Odds & Ends: K-Rod, Gibbons, Ricciardi, Uehara
Links for Halloween Sunday, as we prepare to take in our last October baseball game of 2010….
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) the early feeling is that Francisco Rodriguez will be back with the Mets this year. There has been speculation that they would try to trade the closer following his late-season arrest, but that would have proven difficult with his contract.
- John Gibbons has informed the Mets that he's not a candidate for their managerial opening, tweets Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record. The former Blue Jays' manager is happy with his role as Kansas City's bench coach.
- The Mets are still trying to lure J.P. Ricciardi to their new front office, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
- Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com notes that it doesn't appear as if the Orioles have made much of an attempt to keep Koji Uehara. Uehara finished 2010 as the team's closer, but he is scheduled to be a free agent in the not-too-distant future.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun recaps the Orioles' coaching situation, and tells us that if Don Wakamatsu doesn't land a managerial job, he'll likely be Buck Showalter's bench coach. Showalter would like the coaching staff to be finalized by mid-week.
- Dave Eiland, who was fired as the Yankees' pitching coach last week, told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that a reported falling out between he and Joe Girardi was "totally, absolutely false," and "ridiculous."
- How potential free agents have been performing, and continue to perform, in the postseason will have an impact on the Giants' offseason decisions, Brian Sabean tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe, and Pat Burrell are a few Giants who are facing possible free agency.
- Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reminds Phillies fans that if Jayson Werth signs elsewhere, it wouldn't be the first time the club has lost a star outfielder to free agency. As Brookover notes, things turned out pretty well for the Phils in 2007, when Aaron Rowand signed with the Giants after having a career year in Philadelphia.
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Josh Huebner explains why signing Carl Crawford should be the Tigers' number one priority this winter.
- Derek Jeter will likely still be playing shortstop in New York in 2011, but as Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes, the Yankees view Eduardo Nunez as Jeter's eventual successor.
Yankees Notes: Jeter, Rivera, Lee, Bullpen
The Yankees may be done for 2010, but general manager Brian Cashman's not taking much of a break to relax. ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand writes that Cashman will meet with co-owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner on Monday to discuss their plan of attack for 2011, and there will be plenty on the agenda:
- The Yankees need to figure out what to offer Derek Jeter. According to Marchand, Cashman doesn't place any monetary value on Jeter's approaching milestones (such as 3,000 hits) and he's interested only in paying players for what they're worth in the win column.
- The same issue presents itself with Mariano Rivera. Marchand feels that Rivera will top his 2010 salary of $15MM, but is uncertain as to how many years Mo will ask for and how many the Yankees are looking to offer. That's a lot to risk on someone who's over 40, but it's hard to argue with Marchand when he says Rivera "seems ageless."
- There will also be discussions about what the club is willing to spend on Cliff Lee to pair him with C.C. Sabathia atop their rotation. Lee will be 33 next August, and is undoubtedly going to receive a mammoth contract this offseason. Marchand calls Lee the Yanks' #1 priority, but cautions against too lengthy of a deal. He speculates that as many as eight teams could be in the bidding for Lee.
- Given the news of Damaso Marte's injury that will keep him out beyond the 2011 All-Star game, the group will also prioritize a list of left-handers to pair with Boone Logan in the bullpen for next season.
Cafardo’s Latest: Bautista, Varitek, Montero
Let's check out the latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe….
- It's still up in the air whether Jose Bautista will go to arbitration this winter, or whether he'll sign either a one-year or multi-year deal with the Blue Jays. "Right now, there are no talks about a multiyear contract," said Bautista. "But I suppose we may hear something about that in December." MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith took an in-depth look at Bautista's arbitration case earlier this month.
- Cafardo speculates that the Brewers and Jason Varitek could be a good fit, since Milwaukee could use a veteran to mentor Jonathan Lucroy. Of course, the Brewers are probably hoping that the recently-signed Mike Rivera will fill that role.
- There is some doubt about whether Yankees prospect Jesus Montero will be able to handle a major league pitching staff. A "Yankee insider" tells Cafardo that he thinks Montero could be used in a big trade this winter, with Austin Romine waiting in the wings as a potential long-term backstop.
- Cafardo names a few candidates to replace Dave Eiland as the Yankees' pitching coach, noting that Scott Aldred appears to be the front-runner.
- Meanwhile, Curt Young looks like the favorite to become the Red Sox' next pitching coach. The Diamondbacks were "very interested" in Young, but ultimately ended up hiring Charles Nagy instead.
New York Notes: Wright, Ricciardi, Eiland
One New York team hired a new general manager this week, while the other locked up its on-field manager for three more years. Here are a few other Mets- and Yankees-related items of interest….
- David Wright is enthusiastic about the Mets' new GM, as he tells Dan Martin of the New York Post. "I'm really looking forward to working with him," Wright said. "And I'm excited for what he brings to the table." One of the major decisions Sandy Alderson will face this winter will involve whether or not to shop Wright, who hopes to remain a Met.
- Many people around baseball think J.P. Ricciardi would be a good fit as the Mets' scouting director, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News. A source tells Harper that Ricciardi expressed interest in such a position during talks with Alderson.
- Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger discusses how the Yankees plan to balance their desire to get younger with their desire to retain their veteran stars.
- After an ESPNNewYork.com story suggested a rift between Joe Girardi and Dave Eiland led to the pitching coach's dismissal, Eiland told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that the report was "ridiculous and simply not true."
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that Carl Willis will return to the Mariners as Seattle's pitching coach, meaning he's not a candidate for the Yankees' vacancy.
Odds & Ends: Crawford, Indians, Lopez, Brewers
A few links to check out after the Rangers picked up their first World Series win in franchise history…
- Torii Hunter is at the World Series for TV work, though he did mention liking the idea of Carl Crawford in an Angels' uniform according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Hunter wouldn't confirm if he's been lobbying the soon-to-be free agent outfielder.
- In a mailbag piece, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer answers questions about the Indians chances of signing quality free agents and whether or not Javier Vazquez is a fit for them.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that Giants' lefty reliever Javier Lopez will fall short of qualifying for free agency this offseason by just five days of service time. It's a shame he won't be able to cash in on his dominant postseason (5.2 innings, one hit, one walk, six strikeouts).
- Rosenthal also says that the Brewers are just doing their due diligence, and are expected to name a manager shortly after the World Series (Twitter link).
- Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune lists the hurdles the White Sox would have to clear if they want to acquire Colby Rasmus. He also noted that St. Louis had people watching ChiSox prospects at a recent Arizona Fall League game.
- Chad Jennings of The Journal News provide an offseason to-do list for the Yankees.
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that the announcement of the Orioles' coaching staff is being held up by Don Wakamatsu. He'll be their bench coach unless he lands a managerial gig elsewhere.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post explains what impressed him about Sandy Alderson's introductory press conference yesterday.
- Meanwhile, Newsday's David Lennon wonders if Alderson's hiring will boost ticket sales (via Twitter). Mets' attendance has dropped from an average of 51,165 fans per game in 2008 to 32,401 in 2010 despite the opening of CitiField last season. Obviously the economy is part of the problem.
- Jennings also passed along a lengthy quote from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who explains his desire to make his team younger without sacrificing their ability to be competitive.
- Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle compares the path the Rangers and Giants took to the World Series to some of the moves the Astros made a few seasons ago.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Yankees
Next up in our amateur signing bonus series, the soon-to-be no longer defending champs…
- Andrew Brackman, $3.55MM (2007)
- Gary Sanchez, $3MM (2009)
- Wily Mo Pena, $2.44MM (1999)
- Ian Kennedy, $2.25MM (2006)
- Slade Heathcott, $2.2MM (2009)
The Yankees are no strangers to spending money, and that goes for the amateur players as well. Brackman was considered one of the best talents available in the 2007 draft but fell to the 30th overall pick due to bonus demands and injury concerns. The Scott Boras client signed his big league deal right at the deadline and had Tommy John surgery almost immediately after the ink dried, which New York knew he needed. Brackman returned from the procedure at the start of the 2009 season, and has thrown 247.1 innings with a 4.77 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 as he climbs the ladder.
Sanchez received one of the largest bonuses among international free agents last year, and hit .329/.393/.543 in 196 plate appeared in the low minors this season, his professional debut. Heathcott was the team's first round pick in 2009 (29th overall), the pick they received as compensation for failing to sign Gerrit Cole in 2008. Like Sanchez, he made his pro debut this season, hitting .253/.354/.344 in 362 plate appearances at the Single-A level.
Despite being just 17-years-old at the time, the Yankees signed Pena to a major league contract worth a total of $3.7MM. His bonus stood as the record for international prospects for nearly a decade. Pena had originally signed with the Mets the previous summer, but MLB questioned the validity of the deal and it was eventually voided. He was with the Yankees for just over two full seasons (.234/.299/.391 in 541 Single-A plate appearances) before being traded to the Reds for Michael Coleman and former Yankee farmhand Drew Henson before the 2001 season.
Kennedy zoomed up the minor league ladder after being the 21st overall pick in 2006, making his big league debut just a year after signing. He spend most of his Yankee career in the minors (1.95 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 in 248.2 innings) and also missed most of 2009 due to an aneurysm near his pitching arm, though he did throw 59.2 innings with a 6.03 ERA with the big league team. The Yanks shipped him to Arizona last offseason in the Edwin Jackson–Curtis Granderson–Max Scherzer blockbuster.
We're not counting veterans of the Japanese or Cuban leagues in this series even though they have zero MLB experience, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras received $8.5MM and $6MM signing bonuses, respectively.
Yankees Seek Left-Handed Reliever
Yankees GM Brian Cashman addressed the media this afternoon to talk about the brand new deal for manager Joe Girardi and the club's plans for the offseason. While he didn't tip his hand too much, he did indicate that the club will be on the look out for a left-handed reliever this winter, writes Chad Jennings of The Journal News.
“If I can find a left-handed reliever who can join Boone Logan, I think that will make our choices out of the pen better for our manager,” the GM said. “It’s easy to talk about it. It’s harder to find it. Those are the obvious things that stand out for me: Continue to improve your starting rotation, find a left-handed reliever and then get after it.”
The Yankees already know that they'll be short-staffed in the bullpen to start the year as Damaso Marte will miss significant time after undergoing shoulder surgery. Recently, our own Ben Nicholson-Smith identified five lefties on the open market this winter that can be had on the cheap. If the Yankees are willing to spend more, however, they could pursue the likes of Pedro Feliciano and Scott Downs.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Lewis, Blue Jays, Moyer
Links for Friday as the Rangers prepare for a crucial game 3 tomorrow night..
- Carlos Lee could be attractive to a team in need of a designated hitter, says MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- Ed Price of Fanhouse details the long and strange journey taken by Colby Lewis.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian writes that with Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and Kevin Gregg all eligible for free agency this winter, the Blue Jays' bullpen could get a lot younger.
- It's unlikely that the Phillies would bring back Jamie Moyer on anything other than a non-guaranteed deal, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
- The Orioles have agreed to hire Rick Adair as their bullpen coach and Jim Presley as hitting coach, reports Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Both men have agreed to two-year deals though some contractual language is still being worked out.
- Yanks GM Brian Cashman will talk to Triple-A pitching coach Scott Aldred and bullpen coach Mike Harkey about filling the Yanks' pitching coach vacancy, writes Anthony McCarron of the Daily News. However, Cashman cautions that a hire will likely be made "later rather than sooner."
Heyman On Mets, Valentine, Yankees, Padres
New Mets GM Sandy Alderson is going into his new position with an open mind and the understanding that he has a lot of work ahead of him, writes Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. While we've already heard that J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta could join Alderson in Queens, Heyman suggests that another one of the GM's former co-workers could make the trip as well. A's executive Grady Fuson could possibly join the Mets front office, though Alderson has suggested to some friends that he'll remain in Oakland. Even Omar Minaya could return to the club in some capacity as he has a relationship with Alderson and "a fondness" for owner Fred Wilpon. Let's see what else Heyman has for us..
- Earlier this week Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wondered if the Brewers could afford Bobby Valentine, a fair concern considering the team's limited budget and the ex-manager's rumored seven-figure salary at ESPN. However, owner Mark Attanasio could be willing to shell out the big bucks to land Bobby V as he is said to be concerned about ticket sales slumping following two losing seasons. Valentine would certainly qualify as a dynamic hire and could make enough of a splash to boost attendance and TV revenues.
- Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes is believed to have several opportunities after winning the silver medal in the Mets' GM search. We learned earlier this week that Byrnes could wind up in San Diego due to his ties to the club's front office and most notably owner Jeff Moorad. Heyman says that Byrnes could land with the Padres even if DePodesta doesn't head east for a gig with the Mets.
- After firing pitching coach Dave Eiland, the Yankees are in the market for a replacement. One possibility for the job is Rick Kranitz, who was the pitching coach for Joe Girardi in Florida.
Odds & Ends: Boras, Antonetti, Girardi, Cubs
Links for Friday, as Josh Hamilton and the Rangers rest before trying to make up ground against the Giants. Incidentally, it was nine years ago today that the Rangers signed Edinson Volquez, the player they later flipped to Cincinnati for Hamilton…
- The Phillies contacted Scott Boras about Jayson Werth this week, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. At this point, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says "There's really not much to say" about possible negotiations with the free agent right fielder.
- Bill Lubinger of the Cleveland Plain Dealer offers up a must-read profile of Indians GM Chris Antonetti. Pirates GM Neal Huntington says Antonetti is similar to former GM Mark Shapiro – to an extent. “I would say Chris is going to seek out maybe more opinions and he's going to be more inclusive," Huntington said. "Mark will seek out the opinions that he thinks are more crucial to the decision. Chris may get outside that narrow circle a little bit more than Mark."
- We heard lots of buzz about Joe Girardi and the Cubs, but the manager says he "didn't really think about leaving the Yankees," according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). The skipper agreed to a three-year extension yesterday.
- The Cubs selected catcher Robinson Chirinos from Double-A and outrighted Jim Adduci to Triple-A and off of the 40-man roster.
- Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi wants to get back into baseball operations and has been in contact with the Red Sox about working for them, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. We heard yesterday that Sandy Alderson contacted Ricciardi about joining the Mets.