Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Fusco, Thome, Cubs, Jeter
On this date in 1998, former New York Highlander and St. Louis Brown Red Hoff passed away. At 107 years, four months, and nine days old, the left-handed pitcher had the longest life span of any player in Major League history, out-living his closest competition by more than five years. He pitched to a 2.49 ERA in 83 innings from 1911-1915, but never played after serving in World War I.
Here are a few interesting links from around the blogosphere…
- Phoul Balls interviewed Low-A Greenville manager and former big leaguer Billy McMillon.
- SPANdemonium chatted with Greg Schaum about the Royals' farm system, arguably the best in baseball (well, it's not really all that arguable, it is the best).
- U.S.S. Mariner chimes in on the Carmen Fusco firing in the wake of the Josh Lueke fallout.
- Prospect Insider looks back at the trades Jack Zduriencik made during his first year as Mariners GM.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors examines if Jim Thome was the best signing of the offseason.
- The Few, The Proud, The Braves compares Brian McCann to David Ross.
- SDSports.net wonders if Luis Durango has a future with the Padres.
- Cubs Pack projects Chicago's 2011 payroll.
- Yankeeist asks what kind of contract Derek Jeter will get next season.
- The Nats Blog looks at Adam Dunn's place among the best home run hitters in history.
- The Hardball Times matches up each of the 30 teams with a character from The Simpsons.
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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.
Yankees Designate Chad Huffman For Assignment
The Yankees designated Chad Huffman for assignment to create roster space for Royce Ring, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News (on Twitter). Huffman, 25, didn't do much in 21 big league plate appearances back in June and July, but he has a solid minor league resume. He hit .274/.353/.410 at Triple A this year, posting an OPS under .800 for the first time in his five-year minor league career. Huffman has mostly played in left, but he can play first base, too.
Ring, 29, last appeared in the majors in 2008. Like Huffman, he spent most of the season at Triple A. The lefty pitched well, posting a 1.93 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 out of the bullpen.
Heyman On Yankees, Dodgers, Beltre
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Jon Heyman of SI.com that you could make the case for Cole Hamels as the team’s 2010 MVP. Roy Halladay might have something to say about that, but more importantly, the Phillies are red-hot. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- The Yankees don’t let executives under multi-year deals interview for jobs in other organizations, which is why scouting director Damon Oppenheimer won't interview for the D’Backs GM job. The policy means Oppenheimer won’t be a candidate for other GM openings this winter.
- Triple A manager Tim Wallach remains the favorite to become the Dodgers’ next skipper if Joe Torre doesn’t return, as many of Heyman’s sources expect.
- Some “Red Sox people” say they won’t be surprised if Adrian Beltre looks to match the $64MM deal he signed after the 2004 season. They say the team won’t offer close to $64MM.
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.
Odds & Ends: Backe, Ellis, Crisp, Macha, Holliday
Some links to check out as the Rockies try to win their ninth straight…
- Astros Senior Director of Social Media Alyson Footer tweets that Brandon Backe is working out and hopes to throw for scouts this winter with the idea of getting an invite to Spring Training with a team next year. Backe hasn't appeared in a big league game since last June.
- Billy Beane told MLB.com's Jane Lee that the decisions on the 2011 options for Mark Ellis and Coco Crisp likely won't be made until after the season (Twitter link).
- Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers and Ken Macha have yet to discuss the manager's club option for next season.
- Matt Holliday volunteered to move to right field after the Cardinals traded Ryan Ludwick according to FoxSportsMidwest.com's B.J. Rains. The idea was to the give the team the flexibility to pursue a player limited to left field if the opportunity presented itself.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News doesn't agree with the report earlier today that John Ricco is out of contention to take over as the Mets' general manager if Omar Minaya is removed from the role.
- The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham says that Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman might be celebrating the "best deal they never made" — trading for Johan Santana — following the announcement that he requires shoulder surgery.
- Edwin Rodriguez loves managing the Marlins and hopes they factor him into their search for a permanent candidate this offseason, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Diamondbacks aren't going to spend a ton of money on their next general manager, but they will pay Kevin Towers what is needed if they decide he's their guy (Twitter links). Olney says the team is likely to decide on their next GM within the next couple of weeks.
- The Phillies have traded "over 20 players" from their farm system over their last four years according to assistant GM Chuck Lamar, but Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the team's minor league system is still in good shape. Keep in mind that they've traded for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt within the last 14 months.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune lists nine traits the Cubs' next manager should have.
Towers Frontrunner For D’Backs GM Job
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
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…
- Yankeeist chatted with Alex Langsam, a Baseball Operations Assistant in the Pirates' front office who reports directly to GM Neal Huntington.
- The Sports Virus interviewed Huston Street about the topic of pitching injuries, an unavoidable evil.
- 1 Blue Jays Way spoke with Luis Rivera, manager of the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a Blue Jays minor league affiliate.
- Play A Hard Nine examines Colby Rasmus' trade value following his fall-out with the Cardinals.
- Meanwhile, Capitol Avenue Club tries to figure out what it would take for the Braves to acquire Rasmus.
- The Hardball Times projects Manny Ramirez's performance for the White Sox.
- Crashburn Alley wonders if the Phillies' offense is just inconsistent, or if their core players are in decline.
- River Ave. Blues says that after searching all winter, the Yankees found their left fielder in Brett Gardner.
- Cubs Pack looks at Chicago's 2011 rotation, which MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith did just yesterday.
- DRays Bay muses about the responsibility of the baseball media.
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Yankees Designate De La Rosa, Claim Garrison
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
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.