Diamondback tonight, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that Hudson "probably" could have been a Brewer had Milwaukee accepted a one-for-one offer from Chicago for Prince Fielder. The problem at the time was that the Brewers projected Hudson as only a third or fourth starter and wanted more for their slugger. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 on any missed trade, but if Hudson continues to pitch well in Arizona, it will put even more pressure on the Brewers to get a big return back if they do end up dealing Fielder.
- An anonymous NL official tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that Jose Reyes could command "one really good prospect, one solid prospect, and one or two medium-range prospects" in a trade should the Mets put their shortstop on the market this winter. This source seems in favor of a total rebuild for the Mets; he also thinks they should try to deal David Wright and Francisco Rodriguez.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News cites Bronson Arroyo's durability, consistent win totals and veteran presence as reasons why Cincinnati should pick up the right-hander's $11MM option for next season.
- We've heard that the Rockies will look for a right-handed first baseman to platoon with Todd Helton next season, and ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill cites former Rockie Garrett Atkins as a possibility for the role. Atkins was non-tendered by Colorado last winter and after signing a one-year contract with Baltimore, was released by the Orioles last July.
- Interim Arizona GM Jerry Dipoto will interview for the full-time position tomorrow, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter link).
- Any Boston fans tickled by A.J. Burnett's struggles this season might not want to crow too much, since Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski cites Burnett as comparable to the also-struggling John Lackey.
- Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wonders if the Red Sox might pursue Jim Thome as a cheaper free agent DH option rather than pick up David Ortiz's 2011 option.
- Travis Buck's "organizational status is clearly at an all-time low" in Oakland, writes Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com. Buck is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and could be non-tendered given the number of other promising outfielders in the Athletics' system.
- If Jesus Montero can develop a solid catching glove to go along with his powerful bat, the Mariners may regret passing on New York's Montero-centered offer for Cliff Lee, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- Blogger El Lefty Malo praises the Giants' acquisition of Cody Ross and some other recent Brian Sabean moves.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia thinks the Halos just need a "tweaking" rather than an overhaul in the winter, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says upgrading the infield should be a top priority for the Cardinals in the offseason.
Odds & Ends: D’Backs, Youkilis, Mets, Cubs
Links for Tuesday, 16 years after the Giants signed Yorvit Torrealba as an amateur free agent. Torrealba, a longtime Rockie, is a key part of the Padres team that's barely holding off San Francisco and Colorado.
- Chase Gharrity of Baseball Prospectus explains that relievers such as Randy Choate and Carlos Villanueva could help the D'Backs in 2011.
- Kevin Youkilis told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that he's willing to play first or third in 2011.
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse confirms that Omar Minaya is likely out as Mets GM after the season. The Mets are likely to bring in an experienced GM, instead of promoting assistant GM John Ricco.
- The front office isn't the only unpredictable part of the 2011 Mets. Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog doesn't think anyone but David Wright, Jason Bay, Johan Santana, Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey have guaranteed spots on next year's team.
- The Cubs will likely interview former Diamondbacks skipper Bob Melvin for their managerial job, according to ESPN.com’s Tim Kurkjian.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Mets, Harang,
Here are some links to check out on a very muggy Monday night in New York..
- So far, it appears that the Cardinals are getting more than their money's worth when it comes to Matt Holliday, says Jack Moore of Fangraphs.
- Arizona will begin their GM search in earnest on Tuesday when they interview Dodgers' scouting director Logan White, writes Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wants to see the Mets hire Kevin Towers as GM and Lee Mazzilli as manager.
- A reader asked John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter) why the club didn't designate Aaron Harang for assignment instead of Enerio Del Rosario. Fay believes that it has to do with when the Reds want to pay the starter his buyout of $2MM.
- Toronto manager Cito Gaston isn't having second thoughts about retiring at season's end, writes Pete Kerzel for MLB.com.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com that picking up reliever Chris Leroux was a moderate risk worth taking.
Odds & Ends: Drew, Blue Jays, Mariners, Reyes
Links for Monday, 14 years after the Mariners sent David Ortiz to the Twins to complete the Dave Hollins trade. Precisely 346 home runs later, Big Papi is one of the most recognizable players in the game…
- The Red Sox will probably not have the chance to void J.D. Drew’s deal, as Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains. The Red Sox could be able to sidestep the 2011 portion of the contract depending on injuries, but Drew seems healthy.
- The D'Backs will interview Angels scouting director Eddie Bane for their GM opening, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Blue Jays named Jay Sartori assistant GM. The 31-year-old was previously the director of baseball operations for the Nationals and worked in MLB’s labor relations department, advising teams on salary arbitration, among other things.
- The Mariners fired pro scouting director Carmen Fusco, according to KING 5 Sports. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse confirms the report (on Twitter) and suggests it's a warning shot to GM Jack Zduriencik. The Mariners front office is under scrutiny after trading for Josh Lueke.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his team “can't throw $55MM at somebody just because it makes [everyone] feel better.” Instead, the team has to be sure the players they pursue fit the team’s needs.
- Jose Reyes told Newsday's Ken Davidoff that he wants to stay in New York. The Mets can retain their shortstop for $11MM next year or buy him out for $500K.
Odds & Ends: Sandberg, Werth, Mets, Drabek, Dunn
Links for Sunday, as Chris Volstad goes for his fifth win vs. the Nationals this season….
- The Mariners "quietly have interest" in Ryne Sandberg, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
- Jayson Werth is looking for an agency willing to charge a lower commission than the usual 5%, reports Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Davidoff provides an update on Werth's search for representation and examines the chances of the Yankees pursuing the outfielder this offseason.
- In a separate piece, Davidoff looks at some options for the Mets' next manager and GM.
- There are hints that Tony La Russa is leaning toward managing the Cardinals in 2011, as Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
- The Blue Jays will call up top prospect Kyle Drabek to make his major league debut Wednesday in Baltimore, according to the team (Twitter link).
- Ronny Cedeno is on his way to locking up the Pirates' 2011 shortstop job, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas points out that Darren Oliver needs to make just one more appearance to guarantee his option for next season.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo tells MASN (Twitter link) that the team is still "in conversations" to keep Adam Dunn in Washington.
Olney On Johnson, La Russa, D’Backs, Mets
Here are the latest notes from ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link)….
- The Diamondbacks "fully intend" to bring back Kelly Johnson next season. The 28-year-old will be entering his final arbitration year, and should earn a significant raise on this year's $2.35MM salary, but the D'Backs don't have plans to move him this winter.
- Some "early speculation" around baseball suggests that if Tony La Russa doesn't return to St. Louis next year, Seattle could be a potential destination for him.
- The D'Backs are considering installing a humidor at their Triple-A park in Reno, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Olney supports the idea, noting that it should help the development of Arizona's young pitchers, who would be less reluctant to pitch to contact.
- Olney also agrees with Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who argues that the Mets should consider trading some of their young talent if they think it could improve the team.
Rosenthal’s Full Count: Mets, Gonzalez, Tigers, A’s, Mazzaro
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has his latest Full Count video up, so let's dive in:
- Mets assistant general manager John Ricco won't replace Omar Minaya as general manager if Minaya is removed from the position. The Mets feel that Ricco is not yet ready for that role.
- Padres owner Jeff Moorad told Rosenthal concretely that the Padres will not trade Adrian Gonzalez this winter. He could, of course, still be moved during the season if things don't go well for San Diego.
- The Pads would be willing to give Gonzalez a three-year deal beyond 2011, but the slugger can certainly do better than that on the free agent market. The Padres won't be able to stay in talks if Gonzalez pursues a deal similar to Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180MM deal.
- The Tigers will have the money to pursue one or more of the market's top free agents, such as Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn, and Jayson Werth. They can also afford to take on a great deal of salary in trades should they choose to go down that road.
- The A's still don't know if they'll end up in San Jose, which makes their financial future difficult to predict.
- Oakland's difficulty in luring free agent position players leads Rosenthal to suggest a trade of Vin Mazzaro in order to acquire the talent they're seeking.