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Theo Epstein Signing With Cubs Reactions

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This morning we learned that Theo Epstein agreed on a five-year deal worth more than $15MM with the Cubs.  Here' s a look at some of the reactions and fallout from around baseball..

  • Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal outlines some Cubs prospects that the Red Sox could receive as compensation for Epstein.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that the Cubs' signing of Epstein means that the NL Central is about to get even stronger, write Matthew Leach, Joe Frisaro, and Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
  • Would Yankees GM Brian Cashman be interested in the new Red Sox GM vacancy?  It doesn't seem that way, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.  "I have a job," said Cashman when asked about the possibility of leaving for Boston.  Nothing official has been agreed upon yet, but Cashman is expected to sign a new deal with the Yankees in the near future.
  • Epstein's new average salary of $3MM is unlikely to affect Cashman's next deal with the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Epstein's previous salary was roughly $2.5MM and Cashman will likely see a bump from his current $2.2MM average.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) heard that the Red Sox wanted to keep Epstein, but the GM made it clear that he would be leaving when his contract expired after 2012 .  Epstein would have earned $3MM with a $4MM parachute payment at the year's end.  That prompted the club to approve his discussions with the Cubs.
  • Ben Cherington is expected to be the next GM of the Red Sox and Dan Duquette had nothing but kind things to say about the long-time exec, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • In an interview on WEEI's "Mut & Merloni" show this morning, Peter Gammons said that he's "sickened" by the criticism he has heard of former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, writes Justin Doubleday of WEEI.com.  As for the matter of compensation, Gammons says that he could see the Red Sox receiving someone like 23-year-old center fielder Brett Jackson.

Front Office Notes: Orioles, Yankees, Angels

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Theo Epstein's signing with the Cubs was the big news of the day, but there's plenty of other front office news in baseball..

  • The Orioles are no longer considering Josh Byrnes, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
  • Yesterday we learned that Josh Byrnes (Padres), Gerry Hunsicker (Rays), J.P. Ricciardi (Mets), Thad Levine (Rangers), Tony LaCava (Blue Jays), and Dan Jennings (Marlins) are candidates to become the Orioles' next GM.  The wishlist now includes Jerry Dipoto (Diamondbacks), Logan White (Dodgers), Al Avila (Tigers), Tony Reagins (formerly of the Angels), and DeJon Watson (Dodgers), according to Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun.
  • The Yankees have granted the Angels permission to interview both Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer for their vacant general manager job, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) believes that Oppenheimer would be a good fit as the GM of the Halos.
  • As of this evening, no teams have asked permission to speak with any of the Mets assistant GMs about job openings, Newsday's David Lennon tweets.

AL East Notes: Sabathia, Burnett, Orioles

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Two AL East front offices will have different looks next year, as Theo Epstein is heading for Chicago and the Orioles are searching for a new GM. Here's the latest on the division…

Yankees Notes: Cashman, Sabathia, Swisher

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There's a 100% chance GM Brian Cashman signs a new contract with the Yankees before long, based on what Joel Sherman of the New York Post is hearing (Twitter link). However, many questions about the 2012 Yankees persist. Here's a look ahead at some of the team's upcoming decisions…

  • The Yankees haven't had any contract talks with Cashman at this point, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Feinsand hasn't heard from anyone who thinks the sides will fail to reach a deal.
  • C.C. Sabathia told Mark Hale of the New York Post that baseball is a business, while acknowledging that it would be difficult to leave New York. The left-hander will likely opt out of the four years and $92MM remaining on his seven-year, $161MM deal. Cashman says the Yankees haven't started talking extension with Sabathia.
  • Manager Joe Girardi says he doesn't want to imagine his rotation without Sabathia, according to Feinsand (all Twitter links). Girardi says he's sure the Yankees will look to add top-of-the-rotation pitching even if Sabathia returns.
  • Girardi says he expects Alex Rodriguez to start at third, rather than DH, in 2012, according to Feinsand.
  • Sherman knows that it'd be easiest for the Yankees to pick up Nick Swisher's $10.25MM option and work Jesus Montero into the lineup, but he makes the case that Carlos Beltran is in many ways preferable to Swisher. It will cost more than $10.25MM to sign Beltran, who could obtain a three-year deal this winter.

Raul Valdes, Scott Proctor Elect Free Agency

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Relievers Raul Valdes and Scott Proctor have elected free agency, the Yankees announced today (Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweeted the news).  Having lost Aaron Laffey as well, the Yankees' 40-man roster now stands at 37.

Valdes, a 33-year-old southpaw, joined the Yankees on an August waiver claim from the Cardinals after being designated for assignment.  Valdes tossed 12 big league innings overall and another 63 2/3 in the minors.   He's had some success against lefties.

Proctor, a 34-year-old right-hander, returned to the Yankees for eight games in September after spending most of the season with the Braves.  He began his career with the Yankees, suiting up in pinstripes from 2004-07.  In 40 1/3 innings for Atlanta and New York this year, Proctor posted a 7.14 ERA with more walks (31) than strikeouts (29).

Royals Claim Laffey, Designate Chavez

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The Royals announced today they've claimed lefty Aaron Laffey off outright waivers from the Yankees and designated reliever Jesse Chavez to create a 40-man roster spot.

Laffey, 26, posted a 3.88 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 1.18 HR/9, and 48.1% groundball rate in 53 1/3 innings for the Mariners and Yankees this year.  He wasn't any better against left-handed hitters.  Earlier today, Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues wrote that Laffey was an expected victim of the Yankees' upcoming 40-man roster crunch.

Chavez, 28, had joined the Royals at last year's trade deadline in the Rick Ankiel/Kyle Farnsworth deal.  He struggled mightily in the Majors this year but had a 3.75 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 57 2/3 Triple-A innings.  Chavez averaged 94.5 miles per hour on his fastball the last few years, but that dropped a full two miles per hour this year in the Majors.

AL East Links: Red Sox, Jays, Yanks, Sabathia, O’s

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Some links from the only division with three 90-win teams in 2011…

  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox will not interview anyone for their managerial opening until the status of GM Theo Epstein is resolved. The Cubs have asked permission to talk to Epstein about their GM vacancy.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that teams are showing trade interest in Joey Votto, and "speculation around the game" is that the Blue Jays will be in the mix. Earlier tonight we heard that the Reds have not discussed trading Votto, however.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Yankees are looking for starting pitching and left-handed relievers, tweets Heyman. Our free agent list shows a number of attractive lefty relief options.
  • Amber Sabathia, wife of Yankees ace CC Sabathia, told Ken Davidoff of Newsday that her family is "definitely invested" in New York and that she considers it to be their home. Sabathia can choose to opt-out of his seven-year, $161MM deal this winter.
  • MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli looks both back and ahead with regards to the Orioles front office. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is stepping down when his contract expires at the end of the month.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Freddy Garcia

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Among free agent starters with at least 100 innings pitched in 2011, C.J. Wilson, C.C. Sabathia, and Mark Buehrle unsurprisingly comprise the top three in ERA.  Erik Bedard snags the fourth spot with a 3.62 ERA, the bigger surprise being the lefty's health rather than his performance.  But just a hair behind Bedard in the free agent ERA rankings is a man who had to sign a minor league deal in late January: Freddy Garcia.

94211080701_Yankees_at_Red_Sox

After the 2006 season Garcia had tallied 200+ innings in six consecutive years.  Seeking a front-rotation arm, Phillies GM Pat Gillick acquired Garcia from the White Sox for Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez at the Winter Meetings that year.  Biceps soreness set in that spring for Garcia, who began the year on the DL.  The big righty threw 56 innings for the '07 Phillies, at which point a serious shoulder injury was diagnosed.  He had surgery in late August, and became a hot commodity as a free agent a year later.  Garcia gave the '08 Tigers three September starts and planned to participate in the Venezuelan Winter League to further prove his health.

Garcia's shoulder flared up at that point, but he was healthy enough to land a $1.5MM base salary with $6.5MM in incentives from the Mets in January of '09.  Mets GM Omar Minaya convinced Garcia to accept a minor league assignment to begin that season, but he was released by the end of April.  It was a low point for Garcia, who signed back with the White Sox in June of that year on a minor league deal.  Garcia closed out his season with nine starts for the Sox, pitching well enough to prompt the team to exercise a $1MM option in October.

In 2010 we saw a full season of the new Garcia.  The results: a 4.64 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.32 HR/9, and 40.7% groundball rate in 157 innings.  It wasn't enough to merit a big league deal, so the Yankees signed him to a minor league contract in January and he soon became the favorite to be the team's fourth starter.  An August finger injury cost Garcia a few starts, but he ended up with similar numbers: a 5.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.98 HR/9, and 36.4% groundball rate in 146 2/3 innings.  If you count a minor league start and a postseason start, Garcia pitched 156 innings.

SIERA says Garcia's skills suggest an ERA around 4.28, rather than his actual 3.62 mark.  That's still an improvement over 2010.  Garcia slightly improved his strikeout rate, perhaps due to some changes in his mix of pitches.  Garcia still profiles as a back-end starter, but his new level of performance should result in a guarantee at least matching the $3MM given to the likes of Brad Penny and Brandon Webb last winter.

Garcia appears to have earned over $4MM this year including incentives, and the Yankees must decide whether to offer arbitration if his fringe Type B status holds up.  Perhaps the Yankees can convince him to decline arbitration, as otherwise the process could lead to a $5-6MM guarantee should the pitcher accept.  Garcia has shown he can provide that amount of value, but despite the lower ERA this year the market perception would probably put him below a $5MM base salary as a free agent.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Quick Hits: Payrolls, Jay, Wilson, Epstein

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Here are some links to check out before the NLCS kicks off later this afternoon..

  • Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel points out that the somewhat low payrolls of the remaining playoff teams are examples of the importance of drafting, scouting, and player development. The Tigers have the largest payroll (10th), while the Cardinals (11th), Rangers (13th), and Brewers (17th) round out the pack. It's also worth noting that the Diamondbacks rank 25th and the Rays were 29th.
  • The progress of center fielder Jon Jay allowed the Cardinals to trade Colby Rasmus at the deadline, GM John Mozeliak told Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, and Octavio Dotel have been key parts of the team's drive to the NLCS.
  • Some people think that C.J. Wilson has keen interest as a free agent in New York, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  He adds that the Yankees are probably the early favorite to sign him.
  • A Lakeview, Illinois resident is "99.9 percent sure" that he saw Red Sox GM Theo Epstein at a Starbucks in Lincoln Park, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  Boston ownership has yet to acknowledge a report that the Cubs have asked for permission to talk to Epstein.
  • The Angels continued their front-office purge by not renewing the contract of player development director Abe Flores, a major league source told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  Flores spent four seasons as the team's player development director after spending the previous six as the team's manager of baseball operations.
  • No matter what kind of career pitcher Pedro Strop has, the trade for left-hander Mike Gonzalez at the August deadline was worth it for the Rangers, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. 

East Links: Marlins, Votto, Darvish, Cashman

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For the first time since 2005, there isn't a single team from either East division in the LCS round. That just means we're going to be hearing a lot more about them during the hot stove season. Here are some East Coast links…

  • Earlier today we heard that the Reds are expected to listen to offers for Joey Votto, and Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post thinks the Marlins may kick the tires (Twitter link). The Fish are expected to make a splash before moving into their new stadium, and Votto would certainly qualify. Click here for Tim Dierkes' Offseason Outlook.
  • Although the Marlins are expected to be quite active this offseason, Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) doesn't expect them to be in on Yu Darvish as the club isn't terribly active in Asia.
  • No surprise here, but Yankees GM Brian Cashman says that he still wants to return next season, writes Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Cashman's contract expires at the end of the month, and ESPN's Buster Olney hears (on Twitter) that talks about a new contract are going smoothly. A deal could be done by the end of next week.
  • Jennings looked back at the trade deadline and asked if the Yankees missed an opportunity. He says it's easy to say they did in hindsight, but he agrees when Cashman says "I don't see there was any missed opportunity I could have done differently."
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