Quick Hits: Hart, Phillies, Davis
CJ Nitkowski of FOX Sports takes a look at the upcoming generation of MLB managerial candidates. He provides some interesting notes on five names to watch: D’Backs scout and special assistant Todd Greene, White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing, Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler, and Alex Cora and Raul Ibanez, each of whom currently work in the media.
Here are some more scattered notes from around the league:
- The Pirates announced today that first baseman Corey Hart is finished playing this year. Hart, who signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Pittsburgh over the offseason, had been attempting to make a late-season return, but his health and productivity have been lacking all year. He’ll return to the free agent market after the season, but he hasn’t been a significant contributor since 2012 and his future looks murky.
- While the Phillies possess an ugly win-loss record, as had been expected, the organization has shown real progress this year, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. Rival scouts have looked favorably upon the young players acquired in Philadelphia’s numerous recent trades, says Salisbury, and the team’s best higher-level talent has transitioned well thus far to the majors. There’s more to be done, of course, but it isn’t hard to see a promising path forward — especially given that the big-budget Phils now have less than $100MM in total future commitments on their books.
- Slugger Chris Davis means more to the Orioles than his home run tallies, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Of course, bringing him back in free agency will require a sizable commitment, particularly now that Davis — who has yet to turn 30 — is closing in on 40 home runs with a 138 wRC+. It doesn’t hurt that Davis has shown the ability to play a serviceable corner outfield (UZR views him as a slight positive, DRS as a slight negative) in addition to a solid first base. He’ll hold appeal to a variety of teams this winter.
Minor Moves: White Sox, Royals, Golson, Cora
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
- The Royals announced via Twitter that they have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the White Sox for cash considerations. The 26-year-old appeared in nine games for the Yankees last year and hit .263/.330/.385 in 105 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
- The Cardinals announced that they released infielder Alex Cora and catcher Koyie Hill. The Cards signed Cora to a minor league deal back in February that would have been worth $800K if he made the big league roster. Hill, who spent 2011 with the Cubs, hooked on with the Cardinals in January.
Cardinals Sign Alex Cora
4:19pm: Cora would get $800K in the Major Leagues, the Associated Press reports (via ESPN.com).
12:00pm: The Cardinals agreed to a minor league deal with a spring training invite with infielder Alex Cora, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On Saturday, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported a deal was close.
Cora will compete for a utility infield role, writes Goold. The 36-year-old Scott Boras client hit .224/.287/.276 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year, spending most of his time in the field on the left side of the infield.
Cardinals Close To Signing Alex Cora
The Cardinals are close to signing Alex Cora to a minor league contract reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The team didn't confirm that a deal was close. Cora is a Scott Boras client.
Earlier this month we learned that the 36-year-old infielder intended to play in 2012, though he was drawing interest as a coach. Cora hit just .224/.287/.276 in 172 plate appearances with the Nationals last season while playing all four infield spots.
NL East Notes: Cora, Rodriguez, Phillies, Mets
The latest links from the NL East…
- Though Alex Cora announced his retirement from winter ball, he intends to play in the Major Leagues this year. He has drawn interest as a coach and infielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. According to the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia, Cora says he'd still like to play in the majors for another year, even though he hasn’t seen official offers yet (translation by Nick Collias).
- Ivan Rodriguez, who caught for the Nationals last year but hasn’t signed with a new team yet, tells Amanda Comak of the Washington Times that it’s tough not having a job. “At the same time, what you going to do?” Rodriguez said. “You really cannot do anything. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm in good shape.”
- The Phillies are bottom fishing for infielders, Heyman tweets. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that the Phillies could look for someone with a little more power than Wilson Valdez — perhaps Ryan Theriot.
- The Mets don’t expect to re-sign Jason Isringhausen, though they haven’t ruled anything out, Dan Martin of the New York Post reports.
Alex Cora Likely To Play In 2012
Free agent utility player Alex Cora is drawing interest as a player and as a coach, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports. The 14-year veteran will probably choose to play another year, according to Heyman.
Cora posted a .224/.287/.276 line in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals in 2011, playing all four infield positions. The 36-year-old Boras Corporation client has a .243/.310/.338 career line since breaking in to the Major Leagues as a member of the 1998 Dodgers. As the 2011 ended, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported that teams have inquired about Cora's interest in managing. Washington GM Mike Rizzo has interest in Cora as a future coach.
NL East Notes: Cora, Ankiel, Igarashi, Marlins
The big off-field news of the night is that the Marlins are working to acquire manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox. On the field, the Phillies picked up their 100th win of the season at the expense of the Braves, whose struggles continued. Here are the latest NL East links…
- Nationals utility player Alex Cora told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he intends to continue playing in 2012 and, potentially, beyond. Kilgore notes that teams inquired about Cora's interest in managing last offseason and adds that GM Mike Rizzo has interest in the 35-year-old as a future coach.
- Rick Ankiel, a free agent after the season, told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he wants to return to D.C. next year since he believes the organization is headed in the right direction. The Nationals entered the day with 78 wins, the most they've had in any season since 2005.
- Ryota Igarashi wants to pitch for an MLB team in 2012 and the Mets will release him if they don't reach a deal by a certain date, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin (Twitter links). Rubin doubts that the 32-year-old will return to the Mets in 2012.
- The Marlins interviewed hitting coach Eduardo Perez along with third base Joe Espada and Nationals coach Bo Porter for their managerial opening today, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). For more on the Marlins, click here.
Quick Hits: Buchholz, Ishikawa, Tabata, Rivera
Rounding up Sunday's links, as Andre Ethier celebrates his 29th birthday….
- Jon Lester told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he didn't talk to Clay Buchholz about the pros and cons of signing a long-term extension before the right-hander inked a four-year pact today.
- Travis Ishikawa admitted he hoped another team would claim him when he was placed on waivers earlier this season, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft. However, now he says he's glad he's still with the Giants organization and is excited to stay on the West Coast, playing for Triple-A Fresno.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks back at the trade that sent Xavier Nady to the Yankees. Kovacevic argues that even if three of the four players the Pirates received for Nady don't work out, Jose Tabata alone makes it a steal for Pittsburgh.
- Juan Rivera isn't off to a good start with his new team, as Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun writes. The Blue Jays are reportedly interested in trading Rivera, but his performance so far likely isn't helping draw any interest.
- The Indians will have some roster shuffling to do when injured players return, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who also addresses trade possibilites in a Tribe mailbag.
- Nationals infielder Alex Cora should make a good manager someday, says MLB.com's Marty Noble.
Nationals To Sign Alex Cora
The Nationals agreed to sign Alex Cora to a minor league deal worth $900K plus $600K in incentives, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (on Twitter). MLB.com's Bill Ladson first reported that the Nats were in serious talks with the Scott Boras client.
Cora played all four infield positions in 2010, though most of his big league experience has come at second and short. The 35-year-old hit .210/.266/.278 with the Mets and Rangers last year, before Texas released him in September.
The Mets finalized a deal with former Nationals utility player Willie Harris today, so the NL East rivals are swapping utility players in a way. Harris was a member of the Nationals from 2008-10 and Cora suited up for the Mets from 2009-10.
As Kilgore points out (on Twitter), at least nine Boras clients are in the Nationals organization. Cora joins Ivan Rodriguez, Rick Ankiel, Danny Espinosa, Jesus Flores, Alberto Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth.
Nationals, Alex Cora In Serious Talks
The Nationals are in serious talks with Alex Cora about a potential deal, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Former Nationals utility player Willie Harris recently finalized a deal with the Mets, so GM Mike Rizzo is looking outside the organization for potential infielders.
Cora played all four infield positions in 2010, though most of his big league experience has come at second and short. The 35-year-old hit .210/.266/.278 with the Mets and Rangers last year, before Texas released him in September. Rizzo has a good working relationship with agent Scott Boras, who represents Cora and Nationals such as Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.
Though the team considered Jerry Hairston Jr. as a utility player, some in the organization believe his asking price would be too high, according to Ladson.
This post was originally published on January 17th.