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Blue Jays Rumors: Manager Search, Buck

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The Blue Jays are searching for the successor to Cito Gaston, and they're not rushing the process. An unnamed source points out to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Blue Jays "want to get it right" (Twitter link). Here are the details on the team's search for a new manager, plus other notes:

  • Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun has a summary of the Jays’ search: the team has already interviewed Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor, Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale, former manager Bob Melvin, Padres coach Rick Renteria, Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke, Yankees third base coach Rob Thomson, former manager Bobby Valentine and former Indians manager Eric Wedge plus internal candidates Brian Butterfield, Sal Fasano, Nick Leyva and Luis Rivera. The club has yet to interview White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle, Nationals third base coach Pat Listach, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, Juan Samuel, Ryne Sandberg, and former Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. That's a whole lot of candidates to consider.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he's expecting clubs to ask about Hurdle, though no team has formally requested permission to interview the former Rockies manager just yet.
  • The Blue Jays will consider bringing John Buck back next year and the catcher says he would love to return, but as MLB.com's Jordan Bastian shows, J.P. Arencibia's presence may mean that Buck's best offers come from other teams. 

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.

Odds & Ends: Valentine, Cook, Mets, Mariners

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Wednesday evening linkage..

  • Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel wonders if Bobby Valentine was ever a strong candidate for the Marlins opening this time around.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) believes that Aaron Cook will be back with the Rockies in 2011.
  • Bobby Valentine pulling his name out of contention in Florida could be a sign that things are heating up elsewhere, writes Larry Stone of The Seattle Times.
  • Jeff Wilpon would like to hire a GM by the end of the World Series, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times (via Twitter) says it's not impossible that we'll see Eric Wedge and Milton Bradley in the same clubhouse again.

Valentine Withdraws Name From Marlins Search

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Bobby Valentine has once again removed his name from consideration for the Marlins managerial job, reports Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.  Back in June, Valentine seemed to be on the verge of taking over as Florida skipper before talks between the two sides broke down.

The former manager of the Rangers, Mets, and Chiba Lotte Marines said that he has been in contact with the Marlins about the job since the end of the season but decided to go in a different direction.  On Sunday, it was reported that Valentine was the leading candidate for the vacant post in Florida.  Bobby V has also interviewed in Toronto but is considered a longshot.

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.

Valentine Leading Candidate To Manage Marlins?

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Bobby Valentine is the "leading candidate" to manage the Marlins, a "person familiar with the process" told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post last night.  However, Capozzi learned that Valentine has not had a formal interview with the Marlins.  SI's Jon Heyman wrote today that "the current belief among baseball people seems to be" that Valentine is the favorite to manage the Mariners.

Capozzi believes that the Marlins' short list of manager candidates includes Valentine, Edwin Rodriguez, Tony Pena, Tim Wallach, Jim Fregosi, and Bo Porter.  He notes that Marlins executives have been divided since June on the decision of whether to hire Valentine.

Managerial Notes: Mariners, Valentine, Porter

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Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik is on the lookout for a new manager and, like many teams, the Mariners are likely to conduct much of their search in the coming month. Here is the latest on the Mariners and other clubs around the league:

  • Former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons confirmed to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that the Mariners asked permission to interview him for their managerial vacancy. The Toronto Sun first reported the Mariners' interest in Gibbons yesterday.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that Ted Simmons is high on Seattle's wish list. Simmons has just about everything the Mariners are looking for, including connections with Zduriencik. Interestingly enough, Simmons signed Elmer Dessens and Jose Guillen when he was the Pirates GM in the early 1990s.
  • Joey Cora is another possibility for the Mariners, according to Heyman.
  • Baker hears that Bobby Valentine is still in the mix for the Mariners job.
  • Valentine, Jim Fregosi, Tony Pena and Bo Porter are candidates for the Marlins job according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. 
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes that Porter is a candidate to manage the Pirates (Twitter link).

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Cubs, Valentine, Dunn

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Ken Rosenthal's weekly Full Count video is up over at FOX Sports; here are your highlights:

  • The Cubs would be taking a risk if they choose to wait for the Yankees' season to end to interview Joe Girardi for their managerial opening. Given that six to ten managerial openings may arise, other candidates such as Eric Wedge and Bob Melvin (who's interviewing today), as well as their internal candidates (Mike Quade and Ryne Sandberg) could find work elsewhere.
  • Boston pitching coach John Farrell's contractual clause that prevents him from interviewing for managerial openings expires this offseason. Rosenthal says he's likely to interview with at least one club. He turned down a chance to interview with the Mariners years ago, but may be a fit once again.
  • Seattle, meanwhile, is also looking at Ted Simmons, Joey Cora, and others. They ultimately may prefer someone with more experience than Farrell.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Mets will hire a new GM before a new manager. Bobby Valentine could indeed return, but everyone involved would need to determine exactly what his responsibilities would be. Wally Backman could also be a candidate to manage the Mets, but his managerial experience comes in A-ball. If hired, the team would need to put a strong coaching staff in place around him.
  • Valentine is still a candidate for the Marlins' managerial opening, as is interim manager Edwin Rodriguez, Jim Fregosi, Tim Wallach, Bo Porter, and Simmons. 
  • There's still a chance that the Nationals could sign Adam Dunn to an extension, and the two sides will speak at least once more before the slugger hits the open market. At this point Dunn would require a deal at market value to return, which Rosenthal suggests could be four years, $60MM. As bad as his defense is, several metrics rate him better than Ryan Howard and Miguel Cabrera with the glove.

Heyman On Valentine, Macha, Mariners

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MLB executives told Jon Heyman of SI.com that they’d be happy to ignore Felix Hernandez’s relatively low win total and hand him the Cy Young Award because of how well he has pitched this year. Here are the managerial rumblings that Heyman’s hearing:

  • Bobby Valentine would likely be a candidate to manage in the Bronx if Joe Girardi moves on after the season. That seems unlikely, however.
  • Ken Macha won’t likely return to manage the Brewers next year, but bench coach Willie Randolph doesn’t appear to be the favorite to replace Macha. Bob Melvin could be a candidate, as Heyman suggested last week.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is on "shaky ground” according to people around baseball. Zduriencik admitted to Heyman that he should have looked into Josh Lueke’s background more carefully before acquiring him from the Rangers.

Odds & Ends: Huff, Marlins, Sampson, D’Backs

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Links for Thursday, exactly ten years after the Angels signed Ervin Santana as an amateur free agent…

  • Aubrey Huff is enjoying his time in San Francisco, writes Chris Haft of MLB.com.  Huff, who signed a one-year, $3MM deal with the Giants in the offseason, will be a free agent at season's end.
  • The Marlins still consider Bobby Valentine a candidate for their managerial opening and Valentine didn't rule out the possibility of re-starting talks with the team, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). 
  • The Astros announced that they removed Chris Sampson from their 40-man roster. He has three days to accept a minor league assignment or opt for free agency. Sampson told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he realizes his time with the Astros is likely over.
  • The Mariners say they knew little about Josh Lueke's history with the law when they acquired the pitching prospect in the Cliff Lee trade, but both the Rangers and former Mariners pitching coach Rick Adair have different versions of the story, as Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times explains.
  • Unsure where your team is going to pick in next year's draft? Check out our reverse standings page, which we link to under 'Features' on the right side of the page.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the D’Backs plan to speak to De Jon Watson, the Dodgers assistant GM for player development, about their permanent GM job. Also in the running, some familiar names: Jerry Dipoto, D’Backs assistant GM Peter Woodfork, Kevin Towers, Damon Oppenheimer and Logan White.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic believes Chien-Ming Wang, who signed for $2MM plus incentives, is a better comparable for Brandon Webb than Rich Harden, Tim Hudson, or the other pitchers his agent compared him to. 
  • Chone Figgins told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he doesn't regret signing in Seattle.
  • Rookie pitcher Hisanori Takahashi can become a free agent after the season, as David Waldstein of the New York Times reports. He and the Mets haven't started negotiating an extension, but there's mutual interest in one.
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