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NL Central Notes: Sandberg, Rasmus, Pirates, Arroyo

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Here are some news items from the National League's middle division…

  • Ryne Sandberg has turned down an offer to return as the Cubs' Triple-A manager, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, and Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports that Sandberg won't be with the organization at all in 2011.  Sandberg was heavily rumored to take over managing the Cubs after Lou Piniella's retirement, but Chicago instead gave the job to interim manager Mike Quade.
  • A roundtable of Cardinals writers collected by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discussed the Colby Rasmus trade rumors and the majority don't like the idea.  Comments range from "there would be no logic behind a trade" to "trading Rasmus would be incredibly stupid unless it’s an offer that’s so ridiculously good that it cannot be rejected."
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly discussed the team's manager search and other topics in a chat with fans on MLB.com.
  • Steven Jackson, Brandon Moss and Justin Thomas can all become minor league free agents after being outrighted to Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  Sean Gallagher, who was also outrighted, can declare free agency on Saturday but Langosch says the Pirates will try to sign the pitcher to a contract before then.
  • Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the Reds want to work out a contract extension with Bronson Arroyo before Opening Day.  "I don't want to go into the season negotiating," Sheldon said.  "We'll try to [get it done] before the start of the season."   
  • Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times praises Milwaukee's hire of Ron Roenicke as manager.
  • Former Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson has interviewed for the hitting coach job in Houston, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Hurdle, Banister Finalists For Pirates Job

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The Pirates now have just two names on their list of managerial candidates, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Rangers hitting coach and former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle and internal candidate Jeff Banister are the finalists. Heyman suggests Hurdle is "probably" the favorite for the position.

Dale Sveum, Ken Macha, Bobby Valentine, and Carlos Tosca have all been linked to the managerial opening. The Pirates also considered John Gibbons and Bo Porter before the pair took jobs with other organizations.

Amateur Signing Bonuses: Pirates

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Let's move our amateur signing bonus to the Steel City…

  1. Jameson Taillon, $6.5MM (2010)
  2. Pedro Alvarez, $6MM (2008)
  3. Bryan Bullington, $4MM (2002)
  4. Brad Lincoln, $2.75MM (2006)
  5. Luis Heredia, $2.6MM (2010)

If there's any good that can come out of finishing with a below-.500 record for 18 straight years, it's that you'll have a ton of high draft picks. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they really didn't take advantage of those high picks until the last few years, as too many first rounders to count have flamed out since the team's last winning season. Neal Huntington has been dedicated to building the next great Pirates team through the farm system, so he's spent a ton of money on amateurs since taking over in late 2007. In fact, Pittsburgh has doled out close to $30.6MM on draft picks in the three years that Huntington's run the team, the most in baseball by more than $2MM.

Taillon was the best pitcher available in this year's draft class, high school or otherwise, so the Pirates gobbled him up with the second overall pick and gave him the second largest signing bonus in draft history, trailing only Stephen Strasburg's $7.5MM bonus. It's also the largest bonus ever given as part of a minor league contract. Taillon did not pitch after signing and will start his career next spring.

There was a bit of drama with the Alvarez signing after he was chosen second overall in 2008. Alvarez and agent Scott Boras agreed to a minor league contract worth $6MM, but the deal was struck two minutes after the August 15th signing deadline passed. The union filed a grievance on the player's behalf, and the issue was resolved a month later. Alvarez ultimately received the same $6MM bonus, though the second time around it came as part of four-year, $6.335MM major league contract. He reached the big leagues this summer and hit .256/.326/.461 with 16 homers in 386 plate appearances. Alvarez is expected to be a force in the middle of the Pirates' lineup for the next half-decade, at least.

Bullington was one of those dud draft picks we talked about earlier, taken with the first overall pick in 2002. The Pirates' brain trust famously referred to him as a solid mid-rotation starter not long after the draft (an opinion other teams agreed with), not exactly what you expect with the top pick. Even worse, Bullington failed to deliver on even those modest expectations. He pitched to a 3.32 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 288 innings in his first two pro seasons, then made his big league debut in September 2005 (two runs in 1.1 innings). Bullington missed the entire 2006 season due to shoulder surgery, and he was eventually lost to the Indians on waivers after being designated for assignment in July 2008. All told, he threw just 18.1 innings for Pittsburgh, posting a 5.89 ERA.

Lincoln was the fourth overall pick in 2006, but he ended up missing the entire 2007 season due to Tommy John surgery. He came back in 2008 and pitched well enough in the minors to earn his first taste of the big leagues this June. In 52.2 innings with the Pirates (nine starts, two relief appearances), Lincoln pitched to a Halloween appropriate 6.66 ERA. He figures to get a long look in Spring Training.

The draft isn't the only place where Huntington has spent big, he's also given out some huge bonuses on the international market. They heavily pursued Miguel Sano before he signed with the Twins, though they did sign the 16-year-old Heredia this past August. Since his rights were owned by the Mexican team Veracruz, Heredia received just 25% of that bonus ($650K). The other 75% went to Veracruz ($1.95MM). He'll start his pro career next season.

It's worth noting that Tony Sanchez (fourth overall in 2009) and Danny Moskos (fourth overall in 2007) are right behind Heredia at $2.5MM and $2.475MM, respectively.

Odds & Ends: Gammons, Braves, Hurdle, Marlins

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As we hope for Wilson and Cain rather than clouds and rain in San Francisco tonight, here are a few news items…

  • In an appearance on WEEI's The Big Show this afternoon, Peter Gammons predicted that Cliff Lee will re-sign with Texas and Victor Martinez will sign a four- or five-year contract with Detroit since "I don't think anyone else is going to give him four or five years."  Gammons also reiterated that the Red Sox have a big interest in Carl Crawford this winter.  WEEI's Kirk Minihane has a partial transcript here.
  • The Braves have signed Beau Torbert to a minor league contract, according to the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, Torbert's American Association team.  Torbert, a 17th-round pick of the Astros in 2004, was Baseball America's Independent Player Of The Year for 2010.
  • The Pirates haven't interviewed a managerial candidate in two weeks, but FOXSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby believes the Bucs are waiting to speak to Clint Hurdle, who is "a serious consideration" for the job.  Pittsburgh has to wait until the World Series is over to interview Hurdle, the former Rockies manager and current Rangers hitting coach. 
  • The Marlins hope to settle on a manager by next week, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff.  Edwin Rodriguez is "still in the mix" according to Davidoff, which coincides with news earlier this week that the Fish were "leaning toward" keeping their current manager.
  • Pedro Martinez is "looking for motivation to come back," tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN.  Martinez is training with the Dominican League's Licey Tigers, whose pitching coach is Pedro's brother (and former major league pitcher) Ramon.  
  • Andy MacPhail tells MASN.com's Steve Melewski that the Orioles aren't likely to re-sign any of their pending free agents before the deadline.
  • Tom Gage of the Detroit News implies that Jim Thome could be the Tigers' backup plan if the team fails to sign any bigger-name free agents.
  • We had heard that John Gibbons wasn't a managerial candidate in New York, but Jack Curry of the YES Network reports that the Mets have already contacted other teams for infomation about the Royals bench coach.  Curry says the Mets haven't contacted Gibbons himself, but will probably do so once Sandy Alderson officially takes over as GM. (All Twitter links)
  • Hoping your team can unload a bad contract this winter, or at least trade one for another team's problem?  ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin has a rundown of each team's most unwieldly financial commitments.

Pirates, Mets, Blue Jays Managerial Rumors

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The Blue Jays, Marlins, Pirates, Brewers and Mets are still looking for managers. Here's the latest, with more updates to come throughout the evening:

Pirates

Former Brewers skipper Ken Macha told Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (via Twitter) that he is no longer in the running for the Pirates job.

Mets

Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson, the two finalists for the Mets GM job, both submitted lists of four or five managerial candidates in their initial interviews, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Both lists included Mets Class A manager Wally Backman, according to sources.

Blue Jays

Update: DeMarlo Hale has been told he is no longer in the running for the job, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). That means it's down to John Farrell and Brian Butterfield.

Peter Gammons said on WEEI that the Blue Jays may decide on their next manager by tonight. Alex Anthopoulos leans toward DeMarlo Hale and assistant GM Tony LaCava and others lean toward John Farrell, according to Gammons.

Farrell, the Red Sox pitching coach, is the favorite to manage, but Hale, the Boston bench coach is still in the running. One person not being considered: Sandy Alomar Jr. The former catcher was one of four finalists for the job, but he won't be getting it, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). That leaves Farrell, Hale and Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield.

Manager Roundup: Blue Jays, Brewers, Pirates

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A few managerial openings have been filled since baseball's regular season ended, but there are still a handful of clubs looking for skippers. Here's the latest on some of the searches, with any new updates added to the top of the page throughout the evening:

Blue Jays

We know that DeMarlo Hale, John Farrell, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Brian Butterfield are considered finalists for the Blue Jays job. MLB Network's Peter Gammons spoke to multiple GMs who believe that it's only a matter of time until Toronto hires Farrell (Twitter link). Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press (via Twitter) is also hearing that Farrell could be the Jays' man, though nothing is certain yet.

Butterfield could be a leading candidate to become the Orioles' third base coach if he's not hired by the Jays, writes MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.

Brewers

The Brewers have interviewed eight candidates so far, and will cut the list of contenders down to four, GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Reports have suggested the team has interviewed Tim Wallach, Ron Roenicke, Pat Listach, Joey Cora, and Bob Melvin, whom Haudricourt thinks is the frontrunner (Twitter link). According to the club's GM, however, "some of the names (reported) are right and some aren't right."

The Brewers will conduct second interviews with the four finalists, and they expect the process to last another week to ten days.

Pirates

The Pirates haven't interviewed any managerial candidates in a week and GM Neal Huntington tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's considering additional interviews. Biertempfel suggests the Pirates may be waiting to interview Yankees coach Tony Pena.

Meanwhile, John Gibbons has removed himself from the Pirates' search, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Buster Olney heard earlier today that the former Blue Jays manager was a serious candidate for the job.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Bradley Open To Wedge’s Hiring

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One of the questions surrounding the Mariners' hire of Eric Wedge as their new manager was how (or if) Wedge could co-exist with Milton Bradley.  Larry Stone of the Seattle Times recaps their checkered history, stemming from a 2004 situation when Wedge pulled Bradley from a spring training game, Bradley got upset, and then was dealt to Los Angeles a few days later.

Wedge made it clear to Seattle management that he had moved past the incident, however, and it appears that Bradley also wants to move on.  Stone heard from a Mariners official who revealed two texts sent by Bradley praising the club's hire: "Whatever took place was six or seven years ago and I'm over it" and "[Wedge] was a disciplinarian and I felt our team lacked discipline last year. Hopefully, he instills some of that.''

As Stone pointed out in his original post, however, Bradley doesn't appear to have much of a choice.  His options are to either make up with Wedge and play out the season, or else get released.  Bradley would still get the $12MM he's owed for 2011, but the Mariners are committed to paying him anyway and Bradley would be burning bridges with yet another franchise.  Stone notes that Bradley is all-but-untradeable unless the M's agree to pay most of the contract or deal Bradley for another bad contract, a la their original Carlos Silva swap.

Stone brings up Pittsburgh as one potential trade partner for the Mariners, though surely one that would require the Mariners to cover Bradley's contract.  Neal Huntington is a long-time supporter of Bradley and might be one of the few GMs willing to add Bradley to the roster.  Bradley's injury history makes him a bad fit for the NL, however, since he wouldn't be able to handle playing the outfield.  A player with Bradley's baggage is also not the kind of veteran influence that the Pirates would want to bring to their young clubhouse.

Manager Roundup: Marlins, Pirates, Blue Jays

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The Braves hired Fredi Gonzalez and the Mariners chose Eric Wedge, leaving the Marlins, Pirates, Blue Jays, Brewers, Cubs, and Mets with managerial openings.  The latest:

Marlins

Bo Porter "has emerged as the frontrunner," heard MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.  Frisaro says Porter "has been making inquiries about candidates for his coaching staff."  Edwin Rodriguez remains in the mix despite not speaking with the team since the end of the season.

Pirates

John Gibbons is "a serious candidate," says ESPN's Buster Olney.  Others linked to the Bucs in the past: Porter, Dale Sveum, Ken Macha, Jeff Banister, Bobby Valentine, and Carlos Tosca.

Blue Jays

Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar is no longer a candidate, tweets Maureen Mullen.  The Jays have been linked to more than a dozen names.  One of those, Rick Renteria, was announced as the Padres' new bench coach today.

Brewers

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy profiled eight candidates who have been linked to the Brewers.  Bob Melvin is the favorite, in the opinion of a few baseball writers.

White Sox bench coach Joey Cora will interview for the job on Tuesday, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Updated at 4:11pm.

Nothing new on the Cubs, and it's too early for the Mets, but we'll keep you posted on all manager rumors here.

GM/Manager Rumors: Pirates, Valentine, Marlins, Avila

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With the reports that Seattle has hired Eric Wedge, one spot on the managerial carousel has been filled.  Here's a look at some other management rumors…

  • Wedge wasn't just Seattle's first choice, but he was also "seen as the favorite" in Pittsburgh according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).  Heyman says the "job seems wide, wide open" even though the Pirates have interviewed a half-dozen other candidates.
  • Bobby Valentine spoke to SIRIUS XM's Chris Russo today and Tom Haudricourt of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has some transcribed highlights.  Valentine says he doesn't have a "burning desire" to manage again, but rather a desire that has to be "cultivated" by an interested suitor.  Valentine also noted that he doesn't expect to hear back from the Blue Jays, and that he has had "conversations" about the Brewers job but not a formal interview.
  • The Miami Herald's Clark Spencer says the Marlins might wait 7-10 days before even starting the interview process.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com tweets that Bo Porter is the favorite of some Florida officials.
  • The Mets have asked the Tigers for permission to interview Detroit assistant GM Al Avila, reports John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press (and passed on by Newsday's Ken Davidoff).
  • Don Baylor has been replaced as Colorado's batting coach, reports The Denver Post's Troy Renck.  Baylor, who's a candidate for at least one managerial job (Toronto), has been offered a new position with the Rockies as a special assistant to GM Dan O'Dowd.
  • Nolan Ryan "would be shocked" if Rangers GM Jon Daniels exercised the opt-out clause in his contract this winter, tweets the New York Post's Joel Sherman.
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