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Arbitration Eligibles: Oakland Athletics

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The Athletics are next in our arbitration-eligible series.  Their candidates:

Hermida and Jackson, once top prospects, are now locks to be non-tendered.  In a poll earlier this month, 71% of you predicted that Jackson will be cut.  MLBTR readers also voted on Kouzmanoff, with 38% expecting a non-tender.  Mark me down for a non-tender vote on the third baseman.  It appears that Buck received the service time needed for Super Two status.  He had a decent year at Triple A, but he's still a likely non-tender.  I imagine Bonser will be non-tendered for the flexibility, even if the A's want him around for next year.  Gross should round up the team's sizeable list of December cuts.

Breslow and Braden are locks to be tendered contracts.  Sweeney had season-ending knee surgery in July, but I expect the A's to retain him.  Davis has been disappointing, but he wouldn't get much of a raise.  Devine missed the entire season with lingering elbow concerns, but he could be kept again for less than $1MM.

Due in part to a career-best .271 batting average, Cust has an OBP near .400 this year.  Last time around the A's non-tendered Cust, re-signed him, and designated him for assignment in April.  I'll guess he's non-tendered again.

The A's have to decide on a dozen arbitration-eligible players, but the salaries of those tendered contracts will be modest.

Non-Tender Candidate: Conor Jackson

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When Billy Beane traded for Conor Jackson this June, he was presumably hoping to see the left fielder return to his 2006-08 form. For three years, Jackson combined patience and doubles power to be a productive piece of the Diamondbacks offense, so the former top prospect clearly has the ability to handle major league pitching.

But the player Beane acquired for reliever Sam Demel did not produce. Jackson, who missed all but 30 games in 2009 with Valley Fever, posted a .228/.362/.316 line in Oakland with one homer. He's now out for the season with a sports hernia, and he only batted 69 times, but his numbers weren't noticeably different in Arizona. Jackson doesn't have much to show for 2009 or 2010, consecutive injury-plagued seasons that have turned him into a non-tender candidate.

The D'Backs raised Jackson's salary from $3.05MM to $3.1MM last offseason, but the A's may not feel comfortable paying him over $3MM in 2011, Jackson's final season as an arbitration eligible player. In fact, Jackson's injuries and poor performance suggest the A's are likely to non-tender him. Click here to vote on Oakland's choice and here to view the results.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jenks, Jays, D’Backs GM, Torre

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Links for Monday night, as the Phillies extend their NL East lead with an eighth consecutive win….

  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provides a lengthy preview of the 2011 Pirates, speculating about how the team may improve its roster.
  • Ozzie Guillen tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he has no idea whether the White Sox' front office plans to retain Bobby Jenks next year.
  • The Toronto Sun's Ken Fidlin believes that questions about J.P. Arencibia behind the plate and Adam Lind at first base mean that the Jays could attempt to bring back John Buck and Lyle Overbay.
  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports (via Twitter) that Logan White is out of the running in the Diamondbacks' search for a general manager. ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirms (via Twitter) that it appears to be a two-man race between Kevin Towers and Jerry Dipoto. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests that the D'Backs are torn between the appeal of Towers and loyalty to Dipoto; they should name a GM this week.
  • Joe Torre hasn't ruled out managing the Mets or another club, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork. Torre told WFAN: "I don't really anticipate managing again, but I think it would be unfair not to listen just out of curiosity to see if something excites me."
  • Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Coco Crisp would like to return to Oakland next year, though he knows he'll have little say in whether his 2011 option is exercised.

Non-Tender Candidate: Kevin Kouzmanoff

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At first glance, Kevin Kouzmanoff's 2010 numbers look like exactly what the Athletics must have expected when they acquired him from the Padres in January. His .256/.291/.404 slash line is nearly identical to 2009's .255/.302/.420, and his power numbers have remained fairly consistent for his entire career; in his three years in San Diego, Kouzmanoff hit 18, 23, and 18 homers, along with 30, 31, and 31 doubles. His totals in Oakland so far this year? 14 and 31. Throw in his best defensive season, according to UZR, and it would seem that the 29-year-old should have no worries about being tendered a contract this winter.

There are a few areas of concern though, that the Athletics will undoubtedly take into account. For one, Kouzmanoff has seen his OPS gradually decline since his rookie year, down to .696 this year from .786 in 2007. And while Oakland's Coliseum is hardly a hitter's park, presumably the team was hoping that getting away from Petco would help Kouzmanoff's offense a little. During his Padres years, Kouzmanoff's OPS was typically about 100 points higher on the road – this year, his home and road marks are both below .700.

The Athletics were willing to trade for Kouzmanoff and pay him $3.1MM for his first arbitration-eligible season. Given his impressive defensive performance and only a slight dip in offensive production, perhaps the A's will be happy to tender the third baseman a contract, even taking into account an arbitration raise. But as a starting corner infielder with a sub-.700 OPS, Kouzmanoff has to be considered a non-tender candidate heading into the offseason.

Do you expect Kouzmanoff to be non-tendered after the season? Click here to weigh in, and click here to view the results.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Mets, Arroyo, Atkins

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As major league teams unveil their 2011 schedules, here are some news items….

  • As Daniel Hudson improves to 6-1 with a 1.67 ERA as a Diamondback tonight, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that Hudson "probably" could have been a Brewer had Milwaukee accepted a one-for-one offer from Chicago for Prince Fielder.  The problem at the time was that the Brewers projected Hudson as only a third or fourth starter and wanted more for their slugger.  Obviously hindsight is 20/20 on any missed trade, but if Hudson continues to pitch well in Arizona, it will put even more pressure on the Brewers to get a big return back if they do end up dealing Fielder.
  • An anonymous NL official tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that Jose Reyes could command "one really good prospect, one solid prospect, and one or two medium-range prospects" in a trade should the Mets put their shortstop on the market this winter.  This source seems in favor of a total rebuild for the Mets; he also thinks they should try to deal David Wright and Francisco Rodriguez.
  • Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News cites Bronson Arroyo's durability, consistent win totals and veteran presence as reasons why Cincinnati should pick up the right-hander's $11MM option for next season.
  • We've heard that the Rockies will look for a right-handed first baseman to platoon with Todd Helton next season, and ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill cites former Rockie Garrett Atkins as a possibility for the role.  Atkins was non-tendered by Colorado last winter and after signing a one-year contract with Baltimore, was released by the Orioles last July.
  • Interim Arizona GM Jerry Dipoto will interview for the full-time position tomorrow, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter link).
  • Any Boston fans tickled by A.J. Burnett's struggles this season might not want to crow too much, since Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski cites Burnett as comparable to the also-struggling John Lackey.
  • Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wonders if the Red Sox might pursue Jim Thome as a cheaper free agent DH option rather than pick up David Ortiz's 2011 option.
  • Travis Buck's "organizational status is clearly at an all-time low" in Oakland, writes Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com.  Buck is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and could be non-tendered given the number of other promising outfielders in the Athletics' system.
  • If Jesus Montero can develop a solid catching glove to go along with his powerful bat, the Mariners may regret passing on New York's Montero-centered offer for Cliff Lee, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • Blogger El Lefty Malo praises the Giants' acquisition of Cody Ross and some other recent Brian Sabean moves.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia thinks the Halos just need a "tweaking" rather than an overhaul in the winter, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says upgrading the infield should be a top priority for the Cardinals in the offseason.

A’s Designate Jeff Lyman For Assignment

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The A’s designated Jeff Lyman for assignment to create space on the 40-man roster for Eric Sogard, according to the team. The A’s also recalled Vin Mazzaro, Josh Donaldson and Chris Carter.

The A's claimed Lyman, a 23-year-old right-hander, off of waivers from the Braves in July. The 2005 second rounder struggled with control in Oakland's system, as he has throughout his minor league career. Lyman posted a 3.32 ERA last year, but in 2010, his ERA ballooned to 6.50 in 63.2 innings. Though he has started occasionally, Lyman is mostly a reliever. This year he posted 7.4 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 at three stops in the upper minors.

Odds & Ends: Backe, Ellis, Crisp, Macha, Holliday

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Some links to check out as the Rockies try to win their ninth straight…

Athletics Pick Up Bob Geren’s 2011 Option

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The Athletics have picked up manager Bob Geren's option for the 2011 season, tweets The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. An official announcement was made a short while ago.

Geren has served as Oakland's manager since 2007 and owns a 296-329 career record. He is enjoying his team's greatest success this season at 70-70, seven-and-a-half games back of the Rangers in the AL West. The A's gave Geren a new one-year deal last March after picking up the option on the original three-year deal he signed with the club.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Mets, Gonzalez, Tigers, A’s, Mazzaro

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has his latest Full Count video up, so let's dive in:

  • Mets assistant general manager John Ricco won't replace Omar Minaya as general manager if Minaya is removed from the position. The Mets feel that Ricco is not yet ready for that role.
  • Padres owner Jeff Moorad told Rosenthal concretely that the Padres will not trade Adrian Gonzalez this winter. He could, of course, still be moved during the season if things don't go well for San Diego.
  • The Pads would be willing to give Gonzalez a three-year deal beyond 2011, but the slugger can certainly do better than that on the free agent market. The Padres won't be able to stay in talks if Gonzalez pursues a deal similar to Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180MM deal.
  • The Tigers will have the money to pursue one or more of the market's top free agents, such as Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn, and Jayson Werth. They can also afford to take on a great deal of salary in trades should they choose to go down that road.
  • The A's still don't know if they'll end up in San Jose, which makes their financial future difficult to predict.
  • Oakland's difficulty in luring free agent position players leads Rosenthal to suggest a trade of Vin Mazzaro in order to acquire the talent they're seeking.
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