Chicago Notes: Sox’s Payroll, Buehrle, Cubs’ Manager
A few odds and ends from the Windy City as Thursday winds down …
- White Sox GM Ken Williams said today that the South Siders' 2012 payroll would be "a little bit less" than 2011's $127MM figure, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Williams also added that he has had dialogue with free agent starter Mark Buehrle but didn't offer much in regards to whether the lefty might re-sign with the only team for which he's pitched: "All we can do is wait until we get to the winter meetings and then have a better idea of where we sit and where he sits and see if there’s a match,” Williams said.
- Cubs president Theo Epstein said the North Siders are in the "sixth inning" of their search for a new manager, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. So far, Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux have interviewed for the position, and Sandy Alomar Jr. is slated to interview on Friday.
- Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona badly wants to manage the Cubs, a source very close to Francona tells Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. Epstein has said that Francona probably wouldn't have to go through a formal interview if the Cubs wanted to award him the job, but right now it is unknown whether Francona is being seriously considered for the position.
White Sox Notes: Buehrle, Danks, Floyd
The White Sox went all-in in 2011, only to finish with a disappointing 79-83 record. Here's the latest on the team as preparations for Robin Ventura's first season in the dugout begin…
- Mark Buehrle has told the White Sox he's not going to give them a hometown discount, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). Approximately ten teams, including the Marlins, Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers are interested in the left-hander.
- The White Sox are drawing trade interest in John Danks and Gavin Floyd, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Large-market teams may be drawn to Danks, the more expensive of the two, while small-market teams may prefer Floyd, who will earn $7MM in 2012 and can be retained for $9.5MM with a club option for 2013.
- The Rangers are believed to be interested in Danks, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Texas selected Danks with the ninth overall pick of the 2003 draft and traded him to Chicago for Brandon McCarthy in 2006.
- Outfielder Carlos Quentin may be the most likely White Sox player to be traded, as Rosenthal points out.
- The White Sox also announced that they signed left-handers Donnie Veal and Jose Quintana.
Marlins Rumors: Fielder, Reyes, Buehrle, Cespedes
Just like last year, the Marlins are being aggressive early in the offseason. But this time instead of quickly signing John Buck and Javier Vazquez and shipping out Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller, the new Miami Marlins are wooing top free agents. The latest:
- Marlins president David Samson said on the Dan Le Batard show on 790 the Ticket that the team hasn't reached out to Prince Fielder (Twitter links via MLB.com's Joe Frisaro).
- Samson wouldn't comment on Albert Pujols, but he confirmed that Reyes is one of the Marlins' "priorities."
- Mark Buehrle toured the Marlins' new ballpark and caught up with his former manager Ozzie Guillen in a daylong visit yesterday, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ace Josh Johnson commented, "It would be great for the team as a whole. He's a leader in the clubhouse and would really help out the rotation."
- Buehrle is a better bet to perform over the course of a free agent deal than C.J. Wilson, according to team executives who responded to a poll question posed by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Responders voted 14 to 8 in favor of Buehrle. A GM told Crasnick, "I know C.J. Wilson is a great story, and he's obviously pitched well. But I don't see knockout stuff, and his arm action concerns me a little bit. Buehrle quietly has been pretty rock-solid for a long time. He works fast and throws with no effort. His recipe seems built to last."
- Marlins president David Samson appeared on MLB Network Radio this morning with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy, and Capozzi has a transcript. In regard to free-agent-to-be Yoenis Cespedes, Samson said, "Obviously he is a special guy. We’ve had some guys seeing him. We’re going to see him again. It’s not too often you can get an impact player like that as a free agent but again in our market at a position like center field with a bat that he has, that would seem like a good fit." The Marlins are sending a contingent to the Dominican Republic for a private workout with the Cuban center fielder tomorrow, in fact.
- Guillen has been very helpful in recruiting free agents, according to Samson. The Marlins are meeting with Jose Reyes today, and one Mets person told John Harper of the New York Daily News the Marlins plan to offer Reyes a high-salary, three-year deal. Personally, I don't think the Marlins will limit their offers to three years.
- I heard today that while Japan's Yomiuri Giants inquired on free agent and former Marlins top prospect Jeremy Hermida, he's looking to stay in MLB.
Rangers Expressing Early Interest In Pitching
The Rangers are aggressively exploring possible deals for free agent starters and closers, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Texas' front office is considering other options and while pitching remains the' top offseason priority, Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols could tempt GM Jon Daniels, according to Sullivan.
The Rangers have expressed preliminary interest in free agent starters such as Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt. Rangers officials acknowledged interest in Oswalt, who is drawing substantial early attention despite back issues that landed him on the disabled list twice in 2011. C.J. Wilson is a free agent and the Rangers could convert Neftali Feliz to the rotation, so there's lots of uncertainty when it comes to Texas' 2012 pitching staff.
Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers Interested In Buehrle
6:05pm: It's highly unlikely that the Yankees will make a serious run for Buehrle, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
1:54pm: The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers are interested in free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and the Marlins are meeting with him today. Buehrle, 32, posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 innings this year. The long time White Sox starter has pitched 200+ innings in every season since 2001.
The Marlins and Blue Jays are the teams most aggressively pursuing trades for starting pitchers, add Rosenthal and Morosi. One GM said of the Jays' Alex Anthopoulos, "You can’t pin him down. He has interest in every one of your players."
James Shields, Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Jair Jurrjens, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Chad Billingsley, and Wandy Rodriguez are the pitchers "known or thought to be available in trades," according to the FOX writers. Cahill and Billingsley are the new names here, but it's unclear whether they fall under "known" or "thought." The availability of Rodriguez will depend on whether Jim Crane is approved as new Astros owner next week, as Crane does not share Drayton McLane's reluctance to move the 32-year-old.
Marlins To Meet With Mark Buehrle
The Marlins, who already obtained manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox this offseason, are now pursuing the most dependable starter the skipper had in Chicago, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Marlins will meet with free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle tomorrow.
Rosenthal reported earlier today that adding left-handed starting pitching is the Marlins' top offseason priority. C.J. Wilson, another free agent left-hander, concerns the Marlins because of his postseason control issues, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
The Marlins aren't shying away from other top free agents. They have Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols on their radar and, according to Rosenthal, will meet with Jose Reyes Wednesday and Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes Thursday. Pujols, Fielder, Reyes and Wilson are Type A free agents, while Buehrle qualifies as a Type B. He wouldn't cost the Marlins a 2012 draft pick and neither would Cespedes.
Heyman On Pagan, Braves, Pujols, Madson
Terry Ryan is officially the interim general manager of the Twins, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the longtime GM is recharged and may stay a while (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors from SI.com:
- The Mets have discussed Angel Pagan as a non-tender candidate, but they intend to offer him arbitration, according to Heyman (on Twitter). MLBTR projects a $4.7MM salary for the center fielder in 2012.
- Meanwhile, Chris Capuano is looking for a two-year deal, but the Mets prefer one-year bargains (Twitter link).
- The Braves are looking for a Zack Greinke-like return in a deal for Jair Jurrjens, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The Royals obtained Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress for Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt last offseason.
- Twins executive Mike Radcliff and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer weren’t that interested in the Orioles’ GM job, according to Heyman. The Orioles requested permission to interview them both, but the Twins denied the request and the Orioles hired Dan Duquette before setting anything up with Oppenheimer.
- It's believed that Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava got a raise to stay in Toronto, according to Heyman.
- It’s hard to tell Boston’s list of managerial candidates apart from the one the Cubs have, as Heyman explains.
- It doesn’t appear that the Cardinals will be able to boost their nine-year, $200MM offer to Albert Pujols by much.
- Ryan Madson is drawing lots of interest and the Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Rangers and Marlins are believed to be interested.
- C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt are drawing lots of interest, as expected.
- Heyman hears that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Prince Fielder or Pujols. The Marlins have also expressed early interest in Jose Reyes.
NL East Notes: Wang, Buehrle, Ankiel, Braves
The Mets are losing confidence that Jose Reyes will return in 2012. Here are some more hot stove notes from the NL East…
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com, that the team discussed possible 2013 options with Chien-Ming Wang's representatives before agreeing to a simple one-year deal.
- The Nationals will continue searching for pitching. "We want a guy that has shown he's a good leader, that can win in the big leagues," Rizzo said. "It's not about having the best stuff. It's about being able to pitch 200 innings many, many times in your career.” As Goessling and a number of other Nationals reporters have noted, that describes Mark Buehrle quite well.
- Scouts tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they like what Buehrle offers, even though the 32-year-old southpaw doesn't light up any radar guns. Meanwhile, the Marlins are concerned about the command issues C.J. Wilson had in the postseason, according to Olney.
- The Mets haven’t ruled out free agent Rick Ankiel as a center field option, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. They still have arbitration eligible center fielder Angel Pagan, but they may trade or non-tender him instead.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore acknowledged that he has had preliminary trade talks with the Braves, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves are open to moving Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado and the Royals are looking for starting pitching.
AL Central Notes: Chen, La Russa, Buehrle, Tigers
Justin Verlander was the big winner as the 2011 Players Choice Awards were announced today. Verlander's peers selected him as both the 2011 AL Outstanding Pitcher and the 2011 Player Of The Year. Could this be an omen for the AL MVP result in a few weeks?
Here's some other news from the AL Central…
- Bruce Chen tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he has already received calls from two teams interested in the veteran southpaw. Despite this outside interest, Chen says he wishes to remain with the Royals. "Kansas City has expressed numerous times that they would like to sign me back,” Chen said. “We have a real good relationship, and we’re making progress."
- There is "some talk" that Tony La Russa could become a consultant with the White Sox, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). La Russa, who managed the Sox from 1979-86, would work with rookie manager Robin Ventura.
- Mark Buehrle is "wide-open" to the possibility of joining a number of different teams, his agent Jeff Berry tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Buehrle has said in the past that he only wished to pitch for the White Sox or his home-state Cardinals, but also said last month that he would be interested in pitching in the National League for the first time in his career.
- Unlike last winter, the Tigers will take their time in perusing the free agent market this offseason, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- A few tweaks at third base, backup catcher and the bullpen could be all it takes to push the Tigers to a championship next year, writes Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian discusses the Indians' plans for third base next year, the chances of Kosuke Fukudome re-signing in Cleveland and other topics in a reader mailbag.
Cubs, Nationals May Have Interest In Buehrle
The Cubs and Nationals might be among the suitors for free agent lefty Mark Buehrle this winter. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune hears from a source that the Cubs "would be interested Buehrle if the price tag and years aren't astronomical." And Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post wrote yesterday that "some individuals with ties to the Nationals believe they will pursue Buehrle."
Buehrle, 32, has spent his entire career with the White Sox after they drafted him in the 38th round in 1998. In each of the last 11 campaigns, he's reached a minimum of 201 regular season innings. Last year Buehrle posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 frames.
Buehrle is a Type B free agent, and SI's Jon Heyman wrote last month that the White Sox are expected to try to re-sign him to a two-year deal. Buehrle said in September he'd like to play two or three more years. He considers the NL a potentially interesting challenge, and has talked many times about pitching for his home-state Cardinals. However, the Cards don't appear to have a rotation opening for him. Buehrle doesn't seem inclined to play too far from home, yet he may have reservations about going to the crosstown Cubs. In theory, the Royals could be in play, but we haven't heard anything yet.
I ranked Buehrle 12th on my top 50 free agents list, predicting a return to the White Sox. Make your pick for Buehrle and 49 other free agents for a chance to win great prizes in MLBTR's new contest.