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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.

Manager Roundup: Jays, Pirates, Mariners, Cubs, Marlins

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The managerial rumors don't take a break, even if the playoff schedule does. Here are yesterday's rumors and here are today's rumblings, with the latest updates at the top of the page:

Blue Jays

Rays bench coach Dave Martinez will interview for the Jays' opening, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The Blue Jays have interest in a third Red Sox coach. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun hears that John Farrell is in the mix for the Jays job, along with DeMarlo Hale and Tim Bogar (Twitter link). Lauber heard that Farrell hadn't interviewed for a managerial job yet, but perhaps he has an interview coming up.

Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays will interview Farrell if they haven't already. The Blue Jays will also interview Padres first base coach Rick Renteria, but another NL West coach will not interview for the position. The Dodgers didn't allow the Jays to speak with Tim Wallach, though he was allowed to interview with the Brewers, according to Rosenthal.

Pirates

Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Pirates should be looking to land Bobby Valentine. According to Sherman, Valentine would be the perfect choice for Pittsburgh, since, in addition to being a great evaluator of talent, he could make the Pirates relevant. The team doesn't appear to be considering him though.

The Pirates interviewed former Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca for their managerial vacancy today, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.

Mariners

Bobby Valentine’s interview with the Mariners went well, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Mariners’ other candidates also fared well and Valentine isn’t necessarily the favorite. As Rosenthal reminds us, Cecil Cooper, Eric Wedge, John Gibbons, Lloyd McClendon and Daren Brown are also options for Seattle.

Brewers

The Brewers have asked the White Sox for permission to interview Joey Cora, but Cora hasn't heard from Milwaukee yet, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Bob Melvin remains the favorite to manage in Milwaukee, according to Levine.

Cubs

The Cubs have continued interest in Yankees manager Joe Girardi, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Several insiders tell Wittenmyer that they expect an announcement before the World Series begins, unless Girardi becomes a serious candidate. Rival teams have not asked the Cubs for formal permission to interview Mike Quade or Ryne Sandberg, according to the Sun-Times. As we heard yesterday, Quade has become the favorite for the Cubs job.

Meanwhile, Chris De Luca of the Sun-Times calls Eric Wedge a "bland tactician" and says Sandberg is the man for the job. The Hall of Fame second baseman tells De Luca that he is more qualified to manage in the majors than he was the last time the Cubs considered him.

Marlins

Red Sox coach DeMarlo Hale, a candidate for the Blue Jays and Mariners, may also be a candidate to manage the Marlins, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. 

Bobby Valentine turned down an offer to manage the Marlins, according to Sunil Joshi and Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Dave George of the Palm Beach Post says "some other Type-A scrapper still could be the ticket, someone whose ego is a match for Hanley Ramirez and whose confidence allows room to tell everyone in the organization, including the owner, to back off."

Edwin Rodriguez, who managed the Marlins to a 46-46 record after taking over midway through the season, told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he'd accept a one-year deal to have a shot at managing the team for an entire season.

Manager Roundup: Cubs, Pirates, Brewers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Marlins

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Rounding up all the latest manager talk by team:

Cubs

Owner Tom Ricketts has met with candidates Mike Quade, Ryne Sandberg, and Eric Wedge, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  Bob Melvin is expected to meet with Ricketts, and Sullivan hasn't ruled out the Cubs entertaining Joe Girardi after the playoffs.  Sullivan assesses the pros and cons of the five candidates, while Larry Stone of the Seattle Times puts Don Wakamatsu's name in the mix.  Quade is the "surprise heavy favorite" for the job, according to SI's Jon Heyman.

Pirates

They interviewed Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum today, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  She notes that the Bucs have also interviewed Wedge, Bo Porter, John Gibbons, Ken Macha, and Jeff Banister.  Heyman adds Juan Samuel to that list, but sees Wedge as the favorite.  The Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott says the Pirates have also interviewed Valentine.

Brewers

Wedge and Tim Wallach have interviewed so far, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He says they plan to interview about ten people in total, including Melvin.  Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel adds today via Twitter that he believes they've also interviewed Ron Roenicke.  Heyman views Melvin as the favorite here.  Cecil Cooper would like to interview, he told Haudricourt. 

Blue Jays

Beyond long shot Bobby Valentine, who's already interviewed, they're looking at Don Baylor, Brian Butterfield, Samuel, Rob Thomson, Tim Bogar, DeMarlo Hale, and others according to Heyman.  Stone mentions Rick Renteria, Nick Leyva, Ron Roenicke, and Luis Rivera as other candidates.

Mariners

Valentine is a strong candidate, says Heyman.  He says they also have Ted Simmons, Gibbons, Joey Cora, Hale, Bogar, Bryan Price, and many others on their list.  Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has more on this search, while also includes Wedge, Lloyd McClendon, and Cecil Cooper.

Marlins

Earlier this evening Valentine removed his name from consideration for the job, just days after Joe Capozzi's source named him the leading candidate.  Heyman says Porter, Wallach, Tony Pena, and Jim Fregosi are also in the running.  Don't forget Edwin Rodriguez, according to Stone.

Braves

They officially hired Fredi Gonzalez today, signing him through 2013 with a club option for '14.

Mets

Heyman feels that it's tough to guess their candidates until they hire a GM.  Meanwhile, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Mets officials aren't concerned with other teams conducting interviews or making hires.  Updated at 6:30pm CST.

Manager/GM Notes: Pirates, Jays, Cubs, Mets, Listach

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Let's check out the latest updates from a handful of manager and GM searches….

  • The Pirates interviewed Ken Macha and Jeff Banister today for their managerial opening, according to the team's official Twitter feed. As Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes, both men have local ties.
  • Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun tweets that Bobby Valentine interviewed with the Blue Jays for Cito Gaston's old job.
  • According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts has interviewed four managerial candidates: Mike Quade, Ryne Sandberg, Bob Melvin, and, as we heard earlier today, Eric Wedge.
  • ESPN New York's Adam Rubin says (via Twitter) the Mets are awaiting permission to interview "a couple more" GM candidates, besides the five we already know, though it doesn't sound like Jerry Dipoto is one of them (Twitter link). At least one figures to be a minority candidate, according to Rubin.
  • Pat Listach tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he hasn't heard from the Brewers or any other teams looking for managers.

Arbitration Eligibles: Pittsburgh Pirates

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The Pirates are next in our arbitration eligibles series…

The Pirates have three locks to be tendered contracts: Joel Hanrahan, Ross Ohlendorf, and Ronny Cedeno.  They're all penciled into key roles for 2011 and none will be expensive.

Position players Milledge, LaRoche, and Young are on the bubble.  Milledge probably doesn't have an everyday role on next year's club, but he's cheap enough to keep around as a fourth outfielder.  LaRoche and Young would fill less prominent bench roles, but it's possible the Pirates could trade or non-tender one or both.

Karstens was designated for assignment in November of last year and went unclaimed.  He's probably still expendable.  Despite a 6.86 ERA in 19.6 innings (inflated by one outing), there was a lot to like about Ledezma's stint with the club.  He averaged almost 94 mph on his fastball, his peripherals were strong, and the team is light on lefty relievers.  He may still be non-tendered, but I expect the Pirates to try to retain him.

Duke, 28 in April, is likely to be non-tendered if there's no trade interest.  A month ago, 88% of MLBTR readers predicted the lefty will be cut loose.  Duke needs a good defense behind him, but if healthy he has his moments.

Odds & Ends: Orioles, Rodriguez, Cubs, Nakajima

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Links for Monday evening as the Giants look to shut the door on the Braves in Atlanta..

  • The O's might not be able to solidify their coaching staff as soon as they would like to, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
  • Francisco Rodriguez's grievance hearing over being placed on the disqualified list is set for next week but there will not be an immediate decision rendered, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Giants bench coach Ron Wotus is interested in managing the Bucs, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. 
  • According to Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio, four candidates will interview for the vacant M's managerial job this week, including former Houston skipper Cecil Cooper.
  • Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild informed the team today that he will pick up his option for 2011, a major league source told ESPN.com's Bruce Levine.
  • The Pirates disclosed (via Twitter) that former Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons was in Pittsburgh today to interview for the team's managerial opening.
  • Saitama Seibu Lions shortshop Hiroyuki Nakajima is on his way to being posted, according to Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times (via Twitter) who passes along a report from Yahoo Japan (Japanese link).  In a piece for Fangraphs, Patrick Newman called the 28-year-old Japan's second-best hitter behind Norichika Aoki of the Yakult Swallows.
  • More and more teams are discovering that homegrown starters are crucial to success, says Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

Manager & Coaching Rumors: Heyman’s Picks, Nats, Mets

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Not a lot of player news happening right now in the midst of the playoffs, but there's plenty of speculation going on about the guys who call the shots. We already heard about Ron Gardenhire's inevitable extension today, but let's take a look at some more links from the baseball universe:

  • In these two tweets, Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman makes his picks for some open managerial positions: Eric Wedge in Pittsburgh, Bob Melvin in Milwaukee, Bobby Valentine in Seattle, Mike Quade in Chicago, and Fredi Gonzalez in Atlanta.
  • We heard earlier this year that Jim Riggleman will manage the Nationals again next season. MLB.com's Bill Ladson tells us that the Nats' entire coaching staff will be returning for the 2011 season as well. The Nationals recorded 10 more wins in 2010 than in 2009 under the current regime.
  • Adam Rubin from ESPN New York gives us some insight into the Mets' managerial situation; potential general manager Sandy Alderson has believed it's misusing your resources to hire an expensive manager, while Mets owner Fred Wilpon would prefer a manager with previous ties to the Mets.

Cafardo’s Latest: Matsuzaka, Managers, Konerko

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Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe spoke to nearly a dozen scouts and executives and found that there would be substantial interest in Daisuke Matsuzaka if the Red Sox made the righthander available in a trade this offseason. Most of those polled believe Boston would have to kick in some money to offset the two-years and $20MM left on his deal, but it's unclear what they would want in return. As Cafardo reminds us, there's no such thing as too much pitching depth, so the Sox could simply hold onto him.

As far as teams that could have potential interest in Dice-K, Cafardo names the Mariners, Mets, Dodgers, Brewers, Rangers, and Tigers. Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • There's talk that the Red Sox might go after Yu Darvish if he's posted this winter, and there is a little bit of a New England connection there: Darvish's father attended school in the area.
  • Doug Melvin said he will go outside the organization to replace departed manager Ken Macha, which rules out Dale Sveum and Willie Randolph.
  • Jim Hendry and Cubs ownership likes what interim manager Mike Quade got out of his players down the stretch, so the sentiment to retain him is growing.
  • Fredi Gonzalez turned down a chance to interview with the Cubbies, and it's looking more and more likely that he will take over for the retiring Bobby Cox in Atlanta.
  • Alex Anthopoulos is looking at third base/bench coaches for his next manager, while Neal Huntington might dip into his Indians' roots to fill the Pirates' managerial vacancy.
  • Paul Konerko indicated that contract length won't be much of a factor when he hits free agency this winter because he isn't sure how much longer he wants to play. Kenny Williams indicated that there might not be enough room in the budget for the White Sox to bring back their captain, especially if they seeks out a lefty bat as expected.
  • Jason Varitek wants to return to the Red Sox but the team is thinking bigger picture with Jarrod Saltalamacchia on board. Cafardo suggests the Marlins as a potential landing spot for Varitek, where he would work with the team's young pitchers.
  • Meanwhile, the Sox could sign John Buck as a stopgap while they wait for Salty to establish himself.
  • Teams in need of a second baseman are very interested in Jed Lowrie, though at least one scout thinks he can stick at shortstop. The 26-year-old hit .287/.381/.526 in 197 plate appearances this year.
  • Despite a strong finish (1.41 ERA in his last ten starts), the Cubs would still like to move Carlos Zambrano. Of course, they're going to have to eat some of the $55MM left of his contract to do so.
  • Cafardo thinks that Carl Pavano could command a three-year deal worth $30MM as a free agent this winter, but he'd have to give a bit of a discount to return to Minnesota. The Twins have shown a willingness to spend in the last year, so this will be an interesting negotiation for them.
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