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Giants Notes: Bay, Free Agents, Arbitration Cases

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The Giants had a pretty busy day yesterday, re-signing second baseman Freddy Sanchez to a two-year deal, and outrighting lefty Noah Lowry, making him a free agent. Henry Schulman of The SF Chronicle has some more Giants' rumors for us this morning…

  • GM Brian Sabean says he sees a "later-developing market. We don't have a relative sense of urgency like last year, which will play in our favor."
  • Schulman says San Francisco is expected to make a run at free agent outfielder Jason Bay.
  • Sabean also said the team has had "some level of conversation" with each of their potential free agents, most notably Juan Uribe, Randy Winn, and Bengie Molina. Yesterday we learned that Uribe informed the Giants that he intends to test the market.

Meanwhile, Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News notes that several of the Giants' core players are eligible for arbitration this winter, including Tim Lincecum, Brian Wilson, Jonathan Sanchez, and Ryan Garko. If Lincecum takes home another Cy Young Award this year, that would be the most awesome first year arbitration case in history.

Odds & Ends: Drew, Molina, Cards, Chapman

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Another round of links before the weekend…

  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier suggests J.D. Drew has been worth slightly more than the $42MM the Red Sox have paid him since 2007 because of his on-base skills and strong defense. Drew's no RBI machine, but GM Theo Epstein likes his hitting approach as-is. Considering the massive deals handed out to Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano and others after 2006, Drew's contract seems reasonable.
  • Jack Moore of FanGraphs expects Bengie Molina to draw interest this offseason and predicts that the catcher will be worth $4MM or more next year.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch says the Cardinals are in position to bring back their entire bullpen in 2010. The Cards expect Ryan Franklin to close once again next season. 
  • ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports (via Twitter) that Aroldis Chapman will meet with the Cardinals Monday before going to Boston Wednesday to meet with the Red Sox.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that the Jays are talking to other teams about possible trades.

Giants Rumors: Lincecum, Sanchez, Penny

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Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has the goods on the Giants, after speaking with GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy.

  • Technically, Sabean and Bochy's contracts are up at the end of the month.  They don't have commitments for 2010 in hand, yet the expectation is that both will be back.
  • In discussing Tim Lincecum's upcoming arbitration case, Sabean referenced Ryan Howard's record first-time award ($10MM) from February of '08.  Of course, with Howard, the Phillies screwed up by submitting only $7MM.  Sabean wants to file his salary request for Lincecum before discussing a long-term deal, so as to not show his hand early.
  • Closer Brian Wilson is another first-time arbitration-eligible player, and you have to think he'll jump up to $5MM+.
  • The Giants would like to restructure Freddy Sanchez's $8.1MM option into a two-year deal, but seem confident in his return.  Baggarly says they even consider the option as a fallback if the restructuring fails.  I can't see Sanchez getting $8.1MM on the open market.
  • A Brad Penny return appears unlikely.  If he sticks to the NL and the West Coast he'll be down to the Padres pretty much.  It'd also be surprising to see the Giants re-sign catcher Bengie Molina, who wants a two-year deal worth more than $6MM annually.
  • Sabean wouldn't rule out trading a pitcher for a bat, but said he'd agonize over such a decision.
  • Brandon Medders, Justin Miller, and Ryan Garko are non-tender candidates.  The Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner call-ups locked up two 40-man roster spots.
  • Quoting Baggarly: Sabean justified the $18.5 million contract he gave [Edgar Renteria] last winter by saying they needed a veteran shortstop."

Odds & Ends: Marlins, Molina, Cueto, Astros

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Let's check out some links to cap off the afternoon:

  • Marlins president David Samson says that he is not aware of any talks with Bobby Valentine, according to Dan Gelston of the Associated Press. Current manager Fredi Gonzalez is signed through 2011.  Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports reports that Samson would not dispel speculation that Gonzalez' job may be in jeopardy.
  • Bengie Molina wants to remain in San Francisco, writes Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  Molina is seeking a raise from the $6MM he made this season in a two-year pact.  Baggarly says that the Giants are going to ask for a lower base, as the 35-year-old is likely to catch less games as time progresses.  The article names Ramon Hernandez and Jason Kendall as veteran catchers who could replace Molina if he is not retained.  Molina projects as a Type A free agent.
  • As the season comes to a close, players are looking ahead to the prospect of playing winter ball.  After logging 171.1 IP this season, the Reds are considering keeping Johnny Cueto from playing in the Dominican Republic, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Meanwhile, the Mets' Bobby Parnell would prefer not to play winter ball after going through the grind of his first full big league season, writes Marty Noble of MLB.com.  Manager Jerry Manuel says that not pitching in winter ball will not effect his candidacy as a starter for the Mets next season.
  • Ken Davidoff of Newsday posted selections from his Sunday Insider column.  Davidoff says that Jim Fregosi – who worked with Houston GM Ed Wade in Philadelphia – appears to be a candidate for the Astros managerial position.  Recently, Wade said that he doesn't expect Craig Biggio or Jeff Bagwell to become the team's next manager.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes via Twitter, "I will be very surprised if Rick Peterson is not the Brewers' next pitching coach.  He appears to be the leading candidate by far."
  • Haudricourt also tweets that Ryan Braun wants the club to capitalize on their "small window…to win"

Odds & Ends: Padres, Jays, Giants

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A few links to start the evening….

  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes the Padres would be making an epic mistake if they let GM Kevin Towers go. The odds of Towers being retained look "very slim," according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).
  • Earlier today we discussed reports of tension in the Blue Jays' clubhouse between players and manager Cito Gaston. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com relays reaction quotes on his Twitter from those involved. Vernon Wells says it's never been this bad in Toronto in the past.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com opines that Buster Posey's only weakness is his game-calling, which could only be fixed by gaining major-league experience with the Giants' staff. He suggests San Francisco save the money they could spend on Bengie Molina and hand the catching reins to Posey in 2010.
  • As Tom Verducci of SI.com points out, the game now has a dominant group of young pitchers such as Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw.
  • Houston owner Drayton McLane tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rumors of the Astros being for sale are "absolutely untrue."

Odds & Ends: Padres, Jays, Giants

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A few links to start the evening….

  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes the Padres would be making an epic mistake if they let GM Kevin Towers go. The odds of Towers being retained look "very slim," according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).
  • Earlier today we discussed reports of tension in the Blue Jays' clubhouse between players and manager Cito Gaston. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com relays reaction quotes on his Twitter from those involved. Vernon Wells says it's never been this bad in Toronto in the past.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com opines that Buster Posey's only weakness is his game-calling, which could only be fixed by gaining major-league experience with the Giants' staff. He suggests San Francisco save the money they could spend on Bengie Molina and hand the catching reins to Posey in 2010.
  • As Tom Verducci of SI.com points out, the game now has a dominant group of young pitchers such as Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw.
  • Houston owner Drayton McLane tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rumors of the Astros being for sale are "absolutely untrue."

Odds & Ends: Sandberg, Yanks, Padres, Upton

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Some links to read before the final weekend of the regular season…

Sabean, Bochy To Return, Payroll To Increase

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The San Francisco Giants will bring both General Manager Brian Sabean and Manager Bruce Bochy back for the 2010 season, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Sabean is completing his thirteenth season at the helm, while Bochy has been skipper for three seasons. Both have been the subject of rumors, but the unexpected challenge by the Giants for the Wild Card has likely been their savior.

Giants' Managing General Partner Bill Neukom also said he expected San Francisco's payroll to rise in 2010.

The Giants have about $28MM coming off the books for 2010, between Dave Roberts, Bengie Molina, Randy Winn and Randy Johnson. Of course, the arbitration eligibility of Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson will eat into that number significantly.

Odds & Ends: Padres, Molina, Cubs, Unit

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Another round of links for the afternoon…

  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer would like to see big market teams share more revenue with their small market rivals. Still, he says MLB has been competitive compared to football, basketball and hockey.
  • Padres CEO Jeff Moorad was non-committal about GM Kevin Towers' future on XX 1090 in San Diego, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter). Moorad said Towers is the GM now, and added that the Padres are evaluating all levels of the organization.
  • Towers said in no uncertain terms that he wants to be in San Diego.
  • Bengie Molina's agent tells the AP that his client wants to return to San Francisco (via ESPN). We heard in late August that Molina wants to sign a two-year deal. ESPN.com's Keith Law says the Giants should pass.
  • Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball notes that the Cubs have drawn three million fans for the sixth straight season. Along with the Cubs, only the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees and Cardinals have accomplished the feat.
  • Randy Johnson tells the AP (via the East Valley Tribune) that he's in no rush to decide on his future.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hands out his postseason awards and issues a number of apologies to people around the game.

Odds & Ends: Padres, Molina, Cubs, Unit

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Another round of links for the afternoon…

  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer would like to see big market teams share more revenue with their small market rivals. Still, he says MLB has been competitive compared to football, basketball and hockey.
  • Padres CEO Jeff Moorad was non-committal about GM Kevin Towers' future on XX 1090 in San Diego, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter). Moorad said Towers is the GM now, and added that the Padres are evaluating all levels of the organization.
  • Towers said in no uncertain terms that he wants to be in San Diego.
  • Bengie Molina's agent tells the AP that his client wants to return to San Francisco (via ESPN). We heard in late August that Molina wants to sign a two-year deal. ESPN.com's Keith Law says the Giants should pass.
  • Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball notes that the Cubs have drawn three million fans for the sixth straight season. Along with the Cubs, only the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees and Cardinals have accomplished the feat.
  • Randy Johnson tells the AP (via the East Valley Tribune) that he's in no rush to decide on his future.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hands out his postseason awards and issues a number of apologies to people around the game.
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