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Towers Frontrunner For D’Backs GM Job

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11:46am: Towers has yet to meet with Diamondbacks officials and his salary demands may become an obstacle, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The D’Backs, who are still paying former GM Josh Byrnes, may balk at Towers’ asking price. He made nearly $2MM with the Padres and has enough leverage to demand a substantial deal.

The Diamondbacks obtained permission from the Yankees to interview Towers, but the Bronx Bombers did not grant Arizona permission to interview Damon Oppenheimer. Dodgers assistant GMs Logan White and De Jon Watson will likely get interviews, too.

8:41am: Three general managers insisted to MLB Network's Peter Gammons that Kevin Towers is "set" to become the next GM in Arizona, though nothing is official at this point (Twitter link). The D'Backs have not had a permanent GM since firing Josh Byrnes halfway through the season and Towers' name has come up repeatedly since. 

Towers currently works in the Yankees front office, but he's better known for his extended tenure as Padres GM. Not only did the Padres win four division titles and one National League championship under Towers, the team is in first place again this year. Manager Bud Black, GM Jed Hoyer and the Padres players deserve credit for this season, but Towers' fingerprints are undeniably on the current edition of the club.

Interim GM Jerry Dipoto, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White are among the executives who have reportedly been considered for the job.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rasmus, Manny, Phillies

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On this date in 1969, the Mets moved into sole possession of first place for the first time in franchise history. They swept the Expos in a doubleheader to move ahead of the Cubs by a full game in the NL East. The Miracle Mets went on to defeat the Orioles in the Fall Classic for the first World Championship in their history, more than eight years after they played their first ever game.

Let's take a look at some links from around the baseball netweb…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Yankees Designate De La Rosa, Claim Garrison

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The Yankees designated Wilkin De La Rosa for assignment today in order to make room for Steve Garrison, who they claimed off waivers from the Padres, according to Mike Ashmore of the Hunterdon County Democrat (via Twitter).

Former Padres GM Kevin Towers had a hand in the Yankees' claim on Garrison, who was designated for assignment by San Diego on Monday. Brian Cashman told Chad Jennings of The Journal News that Towers "obviously was involved in that process," as someone familiar with the Padres' farm system. The left-handed Garrison struggled in his first Triple-A stint this year, but has had some success in the lower minors and will only turn 24 this weekend.

The removal of De La Rosa from the Yanks' 40-man roster comes just two weeks after the New York Post reported that MLB was investigating De La Rosa and Ivan Nova for allegedly injecting one another with B-12 shots. De La Rosa denied the Post's report, and according to Jennings, the Yankees are hoping that the 25-year-old clears waivers.

Stark On Rasmus, Jeter, Gonzalez, Morgan

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If the Cardinals put Colby Rasmus on the trade market, they would “only get 60 or 70 cents on the dollar,” according to one MLB executive who spoke to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Here’s a detailed look at potential suitors for Rasmus, and here are the rest of Stark’s rumors:

  • Derek Jeter and agent Casey Close understand that the Yankees aren’t going to offer an embarrassingly low contract this winter. As Stark points out, the Yankees offered Jorge Posada a four-year deal heading into the season in which he turned 37. Posada was coming off of an MVP-caliber season, so the comparison only works to a point, but as many reporters have pointed out this week, Jeter is going nowhere and the Yankees aren’t going to low-ball him.
  • Adrian Gonzalez probably won’t be on the trade market this winter, according to clubs that have spoken to the Padres. They’ll try to contend in 2011 and consider trading Gonzalez if they aren’t in contention next summer.
  • Two scouts who cover the Nationals say they expect the team to shop Nyjer Morgan this winter. One of the scouts said there’s a “non-existent” chance that Washington keeps him.

Odds & Ends: Crawford, Yankees, Angels, Loux

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Wednesday night links, as Daniel Hudson attempts to keep his NL ERA under 2.00….

Heyman On Jeter, Ortiz, Minaya

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It’s a foregone conclusion that the Yankees will re-sign Derek Jeter, but as Jon Heyman of SI.com points out, “the Yankees' business is so good it doesn't have to look at things the normal way.” That means the Bronx Bombers can afford to pay franchise icons like Jeter for past greatness, even if the offensive numbers aren't there anymore. Here’s the latest on Jeter, plus other notes from around the league:

  • One executive told Heyman that he can see the Yankees offering $45-50MM over three years. That fits in with what MLBTR readers predicted earlier in the week. As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs noted, Chipper Jones’ most recent deal was for $42MM over three years.
  • Some executives can see the Red Sox trying to lock David Ortiz up for $18-20MM or so over two years instead of exercising his $12.5MM option for 2011. Ortiz has said he’d like to stay in Boston, but he wants a multi-year deal.
  • Heyman says it’s still “extremely likely” that the Mets re-assign Omar Minaya. In other words, he may not be the GM for much longer.

 

Odds & Ends: Kuroda, Dunn, Wang, Sabathia, Choo

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Links for Tuesday, exactly one year after the Rockies released Russ Ortiz. It was the third time a major league organization released Ortiz in 2009 and a preview of April 2010 when the Dodgers released him. Here are today's links…

  • Hiroki Kuroda denied to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that he intends to play in Japan next season. "I really haven't decided anything," the right-hander said (Twitter links)
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that there has been no progress on a contract extension for Adam Dunn. The first baseman told reporters recently that he "assumes" he will finish the year without a deal in place.
  • Within the same piece, Ladson mentions that Chien-Ming Wang will not pitch this year because of shoulder weakness. The Nationals signed Wang to a one year deal worth $2MM last winter and control him as an arbitration eligible player next year.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Jack Curry of the YES Network that C.C. Sabathia has done "exactly what they hoped for" when they signed him last offseason, and that includes his presence in the clubhouse (Twitter links).
  • Shin-Soo Choo will likely be able to avoid military service in South Korea if he helps his country win a gold medal in baseball at the Asian Games this November, as MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince explains.
  • Agent Scott Boras told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Choo may sign an extension with the Indians this offseason. "Things have a way of working out with the good players," Boras said.
  • Baseball America named Jeremy Hellickson its 2010 minor league player of the year.
  • It's looking like the Marlins will sign Ricky Nolasco to a one year deal through arbitration, instead of negotiating a long-term deal, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • Arizona president Derrick Hall likes former Padres GM Kevin Towers and interim D'Backs manager Kirk Gibson, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The D'Backs haven't had a permanent GM or manager since firing Josh Byrnes and A.J. Hinch earlier in the summer.

Odds & Ends: Garrison, Red Sox, Werth, Cubs, Burnett

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Labor Day linkage..

  • Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter) thinks that the Padres would like to keep Steve Garrison, who they DFA'd earlier today.  The lefty was protected by the club last winter.
  • Having Lars Anderson and Anthony Rizzo waiting in the wings won't necessarily preclude Boston from retaining Adrian Beltre and/or Victor Martinez, says Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that he's hearing a lot of speculation about Jayson Werth taking Scott Boras on as his agent.  However, he also tweets that players tend to follow their teammates and he may be drawn to Arn Tellem as the agent secured Chase Utley's seven-year, $85MM deal with the Phillies.
  • It may be time for the Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa to part ways, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
  • A recent move by Cubs manager Mike Quade may have scored points with GM Jim Hendry, opines Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN (via Twitter) wonders aloud when A.J. Burnett will rank as a "full-fledged crisis" for the Yankees.  Burnett is set to earn $16.5MM each season until 2013.
  • It will be an active offseason for Boston, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.

Rosenthal On Jeter, Werth, Cardinals, Reds

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Derek Jeter’s .264/.331/.372 batting line is remarkably similar to Marco Scutaro’s .271/.331/.372 line, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out. Scutaro’s a quality major league player, but the two-year $12.5MM deal he signed as a free agent last winter pales in comparison to the kind of contract Jeter seems likely to sign when he hits the open market after the season. Here’s Rosenthal’s Jeter update, plus other notes from around the majors:

  • Yankees officials do not plan to “play hardball” with Jeter this winter.  MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes suggested in May that $30MM over three years could be reasonable, but the Yankees don’t want to lowball their captain.
  • One GM who may have interest in signing Jayson Werth this offseason has doubts about the outfielder’s ability to hit in a less imposing lineup.
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Rosenthal that St. Louis made multiple waiver claims on hitters last month, though they “went nowhere.”
  • The Reds and Dusty Baker have exchanged ideas since the Reds offered Baker a one-year extension with no raise, according to Rosenthal. 

Odds & Ends: Nady, Orioles, Darvish, Zambrano

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Links for Sunday, as the White Sox complete a weekend sweep in Boston….

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