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Quick Hits: A’s, Pirates, Hurdle, Soriano

By Zachary Links | September 16, 2012 at 8:32pm CDT

Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • There have been indications that commissioner Bud Selig might rule on the A's move to San Jose by the end of the year, but he may be considering a ruling that could challenge both the A's and Giants to fulfill certain criteria, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  "I think there will be an effort to be Solomonesque," said someone who has spoken with Selig. "This is not a 'yes or no' sort of thing."
  • Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington says that manager Clint Hurdle's job is not in jeopardy despite the club's recent slide, according to Rob Biertempfel and Karen Price of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. 
  • Paul Swydan of Fangraphs believes that if Rafael Soriano opts out of his deal with the Yankees in search of a multi-year deal with an average value of $14MM per year, either he'll be disappointed or the team that signs him will be.  Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opined that Soriano would be making a mistake if he cut the cord on his three-year, $35MM contract in search of a better deal.
  • The Nationals don't plan on celebrating when they officially clinch a playoff spot as the team has goals within reach more worthy of a champagne bottle, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. 
  • Stephen Strasburg's season isn't completely over as he's staying involved with the team by playing catch and participating in a rehab program crafted by the Nationals, says Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. Pitching coach Steve McCatty says the young ace has handled the transition better than outsiders may perceive. “I don’t think he’s ready for a straitjacket, if that’s what you’re getting at,” McCatty said. “… Stephen is doing fine. He’s handling it.”

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

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New York Yankees Oakland Athletics Pittsburgh Pirates San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals Stephen Strasburg

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East Notes: Girardi, Nationals, Rays, Bay

By edcreech | September 16, 2012 at 11:11am CDT

Division leaders and their rivals are squaring off today in both the AL and NL East. With the Yankees looking to pad their four-game lead over the Rays in their rubber match and the Braves looking to pull within 5.5 games of the front-running Nationals with a sweep, here are the notes, quotes, and song lyrics from the East:

  • GM Brian Cashman reiterated Joe Girardi will manage the Yankees next year, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Cashman was specifically asked, if in his mind, Girardi will be the manager regardless of what happens. "Yup," was Cashman's reply.
  • The Nationals aren't letting the Stephen Strasburg controversy and the recent skid in Atlanta dampen their enthusiasm, according to the Washington Post's James Wagner. Mark DeRosa is the most vital presence in keeping the clubhouse loose with Wagner calling him part team dad and part team comedian.
  • The Nationals' season is of historic proportions, writes Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. With 1933 the last time a Washington franchise won a league title and the District of Columbia having seen two versions of the Senators come and go in the interim, Svrluga also gives a lesson in how to calculate magic numbers for those who might have already perfected the math behind RGIII's QB rating.
  • In addition to trying to make the playoffs, September is also about playing for awards and new contracts for the Rays, opines Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. 
  • Jason Bay told Pat Borzi of the New York Times that he doesn't believe the effects of two concussions are the cause of his disappointing season. Manager Terry Collins hinted that was the case before the Mets' series in Milwaukee. Bay responded, "Terry’s asked me that, and I have nothing to quantify that with. How do you know? I don’t feel like it has. A lot of people look for a lot of reasons as to why things may or may not have come down as they historically have. Albeit that’s a viable scenario, but I can’t tell you from one day to the next how it felt. Those things did occur, but if I knew the answer, I would have fixed it by now.”
  • There is no easy fix for the Red Sox as they begin the long task of rebuilding their roster, writes the Boston Herald's John Tomase who provided a critique of the franchise from ownership to the farm system.
  • It has been a surprising year for Bobby Valentine and Buck Showalter, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. No one could have predicted, even himself Sherman admits, the seasons the two managers have experienced.
  • In a separate article, Sherman believes starting pitching will determine the Yankees' post-season fate.
  • GM Alex Anthopoulos confirmed to reporters the Blue Jays are exploring moving their Triple-A club to Buffalo from Las Vegas, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. This would, in effect, bump the Mets, currently affiliated with Buffalo, to Las Vegas.
  • Rays' manager Joe Maddon summed up his team's offensive problems by turning to song, reports the Tampa Bay Times' Topkin. "Again, we've sang this song," Maddon said. "I'm sure we could make a nice country and western song out of this whole thing. Between your dog and your pickup, we came up short again. We came up short agin." Unfortunately, Maddon will not be eligible in the songwriting category at the Country Music Awards tomorrow night.
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Boston Red Sox New York Mets New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Bobby Valentine Jason Bay Joe Girardi Mark DeRosa

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Rosenthal On Yankees, Playoffs, Sabermetrics

By edcreech | September 16, 2012 at 9:35am CDT

The Yankees enter play today with a one-game lead over the Orioles and four games over the Rays. And, it's a good thing this isn't your father's Yankees, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. If George Steinbrenner was alive today, Rosenthal believes he might have fired manager Joe Girardi after blowing a ten-game lead in the AL East and replaced him with the likes of Lou Piniella. Hal Steinbrenner is almost the polar opposite of his father. So much so that, when Rosenthal asked Brian Cashman of the potential fallout that might occur if the team fails to reach the playoffs, the Yankees' GM said, "We have objective, patient ownership." Also from Rosenthal's column:

  • The new schedule hasn't been a cure-all for small market teams like the Rays. Rosenthal suggests one way to mitigate the Rays’ disadvantage would be to scale revenue sharing so they would receive a greater percentage than a low-revenue club such as the Indians, who compete in a division with lower payrolls.
  • A criticism of the new playoff system is Wild Card teams who have better records than division winners are penalized in the seeding of the Division Series. Rosenthal's solution is to wait until after the Wild Card game to seed the Division Series.
  • The AL CY Young Award voting will be a test of how accepted advanced statistics are by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Rosenthal points out the last eight AL pitchers to either lead or tie for the lead in those categories, like the Rays' David Price this year, each have won the award. The Tigers' Justin Verlander meanwhile leads in wins above replacement and Chris Sale of the White Sox leads in ERA+. Price is tops, however, in quality of opponents faced, based on the rankings of Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
  • Larry Bowa's interview for the Astros' managerial vacancy is a good sign, as rival executives have worried that GM Jeff Luhnow is surrounding himself with too many like-minded sabermetric types rather than building a diverse baseball operations department.
  • The Marlins may have difficulty in sticking with their plan to keep Emilio Bonifacio in center field, play Donovan Solano at second, and make the acquisition of a third baseman their top priority. Rosenthal points out the market for third basemen is bare, so one alternative for the Marlins is to acquire an outfielder and move Bonifacio back to third base.
  • Look for the Rays to exercise their $2.5MM option on Fernando Rodney. Rodney is bidding to become only the second reliever in history (Dennis Eckersley in 1990) to have a season of 40 or more saves and an ERA under 1.00. Rodney leads baseball with 43 saves and his ERA is 0.66.
  • The Cubs will look again this offseason to move Alfonso Soriano, who is one home run and one RBI shy of his first 30-homer, 100-RBI season since 2005. If the Cubs fail to receive a sufficient offer, they could always bring back Soriano, owed $36MM over the next two years, and try to move him at the deadline again. Rosenthal cited the example of Carlos Lee of how it is easier to deal an overpriced player the closer he gets to the end of his contract.
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Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Houston Astros Miami Marlins New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Alfonso Soriano Chris Sale David Price Emilio Bonifacio Fernando Rodney Joe Girardi Justin Verlander

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Rosenthal On Upton, Soriano, Olt, Porter

By Zachary Links | September 15, 2012 at 3:52pm CDT

Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • At the age of 28, B.J. Upton will be the youngest outfielder on the open market this winter.  Rosenthal believes that Upton figures to land a deal of at least five years and virtually every NL East team could pursue him.  The Marlins in particular could show strong interest as Dan Jennings was the Rays' scouting director when they drafted him in 2002.  Earlier today, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com checked in with four MLB execs who had varied opinions on what kind of deal Upton will get this offseason.
  • Rafael Soriano could opt-out of his three-year, $35MM deal at the end of this season in pursuit of a larger deal, but that might not be a wise choice.  That would call for Soriano to forfeit his $14MM salary in 2013 and the Yankees would definitely make him a qualifying offer (around $13MM) that would require a team to give up draft pick compensation to sign him.  Historically, that has hurt the value of free agent relievers.
  • The Rangers had little interest in parting with Mike Olt at the deadline but some rival execs think that they'll be more willing to move him this offseason.  While the Rangers have Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli as free agents and may like Olt to be a part of their offensive core going forward, he could have tremendous value as many teams are in search of a strong third base option. 
  • Don't be surprised if the Marlins talk to Nationals third base coach Bo Porter again in the event that they fire Ozzie Guillen.  Earlier this week, the Astros met with Porter, making him the first person to interview for the managerial vacancy.
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Heyman On Kyle Lohse, Russell Martin

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 14, 2012 at 1:16pm CDT

The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com…

  • Kyle Lohse is seen as very likely to leave the Cardinals when he hits free agency this winter, Heyman reports. One general manager said C.J. Wilson is better than Lohse, implying that a five-year, $77.5MM contract will be out of reach for the Cardinals right-hander. A three-year contract in the $40MM range seems more realistic for Lohse, who turns 34 next month.
  • Three general managers suggested Russell Martin will have to settle for a one-year contract this coming offseason, Heyman reports. The Yankees made Martin a three-year contract offer in the $20MM range this spring, but Martin turned it down. Instead, the general managers told Heyman, Martin will probably end up with a one-year contract, perhaps in the $7.5MM range. A multiyear deal remains possible given the lack of alternatives for teams seeking catching help.
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Managerial Notes: Girardi, Dodgers, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 14, 2012 at 9:01am CDT

The Astros are the only team currently looking for a manager, but within a few weeks there’s a good chance other MLB teams will be in the market for managers of their own. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports lists those who could be managing for their jobs between now and the end of the regular season. Here are the highlights…

  • Joe Girardi of the Yankees is a good manager who doesn’t deserve to be fired, Rosenthal writes. However, Girardi’s job security will be in question if the Yankees don’t win the AL East.
  • It’d be reasonable to ask if Jim Leyland got enough out of the Tigers roster if Detroit misses the postseason. The Tigers could decide it’s time for a change after seven seasons under Leyland, Rosenthal writes.
  • Though Mike Scioscia is under contract through 2018, Angels owner Arte Moreno would be disappointed to miss the playoffs after an offseason of aggressive moves.
  • The Dodgers will likely pursue a contract extension with manager Don Mattingly no matter how their season ends, Rosenthal reports.
  • Bobby Valentine won’t be back in Boston. If the Red Sox can’t pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, they’ll have to look elsewhere for a replacement.
  • Some Marlins people believe their season started deteriorating when Guillen spoke publicly about Fidel Castro in April. However, it appears more likely the Marlins will re-structure their front office than fire Guillen.
  • Rosenthal suggests Terry Francona could be a fit in Cleveland if the Indians dismiss Manny Acta following their disappointing second half. Francona will likely have options elsewhere and he might be prohibitively expensive for Cleveland.
  • Fredi Gonzalez probably won’t have to worry about his job security as long as the Braves make the playoffs.
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New York Notes: Collins, Mets, Yankees, McLouth

By Zachary Links | September 13, 2012 at 5:37pm CDT

Here's a look at a couple of items on the Mets and Yankees..

  • Terry Collins will be back to manage the Mets next year despite the club's second-half slide, people familiar with the situation tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Despite the fact that the Nationals and Braves have won more games at Citi Field than the Mets in the second act of the 2012 season, all of Collins' bosses support him.  It was reported last month that the Mets were prepared to stand behind Collins, though the club had hoped for a third-place finish in the NL East.
  • The only question now appears to be whether Collins is given an extension of a year or two to avoid lame duck status in 2013, Heyman writes.  Wally Backman, currently managing the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, is seen as a possible heir for Collins.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees offered Nate McLouth a minor league deal after he was released by the Pirates in June.  McLouth instead opted to go with the Orioles as he felt that he had a better shot of reaching the majors.  The outfielder is hitting .279/.350/.418 in 35 games for the O's this year.
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New York Mets New York Yankees Nate McLouth

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Rafael Soriano Likely To Opt Out

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 13, 2012 at 2:00pm CDT

There’s a good chance Rafael Soriano will exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Yankees after the season and hit free agency early, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Soriano must choose between another year in New York with a salary of $14MM and opting out for a $1.5MM buyout and the uncertainty of the open market.

Yankees people believe they have a very solid relationship with Soriano, who’s a client of the Boras Corporation. Team executives aren’t convinced he’d opt out and pass up $14MM, according to Heyman. If Soriano opts out, the Yankees can still make him a qualifying offer valued at $13MM-plus and link him to draft pick compensation.

Mariano Rivera will hit free agency this offseason, but if he re-signs with the Yankees he’d presumably have the closer’s job and push Soriano into a setup role. The sides could also work out a multiyear deal with the idea that Soriano could set up in 2013 and close after that, Heyman writes.

Soriano, 32, signed a three-year, $35MM contract with New York following the 2010 season. He has a 2.17 ERA with 9.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and 37 saves in 58 innings so far in 2012.

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New York Yankees Rafael Soriano

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Yankees Notes: Payroll, Lowe, Pettitte

By Zachary Links | September 12, 2012 at 7:28pm CDT

The Yankees are fighting to finish the season atop the American League East as the Orioles' strong play has put them neck-and-neck with the Bombers.  Here's a look at the latest on the Yankees as they take on the Red Sox in Boston..

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post wouldn't be surprised to see the Yankees abandon their plan to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold for 2014 if they wind up missing the playoffs.  However, should that happen, Sherman suggests that the Bombers should stay the course as the four other largest payroll teams would all miss the playoffs if they started today.  The Yankees invested $423.5MM in C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett after missing the playoffs in 2008.
  • Yankees pitcher Derek Lowe said he's not sure if he wants to go forward as a reliever next season, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  "I'll sort that out in the offseason," the 39-year-old said.  Lowe had a 5.52 ERA with 3.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 21 starts for the Indians this season before being DFA'd on August 2nd.  Back in August, agent Scott Boras admitted that contending clubs probably won't look at his client as a starter when he hits the open market.
  • Andy Pettitte threw a four-inning, 55-pitch simulated game earlier today and insists that he's ready to return to action, writes David Waldstein of the New York Times.  Despite the 40-year-old's confidence, the Yankees aren't yet convinced that he's ready to go.
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New York Yankees Derek Lowe

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AL East Notes: Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 11, 2012 at 9:41am CDT

The Red Sox haven't finished last in the American League East since 1992, when their division rivals included the Tigers, Indians and Brewers. With 21 games remaining the 2012 Red Sox are in last place with a 63-78 record. Here’s the latest from their division…

  • The Red Sox intend to address their pitching issues this offseason, GM Ben Cherington told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “We’ve got to look back and figure out why we were off on that,” Cherington said. The Red Sox are expected to bolster their rotation this winter, though one-year deals seem more likely than mega-contracts. Cherington relied on minor league signings last offseason, but knows more significant additions are necessary this year.
  • Joba Chamberlain, Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte are vital to the Yankees for the final three weeks of the regular season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The job security of some executives, coaches and players could diminish if the Yankees miss the postseason, Sherman adds.
  • Rays manager Joe Maddon told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he's pleased to see the Orioles contending for a playoff spot again. "I'm really happy for Baltimore and that organization, having been such a wonderful organization in the past," Maddon said.
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