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Odds & Ends: Wood, Dunn, Valentine, Hoover

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Links for Thursday, before the Rangers try to even out the World Series…

  • The Cubs would welcome Kerry Wood back to Chicago if they have enough money, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The Yankees declined Wood's 2011 option yesterday, so he'll be free to sign with the team of his choice soon after the World Series.
  • Nationals manager Jim Riggleman says he wants Adam Dunn to re-sign in Washington, but points out that "there's going to be some pretty good talent out there" if Dunn leaves, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports (on Twitter).
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hears that the Brewers are open to hiring managerial candidates Bob Melvin and Joey Cora, though they’ll likely talk to Bobby Valentine about a potential deal (Twitter link).
  • The Phillies outrighted Paul Hoover off of their 40-man roster.
  • Former Braves and Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone told Gary Williams and Steve Phillips of SIRIUS XM radio that he’d have interest in becoming the pitching coach for the Yankees or Mets.

Possible Platoon Partners For Domonic Brown

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Jayson Werth is days away from free agency, so if the Phillies intend to re-sign their right fielder, they'll have to bid directly against other interested teams. There's a real chance Werth signs elsewhere this winter, so the Phillies are thinking ahead. Manager Charlie Manuel has acknowledged that he may pair Domonic Brown up with a more experienced player who can handle southpaws and play right field.

Brown, just 23, had no trouble hitting minor league pitching this year (.327/.391/.589 line) but he bats from the left side and the Phillies could ease him into the big leagues by limiting his exposure to left-handed pitching. Here are eight outfielders the Phillies may consider as platoon partners for Brown:

  • Jeff Francoeur, 26 years old, non-tender candidate – Frenchy has his faults, but the 26-year-old can handle lefties. He has a .299/.343/.481 line against them in his career.
  • Matt Diaz, 32 years old, non-tender candidate – Diaz has a .335/.373/.533 line against lefties in his career.
  • Juan Rivera, 32 years old, trade candidate – The Angels will have to part with an outfielder if they sign Werth or Carl Crawford. Rivera, who spent most of the 2010 season in left field, has a career .288/.333/.499 line against lefties.
  • Jose Guillen, 34 years old, free agent – He struggled against lefties this year, but boasts a .270/.327/.460 line against them in his career.
  • Xavier Nady, 31 years old, free agent – Nady, who struggled through the 2010 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, has a .297/.367/.451 line against lefties in his career.
  • Andruw Jones, 33, free agent – Jones would likely be able to find more playing time elsewhere, so he's not a natural fit in Philly, but his career (.261/.361/.501) and 2010 (.256/.373/.558) numbers against left-handers must have the Phillies salivating.
  • Milton Bradley, 32, trade candidate – Again, Bradley seems like an unlikely target for the Phillies, but he has a .300/.382/.488 line against left-handers in his career and could be available.
  • Willie Bloomquist, 32, free agent – He has a .272/.334/.366 line against lefties in his career – not much pop, but he's far more versatile than the players above. Bloomquist played all three outfield positions and all four infield positions this year, so Manuel could use him elsewhere if Brown wins the job outright.
  • Austin Kearns, 30, free agent – Kearns has a career .261/.383/.416 line against lefties and may have trouble finding an everyday job.
  • Ben Francisco, 29, on the Phillies – Francisco has a .267/.347/.460 career line against left-handers.

Diaz and Francoeur handle lefties well and can play right field, so they would be good fits for the Phils if they are indeed non-tendered. Rivera, Nady, Bloomquist and Kearns would also be legitimate options and none of the players listed figure to cost more than a few million on a one-year deal, so the Phillies are well-positioned to recover if Werth leaves and they consider alternatives to Francisco. Their biggest challenge will be helping Brown improve upon the .210/.257/.355 line he posted in 70 plate appearances this summer.

Phillies Notes: Werth & Manuel

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Phillies manager Charlie Manuel provided a look into the team's offseason plans on 610-WIP and David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News passes along the details. Let's round them up…

  • "I think we definitely have some money to spend," said Manuel when asked about the possibility of retaining Jayson Werth. "But at the same time, the problem is, length-wise of a contract, and also what direction we want to go in."
  • Manuel said he believes they can develop a top-notch hitter, presumably referring to top prospect Domonic Brown, allowing them to target high-end pitchers during the offseason.
  • Reporters floated the idea of a rightfield platoon if Werth departs, and Manuel acknowledged that possibility. Murphy says not to be surprised if they target a lesser righthanded bat like Jeff Francoeur or Matt Diaz to pair up with Brown or Ross Gload. Ben Francisco could also be an internal option in this scenario.
  • "I think [GM Ruben Amaro Jr.]'s got a lot on his plate as far as which way he wants to go in getting it done," said Manuel. "But I think he can. Evidently he definitely still wants to negotiate with Werth. It sounds like he's going to talk to Scott Boras, his agent, and things. That's definitely the first priority. And then that will lead us into which way he wants to take our team."
  • As for his own contract, which is up after next season, Manuel indicated that Amaro told him they'd speak this fall, probably before Christmas.

Odds & Ends: Ortiz, Girardi, Molina, Werth

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On the eve of the World Series, here are some news items to tide you over until the big Lee/Lincecum battle tomorrow night…

Phillies Decline Option On J.C. Romero

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The Phillies declined their $4.5MM option on lefty reliever J.C. Romero, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  He'll receive a $250K buyout instead.

Romero, 34, posted a 3.38 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 7.1 BB/9 over 53.3 innings spanning the 2009-10 seasons after tossing 59 innings in '08.  He had flexor tendon elbow surgery in October of '09 and also had a 50 game suspension that year for using a banned supplement. 

The Phillies signed Romero to a three-year, $12MM deal in November of '07, even though he's always demonstrated big control problems.  Romero, who says he's got "a brand new arm," joins Scott Downs, Pedro Feliciano, Arthur Rhodes, and others on the lefty relief free agent market.

Boras Defends Werth

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At yesterday's press conference, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. was asked how the team's offense could be good or better without Jayson Werth.  Part of Amaro's response:

Jayson had a good year. It wasn't an extraordinary year. He had kind of a tough time with men in scoring position, so he didn't have as productive a year as he had in the past. But I think if he's not with us, there are players that we can acquire or we have in our own organization that can help us be as consistent.

It was odd to see a GM point out a player's shortcoming, although Amaro was correct in that Werth hit .186/.353/.314 in 190 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.  Of course, the sample is small and Werth was just fine with runners in scoring position in previous seasons.  Werth described the 2010 RISP numbers as an anomaly, talking to CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury.

Werth's new agent Scott Boras sidestepped the runners in scoring position angle, but still defended his client in a discussion with Salisbury.  Boras explained, "Compared to '09, he was up 30 points in batting average, 15 in on-base percentage, 30 in slugging, 40 in OPS. He had fewer home runs, but he had 20 more doubles."  Valid points.  Boras also said Werth's defense was "better than it has ever been," a point that is more difficult to prove.  The agent once again praised Werth's "center field acumen," though he's never played there regularly in the Majors.

As he typically does, Boras added that the Phillies have the money to retain Werth.

Amaro Talks Phillies Offseason

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Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. talked about the Phillies' offseason at a news conference today, and David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News and Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer have quotes.

  • Amaro said he wants Jayson Werth back and the Phillies can afford him, but he expects talks to go deep into the offseason.  He'll make contact with Scott Boras over the next 48 hours.  Despite the prolonged timeframe, Amaro seems to want to address the Werth situation first: "We're not going to feel comfortable on anything until we know where we stand on Werth and go from there."  Werth, for his part, said he's "open to anything" but "this is definitely a business."
  • Amaro downplayed Werth's season, saying, "Jayson had a good year. It wasn't an extraordinary year.  He had a tough time with men in scoring position. It wasn't as productive a year as he had in the past."  I wonder if Boras feels the same way. 
  • Kyle Kendrick's work as the team's fifth starter was described as "a pretty good performance," implying that the 26-year-old will be tendered a contract and the 2011 rotation is settled.
  • The Phillies exercised Jimmy Rollins' 2011 option in December of 2009, but his next contract will probably be discussed after the '11 season.

Odds & Ends: Alderson, Marte, Jeter, Mets, Werth

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Some links to check out as San Francisco recovers from celebrating Brian Wilson's strikeout of Ryan Howard, which sent the Giants to the World Series…

  • Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes lists some Baltimore Orioles to watch for your fantasy team next season.
  • ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin re-posted a selection of questions from a 2008 interview conducted with current Mets' GM candidate Sandy Alderson. Very interesting read. 
  • Damaso Marte underwent shoulder surgery this weekend and won't begin throwing until after the 2011 All-Star Break, writes MLB.com's Dan Mennella. If the Yankees want to look for some low-budget options, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at some bargain southpaws last week.
  • Joel Sherman looks at the delicate situation that is Derek Jeter's free agency. Sherman concludes that Jeter is more valuable to the Yankees than to other teams, and that the 37-year-old will have to accept that it's not a "divine right" that he hit at the top of the order and play 150 games per season if his production doesn't improve. According to Sherman, Jeter's numbers may only warrant a one-year, $7MM deal or so on the open market, but the Yankees will bid higher. He offers up a speculative three-year, $45MM deal.
  • ESPN's Adam Rubin says the Diamondbacks will be pulling for Josh Byrnes to win the Mets' GM opening, as any money the Mets pay him will be deducted from what Byrnes is still owed from his five-year contract with Arizona. Potentially saving $1MM or so annually on their GM may be a factor if the two candidates end up being neck-and-neck, according to Rubin.
  • Jayson Werth's teammates don't see him returning to the Phillies next season, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
  • Curt Young has declined the Athletics' offer to return as the club's pitching coach and will pursue another opportunity, according to a team press release. The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser speculates that he might be joining former Oakland colleague Terry Francona in Boston. That would make sense, given Toronto's decision to hire John Farrell. Slusser says the A's offered Young a raise of nearly 40% on a one-year deal.
  • The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, however, tweets that Young is likely on his way to the Diamondbacks' organization.
  • For A's fans thinking this could mean a reunion with Rick Peterson, Slusser also tweets a reminder that Peterson has one more year on his contract with Milwaukee.

Phillies Face Multiple Decisions In Offseason

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With their 2010 season officially in the books, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki examined the Phillies' decisions regarding both free agency and arbitration this offseason. Here are some highlights:

  • The Phillies and Jayson Werth will both say they have interest in working something out, and while that's probably true, Zolecki agrees with the common belief that Werth will be playing elsewhere in 2011. The Phillies already have $145MM committed to 16 players in 2011, and Werth's probable $15MM+ salary will be too much to add on.
  • J.C. Romero's option will probably be declined due to the left-hander's injury problems and control issues (7.1 BB/9 the past two seasons).
  • Jose Contreras could be this season's Chan Ho Park. Both pitched well out of the Philadelphia bullpen, but in doing so significantly raised their stock. Contreras could be in line for more money than Philadelphia wants to offer. Zolecki does note that Contreras' best friend and fellow Cuban, Danys Baez, is under contract for 2011, so that may help sway Contreras.
  • Chad Durbin is 50-50 on whether or not he'd take less money than he could get on the open market to stay with the Phils. As Zolecki points out, this could be Durbin's only chance to secure a decent multiyear deal.
  • Jamie Moyer, Mike Sweeney, and Greg Dobbs are all unlikely to be brought back.
  • Ben Francisco will almost certainly be tendered a contract, and could platoon with Domonic Brown. Kyle Kendrick is due a raise and could be non-tendered and then re-signed at a more affordable price.

Minor Deal, Major Impact: Unheralded Moves Pay Off

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The Yankees probably wouldn't be in the ALCS if they hadn't spent big on Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia. The Giants probably wouldn't be in the NLCS if they hadn't drafted Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum. But less celebrated moves also contributed to the success of the four teams in the LCS. Here's a closer look at four acquisitions that have shaped this year's pennant race:

  • As I wrote in September, the Giants' decision to sign Pat Burrell to a minor league deal changed the NL West from that point on. Not only did the Giants get 18 home runs and a .266/.364/.509 line from the slugger, they kept him away from the Padres and kept their division rivals out of the playoffs. This is about as impactful as a minor league deal gets.
  • When the Yankees signed Marcus Thames to a minor league deal, they probably weren't expecting him to hit .288/.350/.491, but that's exactly what he did. Brian Cashman deserves credit for adding Thames to Joe Girardi's bench.
  • Wilson Valdez, who signed a minor league deal with the Phillies last fall, didn't hit like Burrell or Thames, but he played second when Chase Utley was injured and short when Jimmy Rollins got hurt. He didn't hit badly, either, posting a .258/.306/.360 line.
  • None of the Rangers minor league deals (Alex Cora, Endy Chavez, Mark Prior and others) made a difference at the major league level this year, but a look back at GM Jon Daniels' first Rule 5 draft reveals a decision that's looking smart now: the Rangers plucked Alexi Ogando from the A's in the 2005 Rule 5 draft. The right-hander has yet to allow a run in two postseason appearances, after posting a 1.30 ERA in the regular season.

 

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